There was a time when diesel propulsion made a lot of sense. People would choose this type of engine when they were looking for practical forms of transportation that they could rely on, while not having to worry so much about their fuel bills. But slowly but surely, the diesel conversation became more nuanced, with features like particulate filters, selective catalytic reduction, and diesel exhaust fluid tanks coming into the picture. Back in those more halcyon days, you could find some really solid diesels that made perfect sense for both everyday commuters and long-distance drivers. The ALH-powered Volkswagen 1.9 TDI was one such example, even though it wasn’t particularly fast or refined out of the box. However, it was as tough as they came and infinitely usable and, crucially, it avoided much of the emissions hardware that made many later diesel engines costly to live with.
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