When does a diesel really need much less than a petrol engine?

“After 30 years, I’m now buying a diesel too, because they consume less.” Many former petrol fans are now buying diesel vehicles. However, die-hard petrol engine drivers often (completely) misuse diesel engines and thus use little potential for savings. For those who want to drive a diesel really economically: It really depends on your own driving style! About 30 years ago, driving schools taught very little about fuel-efficient driving. It can often be observed that many petrol engines are driven permanently in 4th gear at 110 km/h. If you also do this with a new diesel engine, you only have a small savings potential: If you don’t switch gears correctly with the diesel engine, i.e. always very early, it needs more than a petrol engine that has been revved too high. Therefore: A diesel only makes sense for drivers who are used to petrol if they are willing to adapt their driving habits a bit! This means: Early upshifts, late downshifts. A “normal” 140 hp 2.0 TDI engine, for example, can easily drive at 80 km/h in 6th gear in the city. Unfortunately, the mentality “I only switch to sixth from 130” is still stubborn. An important help for diesel beginners can be the Shift recommendation display be that many vehicles already have on board as standard. It shows the driver recommendations as to when to shift into the next gear. Even if it seems that the display wants to switch too early and the engine gets a little louder in the next gear, you should definitely stick to it: This is how you drive optimally in the long term and save a lot of money.

Fully tanked: range of the 1.6 TDI in the Audi A3 (105 hp)