78 MPG (US) 83MPG ( Imperial) Highway.
Amazing fuel economy. Beats Hybrids !
http://www2.mercedes-benz.co.uk/cont...ical-data.html




The US is screwed up with its Hybrid/Electric focus on vehicle efficiency.
The next step "should" be a hybrid diesel with regenerative braking and start/stop (but with longer cycles than the current gas version)




Turbo-Diesel is all reciprocating motor, the turbo is just a supercharger.
Just think of a Diesel that spends a good bit of its time off, with an electric motor big enough to get you off the line and then starts the diesel during the first shift. (or some cleaver arraignment).




If we ran enough boost not to need any compression from the pistons, you might be right, but you are really just stretching an analogy to make yourself happy.
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A supercharger is a mechanically (engine driven) external compressor, the turbocharger however is a centrifugal jet engines used not for thrust but rather for pre engine external compression driven by wasted heat and pressure recovered from the hot side of the motor.
As with 99% of things automotive its roots go back to the 1930's, when used on the Allison V1710 aviation motor. As a child I shared hangar space with a P38 locked Lightning, as a college student I volunteered on Lefty Gardner's "twin lightning" Reno Air racer, he raced with Rolls Merlin's because he liked the sound of the pair of V12 27.9 liter motors doing their thing with no stupid sound suppressing turbochargers. That said, the first turbocharger I ever rebuilt was one of the stock units from his 1945 P38J ( I think it was a J model).
Hybrid only means the combination of a pair of seemingly disparate items, IMHO TurboDiesel motors qualify. If ever a dry sump, mostly alloy I6 TDI motor becomes available to spring a three or four bladed Hartzell prop, well I know where the last bit if my money is going!
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