I like diesel engines and I've been driving diesel Land Rovers and diesel Chevy trucks since the late 90's. Small diesels can be very economical and the older Chevy 6.2L was also. The 6.2 used to get around 21 mpg.
My two Rovers have a 2.5 diesel and a 2.5 turbo direct injected diesel. These engine are very reliable and the tdi in particular has fantastic mileage. The tdi typically gets around 30 mpg on the hwy.
Reliability started to suffer with my 6.5TD, repeated PMD failures but that part is easy to replace, fuel economy was never as good as the old 6.2. Sold the 6.5TD with about 320,000km on it to friend who is still using it. The 6.2 rusted to death at over 500,000km but was still running when I scrapped it. In fact I saved the engine which is still sitting in the garage.
My 2006 Duramax LBZ has been good so far (have only had it for about 1.5 years) but liek the 6.5TD not great economy but huge power and no problems yet with 330,000km on it.
Both the 6.5TD and the LBZ seem to average around 17 mpg hwy.
I find that with the increasing complexity and size/power of diesels they have lost much of their appeal to me. I can't see myself buying another big modern diesel after my LBZ. However, I'll likely keep my Rover tdi running as long as I can then rebuild it. It is a great commuter and off roader. It only lacks in that it can't tow much on the hwy.
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