I'm disappointed about the 4.5, as well. While I'm not ready to buy a new vehicle, yet (hopefully another Sub), I was really looking forward to seeing that new engine in the market.

On the other hand, I'm optimistic that we will start seeing more diesels in NA. BMW, for one, recently announced that they're bringing a 3 series diesel to the US. I'm not sure if Merc currently has one available in the US, or not - but their Bluetec diesel is only about a $1,000 option over gas - the last time I checked, anyway. Here's another interesting thing: greencar.com recently announced their pick for the 2009 Green Car of the year - guess what? It wasn't a hybrid - it was Jetta diesel! Here's the link: http://www.greencar.com/articles/vw-...n-car-year.php