Rudolf Diesel would be incredibly proud of what the modern engineers have done with his technology. And also amazed!

Absolutely brilliant Pete, finally someone standing up for the diesel engine, I bought a 2 year old Ford Focus in late 2014, (my first diesel car) best decision I’ve made in buying a car, it was the £20 a year tax that made it for me, then I realised very quickly that my fuel bill had halved while still doing the same mileage. (my previous car was a 1.6 petrol focus) Towing our caravan is a breeze, so much easier than a petrol. Nearly 9 years later I still have said car and have had very little go wrong with it, just over 130.000 on the clock 50ish mpg around the town and still going strong, what more could you want, personally I wouldn’t have any other vehicle but a diesel powered one.

I have owned three diesel cars and own one now. It is a Peugeot 308 and does up to seventy miles to the gallon. I drive up to Peterborough from Portsmouth and back again and still have half a tank of fuel, when I get back. It's a shame that the manufactures decided to cheat on emissions as I bought this car in 2014 as a main dealer demonstrator with about 4000 miles on the clock and it has now done about 95,000. The engine is a good as the day I bought it.

I’m glad you made this video. I prefer a diesel engine to a petrol engine. They are much more fuel efficient and the midrange torque is so much better than a petrol engine. Diesel engines are perfect for everyday driving. I still think diesel is the way to go.

I used to be a vehicle tech in The RAF, in training, we went into detail about how efficient the diesel engine was compared to petrol.

Diesel... yes! Could not agree more with you, but the main problem is called politics, not reason. Keep on the good work.

I like how diesels drive, the effortless torquey pull of them is so relaxing. But as I rarely do more than a 20 minute drive, the DPF realistically prohibits me from getting one.

Most people have no idea what they are talking about when they criticise diesel. They've been told its bad so they just believe it

Absolutely, another vote for a Jaguar XF 3.0 TD. I have owned my 2009 car for 11 years and love it. Very fast off the lights if you are so inclined, because of the massive torque. But also more importantly, at 70 mph it is only doing about 1700 rpm so extremely economical on the motorway at 43mpg. It is the best modern car I have ever owned and will not sell, even though living in the new proposed ULEZ zone will have to pay £12.50 which is a total rip off con. It is probably better to pay it, than buy a newer less reliable full of electronic problems car that will depreciate heavily.

I couldn't agree more - diesel got unfairly condemned for the actions of one or two cheating manufacturers. I maintain an old (2005) Peugeot 407 with the 2.0HDI turbodiesel (also shared with Ford's of the same era) in Northern Ireland for when we visit and it's a brilliant thing, even after 150,000 miles - still wafts along delivering 45-50 mpg on a steady run. No imminent ULEZ restrictions on the island so far, so I shall keep it!

Absolutely agree, I am on my second diesel, the first bought new in 2004 a Mondeo 2.0 130hp served me well for 14 years. I have family in Berlin and visited them 3-4 times a year, plus we would also travel all around Europe, hence my clocking up 242k. I only parted with it due to rising maintenance costs. But thanks to the extended Gov scrappage deal in 2018 I changed it for a Hyundai i40 diesel 140hp, which is also being utterly brilliant. Probably due to it's 70ltr tank I can now get from home to the outskirts of Berlin on a single tank, that 632 miles door to door (not including the wet bit after Dover) and I usually still have 80-100 miles left in the tank, dependant on traffic, roadworks etc. If I was to be forced to use a 'milkfloat' then it would most likely take a full 2-3 days with all the recharging that would be involved, not to mention the additional costs of hotel(s). I'll stick with my oil burner until Bio Fuels or Hydrogen get sorted out properly.

Why does everyone question the origin of the electricity that an EV uses as you need more electricity just to create the diesel / petrol than an EV uses to go 1 mile? The origin of the electricity has no impact in the comparison.

I always look for the torque-figure and at how low revs it comes in. Power means nothing to me. High torque at low revs (1800rpm) makes for effortless, smooth driving 😎

Buy a diesel in 2029 and watch it appreciate in value like a house in Kensington !

