US models with diesels this year?

[DKarvwnaris]

Anybody know the full line of vehicles available this year with diesel option?

Ones we have looked at to date are:

Dodge fullsize trucks (of course we are biased)

Ford full size trucks, excursion

GM duramax pickups. ( they claim it a diesel, I claim it crap)

VW TDI jetta, golf, beetle

Hummer H1 (too big, she drives at work already and hates them)





I heard Jeep is planning a diesel this year for the liberty, but have seen nothing from the dealership.



Anybody else have info on other makes, models? My wife wants a new car and I am dead set on a diesel, we haven't looked at Mercedes yet, but we'll be stopping to see a dealer on vacation next month in Portland OR.

I tried pulling this up through a search engine online, but there evidently is no way to search by fuel type? thanks in advance.

 

[Turbo Tim 1]

VW is suppose to introduce the V-10 diesel Touraeg next year

 

[willy1947]

I got a Jeep magazine from my dealer the other day. It claimed the Liberty was getting a diesel for the 2005 model.



Thanks,

Dave

 

[DKarvwnaris]

I forgot about the tourag, nice half breed concept, at 40 grand, I wonder how they will sell? We're thinking so far towards a jetta wagon tdi or golf. I am really discouraged that the US manufacturers aren't getting back into the diesel market more.



I hope the 2005 jeep liberty will spike interest to further the jeep line with them. I wonder what they are going to use, Mercedes engines? 4 or 6?

 

[RobertBolinger]

Here is an interesting Car and Driver article-funny they are more doom and gloom as to diesels future in the US.



http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=4&article_id=7816&page_number=1



There is a MB powered PT Cruiser diesel covered in the article-that would be cool...

 

[mfunderburgh]

DKarvwnaris,

GM duramax pickups. ( they claim it a diesel, I claim it crap)



I would claim the ford as crap way before a dmax. Have you driven a duramax? Not my idea of crap but that's just my 2cents.

Matt

 

[C.]

VW Touareg TDI 310hp 553lb-ft should be available now. $57,800



Also Passat diesel coming to USA this summer.



But don't take my word for it. Check the April 2004 issue of Motor Trend page 36.

 

[DKarvwnaris]

Originally posted by C.

VW Touareg TDI 310hp 553lb-ft should be available now. $57,800



.

I'd rather pay the import fees on a european audi diesel than go that route, much less money and a better car to boot. My wife's family lives in Munich so I get to testdrive the newest diesels in europe every Octobrefest.



I have heard of the passat, but they have pulled its release twice from hitting the US market, I am not holding my breathe again. We had a 96 passat diesel until some unlicensed and uninsured border rat drove into it while parked. We really miss that car. It was a great runner with over 170,000 miles on it. No major repairs but an alternator and a radiator.

 

[MToney]

This fall the new 2005 Jeep Liberty will have a 2. 5L Common Rail Injected 4cyl Diesel engine in it. Its not a Mercedes engine but built by an company in Italy for Jeep. Supposed to get double the fuel economy of the gas version. The Jettas are nice, I had one in 2001 before I got layed off from work. Fast, 45-50 mpg with the automatic and have lots of nice options. I know Mercedes is bringing back the diesel this year as well. I know the local dodge and VW dealerships cant keep diesels on the lot, espicaly once the gas prices go higher. I get twice the mpg in my ram then my wifes 93 GMC ext cab 4x4. Its got the 350 in it. To bad GM cant make a good diesel, they have been trying for how many years! They could make a good Railroad Locomotive diesel, but cant make a good light truck diesel. I love my Ram CTD and thats what counts!! I love it when I am climbing a hill and a gasser sees the diesel stickers on the bumper, and tries to pass as I am just taking it easy up the hill. I just drop the hammer and bye bye! Cheers Mike

 

[robobx]

Originally posted by RobertBolinger

Here is an interesting Car and Driver article-funny they are more doom and gloom as to diesels future in the US.



http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=4&article_id=7816&page_number=1



There is a MB powered PT Cruiser diesel covered in the article-that would be cool...

Now I hope they do a follow up article about Bio diesel

 

[RobertBolinger]

Originally posted by robobx

Now I hope they do a follow up article about Bio diesel

I'm all for that-one any way we can be less dependant on those $!^#* arabs...

 

[mazdarotary]

Now it is a bit goofy looking but you guys may have miss the new cargo/passenger van from dodge called the sprinter. It looks like a european import(probably Mercedes due to the engine being a MB).

It comes with a Mercedes 5 cylinder turbo diesel under the nose. I don't care for the looks but it is nice to have a MB diesel available in a van. I think maybe ford is the only other manufacturer that offers a diesel option in a van.



Chris

92 D250 CC

74 Mazda Rotary truck

83 Mazda RX-7

 

[DKarvwnaris]

Originally posted by mazdarotary

Now it is a bit goofy looking but you guys may have miss the new cargo/passenger van from dodge called the sprinter. It looks like a european import(probably Mercedes due to the engine being a MB).

It actually started life as a freightliner, Mercedes saw their way to put a dodge badge on it for passenger rating supposedly. Same engine, drivetrain, and chassis, just another class rating.

UPS has been using the sprinters up here for over a year now, they are holding up well engine wise, but the bodies are getting beaten to death on our gravel Montana roads. They are more for urban demographics not to mention hard to drive in crosswinds.

I'm keeping an eye out for one in the salvage yards for an engine and possibly transmission. Most have been hit pretty hard in the fronts that I have found so far to make them candidates.

