I would buy a diesel Rav4 if they started painting the plastic cladding and made the tail lights a little smaller.

 

Toyota won't be bringing a diesel RAV to North America for several reasons. They sell diesels in Europe because they have to, to remain competitive. But Toyota's diesel technology is not among the best. They have more-than-desirable reliability issues with their ultra-high-pressure injection technology. That's why they are partnering with BMW in order to get access to BMW's diesel engines for the cars they sell in Europe.

In order to sell diesels in US, they would have to significantly modify the engines to meet emission standards, which are tougher in the US than in Europe. Too much investment for a niche market.

Toyota is heavily invested into hybrids (and soon will be into hydrogen fuel cell technology). Investing into diesels would divert resources and create competition to their other technologies.

Toyota is putting a Cummins diesel into the Tundra because they want to remain competitive in the full-size truck market.

Technologies such as hybrids and direct-injection gasoline turbos offer same fuel economy advantages of a diesel, without the hassle of having to deal with emissions. Diesels became popular in Europe because of fuel prices, lax emission standards and because it was a readily-available technology, unlike hybrids which required licensing or significant investment to develop. But the days of diesels in Europe are counted. Last year several studies were published showing that diesel emissions are among leading causes of lung cancer and other respiratory diseases. It's only a matter of time, and tighter emissions standards will be implemented, rendering diesels much less attractive for car manufacturers there.

 

I'd buy a manual rav in a minute. I've never owned a diesel but wouldn't be opposed to it... I just don't see the point.

I wouldn't be buying any new RAV in 2016 though... Our next vehicle won't be another RAV. not that we don't like it or it doesn't fit our needs... just that we won't needlessly upgrade again. Our next upgrade will be a bigger vehicle.

 

It's an interesting question - here diesel pickup trucks are rather popular and the VW TDi - powered series have attracted buyers. Diesel fuel is widely available. Diesels appear to be most useful for those who need the torque for towing (lots of pickups tow 5th wheels and boats here) and in the car domain for those who put lots of miles on their vehicles. Whether that would translate into a demand for diesel RAVs is unknown. If I recall there have been some complaints from UK RAV diesel owners about maintenance expense and other problems on this forum. In the U.S. because of increasingly stringent emissions requirements newer diesels generally require the use of urea fluid to reduce emissions, which must be replaced at service intervals and if bought from dealers is rather pricey. In addition diesel vehicles cost more that gasoline ones and diesel fuel has become more expensive, again in part due to more stringent emissions requirements.


I wouldn't buy a diesel RAV unless it were more price and maintenance cost competitive and our needs change, and have no plans to buy a 2016 RAV anyway, since I expect to keep my present V6 RAV until either I or it expire or the cost of gasoline becomes prohibitive.

 

Dieselsare pretty good compared to the gas equivalent. I had a 2012 RAV4 2.2 turbodiesel loaner . It had 177hp and 400nm torque coupled with a 6spmanual with awd. Not a bad setup. Of course it is not as quick as the 3.5 V6,but again these are not race cars but SUV's. And for AWD's I think torquecounts over speed and HP. Also it is true Toyota is bringing out for 2015BMW diesels which are currently rated as one of the best (in Europe anyway).And you would be surprised; the diesel emissions here are pretty tight.

 

Dieselsare pretty good compared to the gas equivalent. I had a 2012 RAV4 2.2 turbodiesel loaner . It had 177hp and 400nm torque coupled with a 6spmanual with awd. Not a bad setup. Of course it is not as quick as the 3.5 V6,but again these are not race cars but SUV's. And for AWD's I think torquecounts over speed and HP. Also it is true Toyota is bringing out for 2015BMW diesels which are currently rated as one of the best (in Europe anyway).And you would be surprised; the diesel emissions here are pretty tight.

Sounds good especially for Germany - engine has good specs and the BMW diesel has had very good reviews even in the U.S. Also, diesel fuel apparently costs less than gasoline in Germany and in most of Europe. Got these prices off the internet:


Germany: Gasoline € 1.52, diesel€ 1.34, presumably per liter.

 

I'm not sure where @katekebo heard that Toyota's diesel engines are not among the best but I know from experience that they are superb.

I purchased a 2006 3.0 liter 4 cylinder diesel Landcruiser Prado brand new when I was living in Southern Africa and let me tell you, that thing was a beast and it never let me down not even once!

