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Originally Posted by 5vz-fe
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Originally Posted by thamar
That BMW you stated is a DIESEL!
A diesel uses less then an ordinary fuel engine.
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umm.....duh 
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Originally Posted by gnome
You are forgetting one thing... The point is not to save money, but to reduce the global warming. If reduced fuel consumption is the way to go is a another question. The motivation for using a hybrid car (and this VCM system) is to reduce the fuel consumption, and that is working.
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Diesel is working pretty well fuel consumption IMO. Cylinder deactivation is a good idea, but the efficiency of it is not that big if you look at the numbers. Hybrid cars also bring other problems such as recycling those batteries. |
I really don't see your point.
Sure cylinder deactivation doesn't provide a large jump in fuel economy...but that doesn't mean it isn't worth it. Sure diesels get great fuel economy...but if we are on the topic of environmental concerns, as far as I know, diesels are currently pretty horrible in emissions. Yes, they are working on it, but right now diesels spew out lots more emissions than the common gasoline engine (in America at least). That's the reason there aren't many diesels in America, because its very tough to make a diesel clean enough to meet our regulations, so even if that diesel is getting 40mpg, its, usually, still dirtier than the gas counterpart getting only 30mpg.
What's wrong with people wanting a little better fuel economy? Personally its (cylinder deactivation) not something I would go for, just because I'm sure it adds weight and its just one more thing to break; but I sure would pick cylinder deactivation before I ever went to a diesel motor...
GM was the first to use it, on V8s in Cadillac’s, with disastrous results, but eventually they got it straightened out, and they even put it on the ZR1...but it was more of a way to limit power for drivers you might not trust with all 405 of the Vette's ponies.