My opinion of diesel engines is entirely based on reliability - in my opinion they peaked around 20years ago when the likes of Volkswagen, Toyota and Volvo were still making engines that weren't so heavily emissions restricted that would do hundreds of thousands of miles care free. Think of old golfs, jettas, carina, avensis etc. So many engines are plagued with problems now - mazda and subaru fuel dilution, chocolate cranks in land rovers, peugeot derived engines in all manner of vehicles which are total junk and riddled with faults etc. Its why a small petrol engine is my go to these days.

I totally understand the need to move to “greener” engines. In my household we have an EV and a diesel but I agreed diesels still have a place on our roads. If we want to make a substantial decrease in emissions this has to be done globally. We need to support and work together so that all the world’s vehicles get cleaner and more efficient. Restricting the U.K. to hybrids and EVs while in the USA oversized gas guzzling V8s still rule makes no sense. Also totally agree with you on the D300 engine in the LR. It’s so smooth, responsive and efficient.

I miss my golf TDI, should have kept it. Loved that car with the low end torque.

The most environmental advantage they have is they last a very long time if looked after and that in itself saves a huge amount of carbon

I drive a 2016 530d Touring. Buckets of torque across the rev range paired with the 8 speed ZF makes it so effortless to drive, as well as making it feel significantly quicker than the 258 bhp figure would suggest - sub 6 second 0-60 and an easy 50mpg on the motorway is hard to beat!

Do coal fired power stations still exist ? We don’t have any in Scotland. There is one gas fired power station, but it is rarely used. It’s really just a back up to renewable electricity generation, about 1% of annual consumption.

I am a retired diesel mechanic so I am in favour of the engines principles and its many advantages but what I am not in favour of is the layer after layer of complex tech and emissions that the engines are now saddled with. In times not so long ago your common diesel would be bullet proof and easily last 500,000 miles or more with basic servicing. They were not rockets but they were dependable and not likely to leave you stuck in an inconvenient place. Well the complexity I spoke about has changed that along with the far lighter build changes to their base components. Oil consumption in modern diesels is terrible and this leads to inlet manifold blockages and sensor fouling and then DPF problems. The cost involved with fixing this stuff is eyewatering but wait there is more, the cost of electronic injectors and other common rail components means that cars as young as eight years old will be written off because the engine is to expensive to fix. here in Australia it is common now to see people stranded in vehicles away from capital cities because the knowledge and parts to fix a vehicle are not available and so tow operators are called in to pick the vehicle up and bring it home. Even then the expertise to fix it is not always there. back where the modern diesel 4x4 broke down you will see plenty of 20 or 30 year old Toyota Landcruiser's running around reliably with their slow but strong and reliable diesel that can be fixed in most regional centers far from cities. You know what gets a laugh every time? looking at someone driving a Defender or another super expensive 4x4 sitting in the middle of a creek crossing with water slowly rising inside the vehicle because it stopped. Petrol vehicles have the same problems but they are a little less expensive to fix, but not much. There is a price to pay for the benefits of that complexity and its reliability and repair costs.

I do 35000 miles a year as a working musician. My 520d MHT touring does it perfectly well and it easily achieves 58 mpg. Electric just wouldn’t suit me at the moment. The negative with modern diesels is that if you only do short runs they become unreliable. All the school run mums with dci Qashqai’s suffered big repair bills with clogged EGR’s and DPF’s😂

I drive a private hire car and picked up a customer a while ago and he couldn’t believe that I had an 800 mile range on a tank of fuel. He had recently moved to an EV with a 150 mile range and was seriously considering selling it due mainly to range anxiety!

