India is one of the biggest markets for diesel cars.

Most of the people prefer diesel engines over

petrol ones in this country. Why so? The debate between petrol and diesel engines is as old as the
engines themselves. Basically, both engines have their own specialties and anyone opting for either
of them is basing that on personal driving eperiences. !imilarly, "#$ and %&$ 'ngines also made
their foray in the automobile industry mostly owing to their better fuel efficiency, cheaper running cost
and eco(friendliness.
Getting to Know the Petrol and Diesel Engines - Technicalities
) petrol engine is one of the first engines to be used in automobiles. *undamentally, not much has
changed since its inception. +iesel engines were largely used for commercial vehicles like trucks,
buses, locomotives, ships, etc. In petrol engines, there is pre(miing of fuel and air, which eventually
results in better efficiency that makes the car run at higher speed and is much ,uieter but the overall
fuel efficiency remains ,uite low.
-n the other hand, diesel engines use compression ignition to burn the fuel which is in.ected in the
combustion chamber after the air is compressed. The calorific value of +iesel is more than &etrol and
hence the energy output per unit volume of diesel is better than petrol. The construction of diesel
engines is bit more complicated than that of petrol and hence it asks for higher initial investment.
"omparatively petrol engine construction is simpler and cheaper than that of diesel, which we can
also see reflected in the price of our diesel cars.
What does this technical .argon mean for the common man? +iesel cars are good for those who have
long distance commuting on daily basis. +iesel engines give better fuel consumption and deliver
better tor,ue. This means diesel engines make everyday driving cheaper and an easy eperience.
Moreover, diesel cars have run far more miles than the petrol ones before they ask for any
maintenance, i.e. running life of diesel engines is much better than petrol engines.
*inally, as a fuel, diesel is cheaper than petrol in India. 'ven in other countries, we see that the litre
price of diesel is significantly cheaper than the petrol/s price.
+iesel cars in India are very popular in India as the Indian auto market is one of the most price
sensitive markets. The combination of cheaper fuel, good mileage and long life, eplains why diesel
engine cars are the favourite choice of cabs and regular long distance driving people. )s a
conse,uence of the longer life of a diesel engine, the resale price for such cars is also better. In other
words, diesel options always fetch you a better price.
*rom an environment perspective also, diesel is far better than petrol, as the emissions are less
harmful0
We can easily say, that once the car has been bought, diesel is always better for the owner than
petrol. 1owever, since the purchase is more epensive, the savings after buying should be more than
the etra price paid.
1ence, in order to get the full benefit of a diesel car, you should have run higher distances and not
short city(hauls.
Where Do Diesel Engines Lack?
+espite the many good points, diesel models do have their own disadvantages and even after so
many technical advancements in the automobile industry, these disadvantages still eist. The most
common one is the noise. +iesel cars till date are very noisy and especially make a lot of noise when
starting from cold. !o if you start your diesel car in winter mornings, your neighborhood can clock
their schedules with your office timings. 2The reason is due to heavier parts in the engine and the
different ignition techni,ue.3
&etrol engine driven cars are certainly epensive but they deliver better driving eperience with their
smoother and ,uieter engines. Moreover petrol engine cars are cheaper and faster as well.
On Road Petrol vs. Diesel Peror!ance
&etrol and diesel engine performances have been talked and researched a lot. 'arlier diesel engines
offered poor performance compared to the petrol engines. 'specially in acceleration, diesel engines
were found lacking.
But since the advent of the turbo(chargers a lot of things have changed on the diesel side of the
fence. 4+irect In.ect5 and 4common rail5 engines have been the latest kids on the block. +irect in.ect
engines have taken care of the noise problems to a large etent. They also give better mileage over
the older indirect in.ection models. "ommon rail diesels use the latest technology of direct in.ection
and are the most recent ones offering more fuel economy and better performance. 1owever, not all
auto manufacturers have developed and adapted this technology in their cars in India.
&etrol models give more horsepower which enables them to attain higher top speed and better figures
of 6(76 kmph acceleration. The refined driving eperience offered by the petrol engines still remains
unparalleled. 1owever, please note that the new age Turbo diesel engines, such as the 8olkswagen
engine, give ecellent power and acceleration. *or eample, the 8olkswagen $olf 9.6 T+I top of the
range car 2not available3 in India, delivers whopping :7; B1&, < seconds acceleration to :66 km=h
and a mileage of :>96 on highways0
%astly, the account servicing costs of diesel cars is definitely more any day, though the fre,uency will
be less. 1owever, with the latest technology these costs have been curbed by the manufacturers but
it eventually depends which brand you are opting for.
"oncl#sion
It is clear that once the car is bought, the running costs of a diesel car will be far less than a petrol car.
&ossible less attractive performance is not that relevant in our busy Indian cities, where noise too is a
daily issue to put up with.
1ence, the only serious disadvantage of the diesel car in India is the higher purchase price and hence
the only factor to consider for Indians is the daily run rate.
We end with a calculation on how to choose between a diesel or petrol car.
E$a!%le o calc#lation or choosing &etween a 'ndica Petrol and diesel
Indica 8ista petrol> ::;9 cc, 7? B1&, tor,ue @.<#m, mileage assumed at :? kmpl, e(showroom A.6
lac
Indica vista diesel> :9A< cc, ;A B1&, tor,ue :@.B#m, mileage assumed at :? kmpl, e(showroom ?.6
lac
"onsidering the cost of diesel at Cs B? per liter and &etrol at current rate of A7 Cs per %iter, the
analysis of money that can be saved with diesel car can be calculated as below.
!uppose you drive ?6,666 DM per year.
The cost of fuel per ?6666 DM, i.e. BBBB.BB liter of fuel for petrol at :? DM&%, will be Cs :,?B,BBB. *or
that of diesel, it will be Cs :,:7,777. The saving for diesel car will hence be Cs B7,77;.
In other words, with this usage, the etra cost of Cs :,66,666 of diesel car would be earned back
within about B years. )s most people will keep the car for longer, in this usage it would make sense to
go for the diesel car.
2In fact, the saving could go up as the general mileage of diesel car might be at around :@DM&% on
an average which would amount to @9:6? Cs with saving 7:99< Cs.3