D4D Diesel for USA?

[Lewis]

These lofty clean diesel mpg figures are not hype - I know from 1st hand experience.

A couple of years ago my wife and I rented a FIAT Punto diesel (stick shift) and drove all over Europe including up and down a whole lot of mountains in the Alps and in heavy traffic in Italy. We averaged 78 mpg without any special driving techniques on my part. I was shocked when I did the math. And the Punto is really all the car most families need on a rational basis (seats 4 comfortably, nice size trunk hatchback design and yes about the same size/weight as a Yaris. And save your FIAT jokes- car was 100% reliable, with no squeaks rattles etc. which I wish I could say for my Yaris. Also it was a well used (70k km on the clock) rental car- not babied like my Yaris.

Made my Yaris' 35 mpg (and the Prius' 50 mpg for that matter @ almost 2x the price of a Punto) look pretty weak in comparison. And the new euro spec clean diesels run quietly, don't smoke and have enough pep for anyone looking for economical transportation. Did 70-80 mph on the motorways without any trouble albiet with a bit less accelerative ability than most Americans would wish to enjoy (not need IMO).

I'm convinced that if Toyota brought in the new Yaris with the clean diesel it would sell well as a niche vehicle with $4 a gallon fuel predicted for this summer. The problem probably would be that it would lay waste to Toyota's hybrid line which in the USA is Toyota's main sales proposition. In Europe you simply can't sell family cars (and believe it or not the Yaris is a family car in the rest of the world) without a diesel engine- the result of $9/gallon fuel prices which my wife's family in Holland currently pay. Let me tell you that price for fuel forces you pretty quickly to be objective about your REAL transportation needs in a vehicle purchase!

BTW my sister in law in Holland drives a Yaris diesel :-) Not only is the mileage almost twice what I get in my Yaris but to add insult to potential injury it has many more items of safety equipment (like knee airbags, etc.), nicer content (real set of gauges, better interior materials quality etc.), and much more sound insulation than my domestic Yaris. She paid more than I did but I would happily have paid more to get what she was able to buy over there. One look at her Dutch Yaris (and the Japanese market Yaris for that matter) tells you all you need to know about the fact that Toyota considers the USA market a third world nation educationally and financially which is reflected in the Yaris they offer to us.

But my 1.5 gasoline Yaris can easily beat her diesel in the all important American acceleration race from a stoplight! Boy are we lucky!!!!