Thanks Ped. I am an EV convert, but I still remember fondly my BMW 3.0 V6 and my Audi 4.0 V8 diesels, they were terrific engines. I appreciate your perspective in this video. However, even a numpty like me can detect some panic out there. 'I can't have a diesel car beyond 2030', 'I have to have only an EV after 2035'. This is just not true. New diesels and petrols won't be available after 2035, but there will still be good, used ICE cars on the roads for decades to come. People can still enjoy ICE engines for DECADES. Ped, you have a fan base, you have VISIBILITY. Please use this to reassure people that ICE vehicles are not banned from 2035 and if they really don't want to go EV then they don't HAVE to. Whenever you talk about the impending regulation changes, please add reassurance that used ICE vehicles will still be available and totally legal.

Diesel engine? Absolutely. Did 200k in my Skoda Octavia 1.9 Tdi, absolutely epic and averaged near on 50MPG. Have a VW transporter now, euro 6, 2 Litre Diesel absolutely ace and an effortless mile muncher. This obsession with EVs is ludicrous and completely unrealistic. Great video Pete.

I used petrol vehicles for over thirty years but for the last12 years I have used diesels and I would never go back to petrol they are far superior vehicles an many ways.

I am afraid you can't get away from the fact that for every litre of fuel an engine burns it is responsible for around 3 kilograms of carbon emissions. Over the life of a vehicle that adds up to a huge amount. Electric cars can be run zero carbon and will be as grids get cleaner, something petrol and diesel can't ever be.

Agree entirely. Our late 2014 BMW 320d (non-x-drive) with ZF8HP does circa 750 miles on a tank when we go on long trips over to Continental Europe. As a daily driver the only competition to get similar mpg around town is a very light weight city car. We have a 75bhp UP Bluemotion which achieves so very similar mpg, but to do so on the motorway you have to reduce your speed down to 63mph (GPS speed) as it is very speed sensitive above this wrt reduction of mpg. Btw, both vehicles have cruise control which once on the motorway I try to use almost 100% of my journey. Keeping a constant speed i believe also contributes to increased efficiency.

My 2021 BMW 330d X drive touring easily does over 50mpg on my 50 mile commute (best ever was 59). That’s 15 miles on country roads, 30 on the M1 and 5 across the city all in an hour, so not hanging around. It will also do 0-60 in 5.3 seconds and is super quiet. It’s ULEZ compliant too. I can’t think of any petrol car that would come close to the combination of economy and performance. Oh and I used to tow a 1.5 tonne caravan with it. It still pulled hard and did 30mpg with all that drag. Incredible car. They do a quicker one too, the 340d. It’s a shame we’re being ripped off at the pumps though when the wholesale price of diesel is now lower than petrol yet they still charge more. The commercial diesel vehicle drivers who have no reason to shop around for the best price when they aren’t paying for the fuel themselves are part of the problem I believe. So the garages can just keep taking higher margins. As for all the company car plug in petrol hybrids (every 3 series I see on the motorway is a 330e) when are the government going to wake up to the fact that many of these are not being plugged in overnight? They are driving around with flat batteries and burning LOTS of petrol. Yet they incentivise them with the BIK tax breaks.

I own a diesel and I own an EV. One of them I used to enjoy driving and the other is a real joy to drive. The real test for me is could I sit in the garage with the engine / motor running for a few hours and emerge alive? That tells me what the health impact of the two vehicles is.

Diesel engines are particularly unsuited for short trips and require special treatment to minimise harmful exhaust emissions; anyone pushing diesel engines for anything other than heavy duty use, such as with trucks, buses and trains where their high efficiency shines, require their heads to be examined.

Because you throw always 60 to 70% of the energy the Diesel has as waste heat. If you would take that Diesel and generate electricity from that you could drive the same amount and also heat up a house with the waste heat But I think what most people don't really want to accept is that the issue itself is burning fossil fuels. No matter how.

I have a Discovery 5 with the same engine as your Defender and we use it for big journeys where we often see 6.9L/100kms fully loaded, which is more economical than my wife's 3 cylinder, 1L Turbo VW T-Cross around town. Just a delight to drive and quite rapid. All this talk about EV's but there's no way you could take one of those fully loaded into the outback areas of Australia. Love the diesel.

