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August 2007 - Posts
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 At the premium end of the new diesel vehicle spectrum is the 2007 Mercedes Benz GL320 CDI (MB Stock photos) … and with MSRP starting at $54,000 or a nicely equipped (as driven)
vehicle of $65,000, the new U.S. built Mercedes is not for everybody.
My first impression is that the GL320 CDI has Mercedes Benz pedigree to
live up to, so the bar has been set pretty high for a newish plant in
Alabama. The vehicle’s significant heft and size is enough to fill most
garages and empty most wallets, but also from a quick walk
around realized that the GL-class is sizable enough to replace the
love/hate relationship many Americans have with the minivan.
The
6-cylinder diesel powered GL320 CDI offers an impressive blend of
luxury, hauling and towing capacity, all-wheel/all-weather safety and
decent economy. EPA fuel efficiency numbers are an impressive 20 city
and 25 highway. (I’ve heard reports of 30 mpg highway)
   
All photos all taken with Palm Treo 700p Cellphone PDA
This big SUV has the same basic engine that is used in several vehicles including the recently posted Jeep Grand Cherokee CRD.
The cast-iron V-6 is a 24 valve 2,987cc turbocharged diesel that
produces 215hp at 4000rpm and torque of 398 lb-ft down as low as 1600
rpms. With full tank of fuel, 26.4 gallons of ULSD, the family plus
gear hauler can travel well over 600 miles on a tank of fuel. If need
be, it can also pull a trailer up to 7500 pounds … and do it in
impressive luxury.
I had a chance to have a few of the creature comforts shown to me;
first because it was a 90+ degree day the salesman pushed the remote to
open all the windows and sunroof. The rear hatch was opened and the one
of the things I noticed was the amount of space behind the 3rd row seat
… nice. The hatch can be closed with a push of a button and we moved
around front for a quick look under the hood.
 When the time came for a test drive, there was no comparison to the 40+K Jeep Grand Cherokee CRD
that I drove last week. The GL started with a hush … and if you didn’t
know it was a diesel, it was difficult to detect. Several of the unique
feature on the GL were quickly apparent. From the tiny R-N-D stalk
which engages the transmission. The GL also has a one-button off-road
program which allows driver to simultaneously engage programming
recalibrations of the traction system, ABS, engine management, and
automatic transmission. According the Mercedes, “Downhill Speed
Regulation (DSR) Driver-activated DSR automatically modulates the
throttle, brakes, and ABS to maintain a preset crawl speed when
descending hills. Speed is preprogrammed at 4 mph but may be adjusted
between 3 mph and 10 mph via the multifunction steering wheel. DSR can
be used when the gear selector is in Drive or Reverse. Driver can
override DSR by pressing the accelerator or switching DSR off via its
console-mounted switch.” On my test drive I didn’t test the
adjustable ride height, or any of the off-road capabilities. One of the
items that bothered me was that “Hill-start assist.” It prevents
unwanted vehicle rollback for hills starts, but is noticeable on about
every stop when trying to accelerate.
As for power, the 3.0 liter diesel is very capable. I never noticed
a lack of power and felt this diesel was excellently mated to this
vehicle. The GL was very smooth and handled like a much smaller
vehicle. It was solid, quiet and very smooth. I was able to pilot the
seventeen feet of vehicle precisely around corners and in to parking
spots as easy as my small Jetta, and was even helped by both backup and
forward ‘non-beeping’ sensors. All in all, if I were buying my next
vehicle, could justify the extra dollars and didn’t have a image problem in front of my customers… I’d buy the GL320 CDI and replace both my VW TDI and Honda Pilot. (originally posted here)
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 Let’s see, how does a best selling summer paperback start … “It was a humid August afternoon, one of those days when even the suede leather trim on the luxury SUV sticks to your back …” or something like that.
