Diesel - Would you rather....E70 vs F15

[bawareca]

Originally Posted by JCL

On the diesel N57, rated torque is available from 1750 to 3000 rpm, a 1250 rpm range.

On the gasoline N55, rated torque is available from 1200 to 5000 rpm, a 3800 rpm range. That is 3 times the usable rev range, not even considering the higher redline (7000 rpm vs 5000 rpm). Hence, less shifting.

That would be true if both had the same final drive ratio.But they are quite different so your logic is not exactly correct.What that means is that ,just for example,1st gear on the 35i with 8sp tranny tops at ~25mph and the 1st gear of 35D with 6 speed tops~30 mph.With the 8 speed tranny gears on the gas and diesel will end at similar road speed,so both cars will have similar max,speed.
The RPM window you mentioned is for the peak torque.However the 35D have usable range from 1200 to 4500 rpm.in the city cycle I stay between 1300 and 2000 rpm.Sometimes even go to manual mode to upshift quickly.
As I mentioned before,the 6sp is a downside for the E70D,but not that huge.
And yes,the wheel torque is what matters.That is the reason why gas engine will be always faster than a similar diesel engine.Many people dont realize that the final ratio is actually a torque multiplier.