Video: Diesel comparison - BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen

For buyers looking for a fuel efficient car, diesels provide an alternative to hybrids. Popular in Europe for years, more diesels are making their way to the U.S. market.

Modern diesels escape many of the liabilities of earlier designs. They are quieter, burn cleaner, and have much improved acceleration. Fuel economy is considerably improved over gasoline-powered versions.

But buying a diesel usually means paying more up front. Finding a diesel pump isn't quite as easy as locating gasoline, and diesel fuel prices recently have fluctuated widely. Except for Volkswagen, diesel vehicle availability is also limited to high-price luxury brands.

In this video, we take a look at four diesels—Mercedes-Benz GL320 Bluetec, BMW 335d, BMW X5, and the Volkswagen Jetta TDI—and their pros and cons.

—Tom Mutchler

Comments

[Gerard]

Hi! Nice video ... two questions:

1) I see that you're driving a Jetta TDI SportWagen in the video. Do you have a score for that vehicle? i.e. would it boost the 80 that the 2.5 SportWagen received by the 8 point differential that the TDI sedan received over the 2.5 sedan?

2) Is there any way you all can get a definitive answer on whether Subaru will be bringing its boxer diesel to the US for either the Outback or Forester any time in the next year?

Thanks, as always for the good work and informative testing.