The five best diesel vehicles on offer right now

The history of diesel vehicles on our roads can be tracked back to the 1930's. It was not until the sixties though that diesel engines became popular here on European markets. The very first diesel vehicle to be offered on the roads was the Rosalie from French manufacturer Citroen which was introduced back in 1933.Following this the 260D model from Mercedes Benz was put on sale in 1936.

The main success for diesel vehicles at first came from business vehicles such as ambulances,station wagons and taxis. The very first top speed diesel car was produced by the Peugeot brand the 204BD and this proved to be one of the cars that helped diesels become the success they are today.

Diesel vehicles are known for great fuel economy and lower tax rates. The war rages on though between the choice of petrol or diesel and with some places offering cheaper petrol prices than diesel these days, how have diesel vehicles continued to be the success that they are today?

A few things to consider when thinking about purchasing a diesel vehicle is that C02 levels the majority of the time are lower than that of a petrol vehicle. Diesel vehicles often maintain their value a lot better than petrol engines do and in a market right now where customers are looking for lower tax rates and good all round fuel economy this goes to show why some diesel models are still popular and will continue to be in the future.

Today here at Shortfall we are taking a look into five of the very best diesel vehicles that the market has to offer right now. We have a run down of the top five vehicles that are available on the market right now which benefit from a range of different things including good fuel economy, value for money, powerful engines and good all round fun.

Cheap to run, fun and great driving experiences

These are the specifics we are focusing on when running down the top five diesel vehicles on the road right now. So beginning our countdown we come in with the fifth place vehicle :

5. The Land Rover Discovery

The Discovery vehicle is one of the best selling cars to ever go on sale from the British firm Land Rover. We first seen the model arrive back in 1989 and it adapted the drive train and chassis from the bigger Range Rover. The Discovery was first introduced with a low price with much custom in mind that could rival other manufacturers within the same vehicle sector. A fun fact is that out of all of the Discovery models that have been released over the years, this was the only version of the car to come fitted with a four cylinder petrol engine. Production of the Discovery model is still ongoing today, so lets take a look into what makes one of the latest additions to the range something to be desired.

With a look into the new Discovery for 2014, we see that the vehicle has been fitted with a 3.0 litre,V6,twin turbo diesel engine. This provides for a power output of 252bhp which helps contribute towards the 8.8 seconds in which this vehicles takes to reach the 60mph area from a standing start. This new addition to the Discovery range is the fourth generation vehicle to go on offer and benefits from much interior space and is a seven seater vehicle fun for the whole family. Some new changes that find their way to the 2014 version include changes to the exterior of the vehicle that include LED running lights,a newly shaped bonnet, larger rear windows and a vertical tail gate. The purchase price on a Discovery 2014 vehicle comes in at cheapest £41,595 with the top of the range spec rolling in at £59,965.

4. The Jaguar XF

Coming in strong at the fourth place position is the Jaguar XF diesel S. This XF model is available around the world right now and benefits from some good interior space, a power packing engine and an all round good driving experience. The Jaguar firm are well known for producing comfort based and powerful vehicles. We have seen them put out such cars as the F Type and the XE which have proven to be vital ingredients to the success of the manufacturer over the years. This XF diesel S model has certainly proven to be no different and we think that it is well deserving of the number four spot on the list.

With a run down of what kind of enjoyment you can expect to receive from the XF diesel S, we see that the British brand have included a 3.0 litre,V6,Twin turbo diesel engine with the car. A power development of 271bhp is produced and it also delivers on 600NM of Torque. An overall top speed for the vehicle is limited to 155 miles per hour which is helped to achieve this target by the 0 to 62 miles per hour sprint time for the vehicle which occurs in just 5.9 seconds. It's not just the engine and performance side of things that this diesel is famous for though. As we stated earlier on the Jaguar firm are notorious for equipment and some good selling features. This is the case with the XF diesel S also which sees the additions of heated/cooled electric seating,a leather interior trim,a Wilkins stereo, a built in sat nav system and a set of 20 inch alloy wheels also come along for the journey. If you are interested in owning one of these diesel vehicles, it will set you back a total of £44,200 brand new.

