12/15/2015 petrolvsdieselcars(generalcomparision)|TheThinkingPad|CarForumsCarWale

Home Forums The Thinking Pad petrol vs diesel cars (general comparision)

Today's Posts | Search Forums | My Messages

petrol vs diesel cars (general comparision)

Pages : 1 2 3 4 5

22-Jun, 2009 03:10 PM #1

centaur Found this article on cartradeindia. Found it to be very informative and thought of sharing it. I
Sridhar dont know if there is another thread which has the same/similar content. MODS - please
Moderator
Search merge this threadFaridabad
with that one
if it does.
English Log in to CarWale
Sridhar's avtar India is one of the biggest markets for Log
diesel
In cars. Most of the people prefer diesel engines over
Joined Date: 22 Dec 2007 petrol ones in this country. Why so? The debate between petrol and diesel engines
Edit profileis as old as the
engines themselves. Basically, both engines have their own specialtiesEmail
and anyone opting for either
Posts: 10620
of them is basing that on personal driving experiences. Similarly, CNG and LPG Engines also made
Likes: 1452 Please enter your name
their foray in the automobile industry mostly owing to their better fuel efficiency, cheaper running
cost and eco-friendliness. Password
Manage my car listing
Getting to Know the Petrol and Diesel Engines - Technicalities

A petrol engine is one of the first engines to be used in automobiles. Fundamentally,

Remember me not much has
My Carwale
changed since its inception. Diesel engines were largely used for commercial vehicles like trucks,
buses, locomotives, ships, etc. In petrol engines, there is pre-mixing of fuel and air, which eventually
results in better efficiency that makes the car run at higher speed andChange LOGIN but theSIGNUP
password
is much quieter
overall fuel efficiency remains quite low.
Forgot password?
On the other hand, diesel engines use compression ignition to burn the fuel
Log which
outis injected in the
combustion chamber after the air is compressed. The calorific value of Diesel is more than Petrol
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 Or Login
hence with for higher initial
it asks
investment. Comparatively petrol engine construction is simpler and cheaper than that of diesel,
which we can also see reflected in the Ask
pricethe
of our diesel cars.
experts
What does this technical jargon mean 1800 2090
for the 230man? Diesel cars are Sign
common good in
for with
those facebook
who
have long distance commuting on daily basis. Diesel engines give better fuel consumption and
Toll free
deliver better torque. This means diesel engines make everyday driving cheaper and an easy
experience. Moreover, diesel cars have run far more miles than the petrol ones before they ask for
Sign in with Google
any maintenance, i.e. running life of diesel engines is much better than petrol engines.

Finally, as a fuel, diesel is cheaper than petrol in India. Even in other countries, we see that the litre
price of diesel is significantly cheaper than the petrols price.

Diesel 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, explains why diesel
engine cars are the favourite choice of cabs and regular long distance driving people. As a
consequence 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.

If you like the reply given by a member and find it useful, use the 'Like this post' button
(thumbs up) at the bottom of that post than making a post just to thank that person

7 members liked this post

22-Jun, 2009 03:11 PM #2

centaur continued...
Sridhar
From an environment perspective also, diesel is far better than petrol, as the emissions are less
Moderator
harmful!
Sridhar's avtar
We can easily say, that once the car has been bought, diesel is always better for the owner than
Joined Date: 22 Dec 2007 petrol. However, since the purchase is more expensive, the savings after buying should be more
Posts: 10620 than the extra price paid.
Likes: 1452
Hence, in order to get the full benefit of a diesel car, you should have run higher distances and not
short city-hauls.

http://www.carwale.com/forums/8660petrolvsdieselcarsgeneralcomparision.html 1/6
12/15/2015 petrolvsdieselcars(generalcomparision)|TheThinkingPad|CarForumsCarWale

Where Do Diesel Engines Lack?

Despite 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 exist. The most
common one is the noise. Diesel cars till date are very noisy and especially make a lot of noise when
starting from cold. So if you start your diesel car in winter mornings, your neighborhood can clock
their schedules with your office timings. (The reason is due to heavier parts in the engine and the
different ignition technique.)

