Petrol Engine or Diesel Engine: Your Choice?

[raj_5004]

SUVs and UVs are hopeless!! What vehicle holds your hopes, Sir?

Ah, dont bother bro.

Raj , Why diesel ?

Sorry, I dint get you.

 

[Gurrala74]

All I hear from everyone here is FUEL ECONOMY , is that all you people have to support the Diesel engine ?

I am neither petrol nor diesel engine fan . Both have their pros and cons

but just saying Diesel is the best puts me down in this thread.

Other two terms I am hearing is Torque and Power on Diesel turbos

I haven driven more cars then any random person .

Let me write it down for you :

Audi A3, Audi A4 Quattro

BMW 325i , 318i , 330ci, 320d

Honda Integra Type R , Honda Accord Euro , Honda Civic , Honda city

Mercedes C180 , C200, S500, CLK350

Alfa Romeo 156 , 159

Nissan skyline R32 GTR, Nissan Skyline R33 GTST , Nissan skyline R34 GTT, Nissan skyline V35, Nissan 300zx twin turbo, Nissan 180sx , Nissan Maxima ,Nissan TIIDA

Toyota Supra , Toyota Celica , Toyota Delica , Toyota Landcruiser V8 Sahara, Toyota Landcruiser prado v6 , Toyota Chaser , Toyota Camry , Corolla

Mitsubishi Lancer coupe , Lancer EVO VII , GTO Twin turbo , FTO, Magna

Mazda 3, Mazda 6 , Mazda Rx7 , RX8

Ford Falcon XR6 , XR8 , Ranger (D) , Falcon XT, Focus XR5 turbo , Mondeo (D), Fiesta Zetec

Peugeot 206 , 407 (D)

Tata Indica, Safari (Dicor)

Mahindra Scorpio

Daewoo Cielo , Nubira

Hyundai Accent Viva (CRDI) ,Excel, S Coupe, getz

Holden Commodore , commodore S , Barina ,Jackaroo

Suzuki Swift

Maserati quattorporte

Subaru Liberty GT, WRX Sti

and alot more

Most of them were petrol and some were diesel .

From my experience , Diesel cars saves you money but they are noisy and when you rev them high you feel like the engines gona burst ( yes after driving a diesel bmw I am saying this) .

Not sure how many of you have experienced the ride quality and comfort and performance in variety of cars.

If you say am being biased please drive all the cars and then come to me for conclusions.After driving performance cars , even a normal car that you guys call fast appears to be slow and laggy.
Not sure the statements made in this thread refers to what torque /power/pleasure.

Most of the cars you have driven are not present in India and not regularly driven here. Most of us do not even seen those cars where is the point in understanding them and their performance. So it is difficult for us to comment on them.

Come down to the Indian cars and discuss about them, discuss about the cars used by most of the middle class people here. The swift, ritz, vista, manza, alto, etios, fabia, punto, micra, honda city, verna, fiesta, figo, these type of cars. Think of the reason why more diesel cars being sold in India these days.Think of the car prises in India, think of the fuel prices and their difference in India, think of a FE driven mentality in India due to the spending capacities on fuel, just think of a typical India mindset

After this long debate by petrol lovers Vs diesel lovers, I find a simple thing and I really see that there is no debate is required and they cannot be compared one to one as the priority is decide which is the best. More kilometers running per month and do not mind the pick up speed, quick power and concerned about FE will go with Diesels. Less running kilometers per month, needs more power, more speed, quick acceleration, fun to drive, very less noise, do not mind on fuel bills will go for Petrols that's all

Now give your conclusion,judgement !!

 

[codename47]

Most of the cars you have driven are not present in India and not regularly driven here. Most of us do even seen those cars where is the point in understanding them and their performance. So it is difficult for us to comment on them.

Come down to the Indian cars and discuss about them, discuss about the cars used by most of the middle class people here. The swift, ritz, vista, manza, alto, etios, fabia, punto, micra, honda city, verna, fiesta, figo, these type of cars. Think of the reason why more diesel cars being sold in India these days.Think of the car prises in India, think of the fuel prices and their difference in India, think of a FE driven mentality in India due to the spending capacities on fuel, just think of a typical India mindset

Now give your conclusion,judgement !!

