Every new car buyer faces the dilemma of choosing between petrol or diesel engine options. While there’s is a lot of hue and cry over the pollution created by diesel engines, all the diesel-powered vehicles are as compliant with the pollution norms set by the government and are as polluting as their petrol counterparts. Diesel vehicles have their own characteristics and suit a certain kind of people. Here are six such kinds of people who should go for diesel vehicles instead of petrol ones.
Travellers and explorers
There’s no doubt that diesel engines are significantly more fuel efficient than the petrol engines. People who often take the highways should go for diesel vehicles. One full tank range of diesel vehicle is higher than the petrol versions. Also, on the highways, there are much more chances of finding unadulterated diesel than petrol. Why? Because all the trucks use diesel and they are regular through the highways. The fuel pumps play it safe.
Love low-end torque
Petrol engines generally offer a weak low-end torque output. Diesel engines, on the other hand, have a strong low-end torque. This makes a world of difference when driving in the city traffic. With a strong low-end torque, cars can just crawl up in traffic without any accelerator, while most petrol cars need the accelerator input to crawl forward. This makes the diesel vehicles much easier and convenient to drive in heavy traffic situations. This also means less number of gear shifts in the traffic.
Off-roaders
While almost all the manufacturers have now introduced a petrol variant in their SUV models due to the strong demand, people who are into off-roading should stick to the diesel engines. Why? Because of the extreme low-end torque that they provide. The strong low-end torque makes it very easy for the vehicle to come out of any situation. Also, most petrol SUVs, at least in the affordable segment, do not offer the AWD system. The only exception is the Maruti Gypsy.
Want to keep the vehicle for the longest!
Diesel engines are much more complicated than the petrol ones and also last much longer. Petrol engines see significant wear and tear at a shorter period of time when compared to the diesel ones. Most petrol engines do not go past the 3 lakh km mark while a diesel engine can go well past 5 lakh km. So if you’re planning to keep the vehicle for a lifetime, diesel is what you should go for.
People who have to drive long distance daily
There are many who have to drive over long distances on their daily commute to the office or have a job that involves a lot of meetings. Diesel cars are perfect for such people because of the high efficiency. Even though diesel cars cost much more than the petrol ones initially, driving long distance negates the price difference and the running cost comes down much lower.
People who do not want huge fuel bills
Even though the difference between petrol and diesel fuels is not as wide as it used to be, there is still a difference of about Rs. 10 per litre. It creates a huge difference when filling a full tank of 50 litres. If your vehicle uses 2 tanks of fuel every month, then it is a saving of Rs. 1,000 on fuel bills if you’re using a diesel vehicle. This gives an advantage to the diesel car owners. Yes, the initial cost is higher but once that is out, you will enjoy lower running costs.
People who want an instant surge of power
Driving turbocharged cars are extremely fun. Due to the emission norms, all the modern diesel-powered engines come with a turbocharger and it is fun when the turbo kicks in. The instant surge of power is much more exhilarating than the naturally aspirated petrol engines. Yes, you cannot rev the diesel engines to a high rpm but the power surge is unavoidable.
Want to tune their vehicles
Installing a remap or tuning box on a diesel vehicle gives much more interesting and exciting results. Especially because the petrol engines are much simpler and most of them do not get the turbocharger. If you want an improved power for your vehicle or want to play around with the tuning box and remaps, then a diesel engine should be your choice.
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