| deltajetfixer |
Yep. I think they are The Future.
Diesels have come a long, long way in the last few years. I'd rather have a diesel than a hybrid.
I think the only holdup to United States introduction is the country lagging in the use of low-sulfur diesel fuel? |
|
|
| xcel |
Hi Dvilla:
___After your post, I was looking up all kinds of info on the Japanese engineer as well as the press releases for the Euro spec’ed Diesel Accord. Great reading by the way. I had the opportunity to post some of the info into the Edmunds Hybrid forums with the usual back and forth as well.
___I would love to own a Hybrid myself but the initial cost and TCO are so far out there for an economy/sub-compact/compact/mini mid-size as to make them laughable in comparison to a std. ICE based model. That was until Honda engineered this marvel of an engine ... Currently, you pay > $20K for the Honda Civic Hybrid, Honda Insight (much less with the giveaways some dealers have done on this particular model), or 04 Prius with their lower performance, higher TCO (future battery replacement) even with the higher mileage, and the much higher initial price. This is a very steep price to pay for such an animal whether it is that much greener or not. PZEV capability is or will be available for just a few hundred more on most vehicles so emissions aren’t really where the extra $’s make sense. CO2 of course will be lower given the higher mileage of the Hybrid’s but HC, NOx, and evaporative emissions will be almost equal by comparison. Look up the MDX’s ULEV-II rated emissions/mile driven in comparison to the 5-speed’ Insight’s ULEV rating as an example of one vehicle polluting more then the other even after consideration of the heavier truck based ratings vs. the smaller car. All but CO2 because of the mileage that is.
___In the case of this Honda Diesel, I don’t see much over $250 above the price of a std. ICE based model given the Turbo but other then that, you have very similar performance as the ICE counterpart w/ Huge Torque and Lower HP for ~ equal performance. This is a win win for the world given the supposedly lowered HC, NOx, and CO2 emissions, and decent out the door type pricing. The European’s are lucky in this case that they don’t have to wait until 07 for low sulfur diesel whereas for us as usual, we wait and pay and wait and pay. At least I can wait for some time as this diesel is the engine I am looking forward to in my next high mileage commuter. Maybe a 1.3 or 1.5 L iCTDi based Civic w/ a CVT receiving in the high 50’s to possibly 70 mpg on the hwy! I do want to add that I have not seen the HC or NOx numbers yet nor has anyone that I know of placed a value on this Diesel’s particulate or if Honda has created a new type of Particulate trap to cure that problem?
___Even after the Hybrid question/consideration for the next generation MDX, what about a 3.0 L iCTDi Diesel with maybe 350 Ft. Lb’s of Torque and 220 HP? I can bet the performance numbers would be reasonably close and the cost wouldn’t be any more then we pay for an X now. Oh, and it would probably receive ~ 35 - 40 mpg combined :claphead:
___Good Luck and thanks for the link.
___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net |
|
|
|
