The future runs on diesel

Once in a while, I’ll spot a really nice luxury car, like a new Benz or something, and wished I drove one. Then upon realizing that’s probably not happening anytime soon, I just console myself by saying that these fancy rides are notorious gas guzzlers and fuel is expensive and that I should just stick to my Honda. Then one day somebody tells me that there’s a new line of luxury sedans, like the Chrylser 300C — probably the most macho-looking sedan out there — that carry advanced diesel engines. Okay, no worries about ridiculous gas guzzling, but it’s still diesel. Then that somebody tells me that Shell has a new V-Power Diesel that will make you kiss all those worries about efficiency and performance goodbye. All of a sudden, there’s a fuel solution for more sophisticated diesel-powered engines. We no longer have to worry about loading up these fine machines with the same stuff they load on old jeeps and buses.

I must admit, I normally drive a gas-powered vehicle so I’m used to the smoother burn of gasoline in smaller sedans. My only previous experience with diesel is the occasional ride in a van or SUV or when riding as a passenger on one of those commuter vehicles. So when I took a Chrysler 300C for a test drive with a full tank of Shell V-Power Diesel, I was expecting the diesel to make the car react like most diesel machines would — slow acceleration, jumpy switches from gear speeds and a trail of black smog in my rear-view mirror.

I was greatly mistaken.

The diesel actually made the car accelerate surprisingly quick and the ride was smooth throughout. The engine power of the 3.0L V6 CRD of the Chrysler 300C was not at all compromised. “At Shell, we know that all fuels are not the same,” says the man they call “Dr. Fuel,” Eric Holthusen, Fuel Technology manager of Shell. “Thanks to our extensive research and development program, every drop of Shell V-Power Diesel is designed to help your diesel car achieve its performance potential, whatever car you drive.”

According to the guys at Shell, V-Power Diesel is designed to deliver more power to your engine for extended periods. Over time, deposits can build up in diesel fuel injectors, reducing combustion efficiency and engine power. Shell V-Power Diesel, with its unique formulation, is designed to help remove and prevent the build-up of such deposits, helping the car’s engine deliver its full potential. It’s designed to continuously clean precision fuel injectors and to help any diesel car perform at its best, providing an improved driving experience.

Of course, it helps if you drive a car that has a more advanced diesel engine, like the 300C, to really feel power of the new fuel. Apart from being the only diesel-powered sedan in the Philippines, the Chrysler 300C also boasts an engine technology called Common-Rail Direct Fuel Injection, which is the driving force behind the high performance and reduced fuel consumption, minimal emissions and quieter operation of the vehicle.

This car isn’t all about good looks, though. It’s also about performance. I was able to go about 150 kph on the Skyway (though I will deny it to authority figures) and it felt like I was going 50. The ride was super smooth and the acceleration felt flawless. Combine the performance with the fact that I was able to enter exclusive villages just by saluting, got special treatment from traffic enforcers just by waving a hand, and got pedestrians to gawk wherever I passed, and you’ve got yourself one hell of a package.

The main reason why we now have more advanced and efficient diesel-powered cars is CATS Motors, Inc. (CMI), which brings in more diesel-powered Mercedes-Benz and Chrysler vehicles. “With the advent of the availability of better fuels like Shell V-Power Diesel,” says Serj Delos Angeles, CMI VP, After Sales, “we can correspondingly give the market access to more efficient higher-technology diesel engines.”

In the wake of better and better technologies involving diesel and diesel engines, we’re getting pretty close to finding that perfect balance between luxury and sustainability, speed and efficiency and engine power and actual performance.

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You may e-mail me at carlfrancisramirez@gmail.com .