…it’s the government’s fault.
Okay, I know, it’s something of a non sequitur to launch right into blaming the government with absolutely no preamble, but that’s cool. Because I’ve got the backing to support it. It’s not ALL the government’s fault, of course, but there’s blame enough for everybody.
One, a huge problem is regulation. As it turns out, most of those “good, small diesels” I reference above are too small for most American markets. They have really slow zero to sixty times, which doesn’t work out too well for Americans who actually NEED rapid acceleration for things like merging and making left turns in congested areas. So the power on most diesel over here is ramped up accordingly and from there, boom. There are also problems with the various filter systems and a surprising difference between United States and European emissions laws.
Suddenly the emissions are too nasty, and the model is useless here.
Two, there’s a huge cost problem. Diesel engines are, by their very nature, more expensive to build than regular gas or flex-fuel vehicles, and then when you have to add that power boost, there’s an extra cost tacked on besides.
So between these two factors, good, small diesels are downright hard to come by out here in the States.
Tags: cost, diesel, emissions, emissions standards, government, regulation, small diesel