Are Petrols Better Off-Roaders Than Diesels?

[CarLoverJosh]

I have always been in this never ending dilemma. Out of Petrol SUVs and Diesel SUVs which ones are better offroaders? Most people use diesels but when it comes to dune bashing etc. always petrol cars are used. Also another question is that how come petrols are even as capable as diesels in offroading? The lack the low end torque and the sheer brute mid range of a diesel which is vital for offroading. Yet, one of the worlds most capable offroaders - the Range Rover Vogue also runs on petrol and is equally impressive in offroading. Anyone who can clear my dilemma shall receive a vital thumbs up as bribe :redface:

 

[TSIVipul]

Re: Petrols better offroaders than diesels?

Just one question:

How many petrol cars those are used for dune bashing are having a manual transmission?

Low end torque and mid range isn't something only diesels have copyright on. Some bore*stroke, compression system, supercharging and fuel supply trickery can help in low end. Adding to that is urbo and supercharging that helps again.

All in all, none of the two wins the battle hands down but for novices and the ones new to off roaring, diesels just make the affair easier - that's all. For someone with an expert hand, both are identical.

 

[VISHNUCARCRAZY]

A turbo setup will be enough to get low end torque.

 

[Kanboy]

Any day Petrol Engines are better performance engines than Diesel Engines and so is the reason for their dominating usage mostly across the world in any kind of vehicle. But in recent years Diesel Engines have been enhanced and improved by most leading companies to turn the "working mileage giving slow mule" into a "Durable mileage giving Performance Beast"

 

[type-r]

I think there is no hard and fast rule that petrol or diesel is better than the other at off roading. Both are equally good in the right hands.

Many places and OTR events will have diesel and petrol participation on an equal level so it does not really matter.

 

[Arup]

Diesels do have low end torque which help them crawl better than petrol while for outright power and hill climbs the petrols do better.

 

[CarLoverJosh]

Just one question:

How many petrol cars those are used for dune bashing are having a manual transmission?

Low end torque and mid range isn't something only diesels have copyright on. Some bore*stroke, compression system, supercharging and fuel supply trickery can help in low end. Adding to that is urbo and supercharging that helps again.

All in all, none of the two wins the battle hands down but for novices and the ones new to off roaring, diesels just make the affair easier - that's all. For someone with an expert hand, both are identical.

Thanks for explaining it.

A turbo setup will be enough to get low end torque.

Yes but the RIGHT turbo setup. Remember that there are many cars with Turbo's and have significant lag.

Any day Petrol Engines are better performance engines than Diesel Engines and so is the reason for their dominating usage mostly across the world in any kind of vehicle. But in recent years Diesel Engines have been enhanced and improved by most leading companies to turn the "working mileage giving slow mule" into a "Durable mileage giving Performance Beast"

Bro no one is talking about the performance. And for that matter of fact , nowadays , most diesel cars are nearly as fast as their petrol counterparts. Also remember the Audi Nanuk. The worlds fastest non- production diesel car. It looks hideous but it has a beast of a diesel engine underneath that bonnet.

I think there is no hard and fast rule that petrol or diesel is better than the other at off roading. Both are equally good in the right hands.

Many places and OTR events will have diesel and petrol participation on an equal level so it does not really matter.

+1 to that.

Diesels do have low end torque which help them crawl better than petrol while for outright power and hill climbs the petrols do better.

Yes, diesels do have better low end torque but petrols are not better in climbing hills my friend. Not until you rev them up properly. Our Rapid, when we went to Dharamshala performed much better in the hills than its petrol counterpart driven by someone who just joined us in between the trip. His Rapid Petrol did struggle and he had to rev quite a bit. Whilst our TDI Rapid.. Nah! ( inputs given by him)

 

[Kanboy]

Bro no one is talking about the performance. And for that matter of fact , nowadays , most diesel cars are nearly as fast as their petrol counterparts. Also remember the Audi Nanuk. The worlds fastest non- production diesel car. It looks hideous but it has a beast of a diesel engine underneath that bonnet.

