Anyone have any ideas what the most poweful / quickest diesel car on the market is at the moment?
I think VW are planning a Golf GT TDI with 170ps, but cant find anything similar.
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AFAIK VW's V10 diesel in the Touareg is the most powerful deisel engine in a production car, not sure if it's the fastest though.
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Maybe I should have limited the scope to cars under or around 20k. Interested because I want something diesel to replace (as close as possible) my Megane 225.
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What about Seat Leon Cupra FR TDi, then get it chipped/ remapped? Could be good for 180bhp and 280lb.ft torque, according to mrhoot.com .
Or 2006 model 2.0 TDi Sport DSG.
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Seat Altea 170ps TDI just announced - see HJ's Car by Car Breakdown
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For a 20K budget I would guess you are looking at something like the 150bhp engine in the Vauxhalls/Fiats, the 155bhp in the Mondeo ST ( sneaked the Mondeo in there !), I think I recall the Mazda 6 now has a pokey diesel and perhaps a BMW would sneak in under budget. There are probably others .. they were the ones that spring to mind .. the VW 2 litre is 140bhp I think.
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Does it have to be new? If not, perhaps a 2 year old 330d would fit the bill?
It could easily be chipped to around the same power as the Megane 225 and would have near enough 500Nm of torque too.
All for under 20K - what a bargain!
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It could easily be chipped to around the same power as the Megane 225 and would have near enough 500Nm of torque too.
A Friend of mine has a 330Cd - this has been fully re-mapped and is running approx 270bhp but with massive amounts of torque.
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Maybe I should have limited the scope to cars under or around 20k. Interested because I want something diesel to replace (as close as possible) my Megane 225.
Would it be amiss to suggest the Skoda Fabia VRS?
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I *think* the A8 tdi V8 is even more powerful.
Aren´t Mercedes Benz planning a triple turbo V6 CDi for the SLK?
No doubt someone will be along in a minute with truck output figures.
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What about the Jag 2.7 V6 twin turbo diesel?
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Anyone have any ideas what the most poweful diesel car on the market is at the moment?
2.0Td4 Freelander ~ 175 bhp
2.7D Jaguar ~ 206 bhp
3.0 V6 Grand Cherokee ~ 215 bhp
530d BMW ~ 231 bhp
535d BMW ~ 272 bhp
........etc.
What Car? magazine lists most cars.
--
L\'escargot.
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I think what Keith is after is the fastest, not necessarily the most powerful. He is used to the explosive performance of the 225. So power to weight ratios are crucial.
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I am sure that the Audi A8 4.2 V8 TDi is currently the world's most powerful production diesel car with 321 bhp (the VW Touareg 5.0 V10 has 309bhp and the non-UK Mercedes-Benz V8 CDi has 314bhp).
The Audi hits 60mph in 5.9s and is limited to 155mph so I imagine that it is also the fastest production diesel car.
The tri-turbo diesel engined SLK mentioned by barchettman was shown as a concept at Geneva earlier this year. It generated 286bhp but is unlikely to make production.
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Well done rjr. There's a snippet of driving impressions of the slightly less powerful Mercedes E400CDI hidden away in www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=76
HJ
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I had seen the piece on the E400 CDi - it is rare to get an appraisal of this engine published in english.
Sadly, I don't think that we will be seeing the new E420 CDi in the UK (or even a S420 CDi). However, I believe this engine will finally come to the UK in the M-Class and the new GL-Class (unveiled yesterday).
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So power to weight ratios are crucial.
On a diesel?
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I understand Toyota's Corolla verso is available with a 180bhp diesel for around your budget.
If you're looking for something smaller or 'posher' the BMW 120d has 163bhp & 250 torques for around your budget. A car enthusiast colleague has one and is highly impressed - the 1 series is small inside, however and is probably best thought of as a coupe rather than a family car.
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I think just about any of the higher-output 1.9 or 2.0 diesels should give you the sort of torque-steery, front tyre-shredding performance you´re used to from the Megane, at low revs anyway. Have fun looking and trying ´em.
