10 Diesel Cars You'd Be A Fool To Disrespect

There's no escaping it, fuel is getting incredibly expensive these days. As a result, even the most ardent petrolheads are getting tempted by the idea of an economical diesel. Thinking about it though, that might not be such a bad thing. BMW's superb 330d proves that manufacturers are churning out some fantastic oil-burning performance cars that are genuinely tempting for the petrol-addicted. Not only that, but on the modified scene people are doing crazy things with diesels.

With that in mind, we've rounded up ten diesel cars that prove cheating on unleaded isn't necessarily such a bad thing...

1. BMW M550d

Before you get too excited: no, this car isn't packing a 5.0-litre engine, despite what the name might suggest. Like a number of recent BMWs, the last two digits of the name are referring to a performance index rather than engine size; this is actually a 3.0-litre. Worry not, though, as it has three turbochargers. Three!

It was a controversial brute when it first arrived, as it was the first diesel to wear the famous M badge. It certainly has the performance of an M car though: 375bhp - almost as much as the V8 E39 M5 - and a meaty 546lb/ft of torque. 0-60mph comes up in just 4.6 seconds, yet it'll do 44mpg on the combined cycle. The catch? We don't get it in the UK, as the position of the four-wheel drive system's transfer box makes it too difficult to engineer a right-hand drive version. A pity.

2. Volvo 740 OM606

After spotting this crazy video of a dirty Volvo diesel burnout, we just had to feature it in our Wheelspin Wednesday feature. This smoky animal is powered by a highly-modified Mercedes OM606 3.0-litre straight-six. Because it's such a strong engine, this Merc powerplant is a popular choice for those wanting massively-modified oil burners.

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3. Alpina D3 Bi-Turbo

The second Beemer on our list isn't quite a BMW, it's made by Alpina - a German company that has been taking BMWs and giving them steroid injections since 1965. As you'd expect the company offers numerous petrol cars with massive power outputs, but its most curious offering is the diesel, 3-series-based D3.

In the latest Bi-Turbo form it's an utter monster; the retuned 3.0-litre BMW straight-six diesel kicks out 345bhp with a big 516lb/ft wallop of torque. 0-60mph takes just 4.6 seconds, and as this is an Alpina, not a BMW, there's no electronic speed limiter, so if you find a long enough piece of tarmac you'll hit 173mph. It's not like there's much of a trade off in terms of economy either: despite all that power, 53mpg is possible.

4. Jaguar XJ (X351) Sport Pack

A few years ago the prospect of a diesel Jag would have been unthinkable, but the firm's 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 oil-burner is well suited to wafting. With 271bhp it has enough power to satisfy most, with a 442lb/ft torque punch. That gives the XJ a 0-60mph time of 6 seconds flat, and an electronically limited top speed of 155mph. Not bad considering the supercharged six-pot XJR of a few years ago is only a tiny bit quicker.

5. Mercedes 'Black Smoke'

Image source: jonathanbjorkskog.com

The 'Black Smoke' Mercedes W123 wagon is something of a legend in the tuning world. Like the smoky Volvo 740 mentioned earlier, this Merc uses an OM606 straight-six diesel. It has a giant turbocharger, a supercharger to feed that turbo, a custom-made intercooler, nitrous kit and the gearbox from a Mercedes E55 AMG to cope with all the power. How much power, you ask? 700bhp...

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6. Skoda Octavia vRS

The petrol version of Skoda's Octavia vRS does a great job of offering Golf GTi performance and handling for less, but what if you want something a little more frugal? Go for the diesel option. It offers a decent 181bhp and impressive 280lb/ft of torque, while being capable of returning over 60mpg. Sure, 0-60mph takes a relatively leisurely 8.1 seconds, but with that big dollop of torque available it feels much quicker.

7. Audi Q7 V12 TDi

A diesel SUV isn't something that would usually interest us, but this is no ordinary diesel. Under the bonnet is a 500bhp V12 engine displacing a massive 6.0-litres. As with most diesels, of course, it's the torque figure that impresses most: 737lb/ft.

That firepower means that - despite needing to haul around 2.7 tonnes of bulk - it'll dispatch the benchmark 0-60mph in a scarcely believable 5.5 seconds. Economy-wise, it manages 25mpg on the combined cycle. Doesn't sound like much, but Audi's plan with the Q7 V12 is to tempt people in the US market away from V8 petrol SUVs - which are even less economical - so you can see the logic. Just.

8. Mini Cooper SD

The diesel version of the Cooper S does a pretty decent job of proving that a hot hatch doesn't necessarily need to be powered by unleaded to be good. With a BMW-sourced 2.0-litre diesel lump, the Cooper SD kicks out 141bhp and 225lb/ft of torque. That gives this version of the Mini a 0-60mph time of 8.1 seconds, and a top speed of 134mph. Doesn't sound all that rapid, but like the Octavia vRS, the extra torque compared to the petrol version makes it feel quicker than the figures suggest.

9. Audi Nanuk

The Nanuk may only be a concept, but it had us rather intrigued when the car was unveiled at Frankfurt last year. A jacked-up supercar with a 5.0-litre V10 TDi lump mounted in the middle? It seemed mad to begin with, but when you think about it, Audi could well be on to something.

There are a lot of wealthy individuals in emerging economies, from countries with roads that tend to be in a poor state of repair. A supercar on broken up, bumpy roads? That's just asking for trouble. But in the Nanuk, with its adjustable ride height and four-wheel drive, it'd be no problem. Add the fact that the 5.0-litre diesel engine kicks out 544bhp and a colossal 738 lb/ft, and this would be one quick and frugal car: 0-60mph in 3.8 seconds, a top speed 190mph, and 36mpg.

10. Peugeot 908

Before you accuse us of cheating by including a race car, consider this: like Audi's recent series of prototype racers, the 908 makes diesel power exciting. Powered by a 5.5-litre V12 producing over 700bhp (switched for a 3.7-litre diesel V8 in the later version of the car), the 908 was never quite as successful as Peugeot would have hoped, but it did win the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2009.

Most importantly though, the diesel racing efforts of the likes of Peugeot and Audi develops interesting new technology that eventually trickles down to our road cars, which promises a bright future for the once humble oil-burner.