Everything you believed about diesel engines but will no longer mention after reading this post

October 8, 2008 -- Filed under Clean Diesel by Louis-Alain Richard

Curiously, when I mention the arrival in Canada of the new diesels to my buddies, I get the same responses without fail: those who have already driven in Europe are delighted, and those who haven’t been so lucky wonder what’s so interesting about these noisy, smoky machines that are difficult to start in winter and whose performance is “adequate” at best. As a great lover of new technologies and destroyer of received wisdom, I then put on my hot-rod cap and give them an earful of something like the following lecture.

Let’s begin with the difficulty starting: the diesel engines of today start in the same way as gasoline engines – no wait, no fuss. You turn the key and that’s it. It’s only in the very cold, below -20 degrees Celsius, that a wait is necessary – a wait of under 2 seconds.

Next, noise is often mentioned as a source of displeasure. Technology has again come to the rescue of the diesel engine. The recent generations have a particular sound certainly but at no greater volume than a gasoline engine. You’d really have pay attention to notice.

Then there’s the black smoke and typical odour. The smoke (made up mostly of soot) has disappeared, thanks to the particulate filter that stores it and burns it when necessary, and so for the most part has the smell. At a stop, there is still a very light odour, but curiously, it smells more like pepper than the stinky oil smell of days of old. There is obviously no odour when driving.

Furthermore, on the road, modern turbodiesels are absolutely nothing like the wheezy diesels of old. These engines can hold their own against any gasoline engine. My French friends swear by their diesel cars. They have discovered torque at low speeds and no longer want engines whose power is only accessible at high speeds.

But perhaps you have questions related to the use of a turbodiesel? Please do not hesitate to discuss them here, take advantage of me while I’m still wearing my hot-rod cap

2 Comments