Luke Scharf

Ford makes lots of small diesels. I was kind-of bummed when I visited the UK in 2007 and saw diesel-powered Focus's everywhere. I'd just purchased a Volkswagen Jetta TDI, and the European diesel-powered Focus would have been a better fit for my needs at that time. Also, the new Ranger will have a couple of diesel options: http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2010/10/first-look-all-new-2011-ford-ranger-t6-global-pickup-truck-debuts.html But the new Ranger won't be available in the US. A 2.2-liter inline-four-cylinder with up to 276 pounds-feet of torque turbodiesel would be a really nice engine in either a TC or a Ranger. Nice flat torque, comfortable hill climbing, easy clutching (if it's attached to a manual). Ecoboost is all well and good, but a turbocharged gasoline engine can't run off of biodiesel, and I'd be very surprised it if had the drivability of a small modern turbodiesel. grumble. -Luke

When will the USA get the diesel version of the Transit Connect? A Transit Connect XLT Wagon with a 2L turbodiesel engine with an automatic transmission would be an an ideal replacement for my RWD Ford Ranger. I owned a VW Jetta TDI with a 1.9L turbodiesel engine and a 4-speed automatic and loved the torque, efficiency, and ability to run alternative fuels in a pinch. But my wife's Prius turned out to be vastly more reliably than the Jetta, as did my aging Ranger, so I'm not going to be buying a Volkswagen again... The Transit Connect looks like it solves a number of things that annoy me about the Ranger (wheel wells in the bed, no worthwhile back seat, limited cargo height with a cap), and without having to go to a vehicle like the F-150 that is way too big/expensive/powerful/off-roadable for my purposes. But the lack of a diesel engine in the TC keeps holding me back. Any thoughts?