Terminator X

iTrader: (7)

Any ideas as to what's best or indeed just up there with the best? Will be looking to move current daily runner on soon & diesel is best option for a longish daily commute. Would be nice to have something to enjoy on the slog home ...

Cheers, TX.

Henrik

iTrader: (5)

I don't know about best power/weight ratio, but I'm a big fan of the Mini Cooper D myself

apparently it does up to 80mpg extra urban and isn't actually much slower than the Cooper as standard.

Matteeboy

335d coupe is about 180bhp/tonne. Can't think of any that beat that apart from mega pricey 8 pot diesels maybe?

More about the torque than power to weight ration though.

Terminator X

iTrader: (7)

^^ True so changed 1st post!

TX.

scooby1929

iTrader: (1)

I drove a friends Leon FR t/diesel and was amazed at how sharp it was. Would give a standard Scoob a run for its money

Matteeboy

What sort of budget? A 170bhp Golf or Leon might be the best option. Around 170lbs-ft/tonne. Torque/tonne doesn't actually "work" but it can be an indicator of oomph - noticed Evo recently used to compare a couple of cars.

Got almost 260 lbs-ft/tonne in my soot chucker - about the same as a Merc CLK Black edition...

Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

Edited the title for you - have you considered post remap figures as you may find that some gain more post remap than others

[-(o)-]

iTrader: (1)

Don't forget torque at the flywheel is not indicative of torque at the wheels. A diesel will be a lot longer geared than petrol to make up for the lack of revs, something that always seems to be overlooked - especially by diesel marketeers!

Matteeboy

So why do good diesels get decent performance figures then? Both from a standstill (for some) and in gear?

gallois

it's the relatively high BHP that makes a diesel a 'good' diesel, the high torque is a product of the engineering required to get this high BHP, you can't have one without the other.

wrx9181

iTrader: (2)

Think the vw 4x4 sorry the name escapes me but the 5litre diesel it will pull your house down mate

Matteeboy

That's the Touraeg V10 TDI

308bhp, 553lbs-ft

But it's in a heavy car so isn't all that quick.

Try the Q7 V12TDI - 500bhp and 758lbs-ft!!!!!!!!

pslewis

I'm seriously impressed with the Honda Civic 2.2 TDi .... I think it's 350Nm?

In real world driving it is fantastic .... the only diesel I've driven though - but, it would probably beat the scooby in the 30-50 dash? Or equal it probably?

stilover

Was going to mention this car myself. Beaten to it.

TBH most Audi / BMW TDI are all pretty good. Just depend on what car size you want.

A3/Golf/1 series size? Then VW/Audi 170bhp TDI or BMW 120d

A4/3series size? Audi 3.0TDI or BMW 330/335D

A8/5 series size? Audi 4.0TDI or 535d

Terminator X

iTrader: (7)

I remember pulling up behind a big diesel Audi a few years back when I had my Spec C (375hp & 375 torque) ... the Audi just teleported up the road leaving me in a cloud of soot

TX.

Devildog

Matt - its all about the area under the curve, rather than headline figures.

Diesels tend to have pretty flat torque curves when depicted graphically.

With high compression ratios they deliver more torque (and hence derived BHP) from low revs which aids acceleration, especially in gear.

Devildog

Given that BHP is a derived figure calculated from torque and rpm, you're right in that you can't have one without the other, but more correctly the high BHP is a product of the engineering required to get the high torque.

RS Grant

BMW 123d must be a reasonable option, especially post re-map.


Cheers,
Grant

Butty

iTrader: (2)

The Jag XF should now be mixed in with the BM/Audi list for larger engines.

What budget have you got?