New Study Shows Diesels Excel Where Hybrids Haven't ...Overall Value

The study by researchers at CMU's Tepper School of Business, underwritten by Bosch, noted diesel's better fuel efficiency and a residual value up to 30 percent higher than traditional port-fuel injection (PFI) gasoline-powered vehicles.  

"It's been generally known that diesel vehicles typically post lower operating costs because of their increased fuel economy," said Lester Lave, University Professor and Higgins Professor of Economics at CMU's Tepper School of Business. "But that's only one element of the equation. Our study considered a vehicle's initial price and resale value along with other operating and maintenance costs."

The study, titled "Comparing Resale Prices and Total Cost of Ownership for Gasoline, Hybrid and Diesel Passenger Cars and Trucks," also found that the price differential between a clean diesel passenger car and a traditional PFI gasoline-powered vehicle could be recouped in less than 18 months of driving. In addition, clean diesels deliver on average of 30 percent better fuel economy than their gasoline counterparts. All of this translates into savings for the consumer, Lave said.

For their study, Lave and his researchers used auction data from Manheim Auctions, a wholesale vehicle operator and Cox Enterprises, Inc., to evaluate the actual resale values of diesel and gasoline vehicles. The team then compared resale values with the total cost of owning and operating diesel- and gasoline-fueled passenger cars and light-duty trucks.

Lave pointed out that Bosch, which manufactures clean diesel fuel injection systems for passenger cars, light-duty trucks and commercial vehicles, underwrote the cost of the study because they wanted real-world independent research conducted in this area.  

"This study is unique because it compares actual auction prices of alternative power trains such as clean diesel and (PFI) gasoline engines," said Lars Ullrich, director of marketing for Bosch Diesel Systems North America. "As past studies only highlighted projected costs from resale values, this research provides a more robust set of data to support the conclusion that clean diesel vehicles provide a comparatively lower cost of ownership.  

"Bosch remains committed to the potential we see in the U.S. and international diesel markets, and by using this third-party research data, it reaffirms the benefits of clean diesel," Ullrich added.

Among other findings, the study concludes that:

• For passenger cars, the Volkswagen clean diesel technology vehicles and the Toyota Prius retain a greater percentage of their initial purchase price than conventional gasoline vehicles;
• For trucks, the diesel engines retain a higher percentage of their initial price than the gasoline options with the exception of the Ford F250 truck;
• As cabin size increases, more trucks are installed with diesel engines. These larger diesel vehicles retain a greater portion of their total price, compared to their gasoline equivalents.

knowitall1985 - 1/27/2011 11:58:27 AM

+2 Boost

Diesel hybrid is the way to go.........

Agent009 - 1/27/2011 1:20:54 PM

+1 Boost

This might be true...

jeffy210 - 1/27/2011 1:27:07 PM

+5 Boost

The other perk about diesels is their massive amounts of torque. Load up the car with 4 people, fill it full of suitcases, whatever and it still gets up and goes. Try doing that with any car that may have decent HP numbers but low torque.

Joe_Limon - 1/27/2011 2:48:16 PM

-1 Boost

It's called using a lower gear...

Rupert - 1/27/2011 8:06:46 PM

+1 Boost

joe_limon - but that destroys the fuel economy.

Low torque and a heavy load causes poor in-gear acceleration and bad performance on hills. Diesels are far better with heavier loads, as jeffy210 says.

Joe_Limon - 1/27/2011 9:06:19 PM

-1 Boost

No it doesn't. If you're accelerating in 3rd gear at full throttle you will get way worse fuel economy then if you are accelerating at first or second gear at partial throttle.

I'll give you an example of how gear ratio's work.

Say you have two identical cars, except one has 200hp and 150ft-lbs and the other has 200hp and 250ft-lbs. Now say you gear them to both redline at first gear at 50mph. They will both develop the same torque at the wheel, and they will both accelerate identically. Only the 100ft-lb engine will redline at 9,000rpm and the other will redline at 5,400rpm. It's the net power output that really matters. Saying a car won't accelerate well because it's low torque is borderline retarded.

800over - 1/27/2011 4:25:39 PM

0 Boost

Is there a link to the article I'm missing?

thetruth01 - 1/27/2011 9:29:16 PM

+2 Boost

"Bosch, which manufactures clean diesel fuel injection systems for passenger cars, light-duty trucks and commercial vehicles, underwrote the cost of the study"

'nuff said

thetruth01 - 1/27/2011 9:30:43 PM

+3 Boost

Actually, not 'nuff said. The headline is, natch, misleading. The article compares diesels to gas enignes, not hybrids. Grr. 009, up to his nonsense again.

85bmw745i - 1/27/2011 11:54:08 PM

0 Boost

Actually Joe thats not true. Diesel vs gasoline in towing. While the gasoline engine may be faster than the diesel, put a 14,000lb trailer behind each one and the torque from the diesel prevails yielding better acceleration, maintaining speed better without having to downshift and better hill climbing ability. Thats why diesels are prefered for towing. Diesel fuel has more energy than gasoline, so it produces more energy when burned, hence the drastic difference in torque, and better fuel economy. Most times I agree with you Joe, as some of your posts have been very educational and I applaud you, but this one time I am going to have to respectfully disagree

800over - 1/28/2011 9:11:00 AM

+2 Boost

There's no such thing as respectfully disagreeing!!!!!!!!!! THis is Autospies damnit!!!!!!!!