Its been sweltry in southwestern Ohio these past few days and it
certainly was not the most appropriate day to be looking at cars … I
even felt sorry for the salesman having to leave his air conditioned
showroom to come out and meet potential customers. Nevertheless, my son
and I drove up and down the new and used car mile looking at cars for
his friend heading off to college. (so he says, but suspect he just likes looking at cars?)
We happened to stop at a ’smallish’ Jeep dealership and notice they had
a new 2007 Grand Cherokee 3.0L diesel on the lot … a rarity; the
general manager was the only one working and indicated that he had
ordered it for a regular client who decided on a diesel pickup truck
instead.
The Mercedes 6 cylinder diesel is in my opinion the perfect engine for
this “trail rated” Jeep 4 x 4 SUV, and may be the first of many new
diesels to start showing up in North America. It is an excellent way to
improve efficiency while maintaining power and an excellent option for SUVs or CUVs.
Diesels are far more efficient in producing power than their gasoline
counterpart and better suited the interstate highways in the U.S. than
the current gas/electric hybrid trend – in my opinion, and an Edmond’s article.
Most of us living in North America appreciate, a ‘bigger’ family vehicle that can safely travel “over the river and through the woods,” whether it be to “grandmother’s house” or
just through a nasty winter storm or two. Jeep’s generally come to mind
for these challenging tasks and were building utility vehicles before
the masses began to crave the SUV. The rest of the automotive industry
has jumped into this American trend and so it is no surprise that Jeep
is once again out front with a diesel in ‘a North American’ SUV. (they started putting a diesel in the Liberty CRD a few years ago, but recently discontinued)
Intro above aside, my first impression was not all that favorable. I
gathered myself back together after noticing the $3700 diesel option on
the rather high $43,645 MSRP sticker price — a sticker significantly
higher than many other domestic and imported SUVs. As I did the walk
around waiting for the salesman to suggest a test drive, I also noticed
the rusty brakes and lack of a recent cleaning. (small dealership)
I thought it odd to have a CRD sitting on the lot for a long time, but
indeed its been sitting there since spring. The sales manager confessed
that the Grand Cherokee was ordered for a regular client who decided on
a diesel truck. He also noted that this higher priced Limited diesel
model was ‘difficult for them’ to sell? (Hmm … for those interested, perhaps this particular vehicle would sell significantly below MSRP?)
 Lg.  Lg.  Lg.
We opened the doors and the rear liftgate to let out the heat and he
‘attempted’ to start the long sitting diesel. No go … as air must have
seeped it way into the fuel lines. After a minute or so of cranking it
finally started, but not before sending a code to the computer that
triggered a check engine light and some kind of ‘lightening’ bolt
signal? Nevertheless my son and I were off on a test drive.
 A
couple observations in coming from a Honda Pilot were that the interior
volume of the 5-passenger Grand Cherokee was much less and I missed the
extra room storage between the front seats. This was probably due to
the true off-road nature of the ‘trail rated’ Jeep verses the crossover
build of the Honda. Unfortunately some of this ‘overbuilt’ Jeep SUV
also found it way into the fuel economy numbers and my wish for an
efficient diesel in an American SUV were dashed: the Jeep’s numbers
were only couple mile per gallon better than my 8 passenger ‘gasoline
powered’ Pilot. The EPA sticker on the Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.0L CRD
read 20 city / 24 highway. (still much better than its V-8 gasoline powered counterpart)
As for comfort and performance, the CRD was excellent. It had plenty of power, was very … I’ll repeat … very quiet and was enjoyable to drive. Lock to lock steering and tight radius turning was excellent. (here’s a link to my poor quality cellphone video demonstrating the 0 - 60 mph 10 seconds time and 0 -80 mph 14 seconds time) The Limited edition had a great Boston Acoustics
sound system, backup sensors, a class 3 hitch, leather two tone power
seats and a substantial number of electronic assist items like
hands-free phones, compass, etc.
