One of the most frequently asked questions by car buyers is “Are diesel cars suitable for city driving?” The answer is… maybe! In this article, we take a look at the suitability of diesel-powered cars for urban driving.
A diesel engine generates its power slightly differently than a gasoline engine and generally produces better economy and hauling, albeit with less power and a slower response time. This is why buses and trucks often run on diesel: they are large, heavy vehicles that carry large loads over long distances. But what about city driving? Does the additional cost of a diesel engine generate running cost savings for urban drivers?
Diesel in the City – Fuel Economy
First of all, short trips. Any gasoline or diesel engine is very inefficient in cold weather, so the first 15 minutes of any drive will not produce good gas mileage, regardless of the vehicle’s advertised fuel economy. So if your trip involves a short trip to work or the shops, you’ll get pretty low fuel economy whether you’re in a diesel or gasoline car.
Second, stop and start driving. Even once your engine has fully warmed up, it still won’t run efficiently if you constantly accelerate, brake, and sit at stop lights. And because a diesel engine tends to lag and be a little slower than an equivalent gasoline engine, but louder once it gets going, there’s a tendency to stomp harder to get it to respond and then have to take off or Even braking again to slow down when it starts to take off at about 20 mph. This type of driving uses more fuel than smoothly applying the accelerator and brake. It is certainly possible to drive a diesel without a problem, but it requires a bit of practice and constant anticipation. Meanwhile, sitting idling at stoplights consumes fuel regardless of whether it’s gasoline or diesel, so you’re simply wasting fuel with both.
Mechanical problems: the diesel particulate filter (DPF)
Very new diesel cars (i.e. built in the last 4-5 years) come equipped with a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF). This device collects the black soot particles seen spewing from older diesel engines, especially when the engine is cold. The DPF stores this soot until the filter unit reaches a certain temperature and then proceeds to burn the soot. It still ends up in the atmosphere, but as much finer, invisible particles instead of ugly black smoke, and it’s less dangerous to your health.
This is good, right? Well yes, but… In order for the filter trap to get hot enough to burn off the soot, the engine must have been running for at least 15-20 minutes and then it takes another 10-15 minutes to burn off the soot and clean. the filter. When DPFs were first released in the automotive world, most people didn’t realize this, including the dealerships that sold the cars, so customers didn’t even know they had such a device. . If the driver does not drive regularly (ie between once a week and once a fortnight) for at least half an hour, the filter trap becomes clogged. In addition to not properly filtering diesel soot, continued or repeated clogging will eventually destroy the filter, requiring very expensive replacement.
So if your regular use of your car doesn’t involve a regular 20-30 minute drive, you have to make a special trip just to clean your DPF every week or two, hardly helping your fuel bills. Cars made in the last 2-3 years usually have better designed DPFs and improved engine computer controls that allow soot to be burned faster and more efficiently, so it’s less of an issue now than before, but still a problem. a troublesome issue for dealers who have to deal with irate customers who object to paying hundreds of pounds to replace their DPF when they weren’t in the know. This is an even bigger problem for used car buyers who have almost certainly not been given a proper explanation by the dealer and are consequently more likely to run into problems.
Misfueling – refueling with the wrong fuel
Another danger is running out of fuel, and it happens much more often than you might think: according to the UK Automobile Association (AA), 150,000 people do it every year, or once every three and a half minutes! Putting diesel fuel in a gasoline engine is very bad news, and putting gasoline in a diesel engine is even worse. When switching from one type of engine to another, such as when buying a new car or in multi-car households, it’s an easy mistake to fill the tank with the wrong fuel. Damage caused by running out of fuel is normally not covered under warranty, so you could pay thousands of pounds if the engine is damaged. Even if you don’t destroy the engine, it’s still a time-consuming and expensive exercise to tow, drain, and clean the car before you can drive it again. This is not a problem with diesel engines. per seBut if you’re considering switching from a gas-powered car or already have another gas-powered car in the household, it’s worth considering.
Summary
All of the above suggests that buying a diesel car for primarily city driving is not a great idea. However, it also depends on your total mileage and how much cargo (passengers, luggage, trailers, etc.) you’re putting in the car. The very broad advice that is often given in the industry is that an annual mileage of 10,000+ miles/year for 3 years is the threshold for choosing a diesel car over a similar gasoline powered one. However, it also depends on what kind of business you’re looking for, how long you plan to keep it, what kind of deals you can get on one or the other, and so on.