For many years very few American car buyers even considered diesel power, it was seen as filthy, noisy and slow. Turbocharged Direct Injection, TDI diesel cars have changed all that, today there is a growing appreciation of diesel and the market is growing rapidly. Cars using this technology attempt to emulate the benefits of gasoline engines which include fuel efficiency and power without giving up low cost fuel and environmental considerations. A car driven with a TDI engine does not lack power or performance but like everything else there are a few cons along with the many pros.
Unlike other diesel engine designs the TDI offers the car owner the speed of a gasoline powered car along with rapid gear changes. The TDI engine is constantly being improved, a recent addition is the use of an exhaust gas recirculation device which drives down the level of pollutants even farther than what they are. TDI diesel fuel is in many cases less expensive than gasoline and no longer does the diesel suffer from poorer performance than a gasoline engine.
The only real disadvantage of TDI diesel cars is their cost. This type of engine is more expensive to manufacturer than a gasoline engine and this must be reflected in the vehicles price to the consumer. This disadvantage is often mitigated of course over time. The diesel engine gives considerably better fuel economy because they generate more power from less fuel. Coupled with the lower cost of TDI diesel fuel the price differential can be amortized quite quickly depending on the number of miles driven.
Fuel injected diesel engines are simply more efficient than a gasoline engine. Experts in the field suggest that diesel fuel injection systems are a full 12 percent more efficient than gasoline; 44 percent vs. 32 percent. Because the fuel-air mix of a diesel is delivered at higher pressure and is self combusting the fuel is used more efficiently than a gasoline engine which relays on a spark for combustion. An engine that relies on a spark wastes just as much fuel as it uses and it operates at a lower internal temperature, this being the case a gasoline engine is only about 30 percent efficient whereas a diesel engine is more like 50 percent efficient and this adds up to significant fuel savings.
One of the top selling TDI diesel cars is the Volkswagen Jetta. The calculated savings over a similar gasoline powered car has shown to be $6,000 over five years, enough to recoup the additional cost.
For the full range of TDI diesel cars offered by Volkswagen including the Jetta you are invited to visit Chicagoland’s premier VW dealer, Hawk Volkswagen of Joliet.
