Hmm, is the similarity in fuel consumption due to the less
powerful engines having to work harder at a higher rpm (and thus
consume more fuel) than the more powerful engines? Woudn't have
expected fuel consumption to be somewhat similar, since the extra
power needs to come from somewhere.
My personal taste is having engines that have a gradual torque
buildup rather than having most of the engine's torque output
chucked onto the drivetrain the moment the driver steps on the
accelerator. Sounds like my type of bus.
The amount of fuel used is roughly the same, depends on your
payload. Cause you need that amount of energy to move a specific
load, the energy do not come from the engine, because the energy
produced by the engine is from the fuel aka fuel calorific
value.
But an engine that is forced to work intensively and labourly,
would require a substantial amount of maintenance and ultimately,
overhauling. So now it depends which bus, requires more maintenance
and overhauling.
