I’ve had loads of diesels and I have to say that I’ve not experienced any of the problems that Rene mentions.
This is basic physics. Unless you drive a magic carpet, this doesn’t change. Petrols are less thermoefficient (generate more heat), weigh less due to not being cast iron everything (less “block” to heat up, lighter pistons etc) and run thinner oil.
All of that means that a diesel takes considerably longer to heat up. That’s the reason why diesel isn’t recommended for short journeys (apart from the DPF issue) – otherwise it wouldn’t make much sense to buy a petrol at all (especially in countries like germany, where diesel is 23p a litre cheaper than petrol). A short journey (<15 minutes) isn’t enough to bring a diesel to temperature (especially in city traffic).
You might not have noticed, sure – but as i said, there’s no way around this, there’s no magic diesels that don’t work like this. Don’t just take my word for it btw, plenty of sources on the web on that.
You are correct though, i missed the weekly motorway journey, DPF wouldn’t be an issue there.
Prior: SEAT Ateca Xcellence Lux 1.5 TSI DSG MY19, VW Golf GTE PHEV DSG MY23
Current: Hyundai Ioniq 6 Ultimate
Next: we'll see what's available in 2028.