Diesel has always delivered impressive hauling specs, top speeds, and fuel economy, but it has also delivered underwhelming 0–60 times. This, combined with the Dieselgate scandal, has contributed to diesel-powered performance cars essentially disappearing from the US market.
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But, head on over to Europe, and you’ll find plenty of diesel-powered vehicles that are surprisingly sporty. Here are ten of our favorites, plus a Ford for good measure.
New Gen Mercedes E-Class E450d
Engine | 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six i6 mild-hybrid |
|---|---|
Power | 390 hp |
Torque | 554 lb-ft |
0-60 | 4.8 Seconds |
Top Speed | 155 mph |
Built specifically for the German Autobahn, the E450d aims to deliver everything you want from an E450. Confident acceleration, cushy interior, and smooth ride, but with fewer stops to refuel along the way. The 300 is available as a plug-in hybrid for more electric range, but the 450 is only available as a gas or diesel-powered mild hybrid, putting the emphasis on performance. But you won’t really need the extra electric range. The E450d is expected to get around 37 miles to the gallon, combined. With a 17.4-gallon gas tank, that means you can get more than 600 miles on a single fill-up.
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The gasoline-powered E450 has been clocked hitting 60 mph in 4.4 seconds, and it reaches a top speed of 130 mph. So, thanks in part to the mild hybrid powertrain, you’re not sacrificing much performance for the extra mileage, and you get an extra 25 miles per hour to play on Germany’s eight-thousand-mile federal freeway.
Audi Q7 V12 TDI
Engine | 6.0-liter turbocharged V12 |
|---|---|
Power | 493 hp |
Torque | 738 lb-ft |
0-60 | 5.5 Seconds |
Top Speed | 155 mph |
Do a Google search for diesel-powered V12s, and this is the only car that’s going to turn up. A European exclusive, the V12 TDI was developed by the Audi Quattro GmbH team and was nearly labeled with the RS branding. The SUV packs a six-speed ZF HP32 transmission for transferring all that oomph along the powertrain, achieving a very respectable 5.5-second zero-to-sixty.
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The Autobahn doesn’t have any speed limits, and the TDI is theoretically capable of more than 170 miles per hour, but the German auto industry has agreed to a 155 mph limit in order to keep the Autobahn free of limits. That’s why you’re going to see that number pop up a few more times on this list. Diesel is capable of very high top speeds, but the 155 limit keeps lawmakers off the industry’s back. EV automakers are finding this out, as well.
Volkswagen Golf GTD
Engine | 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder |
|---|---|
Power | 181 hp |
Torque | 258 lb-ft |
0-60 | 6.8 Seconds |
Top Speed | 146 mph |
The GTD, or Gran Turismo Diesel, is categorized as a compact family car and comes with a curb weight of 3,078 pounds. Pairing the car’s relatively light weight with the diesel engine, the GTD achieves an incredible 63 miles to the gallon, combined, for a range of nearly 700 miles on a single tank of fuel. While a 6.8 second 0-60 time might not be pushing your hairline back, the turbocharger gets you in and out of traffic with ease, and the car reaches a commendable top speed of 146.
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Volkswagen first introduced the GTD back in the 1980s, during that period of time following the oil crisis when the industry wasn’t sure how exactly to combat skyrocketing gas prices. Flash forward forty years later, and VW recently announced they’ll be discontinuing the GTD for the next generation, focusing instead on the eHybrid and GTE models. While diesel-powered compacts and sedans are sort of a niche market, even outside the US, the GTD does have its fans, and this isn’t the first time it’s been pulled from the lineup.
Ford Focus ST Diesel
Engine | 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder |
|---|---|
Power | 182 hp |
Torque | 295 lb-ft |
0-60 | 7.5 Seconds |
Top Speed | 137 mph |
The sole American-made auto on the list, the Ford Focus ST Diesel was dropped from the lineup a few years back, so you may have to hit up the classifieds and auction websites if you’re hoping to get one for yourself. With a 0-60 sprint of 7.5 seconds, the Focus ST is the slowest starter on this list. It’s peppy enough to get in and out of traffic without issue, but it is admittedly on the lower end of sporty.
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Officially, the ST Diesel is reported to get you around 58 miles to the gallon. In real life, drivers report that actual fuel economy rarely drops below 40 MPG, even in the city. The car has been positioned as a sort of hot-hatch, and it certainly looks the part, it offers sharp handling, and drivers generally report that it’s fun to drive. It even delivers the same torque as a comparable Civic Type R. But all of its strengths translate to something that is more of a road tripper than a track star.
Alpina D4
Engine | 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline-six |
|---|---|
Power | 355 hp |
Torque | 538 lb-ft |
0-60 | 4.5 Seconds |
Top Speed | 173 mph |
The gas-powered BMW Alpina B4 Gran Coupe packs a 3.0-liter inline-six delivering 495 hp and a 0-60 time of 3.7 seconds. The diesel-powered Alpina D4 is admittedly a step down from that in raw performance numbers, cranking out just 455 horsepower and reaching 60 mph in 4.5 seconds. Reported torque numbers are the same for both cars. The D4’s main advantage is that it averages a combined 41 miles to the gallon, compared to the B4’s 28 MPG.
