[PearlJam]

I think it depends on the car you finally choose. If I've finally narrowed it down to:

1. Verna/Creta/i20 - the fantastic 1.6 and 1.4 diesels
2. Anything with 1.3 MJD - stay away, choose the K12M
3. VW or Skoda - TSI petrols definitely
4. Q3 - Diesel quattro instead of the lame 1.4 TSI
5. X1 - Diesel because the petrol doesn't come in top variants
6. GLA - petrol instead of the lame diesel

Some variants don't give what I want. Eg. If I want a Polo DSG, the GT TSI is my only option even if I wanted a diesel.

And so on.

[SatishChour]

Voted for petrol.

I have used Diesel cars, through out my life - Accent CRDI (2001), Punto(2007) and now Hexa(2018).

Things I always missed in a diesel car:
1. Refinement
2. Rev happy engine.
3. Engine note (they don't sound as sweet as a petrol engine).

Considering the diminishing differences between the fuel prices of the two & considering the BS6 norms might increase the price difference between the petrol and diesel cars. Petrol car simply makes sense.

[5kmiles]

Booked HEXA XT 4x4 couple of days back. For this use case, nothing but the diesel engines.
My cars do a lot of running - S-Cross has done 72k in under 4 years, XUV had 93k in 6.5 years, Manza had 1.25L in 7 years etc. For this kind of running, nothing but the Diesels.

This time I was very keen to consider Petrol and compromise on the 6/7-seater requirements. Seltos was excellent but too small and soft for my space and touring requirements from a 5-seater. Hector - I will not touch that for the next 5 years, the feature list notwithstanding. No offense to folks who love these cars - these are very good cars. Once it boiled down to Harrier and Hexa - both diesels - Hexa was the clear winner for me.

Next ride will definitely be a Petrol - maybe a pre-worshipped Octavia or Superb. Or the Seltos for soft SUV usage. Voted Diesel as that will happen in 2020/21.

[mufazzal123]

Voted for Diesel, daily running of 70+km including the Hinjawadi traffic is a practical nightmare on a Petrol.
That said, with the advent of EV's and more efficient petrols I may think about it.

[drhoneycake]

Voted for Diesel. I drive 110kms a day and my Verna is nearing 200k kms in under 5 years. For this kind of insane running - diesel works out to be more practical.

I’m addicted to the sheer torque, the turbo kick and longer tank range of diesels. Next purchase will also be a diesel irrespective of 10yr old rule/BS6.

We have a Tiago AMT too and I’m not very impressed with the motor, to add salt to the wound - my Verna gives me a better FE in B2B Bengaluru traffic too.

EVs not for a couple of years at least.

[NICHE]

Heart says diesel but brain says petrol. Currently use a Ford figo 1.4 TDCI which will be replaced soon. Since automatic is a must and AMT is not really preferred creta/seltos is the only good diesel option. So I am almost sure that I may end up buying a petrol considering the uncertainty of resale of a diesel car.

[RedShiftEuropa]

I've driven petrol cars/SUVs all my life. Big 4.5+ litre ones too.

But now, for the first time, I bought a Diesel car.

While I prefer the Petrol engine (smooth, less engine noise), I bought a Diesel vehicle today. Why?

Because, I'm in love with the Isuzu DMAX V-Cross. It's the only pickup of it's kind (in India). And, I wanted an Automatic. So this is the only one. No other choice.

So Diesel it is going to be, and I think I will start to like the big lorry style sounds of Diesel engines

[pankajn1702]

Voted for others:

1. Availability of CNG in Mumbai & Thane is not very difficult. I believe the Govt plans to expand the CNG network in many other cities.
2. Very cheap to run and maintain - Own and maintain a Factory fit Cng car with an Odo of 57K in 3 years, and 90% city driving.
Yes there are negatives too like no boot, tank up twice a week however I have learnt how to avoid long queues as there are few CNG pumps that usually have short queues throughout the day.

