Originally Posted by
JPC
I have not towed large loads, so cannot comment on that.
Steep hills do not present a problem, a bit slower than the V8 though on the steep hills, but the auto box does the work. I have an EGT monitor and do back off on the fuel at 720 deg C, to save the engine.
I chucked the electronic pump for a manual pump as I had no ECU or wiring loom, and also wanted to eliminate some of the electronics. The manual pump is not as efficient as the electronic, so there was a small loss in power and torque, however that was made up with a much larger than OEM intercooler and tweaking the pump timing.
I picked this engine mainly because it fitted so well. A bonus is that this engine has a internal heat exchanger which eliminated the engine oil cooler, thus one less radiator and thus space for a large intercooler. The engine also has no timing belt or chain, has gears instead which I prefer.
Noise level in the vehicle is not a problem for me, although it is a bit louder than with the V8. This is more noticeable at idle as anything a bit loose like doorlock pins etc, rattle profusely.
As for driveability: living some 1700m above sea level, the V8 performance was affected by about 17% whereas the diesel has the turbo to compensate for that. One's drive style does have to change though as the diesel is obviously not as quick on the power as the V8.
Hope this helps.
JP