What’s The Deal With Diesel Sports Cars?

Petrol vs Diesel, The Lowdown

Ofer Levin GTI
4 min readJun 20, 2019

When you think of a diesel car, what comes to mind? They may be powerful but are often big, usually sluggish, can be lumpy and can run out of puff way too quickly (think tractor and you’ll catch my drift). Nothing you’d want in a sports car, right? Wrong. Believe it or not, but there are a few super-fast diesel-powered cars on the market and they’re made by reputable car companies like Volkswagen, Audi, and even Porsche. But one or two on the roads around the world doesn’t mean they’re any good, does it? Why don’t we see more diesel-powered sports cars? Let’s delve into some details.

Revs vs Torque

For the garden variety petrol head, the most important difference between petrol and diesel engines has to do with revs and torque. Petrol engines have higher revs and diesel engines tend to have more torque. This means that petrol engines have a longer powerband (meaning they are faster for longer), even though diesel engines may have quicker acceleration. Diesel engines simply can’t keep delivering that level of force so they can’t keep charging on the way a petrol engine does. And of course, petrol engines sound way better than diesel!

That said, diesel engines have been getting better and better and some of the leading car brands have been making some pretty impressive diesel cars. Both Audi and Peugeot have had excellent success in Le Mans with diesel. But obviously endurance plays a pivotal role in this event and that is where diesel may trump petrol. They’re getting lighter and with turbochargers, diesel engines are able to produce comparable power to petrol engines of a similar size.

There Are a Few Sporty Diesel Cars Out There I Could Live With

I’ve never been a huge fan of French cars but the Peugeot RCZ is gorgeous. With 163 HP and a terminal speed of 260km/h (a little over 161 mph), it is really sad that this sporty little diesel number is no longer being manufactured. The Audi A5 3.0 TDI Coupe is sleek and powerful ,and sports clean-diesel technology which makes it a fun and fast ride. Nobody I know will complain about a top speed of 235km/h(146 mph)! The Maserati Quattro Porte Diesel is even faster than that but is more luxurious than sporty.

Peugeot RCZ

There’s even a Golf GT Diesel out there! With a top speed of around 230km/h (143 mph) and the ability to get from 0–60 in 7.5 seconds, the turbo-diesel engine of this GT is quite impressive. It was only released in Germany and England though. If you’re a Porsche fan, and you happen to like the idea of diesel, the Porsche Panamera Turbo Diesel is your car. With a top speed of a whopping 257.5km/h (160 mph), it’s one of the fastest diesel-powered vehicles. Although it is pretty bulky in comparison to a Boxter or a Carrera, it is still a stunning looking car. I have been wrestling with my love for Porsche lately though, in light of their move into manufacturing SUVs (I’m looking at you, Porsche Cayenne) in the early 2000s.

Did Porsche Sell Out?

Some things are just meant to stay the way they started out. Like when Porsche decided to bring out SUVs. Some of us die-hards will insist that the Porsche Cayenne and the Macan are just wrong. Yes, the Panamera is rather large as well but still maintains its sporty looks. So in my books, it still counts as a ‘proper’ Porsche. Isn’t the whole idea behind getting a Porsche about getting something sleek and sporty? It is not about getting a fancy family car that can go really fast. For many petrol heads out there they killed the whole ‘sporty Porsche vibe’ if there’s such a thing. Yes, Porsche SUVs are powerful, zesty and very capable, but who wants to take a road trip with the family needing toilet and snack stops when you’re just beginning to enjoy flooring it on long and winding roads?

We Have To Move With The Times (I Guess)

It’s also not just a petrol vs diesel debate. They say that internal combustion, whether its petrol or diesel, is on the way out anyway since the electric revolution is coming. It’s a good thing for the environment, of course. But so is becoming a vegan, and are you really, really never eating a cheeseburger again?

The up-and-coming Porsche Taycan

Incidentally, Porsche decided to stop making diesel cars last year and is launching a fully electric sports car this year. This kind of change spells way more doom and gloom out for any self-respecting petrol head than diesel engines in sports cars ever could. At least petrol and diesel engines are both combustion-driven. But, looking on the bright side, here is some consolation for those proper petrol enthusiasts worried that the last bit of noise and V8 thunder could soon be a relic of the past:

  • Diesel sports cars can be cool, and really, really fast
  • Electric cars can be cool too (kind of)
  • Porsche is still super cool
  • There will always be petrol enthusiasts
  • Just like we still have horses, there will always be petrol-driven V8s, manual gearboxes and turbos

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Ofer Levin GTI

Ofer Levin GTI — Experiencing Cars and Engines. Welcome! I am Ofer Levin (aka GTI), and this is where you can read about things that matter to me.