Is diesel dead?

[VanFan]

Originally Posted by cruising7388

No, the Chev 6.0 for example won't have as high a fuel efficiency as the diesel. The Sprinter will give you around 18-19 mpg; the Chevy 6.0 will give you around 15-16 mpg.

But let's segue to what is actually relevant which is money out of pocket:


1. Diesel fuel use to save you money. Now it averages about 10% more than gas. In terms of dollars spent, just this factor significantly eats up the diesel mpg advantage.

2. The diesel initially cost you conservatively 5k more to buy than the gas alternative.

3. In general, service and repair costs for gas engines are substantially less than diesels and with Mercedes, you really get your chicken choked.

4. Service and repair for gassers is generally locally available. Depending on where you live, you may have to spend significant time and money to get to a Mercedes facility that will work on Sprinters.

Bottom line is that while there certainly is an mpg difference, in terms of money out of pocket, I think it's irrelevant.

Totally agree with this analysis. All four points, and especially the first one, are why I chose a gas ProMaster for my build. Per the manufacturer's websites, diesel Sprinters and Transits both cost about $11k more than the gas ProMaster with roof heights, lengths, and options as similar as possible. I whipped up a little spreadsheet to see how long it would take to recoup that $11k extra initial cost. Assuming my local average gas and diesel prices ($2.79 & $3.06) a 5 MPG fuel efficiency difference, and 15,000 miles per year, it would take about 11 years to get paid back. Of course, we don't usually put 15,000 on our van in a year, and the actual fuel efficiency difference is probably less than 5 MPG, so the real payback time is probably more than 11 years.