I fully expect that driving this car is quite impressive. The diesels they've had in Europe for several years are truly remarkable.

I was doing a lot of business travel to Western Europe in 2000, 2001 and 2002. I learned quickly that when you rented a car and ran it low on fuel, you had to make a conscious effort to determine whether to fill it with diesel or gas. They are that good. They have power like a gas engine and are as quiet as a gas engine.

Fuel there is in the area of $6 a gallon, so fuel efficient diesels are a very desired product there, thus the effort to develop the technology.

All that sad, the advantage of a modern diesel over a modern gas engine is not the same as it was in the 123 days. Our gas engines are MUCH longer lived than they used to be, and more fuel efficient. I contribute much of this to the demise of the carburetor.

I still love diesels and think that gasoline stinks as compared to the smell of diesel fuel, but until we're faced with $6 a gallon fuel, I will be staying with gas engines for now.

My $0.02,