DPF , EGR , DI and possibly DMF are the four codes that one needs to get familiar with before buying a diesel. Granted, not every Diesel powered car has DMF , but the modern safety nets force cars to be driven or used in a specific way in order to keep them running well , ERGO long journeys vs short cycles dictate whether a DIESEL or PETROL is the right engine for you.

They say that these particulates can get into the bloodstream. They also said the vaccine was safe and that climate change is our fault.

It is too simple to make it a religious debate. If you drive a trailer or a caravan on a regular basis, get yourself a diesel or petrol car. If you don't book yourself a testdrive in a model 3 and you'll never go back. It is the best car you will ever drive. There is no such thing as range anxiety. All you'll feel is a relaxation and an incredible joy. After five minutes you know you will never long back to the petrol station, except for the snacks of course!

Completely agree! High mileage driving suits a diesel. My 200k mile Mini proves that (had it from new). The racing at Le Mans a few years ago showed what could be done with diesel, particularly with Audi leading the way. Electric cars have their place for city / local short drives, but as a working vehicle, diesel is technology that works.

Well said Ped! …. and folks shouldn’t forget that petrol engines also emit NOx and particles.

I can't see how Diesel cars were a problem with Buses, Bin Wagons, Fire Engines, Trucks, Trains and Tractors etc. in mass proliferation.

About a year ago I swapped a Lexus Petrol Hybrid for a BMW 740 diesel. The Lexus couldn't better 30mpg. My BMW manages about 48mpg. NOBODY can tell me the BMW isn't vastly more efficient. Plus it's fast, quiet, does over 800 miles on a tank and looks way better too.

We have a Skoda Octavia estate 1.6 diesel (67 reg), and it’s an incredibly clean engine. Super-reliable and the emission stats are off the chart! We drive to Cornwall, Scotland and The Lake District from East Essex on a regular basis. An example being our last trip back from St.Ives costing about 35 quid in fuel, for four people and lots of luggage (approx 370 miles).

Had a 330d e92 M Sport coupe a few years back, straight 6 loads of torque and it never seemed to run out of breath, amazing to drive. So easy to drive too, no need to thrash the engine and overtakes were over almost before you had decided to make the pass. Best car I've owned and miss driving it. Now driving a Fiesta 1.6 diesel to work and back, 75 miles a day monday to friday, averaging 61mpg with no tax makes a v cheap commuter car but not as much fun as the 330d!

There are 2 problems that make diesel worse than it could be, 1 the push to make them led to smaller particals, the old engines produce bigger particles that not a problem for living animals to filter out but the newr smaller particles are a problem. The green lobby are responsible once again for making things worse. 2nd there is a growing trend amongst drivers is the foot to the floor brigade. Not saying we should all crawl around at 5 mph but trying to do the standing quater mile at every light is where the most polution is made as is the need to treat speed limits as a minimum. What we all need to realise there is no means of transport that doesnt produce some emmissions, even walking produces co2

Except CO2 isn't a pollutant. It is plant food. The real issue with diesel is that the particulates are carcinogenic, and the filters in the real world aren't that efficient, especially as the vehicle gets older.

Rangz Rover Evoque 2.2 TD4 - a real motorway muncher in luxury style. PDF easily dealt with on urban cycle periods. Mid-West France to South-West Spain in 13 easy hours with one top-up! Do that on a battery car. It's only the peasants that provide the problems.

i run as a daily a 1998 bmw 525tds E39 manual 1550 kg car...returns 4.6 liter / 100klm 2 valve straight six diesel engine ...25 year old car 345,000 klm i expect it to do another 200 ,000 klm before i need to look for another car , i expect then only trouble after 100.000 klm.modern cars are far to heavy,,,,,,, P.S made and built in germany dont think new ones are

We haven't demonised diesel engines, or petrol engines, all that has happened is electric vehicles surpass them in every way. On all specs. Makes me laugh when people say where does the electricity come from, the same place it comes from in drilling for oil, refining the crude oil, transporting it, and the pump.