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I was impressed with the E91 3-Series 163bhp too. Test at www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=185
HJ
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Everyone is mentioning bhp though it is primarily torque that gives a TD it's performance hence a Mondeo 2.2 with 400nm (155 bhp by the way) perhaps bests meets the criteria.
175bhp 2.0td Freelander, really?
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If that's the same engine as the X-Type 2.2d, the performance once on the move is pretty awesome. Pulling away from stationary is OK, but not tyre-shredding.
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The 2.2 only comes alive in third gear - in first and second the engine torque is limited to prevent the excess consumption of tyres, clutch and gearbox components.
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Just agreeing with the post above that a version of the Audi A8 is currently the most powerful diesel production car. Until something else more powerful comes along!
Cheers, SS
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Figures for the Audi A8 V8 TDI:
323 bhp, 480 lb/ft torque ....and quattro 4-wheel drive.
Should be enough to tow-test a caravan to destruction at MIRA!
cheers, SS
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I was at a mates 4x4 workshop a few weeks ago and he was working on a Freelander lookalike space-framed racing buggy. This had a chipped Range Rover 3 litre diesel, but weighed less than a tonne. He said it was the fastest diesel vehicle (in a straight line!) he'd ever been in.
Not very practical, and not a very good substitute for a Megane 225, but would be great to have one to play around in!
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The problem with getting near supercar performance from a diesel is you virtually negate one of the main reasons for owning one, namely fuel economy.
500nm of torque is wonderful, but if you use it fully you may as well drive a petrol V8 then at least the stereo becomes unimportant. ;-)
I've been with diesels since the late 80's when finally Citroen made a diesel, (CX DTR Turbo 2), that had the feel of a big capacity US V8, (great low down torque), but crucially with reasonable fuel consumption. (45mpg driven sensibly),
A friend has a new 535d 5 series, which is a great car, goes like an 80's supercar, but no manual trans option, and so the cost is less than 25mpg average, (he gets 21.MP3 average), which I personally see as disastrous. I'd want to be crushing my "old" Audi A6 2.5TDI if it ever gave me 25mpg average...........
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All that torque can prove a problem though - see pages 22- 23 of this link for story of a Lola-Caterpillar which was entered in Le Mans 24h and a Silverstone LMES race in 2004. tinyurl.com/arr94
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Not on the market as such: Audi R10 for Le Mans. 5.5l, V12 diesel, more than 650 hp and torque > 1100 Nm. www.audi.com/audi/com/en1/experience/motorsport/r1...l
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I drove a new Land Rover Discover Auto 2.7 D that has been 'chipped' up to 270 Bhp from 170! Not bad but still didn't feel that lively.
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I thought Keith S wanted to spend less that £20k?! Have a look at the SEAT Ibiza Cupra TDi - 160bhp, 0- 60 in 7.6 secs & 330nm of torque for £15,500. Alternatively I gather SEAT will be the first VAG brand in the UK to use the 170bhp 2.0 TDi engine. According to CBCB it will soon be available in the Altea. You could always add a chip if you want more power but I know someone who chipped a 150bhp PD Golf up to 190bhp and made it almost undriveable through constant wheel spin.
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Volvo S60 D5 with 185hp could be got almost in budget new.
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It's not in anyone's budget, but it's worth mentioning: Audi will be racing a diesel at the Le Mans 24 hour race next year.
The R10 will have a 12-cylinder, 5.5 litre twin-turbo TDi, pump out more than 650bhp...and 1100nm of torque.
Interestingly for a racing engine, its usable powerband is between 3,000-5,000 revs and it has two particle filters.
All that torque means the drivers will change gear less often, but will it mean fewer pitstops over 24 hours for juice?
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The Audi R10 diesel has won a 'major' race, after starting from the pit lane:
news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/4822360.stm
If someone has posted this already, apologies, but I only found this by accident and I'm surprised it didn't get more publicity.
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I drove a new Land Rover Discover Auto 2.7 D that has been 'chipped' up to 270 Bhp from 170! Not bad but still didn't feel that lively.
Because it is soooooooooooooo heavy, with the aerodynamics of a brick out-house.
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