| Author |
Message |
    
Lemonchili_x1
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 02, 2011 - 11:01 pm: | 
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The Cruze has been available here with a 2.0L turbo diesel for a while.
Diesel costs about 5-10% more than unleaded here. It's always been popular with the 4WD crowd, but I've seen a big increase in the number of diesel smaller SUV's and sedans/hatchbacks on the road. Lot's of Euro (Audi, Merc, BMW, VW) diesel stuff around too. Golf TDI's and BMW 120d's seem to be just as common as the petrol equivalents.
For most vehicles the diesel option is not cheap, so you need to be doing a lot of miles to get the payback. Servicing can be more too.
They have recently released the locally designed and built Ford Territory (the big SUV in Australian terms) with a diesel, but it's a $3,250 option over the petrol engine.
Personally I don't like diesels because they sound funny! I did however drive a Land Rover Freeloader, I mean Freelander  TD4 diesel a few years ago and it was impressive, I wouldn't have known it was diesel except for the noise at idle.
A diesel bike on the other hand could be awesome, imagine the fuel range. 500cc turbo-diesel urban/naked bike? 900cc turbo-diesel sport-tourer?  |
Slaughter
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 02, 2011 - 11:38 pm: |
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Got to see this in person (the Hayes certification bike - very well executed - but stopped work to do the USMC motorcycle re-engine work)
Really cool - Hayes is just an hour away! |
Trojan
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 03, 2011 - 05:04 am: |
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LOL ask what trojan pays for fuel converted to us gallons.
OK, just to give you a laugh......
regular unleaded petrol (gas) here in the UK is around UK£1.35 per litre or UK£5.11 per US gallon. This would be around US$8.38 per gallon 
Diesel is more expensive at around £1.39 per litre or UK£5.26 per US gallon. In US currency US$8.63 per gallon.
Now you know why we like small cars here 
Most of that cost is government applied tax though, and small filling stations make next to nothing on fuel sales any longer. Many have been forced out of business particularly in rural areas where the need is probably greater for them
Prices across Europe have risen sharply too, and Italy is now more expensive than the UK for fuel, which is a first! |
Kenm123t
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 03, 2011 - 08:09 am: |
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Trojan the sad thing is oil companies get blamed for profiteering when the governments fed state local make more in taxes than the oil profits. The taxes are about 5 times the profit of the industry.
I wonder when the haters will go after Apple its made off shore apple has more cash on hand than the Gov and the oil industry. Selective hatrd becasue they love IPADS Iphones etc |
Thesmaz
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 03, 2011 - 09:07 am: |
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I have a BMW X5 diesel that gets 22-24 mpg in town and 30 on the highway. It's my second BMW diesel, my first was a German spec wagon which I drove for 5 years while stationed in Belgium and Italy. Both are great cars! The X5 has a 3 liter twin turbo inline 6cyl that is smooth, quiet and powerful. 265hp and around 380 lb ft or torque! The wagon had a single turbo 3 liter and would get 550 miles per tank round town and 660 miles on the highway! BMW is rumored to be bringing a 2 liter 4cyl diesel to the US next year. |
Slaughter
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 03, 2011 - 11:48 am: |
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The discussions about "EVIL" profits always gives me pause.
Where the HELL do the people think we get taxes from, corporate LOSSES?
Profit is a two-edged sword.
Want to pay less in taxes? Simple; make less money.
Howard Hughes had determined that after Congress' investigations of his war profiteering that he never again would pay taxes. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out how to prevent a company from ever SHOWING a profit. |
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