Petrol engine driven cars are certainly expensive but they deliver better driving experience with their
smoother and quieter engines. Moreover petrol engine cars are cheaper and faster as well.

On Road Petrol vs. Diesel Performance

Petrol and diesel engine performances have been talked and researched a lot. Earlier diesel engines
offered poor performance compared to the petrol engines. Especially 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. Direct Inject and common rail engines have been the latest kids on the block. Direct inject
engines have taken care of the noise problems to a large extent. They also give better mileage over
the older indirect injection models. Common rail diesels use the latest technology of direct injection
and are the most recent ones offering more fuel economy and better performance. However, not all
auto manufacturers have developed and adapted this technology in their cars in India.

Petrol models give more horsepower which enables them to attain higher top speed and better
figures of 0-60 kmph acceleration. The refined driving experience offered by the petrol engines still
remains unparalleled. However, please note that the new age Turbo diesel engines, such as the
Volkswagen engine, give excellent power and acceleration. For example, the Volkswagen Golf 2.0 TDI
top of the range car (not available) in India, delivers whopping 167 BHP, 8 seconds acceleration to
100 km/h and a mileage of 1:20 on highways!

Lastly, the account servicing costs of diesel cars is definitely more any day, though the frequency will
be less. However, with the latest technology these costs have been curbed by the manufacturers but
it eventually depends which brand you are opting for.

If you like the reply given by a member and find it useful, use the 'Like this post' button
(thumbs up) at the bottom of that post than making a post just to thank that person

2 members liked this post

22-Jun, 2009 03:11 PM #3

centaur continued...
Sridhar
Conclusion
Moderator
Sridhar's avtar It is clear that once the car is bought, the running costs of a diesel car will be far less than a petrol
car. Possible less attractive performance is not that relevant in our busy Indian cities, where noise
Joined Date: 22 Dec 2007 too is a daily issue to put up with.
Posts: 10620 Hence, the only serious disadvantage of the diesel car in India is the higher purchase price and
Likes: 1452 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.

Example of calculation for choosing between a Indica Petrol and diesel

Indica Vista petrol: 1172 cc, 65 BHP, torque 9.8Nm, mileage assumed at 15 kmpl, ex-showroom 4.0
lac

Indica vista diesel: 1248 cc, 74 BHP, torque 19.3Nm, mileage assumed at 15 kmpl, ex-showroom 5.0
lac

Considering the cost of diesel at Rs 35 per liter and Petrol at current rate of 46 Rs per Liter, the
analysis of money that can be saved with diesel car can be calculated as below.

Suppose you drive 50,000 KM per year.

The cost of fuel per 50000 KM, i.e. 3333.33 liter of fuel for petrol at 15 KMPL, will be Rs 1,53,333. For
that of diesel, it will be Rs 1,16,666. The saving for diesel car will hence be Rs 36,667.

In other words, with this usage, the extra cost of Rs 1,00,000 of diesel car would be earned back
within about 3 years. As most people will keep the car for longer, in this usage it would make sense
to go for the diesel car.

(In fact, the saving could go up as the general mileage of diesel car might be at around 19KMPL on
an average which would amount to 92105 Rs with saving 61228 Rs.)

http://www.carwale.com/forums/8660petrolvsdieselcarsgeneralcomparision.html 2/6
12/15/2015 petrolvsdieselcars(generalcomparision)|TheThinkingPad|CarForumsCarWale

If you like the reply given by a member and find it useful, use the 'Like this post' button
(thumbs up) at the bottom of that post than making a post just to thank that person

1 members liked this post

22-Jun, 2009 04:45 PM #4

Steeroid What is perhaps lesser known was that Rudolf Diesel created his Compression-Ignition engine
S Menon (an engine that ignites without a spark) to run on vegetable oil. The engine was originally
Best-seller known as the "Oil Engine" before it was named after its inventor.
S Menon's avtar If I'm not mistaken there was probably no fuel named diesel when he invented his Oil Engine.
Joined Date: 18 May 2009 The move from vegetable oil to the fuel known as diesel was necessitated by the fact that
fossil fuels were then cheaper to refine than it was to produce sufficient quantities of
Posts: 816
vegetable oils. Also, the first world war led to a shortage of food supplies and the favoured
Likes: 5
peanut oil was allegedly not available as peanuts were a source of rich nutrition. I dont know
how far this last part is true.

