DIESEL or HYBRID: Which Are You Taking Home & Why?

Neither I want fully electric or hydrogen.

http://www.hahastop.com/pictures/Clean_Car.jpg

A true attention getter this posting. It's a flame war of sorts if you ask me :).

Between the two I'd choose diesel, especially if it's a turbocharged diesel... I'd rather wait until full electric cars before making a transition off of petrol.

I'm not getting full electric or hydrogen.

I'm waiting for a car powered by Kryptonite.

001

With an iPad 10GS neural net connection

001

nuclear car ftw!

But seriously, I don't think I'd choose either over a conventional gas powered vehicle. 335d? 335h? or 335i? I'm gonna go with the latter.

The one with better performance because it's not about "price". Any money you save in gas is more than over compensated by the price of the car AND the price of the battery replacement (average price $6,000).

If performance is near identical, then I'd choose the diesel due to lower maintenance costs over 8 years - with so much electrical engineering going on, a hybrid is bound to have more issues than a tried and true diesel. BUT if price is no object and I'm only going to keep it for 5 years or less, than the hybrid is "hip" and "fun" due to the various toys that can be attached, and the cool LED read outs.

hmmm your post got me thinking... why on earth would anyone buy a new hybrid/diesel just because of the money they would save for fuel economy? It doesn't make sense, if you are that stingy with your cash, go out and buy a 90's corolla/sunfire/golf.

Joe always thinking lol.

Joe Limon

Are you being serious ?

On a Round Trip from London to Manchester to watch a Man-U Game the fuel bill for the 750LI was £148
Same Trip in an Audi A8 4.2 TDI was £76

And in both Vehicles I was cruising regularly at about 120mph.

Try that difference on a weekly or daily basis and you see that the Fuel Costs suddenly become a SERIOUS FACTOR.

Also its not just the Actual Cost, the Inconvenience of having to go to a gas station and fill up gets tiresome.

I am totally serious, if money is such a great concern you shouldn't be buying a new car anyway. The depreciation will kill your wallet.

Diesel for durability & TORQUE FTMFW.......

I would rather have a turbo 4 or 6. But if I had to choose from the above I would go diesel. Less parts to worry about, no battery packs and more power. I drove a new Civic Hybrid the other day from NY and around town. I am not a fan.

Not to mention the New A8 4.2 TDI does 0-62 in 5.5secs and still returns fantastic MPG.

2009 A8 4.2 TDI Was a rental from Germany
Same as the 750LI

When you drive like I do and cruise at 120+Mph 24mpg is REALLY GOOD.

I wish i achieved anywhere near that in the 750LI

Im actually not a huge fan of either. But I drove a 3 series diesel about 2 years ago at an event and it was a beast. It felt just as quick as the 335. I wonder how that would translate into the bigger heavier cars though.
T

In the US, not every gas station has Diesel. Think about it...if your wife was driving alone, would you really want her filling your diesel car next to truck drivers on the interstate? If she was gross and fat, I guess it wouldn't matter though.

Pretty sure most Shell stations carry diesels and their footprint is rather large.

More importantly can you see your wife putting gasoline into your diesel on accident! lol.

24 mpg is very good, his speed averaged 120 mph. I would say that is impressive. For me, Diesel all the way. Love the all electric at low speeds, but the torque of the diesel and better highway fuel economy make it a better choice for the driving I do. A Diesel electric hybrid would be the most ideal. I don't understand why automakers don't offer that in the U.S. a S class diesel hybrid or any other big body car with diesel hybrid power train would be far more efficient than the ones out now. The hybrid S class and hybrid 7 do not impress me with their fuel economy, especially their highway numbers.

The toureg is much heavier, and 4wd. If it were a lighter, fwd v6 it would do much better. Tow rating is more than just what the engine can pull. Its about the brakes suspension ETC. If this truck were made to tow what the engine is capable of, it would not ride very good and handling would be like a wet sponge. Ever driven a tahoe or suburban? they tow more but don't drive near as good. the chassis is nowhere near as refined, the steering is nowhere near precise and the ride is nowhere near as smooth and the handling nowhere near as good. The towing and braking with a heavy load, however, is far superior. The toureg was not made to tow a huge trailer. I don't see many people even towing something that weighs near 5,000 lbs with this thing. Likely a 3/4 ton like the F250 super duty would be a persons choice towing weight like that.

The Touareg is based on a car-like chassis, which is what determines part of the towing capacity of a vehicle. Any vehicle with a ladder (body-on-frame) chassis (like a traditional SUV) will allow much higher towing capacities. It's not just about the engine, it's also about the chassis. Included in the chassis are brakes and other suspension pieces like live-axles instead of independent suspension etc. When it comes to vehicles there are ALWAYS compromises to be made. That said, diesels have far superior torque figures than their gasoline cousins. Look at the figures and you will see. That 3.0L TDI puts out 406lb-ft of torque. The 6.0L V8 gasoline engine in the Chevy Silverado puts out 370lb-ft.

I see what you are saying. I think its about bragging rights. I am sure they could equip it to tow 10.000 lbs but the ride and handling would suffer, making it not competitive to its rivals.