I've driven through most of sub Saharan Africa (including Angola) where most of the roads are virtually non-existent or very bad, in extreme heat, dust, sand, rivers crossings, and so on. That engine never once gave me a single problem and it purred like a kitten, all I did was the regular maintenance and lots of new tires. My mileage was constantly between 8-10L/100km.

Also most luxury toyota and Lexus suv's in Africa and Europe are diesels and they are known for their reliability and efficiency.

I just think that diesel is just an unpopular fuel type in north America, pain and simple.

 

I'm not sure where @katekebo heard that Toyota's diesel engines are not among the best but I know from experience that they are superb.

Toyota turbo diesel engines use Common Rail fuel injection technology operating at ultra high pressures of up to 135 mpa (1350 bar or about 19,580 psi) which is about 8 times more than the pressure of conventional fuel injection systems within a "common rail" system. The ultra-high-pressure system has been plagued with teething problems, and that's why Toyota is now looking at BMW to help them overcome the problem. The reliability issues are limited to their turbo engines, but a low-power non-turbo engine has zero chance of succeeding in the USA. Even the 2.2L turbo diesel offered in Europe delivering 150 hp would probably be considered under-powered by American standards.

ently rated as one of the best (in Europe anyway).And you would be surprised; the diesel emissions here are pretty tight.

I am quite familiar with EU emission standards. I have worked as project manager for many years in Europe, building or expanding industrial facilities and I am very familiar with EU vs. American emission controls approaches and permitting process. The EU approach is based on the principle of "if it isn't in the law, it's no regulated". American approach is that you HAVE to use BACT (Best Available Control Technology) and is much more "common sense-based". Even if some pollutants are not "in the law", you still have to do your best effort as engineer to control them. Specific standards can be created ad-hoc for individual plants or emission sources based on local conditions, community impact, etc.

On health problem caused by the diesel car boom in Europe:
Diesel fumes more damaging to health than petrol engines | UK news | The Observer
Environmental Sciences Europe | Full text | Critical evaluation of the European diesel car boom - global comparison, environmental effects and various national strategies
and there are several other. These reports caused a bit of panic among EU environmental agencies which considered diesels to be "green" because if lower CO2 emissions. But EU environmental agencies are falling out of love with diesels and the there will be an increasing push to tighten the emission standards which, in turn, will make diesels less attractive to manufacturers.

 

I for one have no use for a hybird (its good for those who like and need them) not faulting buyers. But would rather see hydro fuel cell cars. And I truly believe the auto industry is just stringing everyone along . Isnt toyota coming with a hyrdo car in next two yrs. I think others could have put them on the market sooner. Yes there are no intra structure. Who knows what goes on behind the scenes on all this.

Yes it does all come down to economics and profit for all of them I realize that too! Profit is good.

 

Well my engine did not have a turbo so I'm not sure it had common rail. It was very underpowered (slow) but still got me where I needed to go.

In any case I will always prefer a diesel Rav4 or landcruiser to a gasoline powered one, I prefer high torque

 

I would have no use for a diesel anything. I admire the low down torque and all that but for me it would be expensive and totally impractical. I used to tow big boats with a King Ranch diesel that was "tweaked" a bit and it was an awesome machine regardless of the load in it or behind it.......it was also a company truck and cost me zero.

 

Diesel emissions standards in the EU have been in constant revision and are now comparable to requirements in the US. Having lived in Europe it was apparent that diesel engines are not going to disappear there any time soon.


This is a summary of the progression of emissions standards in the EU for both diesel and gasoline (petrol) engines (hopefully the link will work):


https://www.dieselnet.com/standards/eu/ld.php

 

The main reason people here in Germany prefer diesels over gas is price and fuel usage. Diesel fuel is much cheaper for the folks here. I know many years ago diesels were dirty and not too efficient. In the last 10 or 15 years that has changed. Also for torque, you just can't beat a tdi-common rail set up (or whatever the newest type is). The gas engines have started to catch up in terms of torque because most cars sold here today are all turbo engines. Also fuel economy has improved for the gas versions as well. It is not uncommon today to see 1.2TSi VW Polo's or 1.4turbo Opel Corsa's zipping by on the A-bahn anymore. From what I have seen with truck's SUV's etc., diesels have a big advantage due to lower fuel use and increased torque at low end. For most cars over here smaller turbo gas or tdi engines are sufficient. SUV/trucks are mostly all diesels, and sports cars are usually gas engine's for HP and speed.