Does anyone know whether these mpg estimates are more accurate than EPA estimates?

I have been looking for something in this size range here in San Francisco but there is nothing except the Mazda M5. Opel and VW have smaller minivans in Europe but local dealerships say they have no plans to bring them here.

A Prius-like hybrid is the only way to have an engine of that size and power output accepted here in the US. I drove a diesel Zafira (the Meriva's larger stablemate) equipped with a ~2 liter engine last time I was in Spain. It was a solid ride, but the acceleration was very pokey, notwithstanding all the torque diesels put out.

Stateside, a minivan with a 1.3 liter engine would never attract enough consumer interest, and would probably even be a little dangerous to drive -- imagine trying to merge smoothly into highway traffic without an extra reserve of power, when everyone else has acceleration to burn. Here in New England, where the on-ramps tend to be notoriously short, the problem would likely be acute. In Europe, where nearly everyone has a small engine, traffic behaves a bit differently to accomodate.

A hybrid system, though, provides enough kick from the electric elements to overcome that problem, which is probably why they have become so popular here before making much of a dent in Europe. Over there, motorists can already get Prius-like efficiency by buying small, cheap but relatively slow engines. Here, we need to have our cake and eat it too, and the only way to acheive both good economy and performance is by spending extra on electric batteries, motors, and such like.

On the one I drove, I don't know about the turbo. IT definitely did not have a manual five speed; I think it had an automatic four speed transmission -- it was a rental.

All the same, your 2.2 TDi is a rather different animal than than the 1.3 TDi in the article. You got performance good enough to keep you happy on American roads, but a Corolla-like 32 MPG instead of a Prius-like 47. Your van might have been bigger or heavier than the Meriva.

But I agree with your fundamental point: Next generation small diesels (2+ liter size, though, instead of 1.3) in minivans would probably sell respectably if anyone bothered to offer them. If they can increase economy by something like 40%-50%, then they would make some sense even here in Boston, where diesel fuel has been selling for about 25%-30% more than gasoline for quite some time now -- an inversion of the usual state of affairs, I admit.

European tax policy, which often makes gas cost 50%-100% more than diesel, is the key reason that diesel is so popular over there -- it is incredibly cost effective in that environment. Here, I could imagine a respectable but non-overwhelming response, due to the much smaller cost savings. Absent a radical change in tax policy (and with the current White House occupant, the only changes in tax policy that get anywhere are the harmful ones), I don't see that incentive structure shifting much.

NBK...sorry should've been more specific. In 03 I picked up a Saab 93 22TiD in Sveden. Now obselete succeeded by a 19(more power,better emissions and mileage) Point being-these "puny" TDs are clean, quiet, fast(easily hanging at 100mph...thats 3Krpm, redline 4.5)and get 5-600mptank. That rocks. In 03 in Berlin BioD was .75e/l,petroD .85, and regunL was 1. Whoa on this crazy E85 train. Get ULSD/bioD out ASAP. PS check dzlsabe.com.

I drove the Zafira (which I acknowledged was a larger vehicle) in Spain, and have driven other cars in Benelux, Italy, Greece as well as the middle east. Never been to Germany, so Ruaraidh is correct on that point. I've heard the autobahn stories.

Tax policy varies from country to country, so I imagine that in some places the fuel costs are roughly equal between gas and diesel (+/- 5 c or p a liter) while in others diesel is cheaper (especially so in Eastern Europe, if I recall my time in Romania, Moldova & Hungary correctly). With diesel's better economy, that saves money. Newer clean diesel requirments might have pushed up the cost of petrodiesel in recent years, but I don't ever recall seeing in Europe the sort of inverted premium I'm now seeing in Boston, where diesel costs substantially (25%+) more. That kind of premium kills the cost savings here.

A 1.9 TDi is still hardly a 1.3, especially when put in a car body instead of a van. If the numbers come out the right way, though, I still think diesels could get some good sales, but without significant changes in US policy, I'm not sure how much share it will take.

I have a Mercedes E320-CDI weighing 3850 lbs. I get 40.5 MPG on the road and between 25 and 28 MPG in the city. The torque is so high, i am usually first on a light change.

I drive a 1.8L 2007 Meriva in Mexico; It drives well and fuel consumption is at about 8.5l/100km with 92 octane fuel, a little bit over the 7.8 that are expected.

It has alot of space for the size and is a good all-around family car; however, I would have loved the 1.7CDTI version here in Mexico; too bad only VW sells diesel cars in Mexico.