 All
in all, the Jeep Grand Cherokee CRD might be a exactly what some folks
need to get up their driveway this winter and the mileage is definitely
better than Jeep’s gasoline version. Call me spoiled, but having the
extra room and the 8 passenger capacity of the Honda Pilot, as well as lower price, is a bit more fitting for our families daily needs in the flatlands of Ohio. (now when Honda offers their diesel, I’m definitely interested! - link)
Original post includes an under the hood cellphone video clip ... hear the diesel clatter. 
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Edmunds did a study that showed diesel purchasers recoup their investment in a diesel engine much faster than those who pick a hybrid engine instead. In fact, the Mercedes S-Class diesel returns the engine investment in under a year! And this, of course, doesn't take into account that diesel engines are made for longevity and should outlast a hybrid by a fairly large margin. And, of course, if you run the engine on biodiesel, it's waaaay cleaner. We welcome you to discuss the difference between diesels and hybrids in the diesel vehicle section of our forums.
Edmunds Data Proves Diesel "Break-Even" Is Shorter Than Hybrids
By Philip Reed, Senior Consumer Advice Editor
Email
This monthly column presents crucial,
stand-alone car-buying strategies to help you avoid dealership tricks
and traps and get the best price on your next car or truck.
With a new crop of diesel vehicles poised to invade the U.S.,
Edmunds.com has discovered that diesels present an even better choice
for fuel-economy-minded consumers than hybrids.
Diesels cost more than their gas-powered equivalent vehicles, but this
higher purchase price is quickly offset by fuel-economy savings. With
hybrid vehicles, this so-called break-even period is longer — in some
cases as much as eight years longer.
With high fuel prices, consumers are steering their car purchases
toward vehicles that get better fuel economy. For many shoppers, this
means their first thought is to buy a hybrid vehicle. But in light of
this new data, they should also consider a diesel vehicle, said Alex
Rosten, Edmunds.com analyst.
"Diesel engines produce a greater fuel-economy boost over their
gasoline counterparts than do most hybrid powertrains," said Rosten.
"This makes it a great choice for anyone tired of rising oil prices."
Case in point: The Mercedes-Benz M-Class diesel
costs more to buy than its gas-powered counterpart, but the improved
fuel economy it delivers pays for this higher cost differential in only
2.1 years. Compare this to the scenario where a car shopper chooses the
Lexus RX 400h (hybrid) over the Lexus RX 350 gas-powered car. In that case the better fuel economy of the RX 400h takes 10.2 years to pay for the cost difference (see chart below).
In another example, the Jeep Grand Cherokee
with a diesel engine gets 27.3 percent better fuel economy than its gas
counterpart. This saves $785 a year in fuel costs and pays for the
higher-priced Cherokee in 3.1 years.
Turning to hybrids, the Toyota Highlander Hybrid only saves $455 a year in gas and thus takes 6.5 years to justify its extra cost.
So if diesels are so thrifty, why don't more people choose them?
"In the past, diesels have gotten a bad rap in this country," said
Director of Vehicle Testing Dan Edmunds. "The diesels that were sold
here were slow, noisy and smelly. But all that's about to change."
Breakthroughs in diesel technology
by Honda will mean that they can again be sold in states with tough air
quality restrictions. The new diesels, with impressive fuel-economy
benefits, may steal some of the fuel-economy market share from hybrids.
Additionally, diesels are a good option for consumers who want to cut
their use of foreign oil and show their support for energy
independence. Diesels can run on biodiesel, produced in the U.S. from
crops such as soybeans, with little or no modification. Biodiesel is
often more expensive than "petro-diesel" but there is little drop-off
in fuel economy between the petroleum-based fuel and the biofuel. This
is not the case with E85 (85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline),
which costs less to buy but because of a steep decline in fuel economy
is ultimately more expensive to operate.
"Another point in diesel's favor is that it offers a better
'well-to-wheels picture than a gasoline-powered car,'" said Edmunds,
referring to the entire environmental impact of drilling, refining and
shipping the fuel to the filling station. "Diesel requires less energy
to refine and then provides more fuel economy when it's burned — that's
a double win for environmentally minded consumers."
