Stéphane Dumas
03/01/2005, 14h47
article trouvé à http://motormouth.com.au/myresources/alternatefuelsarticle.aspx?article=fuel2
Standby For The New Fuel War - The Diesel Revolution
By Damien Reid
You may not have noticed it, but there's a quite revolution happening in new car showrooms and at fuel bowsers across the country.
It's called Diesel and it's coming to a driveway near you - especially if you're into European luxury.
Right now, there are 21 models of new car and four-wheel drive vehicles on Australian roads using diesel, which is not surprising considering the number of four-wheel drives around.
But already, almost half of these - nine compared to 12 off-roaders - are passenger cars and with government legislation due to be implemented next year to introduce a national diesel fuel standard, the ratio is only going to increase in favour of the humble three-box, two-wheel drive family sedan.
With the new legislation in place standardising diesel for the first time in Australia, stand by for a torrent of high-tech, clean-burning, diesels which have plied the Autobahns and Autostradas of Europe for more than a decade.
First cab off the rank was the announcement at the recent Melbourne International Motor Show that Audi will launch a turbo-diesel version of its luxurious A6 allroad Quattro wagon in June.
Presently, the allroad is powered by a petrol, 2.7-litre, twin-turbo V6 which retails for just under $100,000, whereas the six-cylinder, turbo-diesel allroad is expected to sell for less than $90,000.
The move by Audi to introduce diesel is a pre-emptive strike to face off a challenge by Land Rover which will bring back a diesel option in its all-new Range Rover later this year, while BMW is also considering a 3-litre, turbo-diesel option for its X5 four-wheel drive.
But it's not just off-roaders which are filling up at the diesel bowser, for the likes of the Toyota LandCruiser, Mitsubishi Pajero and Nissan Patrol are now sharing their muddy wheel tracks in the diesel lane with the business-suited executive in his leather-clad luxury car and the young family in their classy European hatch.
Citroen, Mercedes-Benz, Peugeot and Volkswagen all have diesel options in their passenger car range - and thanks to new technologies such as direct injection - the chances of spotting one on the road is more due to the badge and not the belches of black smoke or clackety engine noises.
In fact, owners of these new-age diesel sedans probably know as much about glow plugs as most of us know about spark plugs - or that such a thing even exists!
The HDI engine shared between the Peugeot 406, 307 and Citroen C5 is one of the most advanced on the market as well as being the most economical production motor in the world behind the hybrid duo from Toyota and Honda.
Mercedes has an equally smooth and quiet CDI engine chattering under the bonnet of its C220 compact sedan and larger E270 brother, while Volkswagen has long been one of the pioneers of diesel technology with its Golf and Passat models.
With the legislation ready to take affect next year, stand by for more oil-burners in the pipeline with models from Alfa Romeo, Fiat, BMW, Ford, Holden, Mazda, Nissan and Toyota eligible to break into the Aussie market as well as expanded line-ups from Mercedes, Peugeot, Audi and Citroen also a distinct possibility.
In the coming editions of Fuelwatch, we will pit the new-age diesel against the hybrid technology previewed last month as we re-trace our mammoth Prius road test from Sydney to Brisbane in Peugeot's latest turbo-diesel, the 307 HDI.
Standby For The New Fuel War - The Diesel Revolution
By Damien Reid
You may not have noticed it, but there's a quite revolution happening in new car showrooms and at fuel bowsers across the country.
It's called Diesel and it's coming to a driveway near you - especially if you're into European luxury.
Right now, there are 21 models of new car and four-wheel drive vehicles on Australian roads using diesel, which is not surprising considering the number of four-wheel drives around.
But already, almost half of these - nine compared to 12 off-roaders - are passenger cars and with government legislation due to be implemented next year to introduce a national diesel fuel standard, the ratio is only going to increase in favour of the humble three-box, two-wheel drive family sedan.
With the new legislation in place standardising diesel for the first time in Australia, stand by for a torrent of high-tech, clean-burning, diesels which have plied the Autobahns and Autostradas of Europe for more than a decade.
First cab off the rank was the announcement at the recent Melbourne International Motor Show that Audi will launch a turbo-diesel version of its luxurious A6 allroad Quattro wagon in June.
Presently, the allroad is powered by a petrol, 2.7-litre, twin-turbo V6 which retails for just under $100,000, whereas the six-cylinder, turbo-diesel allroad is expected to sell for less than $90,000.
The move by Audi to introduce diesel is a pre-emptive strike to face off a challenge by Land Rover which will bring back a diesel option in its all-new Range Rover later this year, while BMW is also considering a 3-litre, turbo-diesel option for its X5 four-wheel drive.
But it's not just off-roaders which are filling up at the diesel bowser, for the likes of the Toyota LandCruiser, Mitsubishi Pajero and Nissan Patrol are now sharing their muddy wheel tracks in the diesel lane with the business-suited executive in his leather-clad luxury car and the young family in their classy European hatch.
Citroen, Mercedes-Benz, Peugeot and Volkswagen all have diesel options in their passenger car range - and thanks to new technologies such as direct injection - the chances of spotting one on the road is more due to the badge and not the belches of black smoke or clackety engine noises.
In fact, owners of these new-age diesel sedans probably know as much about glow plugs as most of us know about spark plugs - or that such a thing even exists!
The HDI engine shared between the Peugeot 406, 307 and Citroen C5 is one of the most advanced on the market as well as being the most economical production motor in the world behind the hybrid duo from Toyota and Honda.
Mercedes has an equally smooth and quiet CDI engine chattering under the bonnet of its C220 compact sedan and larger E270 brother, while Volkswagen has long been one of the pioneers of diesel technology with its Golf and Passat models.
With the legislation ready to take affect next year, stand by for more oil-burners in the pipeline with models from Alfa Romeo, Fiat, BMW, Ford, Holden, Mazda, Nissan and Toyota eligible to break into the Aussie market as well as expanded line-ups from Mercedes, Peugeot, Audi and Citroen also a distinct possibility.
In the coming editions of Fuelwatch, we will pit the new-age diesel against the hybrid technology previewed last month as we re-trace our mammoth Prius road test from Sydney to Brisbane in Peugeot's latest turbo-diesel, the 307 HDI.