1990’s Quality Diesels

[sierraman]

I’m not asking for a recommendation here but let’s hear about your favourite 80’s and 90’s diesels.

 

Personal favourite of mine is the seemingly scarce Mondeo Mk1 TD. There’s hardly any left! I’d love a Mk1 TD if I could find one.

[bezzabsa]

I'd love a 2.3 sierra ... used to see a base model plodding along in the late 90's, totally mint, solid arches and still red!!

[Lacy]

Just about in the 90’s, Merc 3.0 turbo as fitted to W210 E class. Lovely torquey economical engine....shame the rest of the car was made of disolvium......

 

 

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[sierraman]

Or the 1.8 TD which was based on the 1.6 Deutz design.

[Talbot]

Just about in the 90’s, Merc 3.0 turbo as fitted to W210 E class. Lovely torquey economical engine....shame the rest of the car was made of disolvium......

 

I have one.  An OM606 is a luuuuuuuurvely engine.  Powerful, torquey, nice note.  Also astonishingly power-upgradeable.  178hp from the factory, but people have managed over 350hp with pump and turbo mods, and 500hp with a few more fiddles.  On completely stock crank, rods, pistons, valves, cams, head.  As they use an engine-oil lubricated Bosch Injection pump they can also run SVO and WVO with mimimal modifications.   Amazing engine.

 

The rest of the car is not *that* bad. Mine is beginning to show it's age with rust blebs here and there, and the wings (bolt on and cheap) get holes in for a laugh, but it is 21 years old now, and has been thoroughly abused for most of it's life.  Even the youngest models with this engine are now 18 years old.  I suspect their survival rate is better than an equivalent Vaux or Ford from the same years.

 

I don't like the headlamps (both aesthetically and their light output) but the car is comfy and very well engineered.  It's also massive, even by today's standards.  At 111.5", it's wheelbase is longer than a LWB landrover, and with a towbar on, it's longer than just about every parking spot I try to get it into.

 

There's also several forums and gropus of people who put OM60x engines into numerous other vehicles, notably Land-Rovers.  They really are a corker of an engine.

 

When this one dies, I'll probably have another.

[Talbot]

But going back to the thread intention:

 

405 TD.  Best use of an XUD, very good all-rounder and was a far better car to drive then either the Mondeo or Cavalier of similar vintage.  The Estate models were particularly useful.

[Uncle Jimmy]

ORL Diseasels are SHIT.

[sierraman]

Agreed, it was a brilliant car the 405.

[cort16]

I really liked the Astra's with the 1.7 intercooled engines. I remember my friends parents had one he used to borrow that was GLS estate and it felt rapid.

 

The Mill I worked in got an early Peugeot Expert van with the turbo XUD in it and it everyone was desperate to get the keys for it as it was a flying machine. Everyone was saying "have you driven that van yet?"

 

I had to go up to Kinross to pick something up and drove from Selkirk to Kinross and ditched the FD's new Volvo v40 to take the van. I couldn't believe how quick it was.

[Vince70]

I had a 1995 Citroen Xantia base spec diesel (non turbo)

It was slow but a beautiful car to drive and it felt really well screwed together, I bought a goodun though off my elderly neighbour with lowish miles on the clock and it never put a foot wrong in 40000 miles apart from servicing and a couple of cheap refurbished spheres.

 

Also another good diesel was the MK3 cavalier my father had one on a k plate which he bought for £150 quid with the Isuzu lump and it never required any maintenance whatsoever the body fell off the car but the engine was still as good as new.

 

But I did hear though the Vauxhall engined version was never as good as the Isuzu lump.

[Bren]

XUD xantia.Cracking car - not too complicted, 45 mpg and cruise all day at 90 mph.

[Cavcraft]

XUDs, obviously, plus Isuzu stuff found in Vauxhalls.

 

The best of the lot of course is the Transit Di 2.5. I honestly don’t think that lump will ever be eclipsed by another Diesel engine.

