Carmudi shares pros and cons of fuel power

• Should it be diesel or petrol? 

Carmudi, the vehicle marketplace (www.carmudi.lk) that offers buyers, sellers and car dealers the ideal platform to find cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles online, shares the pros and cons of owning a diesel versus petrol driven car so as to enable a person to make the right decision when it comes to buying her/his preferred choice of vehicle. Buying the right kind of vehicle can be a rather difficult decision to make, especially when you are faced with a wide and alluring choice of power-packed machines driven by diesel or petrol while having to take into consideration what would best suit your budget and driving style. Your lifestyle and the area you reside in could also play a crucial role in determining which type of fuel should power your vehicle. Carmudi, Sri Lanka’s fast growing online car classified (www.carmudi.lk) draws a comprehensive comparison between diesel and petrol-run cars to make your decision process much easier. The following guidelines should help a prospective buyer to make the correct decision:   Efficiency: Pick diesel if you want more power and less fuel consumption Thanks to the higher compression ratios, the diesel engine has proved to be more fuel-efficient when compared to petrol engines. Diesel engine power is in the mid 30% range whereas the petrol engine is at least 15% lower, making diesel engines more powerful. Diesel engine fuel consumption is about 1.6 litres, which is roughly 1.5 times less than petrol engines.   Green: Pick petrol if you care for the environment Although diesel engines produce more energy and miles compared to petrol, diesel engines produce more CO2 gas at 2.68 kg of CO2 per litre, compared to a petrol engine, which produces 2.31 kg of CO2 per litre. So even if diesel engines are 20% more fuel-efficient and generate less carbon dioxide per km than an average petrol engine, the ‘black carbon’ in the exhaust which is frequently emitted by vehicles on Sri Lanka’s roads, forcing innumerable road users to inhale the noxious fumes, is one of the major causes of global warming.   Maintenance: Pick petrol if you want to save on maintenance costs Although petrol engines consume more fuel, they do provide you with cheaper maintenance or aftercare costs compared to diesel fuels. The cost of maintenance of diesel cars goes up as their spare parts are comparatively more expensive. The maintenance for a diesel engine tends to be more time-consuming and is therefore always a little more expensive than petrol-engined cars. Maintenance costs for vehicles, whether diesel or petrol would range from around Rs. 7,500 to around Rs. 20,000, depending on the make and model, with the more high-end vehicles being in the upper end of the spectrum – factors that any vehicle buyer also needs to take into consideration prior to making the final decision in this regard.   Terrain: Pick diesel if you love going to the mountains or you have to drive over rough terrain If you an outdoor person and like going to the mountains or driving through rough terrain, then a diesel engine that provides a high torque should be your option. Diesel engines are perfect for driving through hills, sand, rocky roads, and for heavy weights – thus they are perfect for long drives. If on the other hand your driving is confined to city roads and suburban areas, then high torque is not an important issue.   Price: Pick petrol if you want to save while buying, but pick diesel if you want to get a higher resale value Diesel cars have always been known to be more expensive than petrol cars in view of the high cost of manufacture. So if you are still weighing the pros and cons between the two engines, just keep in mind that if you usually travel far and put a lot of miles in your car, a diesel engine might be worth looking into. But if you generally use a car to drive around town, then it might be a good idea to invest in a car driven by petrol that even though would be less fuel efficient, you would still pay less for the car itself. If you are looking for your dream car, be it diesel or petrol-engined, get it on www.carmudi.lk or simply download the Carmudi app to find your car on the go. Link to Carmudi Sri Lanka: http://www.carmudi.lk/