10
by alex maiolo_Archive
Don't write off diesel. The new ones run clean as hell - they don't belch out nasty black smoke anymore. The particulate matter issue doesn't matter so much in towns and rural areas like it might in an enclosed area like a city. Much better on the ozone. By a lot of estimations, less impact than the small amount of fuel a hybrid burns.
I drove a Jetta diesel wagon for awhile and I miss it. It was fun to drive, had plenty of room, it was nice inside than any other car I've ever owned, and it got 48mpg on the highway, and about 35 in the city.
Plus, 20% more fuel comes out of a barrel of oil when you're making diesel and not gasoline.
If people in government actually cared about emissions, they would push a clean diesel, hybrid, and possibly E85 agenda tomorrow.
If every car on the road got 3mpg better, we would save 1 million barrels of oil a day, which is more than we can get if we tap ANWAR. We use 16 million a day now, so that's not an insignificant number. What about it every car got 5 mpg better?
When I drove my diesel, I felt like I was making up for 7 cars when I considered the better MPG and the higher output at the refinery. My current car gets almost 30, which is respectable, but I feel so wasteful now.
I think you should get a Prius. They are really nice and you'll be doing your part.
-A
