Diesel Gas Mileage Drives Your Dollar Further Than Gas

If you imagine a diesel vehicle nowadays is like some smoky vehicle you might have noticed a decade ago. That isn't the case.

Today's diesel-engined cars are almost identical to their petrol-driven counterparts. Yet your diesel gas mileage is virtually always better than a gas-powered car.

There is no smoke these days, and better engine designs have resulted in increased acceleration and driving comfort.

The modern diesel engine has experienced a major makeover and, with correct checks and servicing each year, it will bless you with years of faultless motoring. It will also give you higher mileage than most any cars powered by gasoline engines.

For some reason, European countries are generally more interested in fuel economy than in the United States. Then they have much higher fuel prices than we do.

Most European cars are diesel driven, not petrol driven. And in terms of fuel economy, diesel almost always takes the blue ribbon prize for higher mpg.

One reason why diesel has not been as popular in north America is that most European-made cars can't pass tough US emissions specifications.

But by not going for economical diesel engines like our European cousins, we are giving up on fuel savings we would have received with diesel cars. What's more, its happening now, right when we're hurting from high fuel costs.

Improvements in alternative fuels have lead to the creation of bio diesel, which effectively figures out many of our fossil fuel supply difficulties instantly. Rather than using crude oil to make this fuel, the procedure uses organic materials, such as sugar and corn crops, to make the bio fuel.

Diesel bio fuel is made by converting these vegetation materials to short-chain ethyl or methyl alcohols and mixing it with conventional diesel fuel in varying ratios or grades. You can use this biological fuel on its own without dramatic changes to your auto's motor. Large trucks have been successfully running on bio diesel for years, and have had no reported difficulties.

Diesel engines will get you 40% more miles per gallon than petrol engines. And though diesel fuel may be more expensive at the fuel pumps, those gallons of diesel drive you much further than gasoline does. So it saves you money to use a car with a diesel engine.

While gas-powered motor cars can rarely manage 40 mpg or so, some diesel cars, such as the tiny Smart ForFour, manage to get close to 70 mpg. The ForFour has a turbocharged 3-cylinder engine and has passed the stringent US fume emission laws. It is being marketed in the United States now by Daimler Chrysler.

But believe it or not, the ForFour is not the all-time-champ for diesel fuel mileage. The European-made Lupo could manage to get a very impressive 78 miles per gallon. However, the Lupo discontinued production in 2005.

The results are in, diesel gas mileage beats gasoline mileage. So check it out for yourself.