Work Vehicle: best mpg

I know it is not a Ford but have you looked at the 5cyl diesel powered

1 ton Sprinter van that is maketed through Dodge? I have tlaked to several owner of tham and they get 20 to 25 MPG with them on the road and they are pretty relible too. (BTW I am not a Dodge fan). It is building up a pretty good track record and likely the best van of its type out there. Lots of deleivery companies use them too.

----------------- TheSnoMan.com

I can't speak to the reliability of the Sprinter from experience, but my brother in law had one for his delivery service and it was in the shop for repairs (not scheduled maintenance) on average about 3-5 days a month in the

6 months he had it. He dumped it as fast as he could.

Must be the exception and not the rule because I have talked to many that drive them and they are pleased. One guy i talked to was putting between 70 and 80K miles a year on his and was yet t average under 20 MPG on a tank and had gotten as high as 25 MPG.

----------------- TheSnoMan.com

We don't have anywhere near that kind of mileage yet, but the Mercedes 5 cylinder diesel in our Sprinter based RV has been excellent so far. Great mileage ... not a powerhouse, but very adequate for the job.

BTW ... a bigger V6 diesel and also a V6 gasser is being introduced for the Sprinter.

Eisboch

That engine has a very long history (I remember when it first came out in cars) and it a very proven and durabile desgn and no detriot diesel in in the same league as that one design wise. Some could effectively argue that the Germans make the best diesels made today because they have had a lot of experiance with them since it was first invented by a german named Otto and they used them a lot in ww2 and ever since.

----------------- TheSnoMan.com

Germans make the best diesels made today because they

You're half right. The four-stroke gasoline engine was invented by Nikolaus Otto. The diesel engine was invented by Rudolf Diesel, a German born in Paris. His prototype ran on peanut oil.

Rudolf Diesel developed the idea of an engine that relied on a high compression of the fuel to ignite it, eliminating the spark plug used in the Nikolaus Otto internal combustion engine. He received a patent for the device on February 23, 1892. Diesel began building a prototype engine, which was ready for testing by July 1893. The engine was

fueled by powdered coal injected with compressed air. This machine

stood 10 feet (3 m) tall, and achieved a compression of 80 atmospheres (8100 kPa). It exploded and nearly killed Diesel

I stand corrected, I was thining of the "Otto Cycle" and got it crossed up with Rudolph.

----------------- TheSnoMan.com

THis sounds correct, I remember it was coal dust but I did not know CR was so high (no wonder it exploded). I do remember that he switched to oil after he could not get the coal dust to regulate well (be easily controlable) Kinda a stange how what we can call oil burners were actually coal burners at their birth. Wonder where we would have been with them if they had made coal dust work? A railround locomotive with a "diesel" that could run on coal would have a lot a value today being that BTU for BTU coal cost about 1/5 the price of oil for same amout of energy.

----------------- TheSnoMan.com

This just in...

Reports from hell indicate a severe cold front has moved in. Stand by for further updates as to whether freezing actually takes place.

I stand corrected, he used peanut oil in the 1900 Paris World Expo.

Rudolf Diesel's prime model, a single 10 ft (3 m) iron cylinder with a flywheel at its base, ran on its own power for the first time in Augsburg, Germany on August 10, 1893. In remembrance of this event, August 10 has been declared International Biodiesel Day. Diesel later demonstrated his engine and received the "Grand Prix" (highest prize) at the World Fair in Paris, France in 1900. This engine stood as an example of Diesel's vision because it was powered by peanut oil-a biofuel, though not strictly biodiesel, since it was not transesterified.

Yes we can all wish that you will freeze up and stop your childishness. It may not be too likely but we can still hope for it anyway.

----------------- TheSnoMan.com

Do you really think brown nosing will help?

You need to figure out if there's a minimum on size for your work. You didn't mention what your work is. Smaller trucks could get better gas mileage than a full size diesel, and of course you'd save $15,000 up front, too.

There is a Chevy HHR panel wagon coming out soon - it's not on the market yet, but imagine paying $16,000 for work van that gets 25 mpg.