[S5157]

I will never consider diesel if it is a sedan or a hatchback.if going for an SUV then it will be a diesel.

[roy_libran]

1. With Diesel quality in India set to improve further, pollution should not be a factor.
2. Diesel engines are inherently more efficient than their petrol counterparts. 10%-15% is in regular order.
3. Some people may not like the non-linear acceleration of a Diesel, and especially the Turbo Surge. However, once you get used to the idea, you can use it to your advantage immensely. Once you get the hang of the correct RPM and Gear Selection, you can beat the hell out of everything else, in city over-taking situations.
4. With CRDi/e engines, NVH, Reliability, Cold Start, Power Delivery seem not to be an issue at all. I rubbish all "High-Maintenance" claims of Diesels, speaking from personal experience.
5. I love the low-end torque. It minimizes Gear Shifting.
Drove Petrols for about 15 years before moving to Diesel, and can safely say that I don't foresee buying myself a Petrol ever again (unless something remarkable happens with that technology). Diesel all the way.

[Dieselite]

I stand by my name. Unless of course TSI engines start becoming a norm in petrol !

Even though i might sound like i'm sitting on the fence i would pick NO ! (for now at least ! )

[vivekgk]

The main reason I picked the Indigo CS TDi over one of the petrols was the lower running costs. For me, it would depend entirely on the entire package. Nowadays, we find the phenomenon of sluggish petrols and peppy diesels in the economy car segment. Even the K-series Suzuki engines are not that fun to drive although smooth. I found the DDiS more fun due to better low-end. But I'd bet that the K-series is cheaper to maintain, and with excellent FE, the overall costs will be lower. With the Figo, the 1.2 is sluggish and thirsty while the 1.4TDCi is comparatively awesome. Diesels enjoy a higher capacity cap of 1.5L, which works out to more power.

If the overall running and maintenance costs are the same or better for petrol over diesel, I'd pick the car that's easier to drive, and is better equipped. For example, if I could buy the top end model petrol for the same price as low or mid variants of diesel, I'd go for the petrol model.

Recently, I had to choose between the Indigo eCS GLX petrol and the LX TDi diesel. The price was 38K more for TDi. The 1.4L diesel was noisier, but it is torquier and more efficient than the 1.2L petrol. If it had a more powerful and efficient engine, I'd have gone for it if running costs were similar.

The game changes only in the higher segments, with the petrol models being more powerful than the diesels. There is also a significant difference in the OTR price and servicing costs. In that case, petrol would make a lot more sense.

Personally, I'd go for the diesel model if I can afford it, because recent experience proves that diesel will always return better FE no matter how or where I drive. Diesel is inherently more efficent after all, due to compression ignition. It will be some time till Petrol engines match up (I hear there is a dual model petrol engine in the works that switches to compression ignition at higher rpms.). Till then, it's diesel for me.

[raj_5004]

Absolutely. even if i dont consider the difference in pricing, i would opt for a diesel for its amazing torque, low end power delivery & turbo boost.

i dont care a damn about top end power as i dont like revving anyways (i feel its not practical for city driving too) & IMO petrols are not at all torquey which makes them feel less enthusiastic.

so its a diesel for me.

[deepakvrao]

Originally Posted by roy_libran

1. With Diesel quality in India set to improve further, pollution should not be a factor.
2. Diesel engines are inherently more efficient than their petrol counterparts. 10%-15% is in regular order.
3. Some people may not like the non-linear acceleration of a Diesel, and especially the Turbo Surge. However, once you get used to the idea, you can use it to your advantage immensely. Once you get the hang of the correct RPM and Gear Selection, you can beat the hell out of everything else, in city over-taking situations.
4. With CRDi/e engines, NVH, Reliability, Cold Start, Power Delivery seem not to be an issue at all. I rubbish all "High-Maintenance" claims of Diesels, speaking from personal experience.
5. I love the low-end torque. It minimizes Gear Shifting.
Drove Petrols for about 15 years before moving to Diesel, and can safely say that I don't foresee buying myself a Petrol ever again (unless something remarkable happens with that technology). Diesel all the way.

Well summarized. Love the diesel drive.

[getsurya]

Good question! I would drive a petrol car if the price of diesel and petrol are close. The reason-Silent performance and low maintenance.