The diesel engine was supposedlyinvented to use 'waste' as its input - used vegetable oils,
animal fat or even coal dust.

Keep those wheels turning!

Last Updated: 22-Jun, 2009 04:46 PM, by Steeroid

2 members liked this post

22-Jun, 2009 05:22 PM #5

Ami Nice article.

Ami
However, the author has missed MPFI engines.
Legend
Ami's avtar

Joined Date: 12 Sep 2008

Location: Thrissur
Posts: 4696
Like this post
Likes: 6

23-Jun, 2009 11:20 AM #6

santhanam99
Santhanam Posted by Centaur
Beloved
Joined Date: 23 May 2008 continued...
Location: New Delhi From an environment perspective also, diesel is far better than petrol, as the emissions are
Posts: 439 less harmful!
Likes: 12
.

Can you kindly explain here a little bit about the carcinogenic (like Soot)and other particulate
matters a diesel engine emits. I was always under the impression that diesel, (eventhough it
emits less Carbon Monoxide and Nitrogen Dioxide) is far bigger a threatthan petrol to
humans andenvironmentbecause of the high amount of fine particulate matters init. These
are respirable and are very difficult to becontrolled. Unlike in US and some western countries
we have got no good screening system for controlling emissions from diesel powered
vehicles. The main reason why India is fond of dieselengines is because of its lesser cost. All
Delhities know that diesel buses here were the main cause of vehicle pollution and as per
Supreme Court Orders all of them are banned from running on diesel andare now converted
to CNG. Environment is far better now as certified by reputed Doctors and environmentalist.

Last Updated: 23-Jun, 2009 11:25 AM, by santhanam99

Like this post

23-Jun, 2009 06:19 PM #7

http://www.carwale.com/forums/8660petrolvsdieselcarsgeneralcomparision.html 3/6
12/15/2015 petrolvsdieselcars(generalcomparision)|TheThinkingPad|CarForumsCarWale
Pankaj.Prasad Santhanam, that issue is already being discussed in another thread (started by you).
Pankaj Prasad
Centaur, thanks for sharing the article.
Moderator
Pankaj Prasad's avtar

Joined Date: 29 Sep 2007

Location: Vadodara Honesty is not a Spare Wheel that you pull out when in trouble. It's a Steering Wheel that
Posts: 13623 keeps you on the right path throughout the life's journey.

Likes: 193
Like this post

23-Jun, 2009 06:55 PM #8

centaur Santhanam, the above article (as i gather) is totally from the point of view of ownership cost
Sridhar and performance and not from emissions point of view. If we consider pollution then
Moderator CNG/LPG will emerge out as clean winners but a person with a monthly run of say 500kms, is
Sridhar's avtar adviced not to go in for CNG/LPG owing to the fact that the ownership cost would be higher. I
too agree that soot is carcinogenic and causes respiratory problems in humans. The article
Joined Date: 22 Dec 2007 striclty was from a performance(in comparision to petrol) and ownership cost point of view.
Posts: 10620
Likes: 1452

If you like the reply given by a member and find it useful, use the 'Like this post' button
(thumbs up) at the bottom of that post than making a post just to thank that person
Last Updated: 23-Jun, 2009 06:56 PM, by centaur

Like this post

06-Jul, 2009 05:51 PM #9

centaur I found the continuation to the earlier article and posting it here for everyones reference. Only
Sridhar difference is that the author has included CNG and LPG engines. Have a look:-
Moderator
Today I am writing about fuel types in India. As I explained last week, diesel and petrol are fuel
Sridhar's avtar types where the main difference is defined by the cost of operating. In today's article I will
Joined Date: 22 Dec 2007 have a look at petrol, diesel, LPG and CNG. Which is better for what? And which should I
choose?
Posts: 10620
Likes: 1452 Though there are alternative fuels like bio-gas and ethanol, we are not dealing in detail as they
are not used in practice due to non-availability in sufficient quantity.

