[Frisco_TX_RRS]

Just got back from Italy, and saw a few RRS's. They were all diesels and seemed pretty quiet and supprisingly no fumes - like all other diesels over there. Did not run into any SC's. Interesting thing is I did not see any low profile wheels. Majority of cars, even the Mercedes s600's, BMW 7 series had wheels with big side walls - only a few 911's or Ferraris - but everything had fat sidewalls.

I've not seen so many small cars in my life. It was Smart car heaven. To see a RRS next to all the Smart cars and such types, made the RRS look huge.

Diesel over there was about 1.13 Euros per litre = US $ 1.75 per litre = $6.63/ gallon.
Gas - $1.32 Euros per litre = US $2.05 per litre = US $ 7.74 per gallon.

Could you imagine if we had to pay those prices here !!!

 

[Drevs]

I love how the masses cry foul when gas prices go up to *gasp* $3.00 a gallon, and the national news reports a $0.15 rise in fuel prices as cause for concern. Most people don't know how good we got it. Remember the hysteria over $4/gallon? Funny stuff.... There would be a lot fewer gas hogs over here if we were paying $7+ a gallon.

 

[Rupert]

I'm always amazed at how few vehicles other than large commercial trucks, (semi's I think you call them) run on diesel in the States. Even delivery vans seem to run on petrol, something you just would never see here. Delivery vans here would all be diesel & have been for years upon years I don't even know if you could buy a petrol engine van here if you wanted.

Also I've found from the various rentals cars I've had over the years of visiting the U.S. that they seem to be "all rev & no go" compared to the diesels here. For example we had a really nice Chevy Trailblazer in Florida earlier this year, with what sounded like a fairly meaty petrol engine under the hood. But there was absolutely no go in it whatsoever. Merging onto the freeway, I'd put the foot down & all the thing would do is change down gear & rev, but with no real go at all. My wife's Freelander (LR2) with it's 2.2 Litre diesel would have left it for dead. Similarly with a Jeep Wrangler we had the year previous.

We even had a Mustang on one occasion & while it was certainly better, it still would not have anywhere near the clout that even a 2.0 litre petrol engine would have here.

Why is the take up on diesel engines on anything less than an 18 wheeler over in the states almost non existent ?? Is it a cultural thing, that you've always had petrol engines & "old habits die hard" & people feel that diesel is this smelly, dirty fuel suited only to big rigs ??

There's really refined diesel engines available now compared to the likes of a diesel VW Golf, from the 80's which sounded & felt like an agricultural tractor. They turn in truly excellent mileage & are as smooth as any petrol engine. But you've got SUV's over there drinking petrol at a ferocious rate, with no real performance (IMHO) from the engines over the diesels we have here. While I don't know the gas mileage that's being returned from some these SUV's, but I bet it's a lot less than 30/35 MPG that could be got if a modern diesel was fitted.

I'ts just something that's always puzzled me.