Petrol is powerful, but generates much less torque than diesel. It is also much thirstier. Example: two VW Passat B5 engines Petrol 4.0 W8- 370 Nm, 15 l/100km Diesel 2.5 V6- same 370 Nm, 9 l/100km This is why petrol is no alternative to diesel. --- Post updated --- I decided to find information on Volvo's safety, and found this (Volvo is at 5:30): Here, you can see it collide with a non-deformable block at 55 km/h. Doesn't seem so weak. Although this doesn't prove there was no engine in the car, it could have been rusty underneath or involved in a major accident before.
This is a BMW with an even more cramped engine bay. We get these things in at my job all the time and they are universally unreliable with all the drivability of a bumper-car.