I will write the article as follows: I will compare and score each of the fuel types for the
following dimensions:

Investment
Running cost
Maintenance
Comfort
Performance
Environment
Availability

I will finalize with a conclusion.

Investment

Of the fuel types mentioned, we can easily state that petrol engine is the cheapest. This is
because the petrol engine is the base engine and simplest one. CNG and LPG both require
minor engine modifications. The diesel engine is technically more complex than the petrol
engine and hence also more expensive.

For diesel engines, the design has to be adapted taking into account the nature of diesel,
which requires higher compression ratio for compression ignition to take place. Hence a
diesel engine may be anywhere around a lakh rupees more expensive than a petrol engine.

LPG and CNG are highly combustible, and hence the engine inherent technology does not
need fundamental changes. For installing LPG or CNG kit, the initial investment requires app
Rs 40,000 for CNG and Rs 20,000 for LPG. This would include the fitment of cylinder and
modification of the engine and starting system accordingly.

Rank Fuel Type Expense vs Petrol

1 Petrol 0

2 LPG 20,000

http://www.carwale.com/forums/8660petrolvsdieselcarsgeneralcomparision.html 4/6
12/15/2015 petrolvsdieselcars(generalcomparision)|TheThinkingPad|CarForumsCarWale

3 CNG 40,000

4 Diesel 1,00,000

If you like the reply given by a member and find it useful, use the 'Like this post' button
(thumbs up) at the bottom of that post than making a post just to thank that person

1 members liked this post

06-Jul, 2009 05:53 PM #10

centaur CONTINUED..........
Sridhar
Running cost
Moderator
Sridhar's avtar The running costs of different fuel types, is determined by the cost per liter/kg of the fuel, and
the mileage of the same.
Joined Date: 22 Dec 2007
Posts: 10620 The cost of petrol ranges from around Rs 50 per liter, though it differs slightly in different
regions of India. The cost of diesel is around Rs 38 per liter. The increased cost of petrol and
Likes: 1452
diesel has led to a search for other alternatives, LPG and CNG. The cost of CNG per KG is
around Rs 18 and that of LPG around Rs 25 per Kg.

Rank Fuel Type Cost

1 CNG Rs 18 / KG

2 LPG Rs 25 / KG

3 Diesel Rs 38 / L

4 Petrol Rs 50 / L

Now we have to consider the mileage of the car. Mileages vary a lot according to the specific
model, engine, and driving behavior. So we will use general average figures here.

With petrol in any good car, the expected mileage is around 15 KMPL on an average and
hence the cost per KM will be Rs 3.3 (Rs 50 divided by 15). With diesel, assuming an average
mileage of 17 KMPL, the cost per KM will be Rs 2.3. With LPG costing around 25 Rs per KG and
with a mileage of 300 KM per 14KG, the cost per KM will be Rs 1.15 (one KG takes you 300/14
KM).

For CNG, the mileage is similar to LPG and hence the cost per KM is

Rank Fuel Type Cost Mileage (AVG) Cost per KM

1 CNG Rs 18 / KG 21 KM/KG Rs 0.84

2 LPG Rs 25 / KG 21 KM/KG Rs 1.15

3 Diesel Rs 38 / L 17 KMPL Rs 2.3

4 Petrol Rs 50 / L 15 KMPL Rs 3.3

If you like the reply given by a member and find it useful, use the 'Like this post' button
(thumbs up) at the bottom of that post than making a post just to thank that person
Last Updated: 06-Jul, 2009 05:56 PM, by centaur

2 members liked this post

Pages : 1 2 3 4 5

Reply to this Thread

http://www.carwale.com/forums/8660petrolvsdieselcarsgeneralcomparision.html 5/6
12/15/2015 petrolvsdieselcars(generalcomparision)|TheThinkingPad|CarForumsCarWale

Company Support Download Mobile App

ask the experts
About Us contact@carwale.com

Careers
Join us on
Advertise with us

Forums View CarWale on Mobile

Sitemap

CarWale India Visitor Agreement & Privacy Policy

http://www.carwale.com/forums/8660petrolvsdieselcarsgeneralcomparision.html 6/6