VW's latest 2 lt HDI now produces 170bhp! Not bad for a small 4 cylinder. I think the latest HDI's are very refined and give power where most people drive... the mid range. TD's produce much higher torque than petrol so pull very well in this middle rev range. It is a fact though that the three big Euro car companies have gone the diesel route, whereas the US market has stuck with petrol, more than lickely due to the GM debacle when it thought it could just convert a petrol engine into a diesel and buggered the market for a long time.

Over here the disel is winning the battle. The Japanese and US owned giants have had to play catch up, but have done so quickly. VW does still seem to have the edge though with the two French companies close behind. As for 4X4's, Europe is 95% diesel.

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Steffi