Yeah similarly your cars are not present in australia, I have spent most of the time after being able to drive here. The cars up here are much advanced not even petrol but diesel ones . Delica that I mentioned above is a diesel turbo by mitsubishi .
I am asking you all to stop worrying about FE and think of performance measures and fun to drive cars.

the cars I wrote above are middle class ones ( except the maserati quattroporte and S500) I can assure you every car has its own fun .

I'd suggest you guys to drive similar engine displacement cars by Top manufacturers both in diesel and petrol and then tell me the differences you noticed

 

[Gurrala74]

I am asking you all to stop worrying about FE and think of performance measures and fun to drive cars.

This is just not possible in the country like India, as FE matters a lot to every body. Have you not seen the TV commercial by Maruti about luxury boat !!

Please look at my post once again as some more is added there.

 

[codename47]

that is what I've been saying all this time people think am speaking chinese to them.
Diesel is a cheap mode of transport thats about it

 

[nozzlering]

that is what I've been saying all this time people think am speaking chinese to them.
Diesel is a cheap mode of transport thats about it

Please go back and read post #100 and #102. Yes diesel is a cheap mode of transport. But there's much more to it than just being a cheap mode of transport.
As far as fun factor is concerned, Every one has ones own definition of fun.
For some, fun means driving fast, acceleration, feel of those extra 'g's. While for some, fun would mean driving through uneven surfaces, offroading, while for some simple cruising on highway is fun. And some get high driving on hilly roads. So fun to drive factor has many definitions. While petrol satisfies most of the definitions, diesel too satisfies some. So diesel too have fun to drive factor.

 

[TSIVipul]

Guys guys guys..please clam down.Else mods will close this fun-to-post thread.Don't calm down for me or you,but please do it for this thread,else I'll again be left with nothing to post!!

Well,neither I have driven such a long list of cars like Codename,nor I have the experiences like Raj.Nor I am a technical person like our Nozzlering.What I know is that till date I have driven more than 2 lac kms and driven hundreds of cars and now let me write some of my observations I made with both the engines and cars:-

Petrol cars:-

• Rev happy engine.
• More linear power and torque delivery.
• More eager to rev hard and more responsive in higher revs and higher mid range.
• Less in weight and hence results in great weight distribution,which results in better handling.
• Due to less heavier engine,the handling is always better and the car is more eager to change directions.
• More silent cabin and a better exhaust note is always well accepted.
• Due to lesser nose heaviness,the car is better controlled while hard braking.
• Due to lesser weight of engine,the braking distance is also shorter.
• Due to the maximum power delivery at top end,they have a fantastic top end and engine feels very less strained at higher revs.
• If one is ready to keep his one hand on the gear stick permanently then petrols are far far more fun to drive than diesels.
• Petrols are very easy to keep them in the maximum power band while diesels can confuse you with where the maximum poser is and at the end the driver ends up redlining the diesel engines too.
• Turbo petrols are having a far far more responsive mid range and far far wider torque spread as compared to turbo diesels.

Diesel engines:-

• Fantastic low end.
• Less gearshifts required to keep them moving.
• Great to drive,especially for novices.(Note:I haven't said 'fun' to drive)
• Better low end means you can drive slow in higher gears too,this gives a decent FE.
• Great low and mid range torque gives good driveability in hills,but once you cross 3500 mark,the power and torque seems to be evaporating with every 100 rpm increase.
• You can never push this engine,instead its better to shift up near the 4000 rpm max.
• N/A diesels feel terribly underpowered,especially as compared to petrols.
• While turbo diesels have a fantastic low and even better mid range,but still they offer a bit too short power band to play with if you do spirited driving.
• Nose heaviness give them a more planted feeling on rough or undulating surfaces.
• No doubt,FE is always a bonus point and with the added advantage of diesel price,its like just icing on the cake.
• The engine braking is always fer better than the petrol cars.
• No doubt they accelerate better than petrol cars if you are not eager to downshift.(BTW,in gear acceleration of Corolla petrol is better than many diesel cars of the segment and its better if we don't talk of Linea T-Jet and Laura TSi).
• No doubt,if you love to do relaxed driving then diesels are far far better than petrol cars.Weather its turbo or non turbo,it does not matter.
• This last one is just a hit and trial type guess:-Due to heavier engine the,front of the diesel cars may be made more tougher to bear the weight and torque of the engine.This may result in more safety in case of an accident.