Brilliant. Diesel is the most efficient reliable mode of propulsion. In addition it is getting cleaner. The Government are completely deluded.

Until the Tesla driving fraternity give up flying off for their skiing trips and consuming products from all over the globe, I think I’ll feel just fine zipping about in my M340d, while getting 50 to the gallon….agree with your point, in the real world diesels are just far superior

For 20 years my series 3 109 safari was 2 1/4 petrol, highly tuned, with cylinder head skimmed, valve timing adjusted, timing advanced and carb bored out, it returned 20 mpg, provided I was under the bonnet, tweaking it every week... The last 10 years, it's had a 200 TDi lump in it. I rarely look under the bonnet, mainly just check the oil, it starts 1st time rain or shine, returns 31 mpg either on a run, or around the lanes, regardless of road conditions. It pulls like a train, all bottom end and then the turbo kicks in. The Drover was crying out for it. Couldn't be happier. Go back to petrol? No chance. And you're right, I even pull our caravan with it.

I own a 2020 evoque diesel. On Friday I drove from Sheffield to Duxford and return 5 up and with full fuel and gear in the boot and returned 58.7 per gallon. No complaints from me.

According to MDPI, gasoline engines have a thermal efficiency of between 30% and 36% while diesel engines can reach a thermal efficiency of almost 50% Electric motor 85% efficiency. Then we talk about pollutants whilst running the engine, which only become least at cruising speeds. Most vehicles average speed is around 30mph, less for city vehicles. Electric motors become more and more efficient at slower speeds, ideal for urban travel-no pollution

V6 Diesel Cayenne (Euro 5), Volvo V40 D2 (Euro 6) and a Boxster 718S, our mixed fuel collection. Still driving Diesel cars since 1984!

We have a 2016 Euro 6 compliant diesel which has just worked superbly with a full load and towing a trailer to Cornwall. However, when you back it in the garage or one passes you in town you just cannot escape the particulates and fumes. The UK power grid is now pretty much coal free and when for the majority of trips we use our Golf size EV I have to say it is a much better power source the majority of the time. No local emissions, lower national emissions as the grid gets greener every year, low maintenance and running costs, but most of all just lovely to drive. Finances don't permit us to change our diesel at the moment but the diesel is a dying breed and although I can appreciate a good diesel can be a joy to drive, I don't think I'm that sad about it.

One EML or one shake and you have a four figure repair on your hands. EGR hell. Declining economy on used vehicles. That’s why fragile modern diesels are more trouble than they’re worth. They also smell and shorten peoples lives. Feck them. I wouldn’t want one out of warranty.

I had a 2011 Jetta TDI and loved it. I would still be driving it if it was not for an accident, the reason I bought it diesel was cheaper at the time and it came with $2000 Canadian government grant to buy diesel, it did 1000 km on a tank. I loved the way it went up steep hills.

I have a diesel and it's ULEZ complaint and it's CO2 rate is only £30 A year as it is so clean. The fuel economy is over 65 mpg on a long run and over 50 mpg around town

I read a article about exhaust particals on a petrol engine are smaller than the partials from a diesel engine exhaust

It’s great that people are realising that diesel cars are not bad and that in fact we don’t have a climate emergency at all

Love this! And so true, diesels these days are cleaner than ever before!

Mazda CX60 3.3l turbo diesel is fantastic and really good economy too. I always wondered why PHEVs didn’t use turbo diesel engines more often. Torque to recharge the battery whilst on the motorway then electric in town when the diesel is less efficient.

I’ve got a 530d touring and it’s a phenomenal engine, returned 47mpg on a recent holiday to Cornwall 😊

Three Diesel drivers in our household, nothing beats them in our opinion.

