I saw on Popular Mechanics or some mag at the grocery store, there's a bunch of diesels coming for 2008 or '09.

VW rabbit sized car, 72 mpg or so, an Audi, a BUICK can you believe (American made?? Must be imported from China), a 50 mpg Honda Accord, and a diesel BMW.

A 72 mpg car will be a HUGE impact ultimately, on world fuel needs. Just think, if over the next 20 years, even just 2 million of them hit the road, as opposed to 20 years ago when the average mpg might have been 20 mpg. That's nearly 1/4 fuel consumption over a few million cars. 50 mpg savings x 2 million cars starts to equal up to a lot of fuel savings!

jeff

I'd be on the list for a 72 mpg rabbit

The Lupo 1.2 TDI has been on sale in europe for years. It gets 81 mpg. Yes, it's a tiny car (smaller than new mini cooper) but the point is that's it has been around for a few years already, albeit not in the US market.

What I want is the C220 CDI with manual transmission. Currently available in europe, it makes 170 hp and a lot more ft/lbs of torque. Also gets 42 mpg's. Heck, if I knew of a Mercedes mechanic who could do the job, I'd buy a new C sedan here with a broken motor, and then source the C220 CDI motor & manual gearbox and have it swapped in.

Sure there's a market for small tiny uber-mileage cars here, but the real solution is to offer clean efficient diesel motors into the already hot selling US models. Honda Accord and Oddysey, Toyota Camry, Ford Focus F150 and Explorer. Make them get at least 10 mpg better than the gasoline motor and they'll sell like hot cakes. MB, VW have done this for years, and the high resale price of these on the used market is a reflection of the demand for them. It looks like in '08 and '09 BMW and Audi will join in. The Japanese are also planning something similar. Detroit is clueless but hopefully they'll see the sales figures and decide to hop on the bandwagon.

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'98 E300 turbodiesel

Thats why Clarkson always makes fun of the Prius, a VW Lupo or Polo get much, much better mileage and are cheaper.

They want to outlaw diesels in this country, so I will beleive it when I see it.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Awesome, I'll take a Rabbit also. That'd be a great 2nd car. (SD still comes first... )

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-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

I duno... 617's allways have a place in my heart.

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Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?

As long as they would add one additional commandment for you to keep thy religion to thyself.
George Carlin (Wonder where he is now..)

1981 240d (engine donor 1983 240d) recently rebuilt engine hurray! - No more.. fought a tree and the tree won.

pearl black 1983 240d 4speed (Converted!@$$%) atleast the tranny was rebuilt.

The 72mpg VW will NOT be coming to the US anytime soon. We will however, be getting diesel versions of the Audi A8, Q7, BMW 3, 5, and 6 series, Cadillac CTS, Ford F-150, Saturn Aura, and Honda Accord by 2010.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/new_cars/4237945.html?page=1

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'81 MB 300SD, '82 MB 300D Turbo (sold/RIP), '04 Lincoln Town Car Ultimate

Sooner or later every car falls apart, ours does it later!
-German Narrator in a MB Promotion Film about the then brand new W123.

NFW will I ever buy a peoples car again after my currant Jetta dies.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

another reason for me to leave this country... no affordable diesels...

As far as VW is concerned I just posted a question to them via the VW website this last week about diesel availability in the US. The response that I received is that the only current plan is to bring back the Jetta diesel this year.

I am also waiting for Honda's diesel, especially since I have met with a gentleman who was offered to drive one as part of a market test. This man is a die hard Merc man, but he was very enthusiastic about the Honda Accord diesel that he drove.

I would like to see Mercedes offer the C-Class with a four cylinder turbo diesel.

From what I have been reading, BMW, Nissan, Honda, and VW will have diesels here within a year. Check out this site, it is VERY VERY slow, but has some good info on it.

http://dieselforecast.com/

Chrysler also has a cool car in the UK and Australia, a 300 with the Mercedes V6 diesel in it. I think it is called the 300 CRD. Mileage is in the high 30's plus a good sized car. This has my interest because of my bad back and now long commute. I posted some items about this on a Chrysler diesel blog and the mod deleted my entries. 8-(. There has to be 10's of thousands of road warrior salesmen that would love a comfy car that gets great mileage.

Chuck

well, that will be the end of the Tata's

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81 Mercedes 300SD 289k.......SOLD
82 Mercedes 300CD 252k......slow ride

82 mercedes 300 SD...mi Unknown
83 Mercedes 300D ????ksniff..gone too
84 Mercedes 300D 148k........SOLD
85 Mercedes 300TD 386k and holding some one elses project

I don't find joy in saying, but a 3 diesel will suit my (our) transportation requirements much better than an E class.

I'm not really sure that website got the mileage figures correct, though. I have the parents' '97 328is (gasoline) getting better than 23/33 with the old "drive like an egg is under your foot" method.

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1987 300D (230,000 mi on a #14 head-watching the temp gauge and keeping the ghost in the machine)
Raleigh NC - Home of deep fried sushi!

I'll be on the first airplane to... somewhere else... if that happens.

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~Michael S.~
Past cars:

1986 300SDL
1987 300SDL
1982 240D
1982 300SD


Current:

1987 300SDL

I wouldn't call 17K+ for a little crapbox affordable.

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1985 CA 300D Turbo , 213K mi