There are, however, drawbacks to diesel vehicles, Rosten cautioned. Few
models are currently available and new diesels are not sold at all in
five states — California, Maine, Massachusetts, New York and Vermont.
The 2008 Chrysler, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen diesels are expected to
be legal in all 50 states.
Still, many experts believe that the benefits far outweigh the
drawbacks. And for anyone looking for a new option to hybrids, diesels
are definitely worth consideration. Eventually diesels will be combined
with hybrid powertrains, making it the best of both worlds.
Here's a quick look at some 2007 diesels and their payback periods as compared to the break-even period of some hybrids:
Make |
Model |
TMV |
Alt. Fuel Premium |
Combined MPG |
Mileage gain vs. gas engine |
Annual Gas Savings |
Years to break-even |
Mercedes-Benz |
E-Class diesel |
$50,248 |
$294 |
32.0 |
35.2% |
$595 |
0.5 |
Lexus |
GS 450h hybrid |
$53,390 |
$520 |
27.0 |
19.3% |
$329 |
1.6 |
Mercedes-Benz |
M-Class diesel |
$42,764 |
$1,298 |
25.0 |
27.1% |
$616 |
2.1 |
Lexus |
RX 400h hybrid |
$39,991 |
$4,334 |
29.7 |
27.5% |
$426 |
10.2 |
Jeep |
Grand Cherokee diesel |
$31,642 |
$2,534 |
23.3 |
27.3% |
$663 |
3.8 |
Toyota |
Highlander Hybrid |
$31,449 |
$2,954 |
29.7 |
29.4% |
$455 |
6.5 |
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CNET recently reported that Honda will be bringing a 62-MPG diesel powered Accord to the US for the 2010 model year. The article reports, rightly, that it would be as clean as a Prius, and cleaner if it's powered with biodiesel. What excited me about the car is that Honda is clearly tuning the car to push for efficiency over power. VW has been pushing their TDIs towards power over efficiency, something Honda did with their failed Accord hybrid (which only got in the 30s for MPG). This is the right approach! Hit users with the fuel efficiency angle, then amaze them as they realize it also has power and speed. Take that efficiency and the ability to run it on domestically grown biodiesel and we have a winning equation. Sign me up. Discuss the diesel Accord and other diesel vehicles in the diesel vehicle section of our forums.
April 25, 2007 3:09 PM PDT A diesel Honda? That gets 62.8 miles a gallon?Feast your eyes on this, car technology and high-mileage nuts. It's a Honda Accord that runs on diesel. Honda expects to bring the clean-diesel car to the U.S. by 2010. It
gets 62.8 miles a gallon on the highway, but otherwise looks and feels
like a regular Accord. At that mileage level, the car is about as
"clean" as a new Toyota Prius. But if you run it on biodiesel, a form
of diesel made from vegetable oil or animal fat, it would be even
cleaner than a Prius (Priuses get 60 in the city). The advantage of diesel cars, however, is that they pack a lot of power.
 (Credit: Courtesy Diesel Technology Forum)
The car was shown off with a number of other cars in Sacramento,
Calif., earlier this month as a way to promote clean diesel cars and
technology. In the '90s, California passed strict emission controls
that restricted the amount of sulfur a car could emit. As a result,
diesel manufacturers curbed sales to California and the U.S. in
general.
Since then, petroleum manufacturers have devised cleaner diesels that
only emit about 15 parts per million of diesel, down from hundreds of
parts per million. That satisfies the California law. Manufacturers,
meanwhile, have come out with more efficient and powerful diesel
engines that get 20 to 40 percent better mileage than their older cars.
"A lot of changes have taken place in the engine, all thanks to electronics," said Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum,
which helped organize the Clean Diesel Technology Tour. (Cars from Audi
and a tractor trailer rig from Caterpillar were also shown). "Half the
cars in Europe are diesel."
Thus, diesels, usually thought of as smelly, are now environmentally somewhat sound.
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