Comments on: Mazda Diesels

By: John

John — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 18:20:11 +0000

Diesel fuel not only produces less CO2 than gasoline but it has more BTU s available. What I don’t understand is why our government is throttling diesel car production in this country with emission regulation specifically targeting diesel but they don’t account for the 30-40% increase in mileage. Using less fuel = producing less emissions. This should be taken into account.

By: Jason Carpp

Jason Carpp — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 05:19:38 +0000

The reason we don’t get diesel cars seems obvious to me. US Govt. They just don’t want us to be able to drive such fuel efficient vehicles. They say they want us to drive fuel efficient cars, but aren’t willing to allow dealers to buy and sell them. I’ve never trusted the US Govt. They say that a Diesel engine is more environment polluting than gasoline engine. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. We’ve been poluting the air as long as we’ve been driving cars. My favourite vehicles that have Diesel engines are the Mercedes-Benz, the Isuzu P’up Diesel, the Volkswagen and the new Subaru Boxer Diesel. Unfortunately, they have never sold as well here in the US as gasoline cars. I believe that what we need to run all Diesel powered vehicles on Biodiesel or even Straight Vegetable Oil. Something that can burn cleaner than the petroleum based Diesel. From what I’ve been told, it is possible to do that.

By: Tim

Tim — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 15:38:20 +0000

I believe a lot of American drivers would love to drive a car with a diesel engine, especially with that kind of MPG. Availability of diesel fuel would go up with demand and the price might come down with an increased demand. American drivers need to speak up if they want access to these vehicles. It seems like as with many things, the Europeans are advancing ahead of us.

By: Dana

Dana — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 08:16:42 +0000

Oh man… if this were an option stateside my decision on new car would have gotten all the much tougher. I still stand by my decision on my new 2009 VW Jetta TDI but man oh man I like the looks of those Mazda3’s….

By: mpg-o-editor

mpg-o-editor — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 13:06:13 +0000

@Paul H – Many thanks for your thoughts, although I beg to differ. The least powerful and most thrifty of the bunch surely isn’t an enthusiasts car … take a look at the 0-62 time … it’s pokey.

While I don’t have an exact figure, I’d venture to say that roughly half of all service stations have diesel these days (at least around these parts). It’s not nearly as obscure as so many folks make it out to be. Not to worry … this is a common misconception that’s continually pushed by conventional media.

You’re on to something with the lack of an automatic trans. Most Americans prefer automatics over manuals. That having been said, I’d reckon that Mazda owners tend to be a sporting bunch and favor a stick shift more than the average Joe.

By: Paul H

Paul H — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 12:38:34 +0000

They are not in the US because like you wrote this would be a car only for “enthusiasts”, not mass market.
a) Not all gas stations offer diesel – too inconvenient for Americans.
b) They don’t come with automatic transmission.

Bringing such car to the US would be suicidal for Mazda. I couldn’t buy it either.