Hi Group....
It still amazes me (amuses me ?) why more of you guys stateside don't look at more new technology diesel powered cars...
Firstly, I was/am a "Petrol head", and had a succession of 200 to 250 bhp petrol cars - would have liked more but that was all funds allowed...... then, here in the UK company car tax was changed and this was the prompt I needed to buy (privately) a new 530D BMW - nowadays here this is a 217bhp car and the torque is 370 ft lbs - many people don't admit to it but they spend some £400 ($700 odd) and chip it up to some 250/270 bhp and around 430 ft lbs torque. These figures are "above average" for a UK car ! - on mine, fuel consumption was approx 40 mpg overall which would be about (32/33 mp US g ?) and on a highway run it gave me consistently top 40s and best was 52 mpg (50 mpg is approx ? 42 mpUSg ?) and still a bundle of reserve power under the bonnet / hood ! (similar powered petrol cars are about 30 mpg at most) - and these diesel cars are so much more driveable, delivering GOBS of power at lower revs, where you spend much of your time - you can't all be red-lining it all the time surely ? and the engine sounds so much less stressed....
Top speed I managed in my lesser powered one was an easy and comfortable 135 mph (GPS speed) and it was still pulling strong, but I ran out of bottle as that is definitely a ban in this country...... I am sure I won't buy a petrol car again
What, with fuel prices there reaching the dizzy heights of, what, some $3-50 per gallon ? don't forget we are now well over £1 a LITRE in many places, which is around DOUBLE your prices......
Are you guys still not interested in diesel ? Does it have connotations of agricultural vehicles / trucks still, or is it not the thing to travel in to a party/wedding or something ? There must be a reason - I would really genuinely like to know....
Nick
Southern UK