phew.... Ian, now you are giving me a chance....
haha.
I too have NEVER been close to 160Km/h in my Patrol. Besides that if you look at the history between these 2 types of engines one will see 2 completely different principals at work. Why do they not make great big 18 wheeler trucks with Petrol engines? Simple, cause they have the rev range but not the low down power. A big rig truck has between 500 and 1000 rpm between gears. On my Patrol I have between 800 rpm and 3000 ( 2200rpm ) to use for general driving. Between 3000 and 3500 ( 500rpm )the peak torque and power is either at its max or starting to drop off. At 4000rpm the valves are not sure if they should be up or down, and is not really really giving any more power.
I'm working on the assumption that we are comparing 4.2 diesels and 4.5 petrols. The 4.8's are naturally more powerful ( well I presume so seeing the motor is bigger and they are all auto with fancy gearbox technology )
Now on a petrol motor you have from 800 - 6000rpm ( 5200rpm ) in each gear, so my diesel to do an extra gear change, naturally this will effect time and speed over the distance ( petrol automatic would probably give the best time as no speed/time is lost between gear changes.
Our Patrols ( petrol and diesel ) are not and were never made for racing or speed for that matter, although can be seriously modified to perform incredible feats ( as in many Arab states ), but tow a big rig boat on the highway and the petrol will work the best as it can be done at a higher speed, but with much higher fuel consumption. Now the diesel will do exactly the same, but may take a little longer, but will use less fuel.
Depending on what you want to use your patrol for will make the difference between these two motors for the owner/driver. When we drive over the rocky parts of the world there is no better vehicle than a diesel, and that is simply a fact and cannot be disputed, and the same goes when driving on dry dune sand. Here the petrol beats the diesel hands down..... fact and cannot be disputed.
I think a diesel Patrol with a 2 or 3 ton load on a trailer will pull off and accelerate to about 80 - 100Km/h faster than a manual petrol Patrol. It is almost impossible to stall a diesel Patrol. I can pull off from a robot easily without touching the accelerator, and without slowly feeding out the clutch to prevent a stall. That is the nature of a diesel.... low down grunt. Getting the load moving will be the easy part but thereafter the Petrol Patrol will reel in the diesel and pass it from about 110 to 120Km/h and then you will have to stop and refuel, and the diesel will pass you. BUT we also like to stop along the way and smell the roses cause when you drive a PATROL, life doesn't need to rush passed you.
I agree with Grant leave the load out, I can't say I would be keen to take out my packing system and fridges, also the time involved to pack and unpack the 500kg will add up. Call me chicken if you want but I am not keen to drive up to 160km/h(don't think I have ever taken my Patrol to that speed) with my MT on, call me a old fuddy duddy but I don't drive a 160km/h when I use my Patrol I sit between 110 and 130km/h would be happy to take on the oil burners up to these speeds!
