Originally Posted by Ochdx
Yeah, I'll believe it when I see it, but I predict the diesel equipped MBs will sell poorly in the US, and they are going to be on the bottom of the lineup compared to gasoline engines. Again, this is my opinion based on my previous experience with diesels - they are just nowhere near as smooth as most gasoline engines.
I think most Europeans will strongly disagree with you. The Mercedes-Benz and BMW models powered by turbodiesel engines have reviewers strongly laud the quiet operation, strong performance, no visible exhaust smoke (thanks to particulate filters), and very good fuel economy. That's why the fastest-selling versions of the BMW E90 3-Series in Europe are the 320d and 330d turbodiesel models. In the 45 states in the USA where the M-B E320CDI is legal, drivers love the car because of its very modern turbodiesel engine.
Originally Posted by Ochdx
Dude, thats Europe. Cars in Europe are designed towards economy, not engine performance. Over there you can get a BMW 7 series, fully loaded, yet equipped with a 2.0 diesel engine, and it will get its ass kicked by a geo metro.
Actually, the smallest diesel engine you can get on the 7-Series is the 3-liter I-6 turbodiesel, which has actually just as much maximum torque as the 4.8-liter gasoline engine!
The 7-Series in Europe also includes a more powerful 745d with an engine rated at 329 ps and a incredibly high torque peak. The 745d is probably faster than the 750i and could probably challenge the 760i V-12 sedan in mid-range acceleration.
The fact that today's diesel engines no longer have the performance deficits compared to equivalent gasoline engines, not to mention the lack of diesel clatter and the elimination of visible exhaust smoke are good reasons why not only Mercedes-Benz is pushing forward selling turbodiesel cars here in the USA, but also Honda is building its V-6 turbodiesel and (very likely) BMW will bring their turbodiesels to the USA market.