@Guys:Please don't make Codename angry,I am sure you people have seen his muscles!!

Well,I have tried my best to be very honest,now waiting for you people to verify it!!

 

[nozzlering]

Now, thats a much better, unbiased view. And people have there own choice, what they go for, on what basis. And we should thank Nikolaus Otto and Rudolf Diesel for giving us such wonderful inventions. They have made our lives so simpler.

BTW, earlier on this thread, I asked a question from you. Can you answer that to me?

 

[TSIVipul]

^^Can you please repeat the question?

 

[nozzlering]

At least it will be better than an un-reliable diesel.

Please let us know. Why unreliable?

 

[TSIVipul]

Please let us know. Why unreliable?

My dear,i never said Diesels are un-reliable with that intention.I myself drive a diesel.

My words were a reply to Raj's reply,which was as follows:-

Ask any hardcore off roader and he will say that, though the Gypsy is much more mechanically reliable than a Mahindra Jeep, it badly needs a diesel engine. In off roading situations, the low end torque of a diesel is a necessity, not a boon.

I just added some more spice and instead of 'less' I used 'un' with the word 'reliable'.
Read the words in bold.

 

[nozzlering]

Ohk.
I asked again, because soon after this 'unreliable' thing, diesel engines were termed "most unreliable"" and SUVs/ UVs "hopeless". Posts #94 and #95.
Anyways.

 

[VivekRj.Dieselhead]

It was really nice posting on this thread. Sorry if someone felt offended specially codename and vipul. It was really an entertaining thread with great discussion and knowledge.
BTW i also like petrol cars like linea t jet, honda civic, accord, etc.

 

[mastersquall]

Hmm. This means one should not take the risk of taking pajeros & likes for off-roading. This is precisely why I was saying, SUVs/UVs are hopeless.

its not that much bad as you think diesel are still favorable due to there low end torque

Agreed that gypsy is good at off-roading. But what makes a diesel unreliable?

When I think of off-roading, I get following things in my mind:

• Uneven surfaces High ground clearance is required. 4WD will suit better.
• Surface could be sandy, rocky or muddy. It could also involve waving through considerable depth of water with rocky or sandy base Torque requirement will be high.

Diesel engine will provide the required torque easily. But petrol engine too can produce similar torques at higher revs. And since a basic diesel engine wont need battery power for running, it can be easily used to pass through deeper waters (wading), while it will be more difficult for a petrol engine. No need to worry about wet/ damp spark plugs in a diesel.
Although petrol engines for 4WD vehicles are designed to give better low end torque, but not as good as a diesel engine.
While working out of slush or sand, low speed and high torque is needed, which is an easy job for a diesel engine. While it gets a bit tricky for petrol engine. At low rpms there efficiency is bad, as very less air is being admitted. And if revved hard, very good chances of wheels digging in deeper. Though 4WD specific petrol engine designer take care of this problem, still diesel is better.
As usual, petrol engine will be more responsive than diesel engine.
And because of its light weight and high ground clearance, Gypsy performs pretty well in slushy and sandy offroading. But I have serious doubts, if it needs to wade through water.

I find it clear that diesel engine powered vehicles suit pretty well for offroading. I have tried to justify this statement above. And gypsy too is a good offroader.

Now, kindly let us know why diesel engine is unreliable?

well its not that much bad as people are thinking here my point (only off-roading related and i am not taking modern petrol and diesel engine )
problem with diesel is that they are less responsive which means sometime if you pressed acceleration bit more you will end up with high torque lead to tire digging in which is not problem with petrol as they are very responsive and we have full control over them result better flexibly . But as you said diesel engine is best for water crossing . ABout diesel they are complex and expensive to repair and sometime not possible if you are in remote area where as petrol engine is easier to understand and can be fixed anywhere with little knowledge .

Everything is has +Ve and -Ve . I love both engine . I wish there be engine with both capabilities of petrol and diesel

 

[Gurrala74]

LOL !!

See Vipul what happened !! becareful with two alphabets changed entire meaning and created lot bread to eat.

I wonder why all your words are hunted like anything