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Old 01-30-2012, 05:58 PM   #13
shikataganai
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Join Date: Aug 2005
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AVANTI R5 View Post
1) See above. Diesel is significantly more expensive than premium in the US. Not so in many other countries. In NZ, for instance, diesel was ~1.70/liter whereas regular was 2.12/liter. (Road tax is assessed based on mileage rather than as sold with fuel so it's more like they're equal in price in reality, but the point stands: not 20+% more expensive than premium by any means.)

2) Benefits of diesel are overstated. The "43 mpg combined" Passat in the article is actually a 35 mpg combined, 43 mpg highway Passat per fueleconomy.gov.

3) Diesels don't do well in terms of smog-forming emissions, and that's a big concern of the US regulations, for better or worse.

All this said, I'd consider a diesel from a Japanese automaker (Honda, Mazda, Toyota, Subaru, even Mitsubishi). The current US market pickings are too slim for the rational consumer, IMO.
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