Thread: new LR diesel (4.4l) TDV8

Everyone caught up with LR UK announcement that MY11 RR has a new TDV8 of 4.4litres? Over 309HP (around 225Kw) and 700nm. Replaces the 3.6 TDV8. Suspect we will see it in FFRR and RRS only.

There's a sad saga as to why diesel's find it tough in the USA. I remember when the first Arab Oil Embargo was imposed in 1973. Amongst other things, GM responded by turning their 350 V8 into a normally-aspirated diesel, but didn't do much to modify the engine (ie, same big end bearings, cylinders, etc). Also the fuel lines ran in front of the engine (which for petrol cools the fuel so it's less prone to vapour locking). This meant for the 4 months/year that the temperature is well below 0 deg C, the diesel fuel would coagulate and cough to a stop. Sitting on the side for 10 minutes would allow enough warmth from the engine to eventually melt the coagulation and off you could go again. In addition, the US was about the last country to reduce the Sulphur content from somewhere around 5000 ppm to the current 25 ppm (I think) that we now have here. This is critical for modern European engines and meant that diesels have a reputation of stinking like crazy.

All this has pretty much poisoned the market in the US for diesel car engines, like we enjoy in our D3's and D4's. In some jurisdictions (California comes to mind) the regulations were especially written to effectively make it impossible to have a diesel engine pass. People think, "Diesel = bad, hybrid petrol = good" and the regulators/legislators respond in kind.

This said, there are a few diesel Golf's about, driven usually by professors who've spent time in Europe. Pity the rest of the country hasn't caught on to them being a good idea for places where mostly high-speed freeway driving occurs.