it will always be like this, whoever own petrol will say petrol is better, whoever owns diesel will say diesel is better...
truth is and i say it again, if costs are not an issue than diesel simply cannot compete with turbocharged petrol which
- is quicker
- sounds better
- revs higher
- doesn't smoke black when you're taking off
If you do care about mpg then yes, diesel is a good alternative (although PD170 in particular seems to be not the best VW engine ever designed...)
I've just went from TDI (PD130) to TFSI and there simply is no comparison between the sheer enjoyment of driving...