i'm also a huge fan of diesel engines. i think hybrids are cool, but i just love diesel. but since i live in california, i think diesel passenger cars aren't allowed to be sold, at least not the new ones (trucks and suvs diesels are fine). steve, i'm with you on the smell, just a hint of it smells pretty good, just like the mixtrue of jet fuel and coffee right when boarding a plane. i really love the MB E class diesel, i believe they are trying to make the diesel clean enough to be sold in all 50 states (hope that happens). who would have thought you can get performance out of a diesel, correct me if i'm wrong, but i think the 0-60 is somewhere in the 7 seconds. but my friend works for the state government as an air pollution specialist and she said diesel is getting more expensive now because it's harder to refine them? something to that affect. like there needs to be less sulfur content or something. and now when i go to the gas pump that happens to have a diesel pump, there's a sticker label that says the new diesel has a reduced chemical component, so could partially explain the higher than gasoline prices. about 2 years ago, diesel would fluctuate more or less than gas, but now it's just constantly more.