Back on the Emerald Isle, doing major mileage for the foreseeable future and no amount of man maths can justify a big petrol engine again (trust me I've tried)... It doesn't help that I've been given a diesel eco box to use for the time being and I'm experiencing 55 real world mpg and 115.9 / L for the first time and I gotta tell you... it's bloody awful. All these years I had my head buried in the sand ignoring diesels but my god the economy is truly unbelievable.. Going 700 miles / 1120 km on one tank! And paying 65 euro to fill it?! This may be old news to some but it's mind blowing to me...

Anyway, this is all fairly depressing as it just makes it even more difficult to consider a petrol again. I know from previous experience that the 2 car approach doesn’t work for me so I need an "all in one” diesel solution... and that's the problem. Diesels can do economical, and diesels can do powerful... but can they do exciting? I just can't get excited about a diesel car... I've opened DoneDeal and Carzone and I lose interest before I get to the 2nd page of the search... it feels like what's the point? If it’s going to be boring, it might as well be any old box. Why spend “real” money on a car that doesn’t excite you, a car that doesn’t make you look forward to going to work on a miserable winter’s day just because it’s such a pleasure to drive?

So my question is this, is there a truly exciting diesel car, BMW or otherwise, that would convince a despairing petrol head to actually part with his money for one? I enjoyed every second in my old 335i, it was the right car everywhere, from the daily commute to the track... I wonder can a diesel car truly fill that gap? I'm not so sure...

I’ve driven a 335d and while it’s very powerful indeed, it left me completely cold. I’m curious about what the 123d and 225d are like, no doubt quick, but fun? I just keep thinking of the burble off my old e92 and that snap crackle and pop on the overrun and I can’t help but think “I NEED THAT IN MY LIFE” again… but with the mileage I’ll be doing not even a Dergside man-maths calculator can justify it