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When you consider that the average price for a gallon of gas is over $2, it is no surprise that many people are looking into different fuel options. For some, that means getting rid of their heavy, fuel guzzling cars or considering the possibility of a hybrid or diesel run engine.
For many years, diesel fuel has been thought to be dirty and smelly and completely inferior to gas. With technological advances being made everyday, this opinion may be out dated, but the question remains which type of fuel is more cost effective?
Let's take a look at gas powered engines first. The truth is using gasoline in an engine can be just as fuel effective as diesel or hybrid power. The catch is that for this to be an effective power source, the vehicle needs to light weight and small to maximize fuel efficiency.
Vehicles that are gas powered with a lower gas mileage ranking are the smaller, four cylinder varieties. It is a logical conclusion that the larger V6 or V8 motors are not going to prove to be fuel friendly vehicles. In terms of gasoline powered cars, the consumer would be better served by driving a light weight, durable, and smaller engine sized vehicle.
Diesel fuel has been unpopular in this country for many years. It has been given its bad name because of high emissions and unpleasant fumes. Advances made in the production of diesel, such as low sulfur diesel fuel, have cut down on some of the bad reputation though.
Passenger vehicles that run on diesel fuel are a gas effective way to go, however. On average, diesel fuel used to cost up to a $1 less on the gallon than gas. But that has changed recently, it costs about .20 to .40 cents more per gallon.
Now you will have to figure out if the mileage per gallon rate will make it more economical to drive a diesel. Diesel fuel does go further per gallon than gasoline. The reason diesel engines can operate on less fuel is due to the additional torque.
Diesels outshine hybrids because their fuel efficiency is actually better than some of the hybrids. Looking at a Past in the diesel version, it has a MPG of 32.5. The same vehicle with a gasoline engine gets 25.5 miles to the gallon.
These are the same cars with the only difference being the type of engine under the hood. The clear advantage is that the diesel gets more miles per gallon of fuel, running on a fuel that already costs less.
There are other factors to consider when looking into the idea of driving a diesel. At least five states have placed prohibitions on their sales. If you are a resident of Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, or California, don't bother.
For everyone else, it may be a good idea to check on the availability of diesel fuel in your area. Since the majority of drivers have gasoline powered cars, diesel may be difficult to find in your region of suburbia. It may involve going a little out of your way to fuel up.
While considering other factors beside fuel efficiency, diesel engines are well known for their durability. That is why they are used in semi trucks. That kind of dependability is an added bonus when deciding what type of engine you want in your next vehicle.