Market Watch: These Diesel-Powered Luxury Sedans Are The Anti-Heroes We Never Knew We Loved

In an automotive landscape that increasingly favours higher riding, more electrified examples, reintroducing lower slung, diesel-driven cars into the mix doesn’t sound like the best bet. Even when popularity of sedans held steady in the noughties, most ticked the petrol option in Singapore mainly because diesels were far and few between.

Sure, diesels do have drawbacks - they don't operate optimally in traffic as diesel particulate filters (DPF) do most of the emissions-reducing duties. They don’t sound particularly quiet on idle, too. But beyond these drawbacks lie a host of advantages new forms of propulsion have yet to achieve, with range being the standout benefit.

How times have changed - a sub 4 second family SUV doesn't sound like much nowadays, but that’s because we are desensitised by the sheer overload of information being fed to us. If your priorities in a car include range, space, quality and driving dynamics, it’s tough to argue against a tried and tested luxury diesel sedan…

Jaguar XE 2.0D

We could imagine the pressure faced by Jaguar designers to replace the sleek X-Type. It represented peak modern Jag in our eyes, with an arcing silhouette that mimicked the large cat on the prowl. The XE successor knew it had big shoes to fill, but with designer Ian Callum at the helm (the same man responsible for the Aston Martin DB9 and Vanquish designs), results exceeded expectations.

It withstood the test of time too, having been in the market for close to a decade. This Jaguar XE 2.0D churns out more than 430Nm of torque and sprints to 100km/h in well under 8 seconds. That’s way more than sufficient for local roads.

BMW 520d

If an electrified G60 BMW 5 Series ain’t your cup of tea, exploring the other end of the 5er spectrum might work. The G30 5 Series’ platform was based on the G11 7 Series, which means foundations were set for supreme ride quality.

And it shows, with a chassis that soaks up irregularities, and yet feels genuinely eager to punt down a twisty stretch of tarmac. In 520d spec it adds 400Nm of raw spice to conquer cross border runs without breaking a sweat.

Volvo S80 D2

Volvo wants BEVs to account for half of its global sales in 2 years. That’s ambitious, and ironically a tough ask when their pure ICE cars (diesels in particular) have been bulletproof, creating a loyal following of its own.

The S80 sedan’s lifespan lasted close to 2 decades over 2 generations, replaced by the S90 in 2016. Which positions this 2nd-gen 2015 diesel S80 as one of the last of its kind. Top it off with an annual depreciation that’s a good deal lower than a Honda Civic - your anti-hero moment can be economical, too.

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