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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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 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!

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.

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 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 😎

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.

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!

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

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!

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).

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

I have the D200 in my Disco Sport and, apart from some annoying turbo lag I'm am very happy with it. Averaging 45-47 mpg on short to long runs. Enjoyed your run past the Selsey Arms, Chilgrove and up to the Trundle, makes me a little homesick back here in sunny Cairns!

An excellent, well-reasoned video. Thank you for highlighting the benefits... and this from a petrolhead.

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😂

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.

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.

Thanks for the Vid, we love our 2013 X3 2.0d had since new, really struggling what to get next. Most journeys we do are 8 plus miles in the country so as you described suits a diesel and we drive to Austria every year 1000 mile in one or two days each way, so again perfect for diesel. Leaning towards 3.0d X3 next as a last fling with the ICE before they go forever.

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

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.

Great video as always. I would say it is a case of 'horses for courses' especially when it comes to towing!

I’ve just gone back to a diesel automatic Kia optima estate. What a great combination. Love it. Cheap to run comfortable and loads of space. Would love to take the electric plunge but don’t think the uk is ready yet.

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

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.

Very good points you're making! Just bought a new diesel-engined car today. Hope I will not experience a lot of typical diesel problems which the new Euro 6.2 diesels are prone to. But, I'm happy again, driving at 2k rpm :)

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

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 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

Bought an A3 diesel as a bit of a stop gap between ordered cars but love it. 65mpg on my daily motorway commute. Reminds me of a Škoda Fabia Vrs diesel I had back in the day. Great engines.

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.

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.

Brilliant video as always, very informative. However I know of two people recently who have had to fork out 4 figure sums to fix the DPF systems on their cars, both were not long out of warranty. One was a Jaguar XE, 3.5 years old with less than 30k on the clock, other was a 2016 Peugeot 208.

I remember hiring a diesel vauxhall and driving from Somerset to Blairgowrie in Scotland and then three days of exploring the highlands before I needed to put fuel in the tank. So efficient even 20 years ago.

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.

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

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 !

Agree 100% - In Australia and New Zealand given the distances, remoteness and need for reliability and versatility, torque (towing) etc.. it’s pretty hard to beat diesel when combined with ad blue and other emissions tech. So many manufacturers are effectively pulling out of this region leaving Toyota, Ford, Isuzu as the only affordable players in this space with diesel suv and 4x4 options.. especially Ford Everest, Ranger, Hilux and new Prado.

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 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

Bought my 1st diesel this year (Audi Q5) and what with acquiring 2 dogs, a caravan and a family, it suits me down to the ground. It may be a tall heavy 4x4 but I still get 42mpg on short local trips and 48 on long motorway trips.

My favorite diesel engine of all is the 2.4 5 pot what was fitted in Alfa Romeo 156’s what went from 136bhp then 140bhp then 150bhp then the Multijet ones came in what finally took the engine to 210bhp and went from the 156 into the 159 /Brera/ Spider . That 5 Cylinder growl reminded me of the Audi Quattro. Great engines economy & torque . Out of a 2003 156 2.4 5 Cylinder 150bhp i was getting 840 miles per tank per month and i am sure the car could do more as the gauge was on 1/4 tank when i refilled it .

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.

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

I own a BMW 530d F11 tourer and it’s a pleasure to drive mated to its ZF8 speed box. It’s fast, relatively frugal and its colossal torque makes driving effortless, plus its adaptive drive makes it a Jekyll and Hyde car if wanted. My last car was a Honda Accord 2.2 ictdi tourer and with the cruise control set at 55mph on the M4, I averaged over 80mpg on an economy run and that was loaded up with camping equipment. My friends Prius doesn’t even manage that.

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 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.

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.

Good timing, Ped. Great topic!!! I just bought BMW F31 diesel... only a 320d but surprisingly peppy with a 1600kg car. So far so good...

We've talked briefly once before , the 1st diesel car I drove was a PUEGOT 504 borrowed , could not wait to get out of it. Many years passed and I found myself behind the wheel of a 280 C E Mercedes, just a test drive you understand, but I fell in love with that car. What an experience my driving became smooth ,quiet and the way things were at that time my journey times became shorter, I arrived home after a day behind the wheel and felt happy and relaxed, ready to just enjoy my evenings and repeat as often as necessary . the years rolled by I changed cars , I was 32 when I bought that 280 I'm in my 70,s now and once or twice I tried petrol cars (just to be open about them) but I sit now behind the wheel of my diesel twin turbo well filtered Mercedes. Last week drove from Cumbria to Cornwall over to Plymouth then home again(couple of nights stops at both). The only change in this journey , motorways 4 live lanes and as I drove I felt slightly uneasy to notice that many of the lane safety cameras were obviously pointing up ,down, or at right angles to the carriageway , I always felt safer on a motorways than A,or B roads for obvious reasons and I feel that the the Police, the Highway Department and the Government are putting motorists at an increased risk on these motorways . Feels more like a kill zone in the event of even a flat tire. Sorry to have added that last bit, but most of us have families who mean everything to us, do the people doing this to us not have the same ?

