Priuis with leather seats....WTF?

[Paul]

Buying a diesel compact is such a joke it's not even funny. People buy the Prius to save money on gas. Getting a diesel just makes you have to pay more for fuel to get the same MPG that the Prius does on regular gas. That, and a lot of stations don't even swing diesel.

what son do some research - europe has been running diesel forever.

"But," you say, "diesel is more expensive than gasoline." That's true, as of October 12, it's about 37 cents higher per gallon than regular gasoline. And diesel motors are more expensive up front. But we have found that diesel's overall fuel efficiency and durability make it a good investment.

To find out how diesel stacks up against gas, we decided to pit the 2006 Volkswagen Jetta 2.5, which runs on gasoline, against the diesel-powered Jetta TDI. The 2.5 starts at $20,290, MSRP, and comes with a 2.5 liter, five-cylinder engine, with 150 horsepower. The TDI starts at $22,305, and is equipped with a 1.9 liter, four-cylinder engine, that runs at 100 hp. Both models come standard with a manual transmission.

According to Environmental Protection Agency estimates, the 2.5 gets 22 mpg city, while the TDI gets 36. As for highway mileage, the 2.5 gets 30 mpg and the TDI gets 41. Assuming you drive in the city 55 percent of the time and travel the highway 45 percent of the time, you'll get a total of thirteen more miles per gallon with the TDI. In addition, the diesel wins for long trips. The 2.5 can only travel 326 miles per tank, while the TDI can go a whopping 496 miles.

So how does that factor into your gas budget? While it will cost you $4.83 more to fill up the TDI, you'll still save over $300 in fuel per year, assuming you drive 15,000 miles.

But to get any real savings, you have to stay for the long term. It will take a little over six years to make up for the TDI's higher price tag, assuming current gas prices. But fortunately, diesels are great long-term vehicles. It is not unusual to see a diesel last for 400,000 miles or more. You also won't have to worry about maintaining an electrical starter system, and diesel gas is less corrosive, so your exhaust system will last longer.

Diesels also fare well against hybrids. USA TODAY reporter David Kiley drove a Volkswagen Jetta TDI from Detroit to Washington, D.C., then took a Toyota Prius for the return trip. He found that the Jetta beat the Prius in fuel efficiency, and reported that the Jetta finished the trip on one tank of fuel, while the Prius couldn't.

[Ran]

what son do some research - europe has been running diesel forever.

Europe also likes soccer. Doesn't make it a good decision stateside.

[Paul]

Europe also likes soccer. Doesn't make it a good decision stateside.

its football/futbol get it straight

[Ran]

its football/futbol get it straight

[Brett]

Deisel was just as high as gas and higher at one point, so diesel isnt always better also.

[87 Turbo II]

Deisel was just as high as gas and higher at one point, so diesel isnt always better also.

Yeah but a VW TDI getting 50+ MPG is better than a civic getting 30+ MPG when diesel is the same or slightly higher.