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In reality though, diesel was the better choice at the time. If you had to drive a 2006 Mondeo and had the choice of the 2.0 TDCi or the 1.8 or 2.0 Duratec petrol when new I bet most drivers would prefer the diesel irrespective of the fuel economy. Now that petrol technology has caught up in terms of torque and driveability it's a more even fight, but at the end of the day company car tax is still CO2 based and favours diesels, so they're far from dead yet. The fact VW isn't going to import a petrol Passat and you can only buy the new Discovery Sport in the UK with a diesel engine shows (you can order them here with the 2.0T 240ps Ford EcoBoost engine) the manufacturers don't think there's a wholesale switch any time soon. Is there a new car today which isn't a con? Diesels are causing huge public health problems in spite of being sold as the eco-friendly choice, downsized turbo petrols can't get anywhere near their published economy numbers in the real world, the Euro 6 Fiat 500 1.2 is tuned in a way that means it can't pull away on a hill...

It wasn't just politicians. The media was just as to blame. Consumer mags banged on about diesels being the preferred choice for years!