My 15 year old Modec solar powered electric motor home Van , the Modec doesn't use any fossil dinosaurs to power it..... It's totally powered from todays free Suns energy 😎👍

Love my Defender D250 and totally agree with you. It’s incredibly refined and a fabulous piece of kit for munching the miles. Twin this with our little mini electric for all of our short journeys into the local villages and I think we have the perfect combo. Unfortunately diesel has been given a bad name from diesel-gate but totally unjustified imo as well.

First let me say that I agree with your general point. Diesel has gotten a bad wrap, and I think there are several reasons for that. People still remember the old diesels and how bad they smelled because they burned oil (not the diesel, but the oil lubricant). I still hate sitting behind those old diesels. New ones don't smell like that and don't burn oil, and they are simply more efficient than gasoline cars (sorry how we call them in the US). Also you are right that hybrids are better than diesel in almost every way, but why aren't there hybrid diesels? Those would be even better. In fact if there were diesel hybrids it would make the EV transition take even longer, because we would be comparing an EV to an 60-80mpg car. And you are right if you are towing, a diesel is a very good choice. Though the hybrids will now do it more efficiently, again, why are there no diesel hybrid trucks? I have really been confused by how slow diesel was to catch on in the US, but I think by now it is really not the best option. Hybrids are just as cheap (almost) have better efficiency and just as much power. But just comparing a Diesel to straight gas today, hard to imaging why there are not more diesels... and I can't understand why there are no diesel hybrids, it seems a no brainer. Ok, that left out EVs entirely because I think they are really 2 different markets, with only a little overlap. If you need to tow or need long range people buy a diesel (or a gas hybrid). If they don't need that and can plug in at home folks buy EVs. EVs are clearly not capable of filling all the niches yet. But one thing you said that is not correct is the line about the coal power plant powering your EV. First if you want to take that line you need to look at the actual power generation in your market and see what will be powering your EV. In the UK today coal is like 1.5% of the energy production, natural gas is nearly 40%, wind is 27% and nuclear is over 15%. Even solar beat out coal by 3x in the non-sunny UK. An EV will produce much less emissions given any power grid just due to efficiency gains, but given your power grid it will be much cleaner. Remember that EVs are about 80%+ efficient where as even diesels are maybe 30% efficient at turning diesel into torque. Power plants are much more efficient even if we are talking natural gas (50% or so), and they are cleaning burning to boot. The is no comparison between an EV and a diesel in how much pollution it creates, EVs win hands down, and every peer reviewed study has found this to be the case. That doesn't mean they work for everyone, and as you mention, lots of folks still have a great choice with a diesel, but most of those folks are better off with a hybrid. Both are no hassle, the hybrid is more efficient (slightly), and really close in price. You could make an argument for either, but for me the regenerative breaking throws it to the hybrid. Again though (repeating myself) no idea why we don't have hybrid diesels....

EV's are a disaster, Their production pollutes the environment, Randomly burst into flames when charging and they will be a recycling nightmare when all those dead battery packs need disposing of, I love diesels, Loads of torque! 32 yrs as a vehicle tech, Yes i have a dirty euro3 volvo D5 with 242K miles on it but it runs sweet and the damage to the environment has been done in the past producing it so i'm helping the environment by keeping it going and not buying an EV due to it's manufacturing and disposal polluting the environment!

Nobody seems to want to recognise that the vast majority of commercial vehicles are diesel. So too shipping, don't think that's going away any time soon. And what about sustainable diesel fuels? Not a word..... It's as if they simply don't exist

Its great to see someone actually testing a diesel & being honest I'm all for electric cars in city's & they make so much sense for old aunt Mable who goes to get her papers everyday & goes shopping once a week But for those of us who love driving for work & pleasure & do lots of miles but still need to drive on a budget a diesel is the better option & in most cases the only option I love my diesel mondeo & I'll be running her until there is no more diesel then I'll put her in my garage alongside my mk2 granada 2.8 estate & my rover sd1 v8

Watched 'Just have a think' with Matt Farrell - apparently, during covid - methane in the atmosphere increased massively over the poles because NOX plays a major part in breaking it down. We weren't driving so NOX went down big time. Methane is massively more damaging than CO2 directly. It's all about controlling where pollution happens. If you have a large, densely packed population then I don't disagree that 'clean air' should be a priority. I'm afraid however that once the politicians get involved - I tend to want to do the opposite. Living in rural Norfolk, I will continue to drive my 2008 3.6 TDV8 L322 RR 6000 miles a year without worrying about me conscience. If I go to town - I should NOT be allowed to take my 'dirty' car - paying a tax to allow me to do so is a total nonsense (scam) made up by the likes of SK to milk more money out of the put upon general public.

