What to Choose? Gas or Diesel Engine

You may see all the fuel options at the gas station when filling your car up and wonder what the benefits of each could be. Usually most drivers assume that diesel fuel is reserved for larger trucks and 18 wheelers but more and more car manufacturers are embracing diesel, meaning before you buy a new car, you should take a few minutes to decide which type of engine is more beneficial for you and your needs; diesel or gasoline. These are just a few of the benefits of each type of engine and what makes them a good choice for your new vehicle.

Diesel:

• Improved Fuel Mileage– Diesel engines are known for getting better mileage than their gasoline counterparts. Providing 25-30% better fuel efficiency than gasoline engines, some diesel engines have also been known to get fuel mileage on par or better than some electric/alternative fuel model vehicles.
• More expensive than Gasoline– Early on, diesel was cheaper than gasoline but now it is often as expensive or even more so than regular gasoline. Since it is also used for commercial vehicles along with other things like home and industrial generators, the high demand will likely lead to even higher diesel fuel prices in the future.
• A Little Easier Maintenance- Diesel fuel engines have no distributors or spark plugs so they don’t require any ignition tune-ups though they are not completely maintenance free. They still require oil changes while changing air, oil and fuel filters as well.
• Extremely Dependable Engines– Diesel engines are known for being built a bit more ruggedly to withstand higher compression. As a result, they can go much longer without needing any major repairs. Several diesel engine vehicles by Mercedes Benz hold the longevity record, lasting more than 900,000 miles on the original engine with minimal repairs required. It is unlikely that you will want to have your car for that long but for reliability and dependability it is hard to top.

Gasoline:

• More Readily Available– While gasoline has become a bit harder a resource to get, it is still far more available than diesel fuel. Not every gas station is capable of stocking and supplying diesel though regular, unleaded and premium gasoline are available at every gas station barring a situational issue.
• Pollutants in the Environment– One well known issue regarding gasoline engines are the pollutants they emit into the atmosphere. Over time and as more and more vehicles have used them, it has become harder to ignore the negative impacts. As such, more manufacturers are looking to limit the production of full, gasoline dependent engines and focus more on alternative fuel sources for vehicles. If that happens more and more, gasoline engine cars may become more expensive and the cost of gas may increase as well.
• Higher Performance Capabilities– Gasoline engine vehicles have far superior performance capabilities than diesel engines, which make them the preferred choice for drivers more interested in performance and function than longevity. This is also a reason why so many larger, commercial vehicles are diesel engines: to withstand the strain put on the engine by carrying such a large load. If you are getting a vehicle like a new truck and are expecting to need to haul large amounts of stuff around or will be towing heavier things, a gasoline engine will likely strain and require serious repair over a much shorter period of time.

Bottom line

Depending on your needs and primary concern there are beneficial reasons to both gasoline and diesel engines, whether it is the long lasting dependability that a diesel engine provides or you are looking for more performance based specifics, gasoline.

If you are purchasing a vehicle simply to get a new commuter to get from point A to point B then there is little likelihood that the expensive upfront cost of a diesel engine vehicle would be offset by the added efficiency. With alternative fuel vehicles and even driverless cars constantly advancing further and further, the likelihood that your decision will always be diesel or gasoline is getting slimmer by even the day, but knowing what you are looking for and what your vehicle will be used for will go a long way to helping you make the best, cost effective choice.