 

[LDPetersen]

Our local dodge dealer is a sprinter dealer. Only 1 of 2 in the state of wisconsin. Brought one up to our shop to try. They claim mileage is a low of 20mpg and hi of 30mpg. Had it running in our shop for half an hour and you could not even smell the exhaust. So quiet it was unbielvable. Sales guy had all sorts of claims about not being bad in the wind , don't know about that , I did not drive it. He said Fed Ex bought 2500 of them and UPS got 1500. Not sur if that is sales talk or not. B as in B. S as in S. Looks like a neet service of delivery rig.

 

[y-knot]

I can not wait to see the Ford Bronco with it's diesel engine. It is reported to be a twin turbo with n2o assist. The engine is a 2. 0L four cylinder. Most likely candidate will be the engine below.



Also there is alot of talk about this new diesel engine technology. Ford and Citroen are working together to build a 2. 7L V-6 diesel engine (common rail-direct injection). The cylinder block is made of a lightweight material called Compacted Graphite Iron (CGI). It 's benefits include light weight, compact design, outstanding strength and stiffness for enhanced durability and noise attenuation. The engine is a 60-degree type.



Everyone is excited about the possibility of a Jeep Rescue. I not sure it will fly but it would be nice to see it happen. I personally think the 5. 9L Cummins is to big for it??



Honda has plans for a truck in the next couple of years. They had a deal with GM, they let Saturn use there V-6 Gas engine for there van, and Honda will get one of Isuzu small diesel engines for their truck.



Mercedes has plans for a 314 Hp v-8 Diesel-Electric hybrid power plant



It looks like Diesels are on there way back. And what is exciting is the new ones are not slugs, they are more performance diesels, and they are going in cars, not just trucks. If there was ever a bright spot in the world of high gas prices, the diesel market would be it. Hopefully some of these projects will actually make it to the show room.

I hate to admit it, but Ford does seem to be a leader in the diesel technology wars. They have several vehicles in the works, and I really think the Bronco will make it to showroom by 2006. They also want to be the first to have a 1/2 ton pick-up with a diesel. Supposedly Chevy is also working to get one in their new Colorado pick-up, they did that market. The only thing Dodge has for our segment is the Jeep Rescue, I don't see that one happening, at least not with a 5. 9 CTD.

 

[djbobo]

I read about a diesel Mini-Cooper to get about 68 mpg



What about the dodge "contractor " hybred diesel pickup?



dj

 

[DKarvwnaris]

While all the prospective vehicles listed are more than I had heard of for the future, I am more looking for a list of current models or models that are hitting the showrooms by this summer.

I am planning to buy a new car for my wife by June to satisfy our need for a commuter car for her when we move out to our home under construction 38 miles out of town. My dodge is the best I will get for mileage in a vehicle since I need something to pull my Job trailer and equipment just about daily. She on the other hand needs a fuel sipper or at least something with better than 18 MPG.

Thanks for all the suggestions so far, I'll look forward to hearing more.

 

[y-knot]

I can see the point about the Cummins in the Chevy or Ford. Cummins is not marketing themselves very well, and as a stockholder I would feel they have not lived up to there end of the bargain. Cummins is with-out question the most respected, well known diesel engine manufacturer in the United States, and maybe the world. Any auto manufacturer would love to have Cummins in the list of available options. I feel that Cummins could do many times more sales, then what they are currently doing now. They are limiting their product line to Dodge only, when all three should have the Cummins available as an option. Chevy has a good diesel with their Duramax, and while the addition of Cummins would help sales, I don't think it would be drastic. Ford on the other hand would run away with truck sales if it had the Cummins. They have experienced so many problems with there 6. 0L, it would be the shot in the arm they desperately need. Just the thought of Ford and Cummins brings a smile to the face. Ford, Americas number one truck maker, getting a Cummins under the hood, yeehaa! I can see them lining up at the dealerships now.

I and me alone, think it would be good for everyone if the Cummins was aloud to be an option for all makes. People would finally be able to pick the truck they like, and they check the box for the engine they want. All three makes would set-up their game, which would be better for the consumer. It may never happen, but you have to ask yourself, why not?

 

[mcoleman]

I wouldn't own a another GM truck with the worthless IFS frontend under it. 20 years of driving GM trucks is enough. Everything from power window motors failing to the seats falling apart taught me that there is a better option out there. I'm now at 137,000 + miles on my Ram with the only failures being 2 lift pumps that I replaced myself. No dead alternators, no dead a/c compressors by 50,000 miles, no leaking IFS frontends, no failed IFS frontends, or any interior issues like I experienced with the past GM trucks I've owned. The GM truck quality is horrible. I have friends with Duramax trucks and a few have had injector issues but the only transmission issues were brought on by a Hot juice. That transmission won't take more than around 125 additional hp without valvebody mods and a torque converter running in stock form they have had exellent luck with them. I've only seen 1 Max listed that ran 11. 90s and he was running just about everything known to exist including Nitrous. I believe the recent dyno event in Indy had a Maxed out Duramax that was in the 500+ range but had to be towed home due to injector issues. Given the choice of what truck I would buy with the Cummins in it I would still go back to the Ram even over the Ford. We plan on test driving a diesel Liberty as soon as they arrive. It sounds like something that would make the Wife a nice ride. If she doesn't like it we will probably be buying a 2wd 325hp 600lbs Cummins 4 door Dodge.

 

[Turbo Tim 1]

Hey just because he owns a GM product he still knows where the fun is, that's why he is hanging out here.