Have driven Mondeo 2litre Diesel Estates for over 20 years. Currently get 57mpg on a motorway run and one of them did 197,000 miles with only routine servicing before I gave it to my daughter! No longer available😢. Big mistake by Ford to stop build of Mondeos in my opinion.

Just wondering how much pollution caused by extracting crude oil, transporting it, refining into diesel and then transporting to fuel stations!

Hi. Having been part of the launch of this engine it’s nice to see you giving it a great review. You should contact the Engine plant in Wolverhampton and do a tour.

A very well balanced post, well done Peter 👍 My wife and I have on occasions regretted selling our Merc GLA 220 4Matic (diesel). It was such a good car. All the anti diesel horror stories that were circulating about 5 years ago made me think twice about diesel ownership. Now on our second petrol hybrid, all very good and positive and a far better bet at the moment for us over an EV.

And the diesel engine is far more long lived than a petrol engine, well maintained ones often reach 750,000 miles without a rebuild! Petrol is solvent, Diesel is an oil.

It is only 6 and a bit years to 2030. It's not going to happen without incredible pain, loss of jobs and civil unrest.

Problem is they're not all in the country. Most of them are sitting in town traffic or outside schools on a winters day with the engines and cats not warmed up properly emitting more than Euro 6 emission limits. Anyway the diesel ship has sailed now as only 7% of new car sales in July were diesel

I’ve always wanted a diesel but here in the states I just don’t need one for my life style. I do have a 2500 truck but it’s a gas engine. Maybe one day I’ll own a diesel truck. I could see getting a diesel before a electric though. Great video Sir Pete and thanks for talking about diesels

Because ‘better than they used to be’ doesn’t mean ‘good’. An EV is still better for the environment over its lifetime than any ICE, and with cleaner grids that gap will only widen. Diesels are well suited to long haul motorway journeys, not town stop-start or short journeys where they don’t get hot enough.

I think it is right that we reduce ICE vehicle use in towns and cities, especially the delivery vans and taxis etc. But for people who do a lot of towing and/or big mileage, EV is not going to get the job done (yet). At the other end of the scale, people that drive a few miles a day will not save much fuel or overall pollution by buying an EV. We should accept that EV's are 'horses for courses', and are not for everyone.

Absolutely agree. Without the diesel engine the world stops . I own a ten year old a jag xf 3.00 ltr diesel , 57 mpg on a run and averaging 40 overall. Super comfort and goes like a hairy bear. What’s not to love .

i love my diesel! (seat leon 2.0 184) so easy to drive and really forgiving. averages high 40's low 50's mpg (i've got a heavy right foot!). if the weather is snowy it can pull away in 2nd or 3rd gear no problems. also, vehicle manufacturers always talk about 0-60 times, but when does that ever matter in real world driving? really should be 30-70 times which is where a diesel excels (i.e. overtaking slower moving vehicles).

2013 Hyundai i30 Premium 1.6 Turbo CRDi here. Now at 189,000 KM's. No issues whatsoever with either car as a whole nor the engine and transmission. Only 100Kw propelling a 1470KG kerb weight small hatch but near on 300Nm of torque. The fuel economy is amazing and it never needs to rev beyond 3,000rpm and will hold 6th gear up the longest steepest freeway/highway/motorway and never exceeds 2,000rpm and never changes down gears. Basically it has the grunt of a 3 litre six cylinder. We both LOVE it. The Premium model has all the fruit and some more. When the dual row timing chain/tensioner system finally does indicate a replacement, this is exactly what we will get done and it's not expensive.

