A spin in a new Skoda Octavia diesel estate reminded me that it's still possible to buy a new oil-burner, while begging the question: why would you?
The car, a 2.0 TDI 150PS DSG Sportline costing £38,645, can do 60.1mpg. However, its mild-hybrid petrol sibling, the £37,265 1.5 TSI e-Tec 150PS DSG Sportline, can do 54.3mpg, just 6mpg less.
Factor in the higher price of diesel – currently about 199 pence per litre compared with 173.98 pence per litre for petrol – and over 10,000 miles both cars cost about the same in fuel to run: the diesel Octavia £1505 and the petrol £1457.
Ten years ago both diesel and petrol cost around 112 pence per litre. Balancing a diesel car's superior fuel economy against its higher list price, the case for buying a diesel-engined car over a petrol one was clearer. Diesel engines were comparatively straightforward, too.
Contrast that situation with today: not only are prices for the two fuels very different, but diesel engines are now also seen as less reliable. Meanwhile, fewer diesel cars are being built because company car drivers, once enthusiastic adopters of them, are incentivised by lower benefit-in-kind tax rates to switch to EVs.
Turning to the used car market, sales of diesel cars slowed down this summer, and looking ahead the only models likely to resist the heaviest depreciation are large estates and SUVs with generous towing capacity.
So back to the original question: why would you buy a new diesel Octavia? Actually, that's easy: because it makes a solid 266lb ft compared with the petrol Octavia's 184lb ft. That's ideal if you have a caravan or a boat to tow, you regularly drive long distances four-up with luggage or you appreciate wafting along for miles on just a hint of throttle.
The truth is that when it comes to cars, sometimes the maths has to take second place and the demands of real-life use win out.
But back to the maths and, thanks to a slightly higher deposit but a much bigger balloon payment, the diesel Octavia's monthly cost on a four-year PCP is £361 compared with £363 for the petrol. Now there's a surprise.