subject: Choosing Petrol Or Diesel Engine In Top Tier Small Cars [print this page] Choosing Petrol or Diesel Engine in Top Tier Small Cars
With emergence of diesel as a greener, more efficient fuel, automakers are charging higher prices for their diesel models. On average diesel powered vehicles can cost 500 to 1000 more compared to their petrol counterparts and considering the fact that diesel costs almost 5p more than petrol, on average, savings from diesel engines are relatively marginal. Does that mean petrol is back in fashion? Well, that depends on your preferences and what are you looking to buy. A small diesel powered commuter can yield as much as 88 MPG, no petrol powered car can come close to this range but if a big MPV or SUV is what you are looking for than difference becomes close to negligible.
Here we will look at petrol and diesel versions of small movers to know what we might miss or gain if we choose one over the other.
Smart fortwo:
Choosing either a diesel or petrol powered Smart is not a tough proposition. Petrol version, with micro hybrid technology yields 65 MPG while producing 96g/km of CO2 whereas the only turbo charged diesel model can go as high as 85 MPG and emits 86g of CO2 per km. you will lose 3 seconds in 0 to 60 as diesel powered Smart does it in 16 seconds and petrol one does it in 13.
Kia Rio:
Rio recently dethroned Smart fortwo from the Most Economical Car spot. Its diesel lineup yields fuel economy in range of 70 to 88.3 MPG, with emissions ranging from 105 to 85g/km. petrol versions, yield 44 to 56.5 MPGs and emit CO2 in range of 150 to 114g/km. you wont miss any substantial performance as 0 to 60 figure for petrol and diesel Rios has a gap of only 2 seconds (12.2 for petrol and 14.9 for economical diesel, bigger ones be as quick as 11.2 and 12.6 for petrol and diesel respectively).
Mini Cooper S:
We are skipping Mini One and Coopers to keep ourselves focused on Mini Cooper S and SD. Petrol powered Mini achieves an impressive 0 to 60 mile in 7 seconds, while maintaining 48.7 MPG and emitting 136g of CO2 per km. Mini Cooper SD touts an equally impressive 8.1 second run from 0 to 60 and maintains an even more impressive fuel economy of 65.7 MPG, its CO2 emissions are 114g/km. Its obvious that diesel still have the edge in terms of economy but petrol leads the way in performance, choosing either one depends on your budget and driving style.
