Diesel for the USA?

[Luke Scharf]

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?

[Hal]

When will the USA get the diesel version of the Transit Connect?

Probably never. Ford does not seem to like diesel for anything less than a 3/4 ton truck.

Earlier this year I attended a presentation by one of the Ford Marketing folks from Detroit who said that in the next 3 years all Ford vehicles except for the big trucks would have EcoBoost engines. EcoBoost engines are turbocharged, direct injection, gasoline engines.

[Luke Scharf]

Probably never. Ford does not seem to like diesel for anything less than a 3/4 ton truck.

Earlier this year I attended a presentation by one of the Ford Marketing folks from Detroit who said that in the next 3 years all Ford vehicles except for the big trucks would have EcoBoost engines. EcoBoost engines are turbocharged, direct injection, gasoline engines.

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

[Ceej]

Here's the rub.

North American emission standards that exist for new diesels, coupled with variations in fuel quality across the nation will keep us from having a solid small diesel until we get some serious new technologies pounded out.

We aren't going to get Euro spec diesels here. Look at the way the emission windows get skewed for North American, European, and Japanese markets. The windows are very similar, just skewed enough that vehicles from one market can not be used in another. This is as true for gasoline powered vehicles. The windows for the different markets don't match for paticulates, NO, or CO.

Diesel EGR, EGR cooler, Particulate filter. Many folks that deal with these parts are having maintenance issues.

Not that the average guy treats a vehicle with maintenance in mind. Beyond an oil change and the odd wiper blade, most folks seem content to turn the key and drive 'till something goes wrong. It's rare to find someone that has actually opened up the owners manual and read it.

The Fed wants these vehicles to go through their expected life without a change in emissions while suffering little or no maintenance; the norm.

It's expensive for a manufacturer to do that, especially with the moving target that emissions requirements present year to year.

European vehicles do not meet North American standards for emissions, lighting and, in some cases, safety. It's all in how you hold the measuring stick.

Until those measures are standardized between the markets, we can't expect to have like vehicles or components.

2¢

CJ