All of that being said, it’s a testament to Alpina’s take on the 4 Series Gran Coupe that they can slow the acceleration and drop the horsepower by a sizable chunk, and still outrun almost anything else on the road. Taking the D4 on its own terms, you’d never worry about what you’re missing by driving the diesel-powered car over the gas-powered model, making this car a fair compromise between sporty, high-end performance and highway-oriented efficiency.
Bentley Bentayga Diesel
Engine | 4.0-liter turbocharged V8 |
|---|---|
Power | 429 hp |
Torque | 663 lb-ft |
0-60 | 4.2 Seconds |
Top Speed | 168 mph |
It’s another one of those cars that underperforms in comparison to its gas-powered sibling, but you wouldn’t know what you were missing unless you bothered to read the specs. The gas-powered 2018 Bentayga delivers 600 hp with 0-60 times clocked as low as four seconds. The diesel-powered model delivers 429 hp and reaches 60 mph in 4.2 seconds. If you’re checking the spreadsheet, you’ll notice the difference. Behind the wheel, you probably won’t.
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The V8 engine packs two turbochargers, plus a supercharger to reduce turbo lag. The engine noise tends to hum along at a soft purr, and you should expect to get around 26 miles to the gallon on the highway, 24 in the city, and 31 combined. If you’re looking for a high-end four-door that delivers a comfortable, smooth, relaxing highway driving experience, that’s exactly what the Bentayga Diesel aims to deliver.
BMW 640d
Engine | 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six |
|---|---|
Power | 309 hp |
Torque | 464 lb-ft |
0-60 | 5.3 Seconds |
Top Speed | 155 mph |
640d drivers generally report that the experience of driving this car gets worse the farther you get away from the highway. On long, well-maintained roads, the ride quality is perfect, and the 38 MPG fuel economy will get you where you’re going without having to stop at every gas station along the way. The car accelerates confidently, handles well, and it’s a BMW, so the cabin is very agreeable, and tastefully designed.
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But, take it on less-than-perfect roads, and you’re going to feel every pothole, and the car’s handling isn’t as responsive as you might want from a sports coupe or a drop-top. In short, it’s a great car as long as you know what you’re buying it for. This is a born-and-bred grand tourer. Your best friend on a long road trip, but not the first choice if you’re doing a lot of stop-and-start city driving or trying to dazzle your friends at the track.
Porsche Panamera Diesel
Engine | 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 |
|---|---|
Power | 247 hp |
Torque | 479 lb-ft |
0-60 | 6.2 Seconds |
Top Speed | 151 mph |
The 4S Porsche Panamera Diesel was, at one point, the fastest diesel-powered production car in the world. The standard Porsche Panamera Diesel is nothing to sneeze at, either, hitting 60 mph in 6 seconds and delivering 247 hp with a 3.0-liter turbocharged six-cylinder engine. The Panamera was the most economical Porsche in the entire lineup when it launched in 2011, averaging 45 miles to the gallon, combined. The car packs a generous 23.7-gallon tank, meaning you could theoretically drive from Los Angeles to Miami with only two or three fill-ups.
Stricter emissions tests and a drop in customer demand saw Porsche cutting the Panamera Diesel options from the lineup back in 2018. And, of course, there’s the usual culprit: hybrids, plug-ins, and EVs. All the advantages offered by diesel, from an automaker’s perspective, and from a practical standpoint, you can achieve in spades by adding a battery to the car, instead.
Jaguar XJ Diesel
Engine | 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 |
|---|---|
Power | 271 hp |
Torque | 443 lb-ft |
0-60 | 6.5 Seconds |
Top Speed | 155 mph |
The Jaguar XJ hit the market with a 3.0-liter turbocharged diesel engine, achieving an impressive fuel economy of 38 miles to the gallon, with a hefty 18.7-gallon tank. Like all the other Autobahn-oriented cars, the XJ was limited to 155 mph. There was a 5-liter supercharged V8 model that reached 174 miles per hour. That one was gas-powered, but it gives us an idea of what the XJ could achieve if you removed the limiter.
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The XJ is the slowest accelerating car in the X351 lineup, but not by a very wide margin. The 3.0-liter gas-powered V6 hit 60 mph in 5.9 seconds, while the diesel model comes in just a half second behind. The XJ was launched in 2009, ran until 2012 under the Jaguar Cars brand, and then until 2019 under Jaguar Land Rover before finally being retired. The car was reportedly selling just a few hundred units a month by the end, making it the company’s least popular model.
Mercedes-AMG C30 CDI AMG
Engine | 3L Turbo i5 |
|---|---|
Power | 228 hp |
Torque | 398 lb-ft |
0-60 | 6.2 Seconds |
Top Speed | 155 mph |
You wouldn’t know it by looking at the Mercedes-AMG C30 CDI AMG’s sporty, refined body design, but it packs the same engine under the hood as the Sprinter commercial van. The C30 version of the 3.0-liter turbocharged five-cylinder diesel comes with a few upgrades. Firstly, the van’s engine was a 2.7-liter, and this one is a 3.0-liter, and they added a double-overhead-cam for the C30. This cranked the horsepower up from 168 to 228. Also, worth noting, the C30 is RWD, while the van was AWD.
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The C30 was the last time AMG ever built a production-model diesel-powered car. Today, it stands as one of those odd experiments from the early 2000s, when SUVs were becoming increasingly common, the electric car was still the stuff of science fiction, and we were all looking for ways to spend a little less on fuel without sacrificing too much performance.