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).

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.

My 2019 Merc GLE400 with a 3ltr straight-6 is a phenomenal pairing. Bags of power, tons of torque. Quiet, refined. Currently paired with a small electric car for local shuttle runs. Will be replacing with a full size electric SUV (Kia EV9) next year but due to our circumstances not any bad feelings about diesels at all.

I have just changed from a very nice petrol car (200 HP) to a very nice diesel (184 HP). I`m light on the gas so was getting 39 MPG from petrol car. Diesel is about 5% dearer or about the same as petrol but I`m now getting about 30% better MPG. The diesel is only a year old, has adBlue and is a mild hybrid too.

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

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

Great review Pete, love the hoody BTW

Your so write one of the most efficient engines made for the job. Great video!!!

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 👍👍

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....

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.

Well said pp I had one but had to get rid of it cost of running it was two much but good things are happening now 😊 nice video pp 👍🏿

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.

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 .

Spot on I get over 50-56mpg in my 530d xdrive mild hybrid over 600miles to a tank

Its good to have the discussion, l have owned Diesel vehicles for may years and currently drive a late model Mitsubishi Triton dualcab. Living in Australia and driving long distances in rural areas there is nothing like it.

Totally agree, diesel engine has great low down torque for towing. 1.5 euro 6 TDCI in my ford and it returns 50mpg. 👍

Its the PM2.5 particles they emit along with woodburning stoves

Hi I have got a vw Tiguan r line 2 L, 150 brake horsepower with add blue and I love it I will always have diesels there great thanks for your video 👍👍

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!

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.....

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.

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

Who doesn't remember the famous quote "I love the smell of DIESEL in the morning" from Apocalypse Now (1979)? 😢

Wonderful overview and insight into diesel engines. Well done PP, we can never forget the torque that a diesel engine gives us, especially in a bigger 4x4 type vehicle.

I have a Mazda 6 2.2 diesel and the engine is fantastic, like you say loads of torque, 50mpg , euro 6 it's fantastic!

My VAG diesel in it's last 3 mot's the tester has had to blow into the tube to register some particulates as it was returning a zero reading and apparently that is a failure as according to VOSA diesels must produce particulates, so to get a pass his breath had more particulates than my car's exhaust. Maybe the DPF won't be as efficient in the future but it seems pretty good so far.

I do 210 miles to work & 210 back most weeks - electric range for an estate isn't quite there - options are thin - a diesel X5 30d works out as fuel efficient (>40mpg) and all of the lifestyle needs plus a dose of luxury - hybrids are like the wrst of all worlds - happy to have an electric when they / the network matures ...

Absolutely! The 3.0 Twin Turbo engine in my Jaguar XF S is an absolute gem.

Great engine. Can’t go wrong with a straight-six diesel - although they do need a good 30 mins to warm up to reach full efficiency. Also don’t forget the NA straight-six petrol; my N53 averages 42mpg on motorway trips.

I totally agree with your comment regarding ‘Where does the Electricity come from’. I run an 80mpg diesel estate car, (not ULEZ compliant) my wife runs a 1 litre 40 to 45mpg petrol car that is ULEZ compliant. My diesel which obviously is twice as efficient as the petrol engine is frowned upon, go figure. I only use my car for longer journeys. I do believe an electric motor is a better means of propulsion for a car, what I don’t agree with is batteries as the energy storage.

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.

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.

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

I can remember Gordon Brown's "Dash for Diesel" . I can remember thinking at the time "What about all the soot ?" . Yes we now have DPFs (which can and do clog up) , ad blue, common rail injection , blah blah blah, the major issue is getting complete combustion of a complex long chain hydrocarbon (like diesel) is way more difficult that short chain hydrocarbons. Petrol (putting CO2 aside for a bit) will always burn cleaner than diesel. I had an LPG conversion on a petrol car. Gases like propane or butane (and not gasoline, that's a liquid !) burn really cleanly. Come oil change time on my LPG petrol car, the oil looked new. None of the gunk that's there on a petrol engine. Petrol engine's oil looks clean compared to the sludge that comes out of a diesel come oil change time. The sludge in the oil are the unburnt hydrocarbons that have been captured in the oil, and not those that go out of the exhaust pipe. Yes there are catalytic converters that do improve things. Anyway to me, LPG or Methane powered internal combustion are the cleanest ways of burning fossil fuel in a car, even if the CO2 emissions are a bit higher. I had a diesel Mazda, the engine was very torquey, I enjoyed driving it. I was always worrying about the DPF clogging up. So much so I'd only use it for long runs. The little petrol cars I have , no such worries. Most of my time is spent on short suburban town centre trips.

Great review,we should be sticking up for “clean diesels “more.