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New Zealand's BMW 2-Series Active Tourer range is now all petrol.

The effects of New Zealand's road user charges (RUCs) on diesel vehicles have resulted in a very good car being dropped from the country's BMW range.

BMW New Zealand has dropped the 2.0-litre turbodiesel-engined 218d from its 2-Series Active Tourer selection, replacing it with a second petrol-engined variant, the 220i.

This means the Active Tourer selection is now a petrol three-cylinder 1.5-litre 218i, the petrol four-cylinder 2.0-litre 220i, and a 225xe plug-in hybrid. Prices range from $51,450 to $69,800.

Introduction of the 220i reflects not only newly available powertrains, but also a change in buyer preferences, said BMW New Zealand managing director Florian Renndorfer.

READ MORE: What does the Government's package really mean for Kiwi EV buyers?

Asked why buyer preferences were changing, the company's head of corporate communications Paul Sherley confirmed that customers - particularly the private buyers who mainly purchased a car such as the Active Tourer - are now reasoning that there are no longer any gains to be achieved by choosing diesel over petrol.

"Our small diesel engines are remarkably economical, but the benefits of this economy are being hindered by the road user charges.

"So there are no gains. A small diesel engine might achieve a fuel economy of 4.5L/100km and an equivalent petrol might average 6.0L/100km, but once the RUCs of $62 per 1000 kilometres and the extra cost of registering a diesel vehicle over a petrol equivalent are factored in, the fuel savings are cancelled out."

Sherley added that the good news was that the new-generation small capacity turbocharged petrol engines are so efficient they drive like diesels anyway - and the 220i Active Tourer is an outstanding example of that.

The new model's TwinPower turbocharged engine delivers 141kW of power and 280Nm of torque, and it combines with an eight-speed automatic transmission with Steptronic to reach 100kmh in 7.4 seconds.  The 220i Active Tourer also consumes a low 5.7 litres L/100km on the EU combined test.  

In recent years the RUCs have been increasingly controversial, with many commentators claiming that the distance-based tax - the $62 RUCs apply to all vehicles under 3.5 tonnes - is unfair on latest-generation lightweight diesel vehicles that can achieve very low economy. They claim the situation has now been reached where the cost per 1000km of the RUCs is now more than the cost of the diesel used to cover that distance.

But the Government claims that more than 36 per cent of diesel consumed in New Zealand is used off-road by the likes of farmers and contractors, and that taxing the fuel at the pump would impose an unfair financial burden on these sectors.

 - Stuff