Diesel Days

I write this month’s column from Monterey, as myself, most of our staff, and about 3,000-pounds of magazines are here for the annual Monterey Historics pilgrimage (of which, there will be a full report in next month’s issue). This year, because we had so many of our people up for the event, the good folks at Mercedes-Benz graciously offered us the use of one of their brand-new R-class “Bluetec,” diesel-powered cars.

I have to confess that, despite a lifetime of obsession with everything automotive, I’ve never really devoted the slightest bit of interest to diesel-powered vehicles. My naïve understanding has always been that they are slow, loud, and oftentimes dirty. Thus, it was with a great deal of surprise that I liked this new generation diesel vehicle so much: It was quiet, had a boat-load of torque, and yielded a stunning 30 mpg on the drive up to Monterey, while dragging around seven people. Living with the Bluetec for two weeks motivated me to confront my lack of diesel knowledge and, somewhat paradoxically, its long history in motor sports!