UKC

Will be buying a new car soon and have spent the last month reading endless reviews etc. (Haven't even got round to test driving yet!!).

Is there an accepted mileage figure at which you're better off with a diesel? Was looking at diesels but can't believe how varied the mpg's can be. Octavia up to 50+, Honda FR-V (which I like) as low as 40!!

In reply to gourd:

Im doing the sums myself. My 30-ish mpg primera will cost £90/month more than a 49 mpg Mondeo TD for an 85 mile a day round trip.

Pretty easy to work it out really. If I bought a 60mpg Seat Ibiza TD/VW Fabia then it would be even better.

In reply to gourd:

you need to be doing fairly high miles to reap any benefit from diesel mpg with unleaded at least 5p ltr less.
The big advantage we find is you still get great mpg at high speed ie 40+ mpg at 90mph loaded up on motorway . The modern tdi tdci especially with 6 speed boxes rev so low, for example our focus cmax 1.6 tdci 5speed does 90mph at about 2850rpm.
In this country for real economy your best with a petrol gas although the choice is small direct from showroom.

In reply to gourd: Going by the number of Octavia Taxi's in the east coast of Scotland it must be the most economic diesel out there for the size! I would have an estate version like a shot!(all mpg figures are sooo optomistic!)

In reply to dek:

I read someone claimed 60+!! If only it had 6 seats.....

In reply to gourd: One thing to think about diesels is the cost of parts are significantly more expensive. Having had a diesel for three years I reckon I've spent more on maintenance and repair than when I had a petrol car. I'm a bit bitter about it at the moment as I'm having to pay £1300 for a new injection pump. It hurts.

In reply to gourd: There is an 'XL' version im sure,but probably big bucks?! I know somebody with the new Laguna who claims 60+ as well.....(.bloody trip computers!)

In reply to gourd:

I get 45-48mpg from my 2.0 TDi Ford Mundaneo and it doesn't seem to vary too much with speed/load either.

In reply to gourd:

Petrol cars give you more fun per penny... even compared to modern diesels, especially in countries where diesel is not cheaper than petrol like the UK. In France and Italy diesel is still quite a bit cheaper than petrol so the figures work out a little more in favour of diesel.

From the pollution point of view diesels are still much dirtier, no matter what the adverisements try to persuade us... they are lying.

In reply to gourd: Real world figures for economy are different to those in brochures. Research what people ACTUALLY get...
Our Golf estate TDi Does a mix of country lanes, M40, some long runs. Averages somewhere just under 50 MPG. This is a 115 PS with a 6 speed box.
My older Passat TDi is my run into work motor, and that's returning just over 50, allowing for the fact I'm usually late in a morning! 110PS, 5 speed box.
I've always felt the Passat is the more economical, I've seen average economy of 60MPG coming home, never seen that from the Golf.

Either way, we'd be seeing 35ish tops from a petrol equivalent. Simple answer, don;t buy new, buy 12 months old! The first owner takes the hit, after all.

TTG

In reply to El Greyo: I have to say, I've had NO engine issues with a diesel.
Lots of other bits, like a window mechanism unravelling on Islay, and a door that's 'dead' in the Passat, which have cost me nowt to date. But apart from oil, and filters, NOTHING to report on the engine front...

In reply to gourd:

I've seen figures from 18000 per annum down to 12000 per annum, depending on what is taken into account.

You pay up front for a diesel engine (Usually about £500-1000 over a similar petrol unit), but you get some of this back on resale of the vehicle. Modern high performance Diesels have more to go wrong than older normally aspirated ones, so costs in terms of repair/maintenance are probably similar.

A lot comes down to the price of oil/tax. I reckon its costs about 9p a mile to drive my diesel (Euro iv engine), but it was costing 11p a mile to run my previous petrol car (much older engine design). This averaged over about 2000 miles. Distances/Tyes of driving are similar. However, I do few short journeys and most are 15 miles plus, but very little in traffic. This is not normal nowadays.

In reply to O Mighty Tim:

No issues here either.

Our 8 month old Seat Leon 1.9TDI costs about £5 a month more in fuel than our Peugeot 206 1.1L used to for a daily 60 mile round trip on motorway only, and it costs the same to tax and insure. It's a lot more fun too!

In reply to O Mighty Tim: For how long and how many miles do you keep your car(s) for?

Until now I've not had any major issues, but things like alternator, battery etc wear out and need replacing and these cost more than a petrol. Just had a new alternator and that was £200 instead of ~£80. And then this big bill comes up - I never had such a bill for my last petrol car and that was older and had gone further.