Differences between gas and diesel?

[Bill K]

I admit to not knowing much at all about diesels so here's my question:

My wife has a 2009 X5 with the gas 3.0. We want a new 2015 X5 with diesel due to the increase in MPG. We've never owned a diesel before so I have some basic questions. 1) does it take the same oil/filter as the equivalent gas model? Same for coolant/water pump/thermostat? Is the only difference (maintenance wise) that the diesel has no spark plugs, but glow plugs that need to be changed and obviously the gas is different. Is there more maintenance required for the diesel, ie, fuel pump, filter?
Also, is there a safety in the filler to prevent the use of regular gas?
Sorry for the many questions.