Are all Diesels like this?

I

InternetSwag

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Hi all, recently drove a Diesel for the first time, was a Volkswagen Caddy Panel Van 2.0 TDI, not sure the year, but it had a touch screen which surprised me.

I was expecting it to suck, had to use it to transport some bulk stock items. But I actually loved it lol, it felt really responsive and 'powerful'. I googled it after and found it only has 81kw, which is not a lot. But it felt way more powerful than any of my cars. Granted I've never driven anything fast.

I didn't push the van at all, don't think I went over 3000 RPM, but it redlines at 5000 RPM so maybe that plays a role?

Anyways, the price of said van also made my eyes water when I googled it. But the driving experience was great. I was sitting at 125 km/h on the N1 and could feel it had much more to give.

Is this just a diesel thing? If yes, I can definitely see the appeal.
 
That's the nature of a modern turbodiesel engine - big wallops of torque with less power. Torque is the shove you feel in your back on acceleration. Diesels tend not to rev very high, so you get a bunch of torque (and some power) but it runs out of steam fairly soon. More torque does allow longer gears though, which can mean fewer gear changes and thus better fuel economy. Just don't break it.
 
Yes you pushed it, you don't go over 3000rpm with a diesel, nothing is going to happen after that, you past all the power.

Oh and we on our 3rd diesel caddy. The 1.9TDI was actually faster/more power than the 2.0L
 
You’re learnt what torque is finally…where actual power comes from.

Want to know the really funny part? Torque is the only thing that measured and not simply calculated.

Horsepower doesn’t actually “exist” it’s just a calculation of torque which is far more important.

Also possible it’s the first car you’ve experienced with a turbo, non-turbo diesels aren’t all that much fun.
 
is it a turbodiesel? does it lag,

Ive always wondered if diesels are so good, why aren't their more of them, and most diesels are used in heavy Trucks, Generators and other industrial applications like Ship engines.

seems like a wasted opportunity, or the fact that it costs a lot more to produce a diesel engine block than a Petrol engine block
due to the differences in strength required to be reliable for years.

and what is the deal with Biodiesel, can newer Diesel cars run on it? or its only for the old technology vehicles, like a old Mercedes taxi or VW bus.
 
Supervan II said:
Had the 1.9 TDI Caddy Kombi.

On a long, straight, level road it tops out at 165 km/h.
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Yes I think it had to do with the gearing. Like I said the 1.9tdi felt like it had more power, but top speed was way down compared to the 2.0L. That 1.9tdi was over 3000rpm in 5th gear at 120'km/h. Gearing was not right for a family car, was more set for the panel van carrying a lot of weight.
 
Sinbad said:
My ibiza cupra 1.9tdi topped out at 220km/h, I got it to 202 at gerotek.
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Yes, totally different gearing.

Man, was I sad that VWSA stopped importing them!

Fortunately, I had the opportunity to own a Leon Cupra for 5 years - now that was a blast - 270km/h on a long, flat straight road (private test track, nomImsaying)! ;)

Still have the Ibiza 2.0, though.
 
Jet-Fighter7700 said:
is it a turbodiesel? does it lag,

Ive always wondered if diesels are so good, why aren't their more of them, and most diesels are used in heavy Trucks, Generators and other industrial applications like Ship engines.

seems like a wasted opportunity, or the fact that it costs a lot more to produce a diesel engine block than a Petrol engine block
due to the differences in strength required to be reliable for years.

and what is the deal with Biodiesel, can newer Diesel cars run on it? or its only for the old technology vehicles, like a old Mercedes taxi or VW bus.
Click to expand...

Probably to do with this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_emissions_scandal

That and the rise of EVs made diesel much less popular than before.
 
Pretty much a trait of petrol turbo engines too. It is about delivering a constant torque curve from low revs, although I am a diesel car lover because of the frugality.
 
Diesel sedans drive fantastic, and I would love to have one again but it will have to be new with full warranty. If they start giving trouble, cancel holidays and major plans :ROFL:
 
As a daily drive, I love a diesel, lot's of low down torque which is a lot more useful than high power. Fuel consumption compared to 'similar' petrol engines is also better, emissions is one of the biggest issues along with a few costs like injectors in particular on PD diesel engines.
 
Jet-Fighter7700 said:
is it a turbodiesel? does it lag,

Ive always wondered if diesels are so good, why aren't their more of them, and most diesels are used in heavy Trucks, Generators and other industrial applications like Ship engines.

seems like a wasted opportunity, or the fact that it costs a lot more to produce a diesel engine block than a Petrol engine block
due to the differences in strength required to be reliable for years.

and what is the deal with Biodiesel, can newer Diesel cars run on it? or its only for the old technology vehicles, like a old Mercedes taxi or VW bus.
Click to expand...

There has always been a stigma around diesels being for 'commercial' and not passenger use. That started to change with the MkIV Golf platform using the VE110 1.9 TDi engine which was quieter, more efficient and drove better than the older diesel engines. I don't think diesel engines cost that much more to produce than similar petrol engines, some parts like the block, crank, conrods, etc. need to be 'beefier' due to higher low end torque but they don't need to be designed to handle high loads at high rpm.

As for biodiesel, there is a lot of it overseas in North America and Europe, not so much in Africa unless you have the means to make it yourself. Having said that, it isn't the bee's knee's it is made out to be, sure it is made from sustainable crops but it takes a massive amount of land to make it.
 
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