Japanese Diesels-Inefficient/thirsty?

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Fri 10 Oct 2003 17:54
Japanese Diesels-Inefficient/thirsty? - Thomasino
For some reason Japanese Diesels like the ones for the Primera/Almera have had bad press, not so much for reliability as for the lack of performance and fuel guzzling nature.
Is there any real ground to it.I know compared to the French and the Germans , the Japanese diesels pale in comparision , but are they of the "not to be considered" category when looking for a used car?


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Fri 10 Oct 2003 21:04
Japanese Diesels-Inefficient/thirsty? - bazza
There?s nothing much wrong with older Jap diesel engines but the Jap manufacturers seem to have taken a while to develop Europe-rivalling diesel technology. Drive a 5 yearold Nissan Primera and then something like a Peugeot/Citroen XUD or VW tdi engine and feel the difference! But at last Honda & Toyota etc are building class-leading diesels, presumably to respond to the massive increase in European diesel sales. The economic environment, particularly in France favoured diesel in the 90s, so giving the French manufacturers a technology headstart, while I guess the Jap makers were (and still are I think to some extent) led predominantly by the US market, where the diesel vehicle market is tiny due to completely different taxation policy. I wouldn?t be put off by an older Jap diesel, it just won?t light your pants, like for example, the latest VAG units.
Baz
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Sat 11 Oct 2003 10:49
Japanese Diesels-Inefficient/thirsty? - andymc {P}
I think I know what Thomasino's getting at though - it's actually the latest Japanese models that his comment applies to. Official fuel consumption and emissions figures for the 2.0 diesel Mazda6 are noticeably worse (43 mpg) than for, say, a previous (or current) generation Passat (54 mpg for the 110 bhp, 49 for the 130). Another example is the new Primera - 136 bhp and 50 mpg from a 2.2 litre engine, when the 150bhp VAG PD engine delivers similar economy but a lot more power from just a 1.9 litre engine. The Avensis diesel that HJ has on long term test seems to bear comparison with my 110 bhp Passat - quiet, spacious, comfortable, a bit dull to drive, quite economical but just not enough power to set the world on fire. Thing is though, the Avensis is this year's car, my Passat is 4 years old. I'm not saying that the new range of Japanese diesel engines are bad - cambelt vs. chaincam anyone? - and the Avensis (or Primera, or 6) is probably going to last twice as long with half the maintenance & repairs. But in terms of extracting the most power, refinement and economy per cc, the Germans - and French? - are still ahead of the game, albeit not as far ahead as they used to be. I think the new Accord diesel will be the real leap forward, giving us the best combination of reliability, refinement, economy and power output. Now if only Honda would make one with RWD ....
andymc
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Sat 11 Oct 2003 11:22
Japanese Diesels-Inefficient/thirsty? - El Hacko
No, gotta be front wheel drive for me and if Honda would make the Accord diesel in a 5 door, I'd sell my Lexus and line up for one
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Sat 11 Oct 2003 13:52
Japanese Diesels-Inefficient/thirsty? - king arthur
If the Japanese are behind the Europeans on diesel technology now, you can bet your **** they won't be in a very few years.
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Sat 11 Oct 2003 18:18
Japanese Diesels-Inefficient/thirsty? - Dude - {P}
El Hacko - The Accord diesel is due in February, see H.J.`s latest test report on this forum. I recently road tested the new Accord 2.4 petrol Sport version and can confirm it to be a real cracker. At tick over the engine is totally free from any vibration whatsoever and is totally silent. The only other engine I have ever heard to be so refined is in the Lexus LS 430.
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