diesel smart

[rirover]

So why won't we, the usa, get the smart diesel....?????

[forestacademy]

Same reason you couldn't buy a 06 Passat Diesel

[cowancom]

0 to 60 in 26 seconds. Thats why.

[Old smart]

Originally Posted by rirover

So why won't we, the usa, get the smart diesel....?????

Study EPA requirements.

[Old SGM]

A couple of days ago a gentleman asked me why I didn't buy the diesel? I told him it wasn't available in the U.S., He "corrected" me and said his friend bought one in Canada, drove it to Alabama, and they issued him a U.S. title.
It amazes me that some folks know more about my car than I do!
He was driving a Jeep SUV.

[SuperGeek]

I thought part of the problem was that the USA was moving aggressively towards ultra low sulfur diesel and that fuel could cause damage to older style diesel engines/emissions systems. Or do I have it reversed? I remember reading somewhere a couple years back not to use one type of diesel in the wrong diesel engine.

[lebikerboy]

The NOx emissions of the smart cdi don't meet US/Canada specs. Therefore no diesel.

[Old smart]

Originally Posted by SuperGeek

I thought part of the problem was that the USA was moving aggressively towards ultra low sulfur diesel and that fuel could cause damage to older style diesel engines/emissions systems. Or do I have it reversed? I remember reading somewhere a couple years back not to use one type of diesel in the wrong diesel engine.

Sort'a. U.S. ULSD (D15 - 15 parts per million sulphur compounds) does not have the lubricity that LSD (D200-500) has, so it can damage pre-2007 diesel injector pumps and injectors, which are fuel lubricated. If a proper additive is used to replace the lubricity, there are no other ill effects except for a slight loss of engine power. If LSD or off-road diesel (D500+) is used in a 2007 or later it can damage the new emissions equipment. Reducing sulpher (SOx) in diesel fuel is a prerequisite to allow other emissions equipment to reduce NOx.

This is a North American thing - the Euros have had laxer requirements on both SOx and NOx control, but that will change with EU-5 and D10. Canada has had diesel smarts since 2002, but the pre-'07 engines were designed to run on Euro "City Diesel" (D50). D50 has 3x the sulphur as U.S. D15, but it is reasonably close relative to D200-500. For longevity, I'd be inclined to use an additive.

Even though non-taxed, dyed, marine diesel (D500+) is readily available, I choose to use clear ULSD with "Stanadyne" additive in my sailboat's auxiliary engine (a 1988 Mitsubishi K2AS).

[MPrice2984]

Penske has the perfect deal with the US smarts (as does Mercedes) in that there is only 1 basic (differentiated by trim) model sold at a consistent profit in smarts 3rd largest market. Building a diesel model for the US isn't a problem with US EPA rules any more than selling the 84 hp turbo, why should they ruin a good thing for themselves when they can't get any more cars to sell than they already do?
I also know some people who have a Canadian model 450 diesel that is registered permanently in Indiana.

[smartie yank]

If you look at the changes done by Mercedes of Canada and G&K to make the 450 smarts legal for sale in their respective country's you would see the changes could have been engineered in at the factory for pennies. The reason they didn't is one or more German gentlemen at Mercedes corporate headquarters decided not to bring the smart to North America. Whatever their reasons or motivations it was their decision. After fifteen months of successful sales in the U.S. they still have not changed their minds. They let Penske take the risk and bring smarts to the U.S. They don't seem to have quite the concerns in Canada for some reason about which we can only speculate.

The bottom line is that when the gentlemen at automotive corporate headquarters everywhere decide that there is money to be made in marketing small cars in the U.S. then we will see small cars offered for sale here. Government regulations are a minor problem compared to profit and bullheaded ego of corporate management.

Cheers, Dan