Can We Really Love Diesel Power?
Defined more sensitive (though more polluting), more so economical (not always true), delicate but now reliable, and little or not at all noisy, many of us still live behind the prejudice that diesel engines are the devil dressed as a combustion engine. But it is not true at all, since anyone with an ounce of salt in the head should be able to distinguish the weekend car from the one to use for going to work every day, and then in the above cases there is really nothing wrong in ‘ buying a car with a diesel engine. Simply do not care of those who argue the opposite: they’re 15, or they’re playing at being “I-know-it-all-and-I-will-criticize-everything-without-distinction”.
The real unknown fact here, however, is the one that arises facing certain evolutions of these engines designed and developed to reduce fuel consumption and reduce daily operating costs, but that at the same time offer pretty impressive performance. Not time to talk about the Audi TDi engine, which won at the 24h of Le Mans, and let focus our attention on the famous triturbo diesel (road production) made by BMW (now also offered by Audi with its own version). It’s a 3.0cc that develops 380hp and 740Nm of torque which makes a big SUV speeds as fast as a rocket ready to fear to death every sports car around. Since we are facing a really interesting engineering achievement, it remains to be seen whether this will also be the future, which might just translates into having a single car, able to accompany us during the week with an eye to fuel economy and at the same time being able to release performance ready to shame the starting grid of some regional Rally race.
We’ll also find out how this will compare to hybrid cars and then everyone will make the process they think is best, but trust me when I tell you that when you have a similar inhuman torque at disposal, like that of this X5M 50d, granted us for a nice test drive by our friends from Dream Car Savona, you would not want to get off. If only there was a soundtrack of the same level I would not have doubts. For the full review, do not miss the next Auto Class issue.
Words by Alessandro Marrone
Photo by The Looking Glass