Better in terms of what? Diesels produce loads of torque so I guess you could say they have similar characteristics to a big V8 in that respect, although they don't rev, so its all low down grunt. They'll also get good MPG.

The stuff stinks when you're filling up and here, in the UK, it's even MORE expensive than petrol (currently about $8/gallon).

The latest 6-cylinders sound OK.

I've driven the latest Jag XF (3 litre TwinTurbo diesel) with almost 300bhp and even more torque). It suits that sort of car but I really, REALLY can't get my head around a diesel in a Mustang. It's just not...............right

 

I think most of us stateside would agree with you, that it's just not ...right. To suit a Mustang anyway. Though we are a little intrigued by the notion, given the advances in diesel technology. You have to grasp that in the US, we have almost none. Our biggest diesel use is by over the road rigs, farm trucks (i.e. Cummins Ram, Chevy HD, Powerstroke), farm equipment, buses, military, etc. I mean we are just now reaping the fruits of the 335d. The TDI is kind of a pipe (personally) but it just didn't spark interest here. It's just an interesting concept to think about.

Edit: But then again I could be wrong. This all said from a guy that would love to see an inline 6 as the base Mustang engine again.

 

It's taken me a long time to get my head around why diesels are soooooooooooo popular in top-end S-Class Mercs, 7-series BMWs and Audis A8s. I mean, why spend £60-70k on a car and then scrimp a few quid in eeking out better MPG. That being said, most of those cars will spend hours cruising our motorway system, so diesels excel there.....you won't hear it, it'll have instant torque for accelerating at speed and return 30+ mpg whilst doing it. But, that engine won't set your butt on fire if you want some fun canyon carving.

Most diesels here are four cylinders though. We have a 2litre turbo diesel in our 7-seater Ford Galaxy MPV and it's a hateful engine (it's actually a VW engine, as it's shared with the VW Sharan and Seat Alhambra, as they were all developed on the same platform). On startup it sounds like a bunch of spanners rattling around in an oil can! Acceleration is muted.....nothing at first and then a lunge as the turbo kicks in. It's out of revs by 4k, so rowing it through the gears is no fun, especially on the ears.
At an average of about 30mpg, the economy isn't brilliant, either.

So, they have their place in more mundane cars, where the main factor is getting from A to B, but not in a pony car/muscle car where I want to hear some V8 thunder.

Oh, and I'd love to see a straight 6 (petrol) as the base Mustang engine, too

 

You know I''d like to see that too. I like the new 3.7 V6 and all but if they could get that kind of performance (or possibly better) from an inline 6 I'd like to see that and I think it would be more in keeping with the retro theme of the car.