Bosch marketing exec Lars Ulrich (not the one from Metallica) remains bullish on the prospects for clean diesel cars here in the US. While only Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi and Volkswagen are currently offering diesel cars here right now, the models they sell are generally doing well.

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120126/AUTO01/201260478/1148/rss25

I'm a fan of modern diesel engines and I love the way they drive, so much so that I put my money where my mouth is. Sitting alongside my Mustang in the garage is a 2010 VW Jetta TDI wagon. The American market diesel ranks will be growing in the next couple of years with new models from the existing players plus entries from at least Chevrolet in the form of the Cruze and the new Mazda CX-5 compact CUV.

If you haven't driven a modern clean diesel recently, it's worth trying out.

#diesel

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First Drive: 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI
2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI – Cick above for high-res image galleryThe state of California has the toughest vehicle emissions regulations in the world

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One of my all-time favorite cars that I reviewed was the BMW 535d that Bosch loaned me a few years ago. http://green.autoblog.com/2007/12/17/in-the-autobloggreen-garage-2007-bmw-535d-yes-its-a-diesel/

That car was powered by a twin-turbocharged version of BMW's marvelous 3.0-liter inline-six diesel that cranked out 286hp and a massive 428 lb-ft of torque. It was both quick and fuel efficient achieving 27 mpg during a week of hard driving.

Yesterday BMW officially launched the first of its long-rumored diesel M models with an even more powerful variant of the 3.0L diesel. The addition of a third turbocharger has bumped up the bottom line to 381 hp and 546 lb-ft which is sufficient to drop the 0-60 time from the 6.4 seconds I recorded in the 535d to just 4.7 seconds in the M550d. The new tri-turbo engine is available in the 5-series sedan and wagon as well as the X5 and X6. I'll take a M550d Touring wagon in Dark Graphite please!

#diesel

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BMW M550d xDrive and BMW M550d xDrive Touring
BMW M550d xDrive and BMW M550d xDrive Touring: Technical features, information and photos

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