The worm who turned
To be honest, I'm pretty much converted - well I am all the while I have the relative luxury of owning one petrol and one diesel.
The Golf GT TDI I have "only" has 115BHP (120 depending on where you read) but has 210ft/lb torque which is more than my old C230 Kompressor. The torque however hit at about 1900rpm I think.
Around and about town it makes for a swift progress. You have to be seriously cautious in 1st and 2nd gear otherwise the front tyres break traction and between idle and 3000rpm it pulls incredibly strongly. I mean I can drive the S4, jump in the Golf and still chuckle to myslef thinking this thing pulls (as it hits peak torque).
Above the 3000rpm it's a lot flatter, but pulls freely to 4000rpm and would go to 5 I'm sure if I felt the need or reason to do so (can't think of one).
So it's quick and easy around and about town and at 80mph on the motorway in 6th it's doing approx 2300rpm. So plant the throttle and the thing pulls as yet again it's bang in it's prime torque band.
It is a different style of driving. I'm not saying this is a drivers car, and I honestly doubt the practicality of the still front wheel drive 150BHP version - with the VAG 4Motion fitted perhaps. However, as a "petrol head" I can not only tollerate this as a secondary more sensible car, I enjoy driving it which is good as the plan is to use it most of the time. With me driving it like a GTI it still retruns over 50mpg and I imagine the girfriend will manage vastly more.
If I can babble on admitting I can no longer take the michael out of diesels from the ownership of a 1.9 TD, I'm sure the large capactiy engine, rear wheel drive Mercedes and the like are fantastic.
After my dissapointment at how a BMW 330i drove, I think if I had driven the 330D I would have been sold.
I'm may have switched camp, butI have not been brainwashed - they still sound like diesels!!
On an open road, accellerating through the gears I still haven't figured when it's best to change up in the Golf, too late seems to feel a little flat, early gets you with a surge of torque in your back but feels unnatural.
Comparing a Sl500 V8 to an E320CDI is a bit unfair. I have argued before the opposite argument and said you cant comapre cc like for like as if the petrol car also had forced induction it would be better, but I think you have to at least compare ttwo cars with similar engine cc or BHP. If you are comparing on torque figures alone, the petrol car will feel better as it obviously already has high torqure and is also bound to have higher BHP.
I'd say at a guess finger in air, a C270CDI to a C320 or even a C220CDI to a C180 Kompressor and see how they fair back to back for your given use.
.
) 
