Because of three reasons primarily.
1)Ridiculous torque. Stock 2KD is over 200 ft.lbs. I'm sure with tuning (no matter what swap I do, I'll run MegaSquirt) I could bump that up to well over 300.
2)Yes, a very very different swap. I kind of like the idea of owning the ONLY diesel mr2. And biodiesel/vegetable oil/other diesel-ish fuel conversions would be easy to do. Depending on how it works out with just normal diesel.
3)Yes, MPG. For the same power out of a diesel engine and a gasoline engine, the diesel will have way better MPG.
It's a win-win-win situation. Power, MPG, unique.
And I love the way a turbo diesel sounds.
Imagine some little honda pulling up next to me at a stop light and revving up to race me, and what does he hear in return?
VROOOM VROOOOM and huge belches of black smoke.