[oxyzen]

Assuming that there will be no or little benefit in the economy of diesel over petrol surely will affect the sales of diesel.

As for me I dont care about running cost as my daily drive is not that long.
What matters to me is performance and initial cost.

The advantage in diesels is good midrange and turbo surge. Be in the power band and just a tap in the paddle is all what is needed. Seems to be a practical choice for Indian roads.

However you loose out on a juicy top end. Engines are not Rev happy. Even at low RPMs (<1500) it feels worse than petrol. With the modern CRDI the NVH is still not in the league of Petrol.

Now coming to the price point diesels are costlier than pertol by approx (.8 - 1L) in the hatchback segment and entry level sedan. So that means we can assume that to install a turbo (although nothing is available as of now) in that price range is not difficult. So it will be turbo petrol where you can have the best of both the worlds.

Till that time I will stick with petrol. Simply because I love revving it to the redline.

I believe----
DRIVING A PERTOL REQUIRES EFFORT. SO MAKE THE MOST OF IT AT YOUNG AGE. DIESEL WILL MAKE MORE SENSE WHEN YOU ARE OLD.

[Rajvir Bains]

A very Interesting Thread

First of all i would like to say that the diesel Engines are getting better and better day by day. We all can see these Engines are even better than the Petrol Engines. Their Performance and Mileage is giving tough competition to Petrol Engines. Regarding Emissions Diesel Fuel is cleaner now than it was 2 or 3 Decades ago. The people who used to swear by Diesel Cars are now buying them.

Now the Question comes if Diesel and Petrol Prices are close, then which Engine to Prefer ?
The Money saved because of high mileage will go away during Expensive servicing of Diesel Engines which is always higher than Petrol Engines. In Petrol Engines no doubt the Mileage is less but Service is very Cheaper than Diesel Engines.
So it all depends on the Driver. If the Driver is Tourque Hungry then Diesel is the Choice otherwise Petrol is the way.
I would Prefer either Petrol or Diesel but it should have a TURBO in it.

[vivekgk]

Revving the nuts off an engine is always fun, and for that, nothing but good old gasoline will do. If I had my way, I'd have a smooth, revvy petrol car (preferably japanese or german) for occasional thrills, and a diesel as the daily driver.

But if I could only have one car, then it would definitely be a modern diesel for its economy and good power. Cars like the Verna CRDi offer both exceptional performance as well as great FE (for its seg.). There is also the option to increase performance with a tuning box in case of diesel while still retaining the option to switch it back to original.

I feel there's something about the low-revving nature and increased weight of the diesel that makes it feel less urgent and thus more relaxing to drive at high speeds. I've driven the both Swifts, G13B and DDiS at 140 kph, and the diesel felt like it could go like that all day without breaking a sweat. The petrol, while making very sexy noises, was not quite as relaxed. Personal opinion of course.

[civic-sense]

Something to ponder for the guys who said, they would still buy a diesel. Did you consider the fact that a diesel car costs around a lakh more than a petrol car? Would you still spend 1L more even after you know that you won't be saving much on running costs?

Would anybody buy a VDi over a VXi paying 1L more? I doubt.

[SLK]

Originally Posted by civic-sense

Would anybody buy a VDi over a VXi paying 1L more? I doubt.

You are right! 70-80k was the difference, when i bought my Vdi.

And when the difference between petrol and diesel lessens further, the 80k will also come down. Market forces have their way of working.

[sanagg1]

Originally Posted by civic-sense

Would anybody buy a VDi over a VXi paying 1L more? I doubt.

At this point of time nearly 175 person (somebody) will buy !

Whenever any person even consider buying a diesel he knows for SURE it is going to cost nearly 1L more.

Cheers

[PlatzdaTurbo]

i would most definitely buy a diesel irrespective of the prices. Have been fortunate enough to own a diesel monster ( a4 3.0 tdi ) and with those torque ratings and that 'pushed back into your seat' feeling is addictive ! while petrols are more free revving , seriously , y would anyone want to keep revving till the end of the day to get into the power range when these fabulous diesel mills get into torque burst mode from as low as 1500 - 2000 rpm ???? & besides that, diesels anyway provide better mileage figures so yea, definitely a thumbs up to diesel.

[mxx]

Depends on the car, irrespective of fuel.
Now, in case I have to choose between diesel and petrol of a same model, it depends how good either of the 2 engine is.