Diesel prices here in Massachusetts are similar in price to 91/93 premium gas. In the winter diesel is generally 5 to 10 cents more a gallon, in the spring and summer it is usually on par and sometimes cheaper. This is related to the stations I drive by in the Boston and Greater Boston areas.

 

Diesel Prices are Up, but I'd drive a Diesel anyday, I'd love just to drive a different version of the Cooper, like trying a convertible etc...

Plus, I put 1400km on my cooper this week :/ thats alotta gas.

 

For my DD I would rock a diesel all day long. For my fun car a petrol turbo would be my choice. For some reason diesels have a really bad rap here in the US because everyone thinks that they sound like 18 wheelers. In the past that was very true but, today's diesels are much more refined and paletable. I have 2 coworkers that have VW diesels one a Passat and the other a Jetta. They are quiet and comfortable and get way better gas mileage then the MINI and are twice the size. Something about 45+mpg out of a full size sedan is pleasing. Though the driving feel of a full size sedan is kind of lame. I would also like the diesel because it would last some much longer then the petrol car. Theoretically you could see a million+ miles on it. Of course the body might disenegrate before the rest of the car but it will still keep on trucking.

 

We've just been driving a diesel MINI (A Cooper-D) around the autoroutes and backroads of France for the last week. It was pretty good fun, and we averaged 40.2 mpg (US). That's a lot better than the 27 or so mpg we manage with a regular gas MINI.

The diesel engine packs quite a punch it pushes more strongly than a Cooper-S at low revs, anything from 1600 upwards, but hits a wall at 4500 revs. It has noticeable turbo lag, worse than a Cooper-S. Its noisier than a Cooper-S, and it sounds like a Cooper-S with terminal death rattle. It cruises quite nicely at 85, and is turning about 2600 revs at that point.

 

Having driven well over 100k miles on our two Jetta wagon / Golf TDi here in the US, and Ford Mondeo TDCi in Europe, all I can say is the low end torque, superior fuel mileage make diesel engines perfect for some of us, who enjoy driving a lot of miles, and also don't want to burn too much fuel....

 

I so want a Cooper SD!! To bad Mini aka BMW will not bring over the Cooper D, Cooper SD, and Countryman here.

I was on the hunt for a VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI before I bought my MCS. But I could not find anything in my price range.