Hey Josh... sorry couldn't explain myself properly earlier but I had to really put it in words. Well I agree with you about the present day diesel Engine scenario, to be honest I own and have taken the Vento TDI and the Jetta 2.0 TDI plenty times to the Hills and have found no lack of power in fact there is excess of it when it is motion. But as again we are talking about offroading if you park the TDI on a slope facing steep uphill and try to pull it up, you will notice that the car won't be a breeze to move and you will need to put in a lot of effort till you get it in the Turbo Band, which mostly starts at 1600rpm to 1800rpm. Whereas in a petrol car its much easier to balance the clutch and the accelerator to get it moving due to the linear stro. But now once the car is in motion then the diesel engine will show stars to petrol powered car no doubts. But then again you will need to be in the turbo band. As many have discussed low end torque here no one has gone in dept to explain in offroading scenario its hard to achieve the 1800rpm mark as you need to keep the vehicle at a very low speed to make sure not to damage the suspension, because of which one has to use a lot of Clutch. Now lastly take a 2.0 Petrol Engine and a 2.0 Diesel Engine (without the Turbo). You will notice the petrol being better and that is how we measure which is a better Engine. Turbochargers, Superchargers/ Forced Induction of any kind does change the dynamics of all Engines. But when we compare one Engine to the other then we have to keep the specs same for an unbiased conclusion. I may be wrong but the truth remains Diesel car will always give you a better mileage. And yes sorry missed the Audi Diesel La Mans car man that surely is a beast and has been dominating the LaMans since its induction. So that's why I said what I said
Please Don't take my comments otherwise as I am a Diesel aficionado, but offroading in them is a task until you don't know the car well.

 

[Arup]

Thanks for explaining it.



Yes but the RIGHT turbo setup. Remember that there are many cars with Turbo's and have significant lag.



Bro no one is talking about the performance. And for that matter of fact , nowadays , most diesel cars are nearly as fast as their petrol counterparts. Also remember the Audi Nanuk. The worlds fastest non- production diesel car. It looks hideous but it has a beast of a diesel engine underneath that bonnet.


+1 to that.



Yes, diesels do have better low end torque but petrols are not better in climbing hills my friend. Not until you rev them up properly. Our Rapid, when we went to Dharamshala performed much better in the hills than its petrol counterpart driven by someone who just joined us in between the trip. His Rapid Petrol did struggle and he had to rev quite a bit. Whilst our TDI Rapid.. Nah! ( inputs given by him)

Wait till you take a G65 up the hill ;)

 

[CarLoverJosh]

Hey Josh... sorry couldn't explain myself properly earlier but I had to really put it in words....

Very well explained Kanboy. BTW, if you take a non turbo diesel and a petrol for offroading. Non turbo diesel will win. Sorry but hey, I'm gonna keep arguing until we come to a conclusion

Wait till you take a G65 up the hill ;)

True dat. Unfortunately, I'm not the legal age for driving

 

[TSIVipul]

In the hands of a good driver, the petrol cars simply do fly on the hilly routes, make no mistake of taking the theory of low end torque on the hilly routes.
No wonder Maruti Gypsies do rule the Raid De Himalaya, in fact one needs to drive some long stroke petrol car on a hilly road to see what a fantastic joy a petrol cat can give.

BUT there is a problem, the up hill starting.

@Kanboy:
Sirji, I beg to differ but its the diesel which is a breeze to move on uphill starts while petrol needs some true handbrake + clutch + accelerator trickery. Once on the move, its the petrol on the hilly routes. Why so? Just try to maintain your Vento between 1750 and 3500 rpm on a hilly route and you will understand. On hilly routes, because of a lit of acceleration and deceleration requirements; most of the times we drive in lower gear and higher revs. Very near to the point where turbo diesels start losing the steam and petrols start building up some true power.

@Arup:
Saarji I also need the G63.

 

[mps.khatraw]

Since the comparison between diesel vs petrol off-roaders started with dune bashing and thread later touched upon diesel vs petrol in hills, here I would like to add an important factor of vehicle weight which turns critical in STEEP hills and dune bashing.

Certainly, diesels have high low-end and middle range torque, but at times their inherent weight becomes the biggest obstacle. Otherwise for moderate off-roading and normal inclines in hills, I feel diesel engines are best especially in hands of a novice like me. Personally, I prefer DI type diesels, where one can amble around in a single gear all day long in hills.