3. The BMW 3 series Saloon

Entering the top three sports here is the BMW 3 series Saloon. The German manufacturer BMW are another brand who are recognisable all around the world. German car companies are one of the biggest in the trade overall and we think a lot of the success for German brands can be contributed from BMW. They have delivered on some awe inspiring models over the years since they were founded in 1916. Some of these include the X5,the 730d and the 650i amongst many more. Today we have a look into a range of vehicle that is offered with a great diesel engine and that is the 3 series saloon. This could very well be the ideal car for a big family. It packs some great diesel power, benefits from much comfort and is big enough for the whole family. So with a look into what it is that makes this 3 series saloon something special, we see the following :

The fitting of a 2.0 litre, diesel engine which allows the car to produce 181 units of brake horse power. Three different driving models also come along with the car which include EcoPro,Sport and Comfort. Each driving mode has it's own benefits. As standard this diesel model is fitted with a six speed,manual gearbox although, the option of an eight speed automatic transmission system is an optional extra. Safety is a key feature with the car also as it was rated five stars by NCAP and contains six air bags in total. Other optional features to come along with the car include adaptive drive dampening and a sports steering system also.

Price ranges vastly differ depending on which variation of the car you are interested in. The entry level model is available to own for a cost of £23,555 whereas the range topper in the list is on sale for £43,685.

2. The Range Rover Evoque

Coming in at number two just missing out on the top spot is the Evoque from Range Rover. The Evoque has just turned three years old last month as the first version of the car has been made available since July of 2011. This vehicle has certainly proven to be one of the most sought after vehicles on the roads today with the Land Rover brand selling around 88,000 units of the in it's first year alone on global markets. The Evoque is available in both three or five door versions and has locked horns in the past with the likes of the Porsche Macan and the Q5 from Audi. As far as the engine is concerned to come along with this car we see that the fitting of a 147 brake horse power diesel engine comes thrown in as part of the package. A 187 brake horse power version of the same engine is also on offer to customers around the world. Fuel economy has also been increased over the past few years for the Evoque with the additions of nine speed automatic gearboxes making this achievable.

There are some other great features included with the car that could gain your interest also. A choice of 12 paint schemes,smaller headlights,a bigger front bumper,18 inch alloy wheels,climate control,heated leather seating and a touch screen system also help add to the excitement. So not only does this Range Rover model pack some decent power, it also proves to be a key player when it comes to technology and comfort. As you may expect from the features included, the Range Rover Evoque does not come in at a cheap price. Entry level models are on sale for £29,205 whereas if you look down the opposite end of the line for the high spec model, you can expect it to set you back a sum of £49,805.

1. The Volkswagen Golf Diesel

Reaching the number one spot as one of the best diesel vehicles on the road today is the Volkswagen Golf TDI. The Golf is one of the best selling vehicles that the German Volkswagen brand have on offer today. It was confirmed to be the biggest selling vehicle on European markets for the first six months of this year. The very first Golf was introduced to the world back in 1974 and is currently in its seventh generation. Many variations of the car have gone on sale over the years including an electric version as of late. One of the best variants of the car to go on sale though is the diesel range TDI model.

The latest version of the car benefits from a 1.6 litre and a 2.0 litre TDI engine choice. All Golf model variants over the years have included a TDI engine range. The likes of the 1.6 litre diesel used in the Golf S benefits from 104 brake horse power as does the Golf SE. In the SE line up a six or seven speed,dual clutch automatic DSG gearbox is included which do nothing but combine with the diesel engine to produce a smooth driving experience. The SE is definitely one of the key players in TDI range as a 2.0 litre diesel engine is included. Overall that engine develops a much larger 148bhp output. Seven airbags also provide great safety for the SE diesel which was given a five star rating by NCAP.

The 2.0 litre engine range for the SE is the most commonly purchased, so if you're thinking about buying one of these top of the range Golf TDI models, you are looking at a price tag of £22,015.

Will diesel engines become more dominant as the years go by?

So with such a good reputation on a global scale, we have seen the diesel range from numerous manufacturers prove to be a good source of sales respectively. Can this success maintain in the future though and can other top manufacturers introduce models to rival these top five brands in the diesel market?