[bramz7]

I've had a couple of XUDs but the best was the early XUD9TE in a K reg ZX. 217k but it flew. Dripped oil like no tomorrow though.

 

I've got a Fiat 1.9 diesel to experience soon too.

[rantingYoof]

The 2.5TDi thing in the older shape (and a few Mk2) V70s sounds quite lovely.

[Durham850]

I've got a 96 volvo 850 2.5tdi which even now with well over 200k on it never let's me down! Absolutely love the car and the engine cruises all day at 90 with no drama what so ever!

[sierraman]

The Cavalier 1.7TD was a good shout back in the day usually with the low blow turbo fitted.

 

Probably testament to how good they are the very few that are left usually have colossal mileages.

 

Looking back the 1.5 TD in the Nova was always thought well of by sheer vitue it could top a hundred. Driving one now it feels painfully agricultural but by the standards of the day it was probably a lesson in refinement.

[chaseracer]

205 n/a XUD!  #biased  

[hpi_matrix]

Land Rover 300 TDi

 

[Talbot]

I've got a 96 volvo 850 2.5tdi which even now with well over 200k on it never let's me down! Absolutely love the car and the engine cruises all day at 90 with no drama what so ever!

Wasn't that the Audi 2.5tdi that was available in the new A6 at the time?

[Durham850]

Wasn't that the Audi 2.5tdi that was available in the new A6 at the time?

Yeah that's the chap, lovely smokey old thing!

[Zelandeth]

XUD has to be the best one in my book.  The XUD9TE in my previous Xantia still pulls like a train despite north of 200K on the clock - plus would still return truly ridiculous economy, especially cruising along the motorway.  I've never had another car that was such a totally effective motorway mile muncher.  The only thing which would have made it better would have been cruise control.

[Supernaut]

I still miss my first car.

 

It was a 306 with the XUD9TE in it. I also had it turned up a tiny* bit. It was a proper little GLF machine. I owned it from April 2010 to August 2013, when it went pop and got fragged.

[Anthony]

Following on from the XUD posts above, the 2.0 8v HDi (DW10TD) that replaced it just about squeezes into the 90's.

 

Admittedly it's hardly the last word in power or refinement, but the early versions were unquestionably the spiritual successor to the XUD in terms of rock-solid reliability - something sorely lacking on the PSA diesels that followed. Can't easily run on veg admittedly, but then again, neither could most of the later XUD's with their Lucas pumps.

[DaveDorson]

I'd quite like to stick an OM606 Super Turbo Diesel in my W124 wagon.  I'd keep steel wheels and cable tied on hubcaps for extra chuckles.

[danthecapriman]

Another vote for Transit 2.5DI. Superb engine in every respect. Sounds like an old truck should sound, pulls the house down and never ever breaks. There is nothing better before or since! It's just a real shame the vehicles they were attached to dissolved so badly!

[CortinaDave]

Cavalier 1.7TD. Runs on veg straight out of a drum from makro, millon miles to a pound, blisteringly good heater, nothing breaks and even when it does its £10 to fix.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Probably won't be popular on here, but the VAG 1.9tdi lump which appeared in the mid nineties was bombproof. Always achieved 50+ mpg regardless of driving style, too.

[DodgyBastard]

DSC_0212 by srblythe, on Flickr

[NorfolkNWeigh]

The first fast* diesel I ever drove was an e36 325TDs, I remember spending a whole weekend taking friends and ffamily out in in it and everyone being amazed how quick and smooth it was. We all thought it was just a novelty and that no one would ever pay that much money for a diesel unless they owned a haulage company or something.

[sierraman]

Probably won't be popular on here, but the VAG 1.9tdi lump which appeared in the mid nineties was bombproof. Always achieved 50+ mpg regardless of driving style, too.

Second that, used to work for a company and they had Passats with this unit in. Excellent motorway car.