[RMN]

Definitely petrol BUT in India, if you want a sub 11L sedan/hatchback that's got some power - Diesel is the only option. I never thought I would buy a diesel but every petrol car below 11L barely move at all. Hence I ended up getting Fords 1.5 TDCI!

Polo TSI is the only option but it pushes 11L and is expensive to maintain.

[Puffdamgcdragon]

Five years back, I'd have voted Petrol for the high revving fun.
Now, I'm slightly older, started driving more sedately, I vote Diesel for the low-end torque and unstressed nature.
I own both.

[Roadster17]

Voted for Petrol. Personally like the refined and spirited nature of petrol cars over the diesels. Although diesels do pack lot of torque and is effortless to drive, Turbo-petrol is an addiction. Modern turbo-petrol is almost as good a puller when compared to the diesels. In addition, if we look at the overall regulatory sentiments against Diesels, recent verdicts from courts etc, it's better to stay clear of diesels. However, commercial vehicles will still need Diesels.

[kaholster]

Diesel always. One fellow BHPian has raised concerns about black smoke coming out from diesel engines to which I totally agree. But that smoke starts oozing only when your cat converter is fully choked or the car has a bad turbo or is using of spurious engine oil, which due to its viscosity, enters the combustion chamber (excessive back pressure).

Surprisingly, enough our court (NGT), whose nonsensical orders are far beyond my comprehension, acts in such a way, which slowly indicates that some hanky-panky always happens before companies get favourable orders. When the entire world was penalizing VW for the pollution scam, and asked them to repair/recall the cars or levied hefty penalty to the tune of 100s of crores, which was used by them for environmental programmes, our courts only asked them to file an affidavit that they would not do it in future. What does this indicate?

Very few know where the actual problem lies eg. Passat B7 2.0 TDI does not have bank 1&2 O2 sensor in the exhaust like in the Audi 2.0 TDI. As a result, lesser chances of DPF warning light appearing. I haven't opened the cat converter of Passat, but I have a doubt that they must have reduced material inside it. Some countries had ordered replacement of all cat converters as a penalty. Additionally, on stationary vehicles, when the accelerator is fully depressed, the revvs are restricted to 3000 rpm only so that there are no chances of getting caught in pollution tests even though your vehicle might be smoking like hell.

The problem is not the diesel technology, but the poor maintenance and our attitude of keeping unhealthy engines running on the road. The govt. should take the initiative - like if someone submits a video of polluting /smoking vehicle, then it should be challaned. But I guess Indians will challenge the originality of video then and its nitty-gritty and so on.

Very few have commented on alternative source of CNG available in metro cities. Leave aside NOx figures, check for figures of carbon monoxide it releases. Slow but a deadly poison. One can't stand near the vehicle when it's stationary. Also people are least interested in HHO kit, which also improves mileage and is cleanest supportive fuel available, but it has its own drawbacks when installed aftermarket.

In the last 2 decades, lots of used high end diesel cars (Mercs, Beemers, Audi) have made their way into hands of people who are basically ill-equipped and totally not bothered about the irreparable damage these vehicle can cause to the environment if not maintained properly. Local mechanics have no idea about emissions and are least bothered about the same.

[amarprusty]

Voted for Others

Electric is the way forward for city driving

CNG is a good option if available

Petrol car is lower cost than Diesel and also smoother with less maintenance cost

[Aditya_Bhp]

Voted for Diesel

Torque Torque Torque!

No switching off the AC for climbing, won't stall easily

And returns double digit fuel efficiency numbers and hence a lot more cheaper than Petrol (Diesels have a tendency to return a fuel efficiency better than ARAI numbers whereas for Petrols its the opposite, will be lucky if it returns 70% of the ARAI numbers)

And in the end, during resale, get atleast 20% more than the equivalent petrol car (atleast where I live)

Overall Diesels are lighter on the wallet but doesn't compromise on performance.

[Durango Dude]

Voted petrol, for refinement, comfort and my low running doesn't warrant a diesel. But I'd like to have a diesel.