If you've spent any time on auto123.com over the last few years, you may have noticed that I am a huge fan of all things diesel. Here are links to some of my reviews featuring diesel-powered automobiles:
2011 Volkswagen Scirocco
2011 GMC Sierra HD
2007 Mercedes GL320 CDI
As you can see, I don't get to drive diesels very often but whenever available, I'll take the oil burner. Why? Torque, performance, fuel economy, torque, the sound, fuel economy and torque. Especially torque. In most modern case, the diesel-powered equivalent to the gas-powered vehicle is nearly as fast but consumes 20% less fuel or better...
So what do I hate?
The pumps. The damn dirty pumps. I spent 2 weeks driving around in a 2011 Volkswagen Touareg TDI, covered over 2,300 km and, as you can imagine, I had to fill up the tank on more than one occasion.
Every time (only 3 mind you), I had to grab a dingy, dirty, slimy nozzle, get my hands greasy and pump. Worse, one time I stepped in a puddle of diesel and dragged the stuff into the Touareg; the smell was pestiferous, to say the least, and it stuck around for nearly two hours before it dissipated.
Why can't we have clean clean-diesel pumps here as they do in Europe?
Any diesel owners out there feeling the same love-hate relationship with their vehicles?
2011 Volkswagen Scirocco
2011 GMC Sierra HD
2007 Mercedes GL320 CDI
As you can see, I don't get to drive diesels very often but whenever available, I'll take the oil burner. Why? Torque, performance, fuel economy, torque, the sound, fuel economy and torque. Especially torque. In most modern case, the diesel-powered equivalent to the gas-powered vehicle is nearly as fast but consumes 20% less fuel or better...
So what do I hate?
The pumps. The damn dirty pumps. I spent 2 weeks driving around in a 2011 Volkswagen Touareg TDI, covered over 2,300 km and, as you can imagine, I had to fill up the tank on more than one occasion.
Every time (only 3 mind you), I had to grab a dingy, dirty, slimy nozzle, get my hands greasy and pump. Worse, one time I stepped in a puddle of diesel and dragged the stuff into the Touareg; the smell was pestiferous, to say the least, and it stuck around for nearly two hours before it dissipated.
Why can't we have clean clean-diesel pumps here as they do in Europe?
Any diesel owners out there feeling the same love-hate relationship with their vehicles?