Just the mention of the word diesel conjures up many things in a persons mind. Thick, black exhaust, sluggish at best acceleration and a noise that sounds like marbles rolling around in a coffee can. All of these things, plus much more, are now a thing of the past. Thanks to modern technology, diesel engines just may become the way of the future.
 Diesel Engine |
Incredible fuel economy, spirited acceleration, and a cleaner exhaust are just a few of the things that have made leaps and bounds in the past few years. Diesel engines are a fairly simple concept, as millions of them were made in the past years with little to no refinements. P.L.N. or pump, line, nozzle engines were produced by the millions and scores of them are still on the road today. One of the biggest improvements over the years was the addition of turbochargers. After turbo charging was perfected through the use of charge air coolers, direct injection was added, and then things really took off. Just by adding these items, the emissions emitted were cut drastically, and performance increased tenfold.
Leading the way first into the diesel powered auto field was German auto maker Volkswagen. Now, the blue oval boys at Ford are introducing an all new diesel to the European market. A new particulate filter will come with the car, and initial reports are at 54 miles per gallon. While particulate filters are not new to the diesel community, they are within the auto sector. Ford claims the lowest possible CO2 output from the new model. Along with low emissions, the car will come with all new low viscosity transmission oil that was developed by Ford and their partner, British Petroleum. This fluid is performing so well that it might go into all Ford vehicles.
Diesel engines have a strong reputation as being highly reliable, many going several hundred thousand miles or more. Now, it appears that the reliability will come in a cleaner, faster, sportier package. Does this signal the beginning of the end for hybrids? Most likely not, but now they have some very stiff competition rapidly approaching from behind.