The problem with modern diesels isn’t their emissions, it’s their emissions systems, especially Euro 6, with AdBlue etcetera. Too complicated and too expensive to build and maintain. And nowadays not very environmentally friendly because the engines don’t last long anymore because of those emission systems. Older diesel engines are the better engines, 1.9 TDI, 2.0 TDI, Mercedes diesels, Peugeot with their OLD 2.0 HDI. From what I experience in our workshop, the main thing we get for repairs is diesels, DPF’s, injectors, AdBlue systems, EGR’s, fuel pumps, and believe me, it costs a shit amount in repairs. If you want to drive diesel, drive an old one.

I've always loved the Diesel Engine. Infact I have got the New Audi S4 TDI . ITS brilliant and will not be selling it any time soon.....

Just took delivery of my 75 edition 90 stunning drove both petrol and diesel easy choice 300 fa me with ad blue don't get the do gooders issues with it , diesel for ever here 👍👍

From The Netherlands. I owned a 2 liter Diesel Ford Mondeo for 17 years. I clocked 380.000 KM on it. Frankly it was the best Car I ever owned. The engine was performing absolutely perfect. After retirement I had to get rid of it because of very high taxes on Diesel cars in The Netherlands. Still regret it.

I drive a Volvo S80 Saloon with a 2.4 detuned Audi Diesel engine that in-town returns 45.8mpg and on a long run - on holiday - gives up to 58mpg !

My Honda Accord tdci engine circa 2007 was a work of art, absolutely loved it especially after it was retuned to around 200bhp and it was cleaner and quieter than most. I'd do a bit more digging as your film is full of inaccuracies, many Euro 6 diesel models are a disaster waiting to happen with dpf related issues. EV's being charged via coal power stations just isn't true, they now account for around 2% of UK power generation which is negligible.

If you don't mind the unreliability and extreme repair costs of running such a thing, there's far better alternatives

Nothing wrong with diesel engines. We can't do without them. Most trains are Diesel locomotives and almost ALL lorries are Diesel

You are preaching to the converted. I live in a rural area ,having grown up with diesel tractors , i now drive a BMW x5 straight 6 diesel . Best engine BMW ever made . Punished on road tax , But worth it.

The world has gone mad! We’re ditching diesels way too soon!

Oh dear Ped! One of the reason I love your channel is that you are not afraid to indulge your passions but it is a bit of slip backwards with this'good old diesels' video. I could sense the nostalgia, but we all let our hearts rule our heads at times.😊 You are a bit optimistic on the particulate filter data too, which is more like 30% to 80% capture rates, depending on cold starts, temperatures and how well the vehicle is maintained. Even newish diesels kick out a cloud of black smoke when they accelerate hard, especially when climbing. The reason it's a dead technology though is that the costs to develop and build a diesel engine that will meet new air quality standards makes the car more expensive than an EV. As for 'great torque'...EVs have diesels beaten there too. JLR are in a fight for survival and must electrify quickly to stay in business, lets hope they do.

I have owned diesel cars for the past 20 years and will not change

The only problem with 4 cylinder diesels is the shitty sound😂however I am very impressed at how wonderfully smooth 6 cylinder diesels are today.

Yes, diesel much better option for distance travel and living in non urban environment. We should all have choice on vehicle engine types and not held subject to the dictats of the private jet global elite.

I drive a 530d. It's Euro 5 but not ULEZ compliant.... 540Nm, 250+bhp, 600+ miles to a tank. It suits me and my lifestyle perfectly

Just bought a BMW 330d. Could not care less, what other people think. Great engine, big range. That‘s what I Need.

Total cost of ownership for a diesel car is cheaper than the equivalent EV and the convenience level isn’t even close. Still waiting for an EV that can match the towing and driving range of our diesel. The solid state battery that Toyota is working on might be the solution.