Would you buy a FORD FOCUS DIESEL?

[DJ2BIG]

Ford has introduced a diesel-powered Focus in Europe, called ECOnetic, that gets a claimed 80 mpg. It uses technology such as engine stop/start, low-rolling-resistance tires, brake regeneration and active grille shutters to get that number.

Under the hood is a turbocharged 1.6-liter diesel, mated to a six-speed manual transmission. The engine is rated at 105 hp.

Of course, there are a few asterisks.

First, that fuel-economy number is calculated using imperial gallons, which are 20 percent larger than U.S. gallons.

And the fuel economy is calculated using the British test standard, which has virtually no relation to the method the EPA uses to calculate mileage for U.S. cars.

If we did run the Focus ECOnetic through the U.S. test, the result would likely be fuel economy in the high 40s or low 50s--about two-thirds the U.K. rating.

[Maddog78]

No, not at this time.

I rode in a few diesel cars (VW, BMW) in Europe that were pretty sweet but I wouldn't buy one here.

[DJ2BIG]

I test drove the VW Jetta back in 2009 not a bad car but I am not a VW fan

[JCH841]

I work with large (ship) diesels, so I'm okay with the whole smell and light clatter thing. (You should hear a V-16 turbo with 1040 cubic inches per cylinder!) We just don't have any good choices. I don't need the rest of a 3/4 ton pickup truck (tires, taxes, parking, etc.) badly enough to get a diesel truck. The VW is nice until you have to change the timing belt for $500+. Mercedes cost big bucks and you need to pee in them (add urea) every oil change. Finally, our refineries are biased to make gasoline, so we get less diesel and it costs more. (European refinery designs are biased towards fuel oil.) Still, a good practical 2 liter diesel with timing gears or chains that didn't need emissions fluid would be a nice alternative.

[Fattie]

yes , idk why we dont have em yet.

[lampcord]

Around here (Minnesota) diesel costs about 5.5% more than unleaded. So the car would have to get at least 5.5% better mileage for me to even consider it.

Then you have to factor things in like scarcity. Most gas stations around here have 8-12 pumps but only 1 or 2 diesel and sometimes not even that many.

So I think I'd need about 10% better mileage before I'd consider it.

[Z_interactive]

If I need MPG's I would buy Fiesta which gets 65 MPG (US).

Fiesta Econetic

[Darthenstein]

I think it is a great idea to explore diesel options here in the US. The problem that I hear from MANY over the road truckers and diesel car owners is that the EPA is making it too difficult to get a diesel car on the road. They are making too stringent of regulations that make it impossible to mass produce a diesel engine profitably; as well as their emissions equipment hinders gas mileage tremendously. My cousin just ripped all of the emissions equipment off of his over the road truck to go from 5 mpg to 7 mpg!

I think that another diesel car option in the US is a great opportunity to advance engine and car technology.

[CD/SFE]

My neighbor is an aircraft mechanic and says the real problem getting diesels here is the low-sulphur diesel. It apparently is raising the operating temps of the motors so high that they are "burning out" in short order. Also mentioned that Caterpillar was saying they were getting out of the diesel motor business because the low-sulphur diesel has wrecked the longevity they used to get out of their motors. Anyone else hear anything like this?

[ted429]

You would never get a focus diesel at 25,000. To add a diesel power train you need to add 5000 at least. The reason europe has them is because diesel fuel is subsidized by the government and you can get some of the 5k back.