Forget manufacturers claims, what mileage are you diesel owners getting?

[RedM]

We are looking to get a diesel (turbo) car, probably a smallish one (Golf, Megane etc) and want to know what kind of mileage people are getting on mostly urban runs.

 

We do 40 miles each day, mostly in the 30-40 limit, some open A roads and rush hour m-way. Mucho stop-starting etc. We are hoping a diesel will cut our trips to the petrol station from every five days to maybe once a fortnight or better.

 

Is that realistic?

 

What's behind all this? Basically we are starting to think the Supra isn't the best daily driver around and if we kept her as a weekend car she'd rarely get used. I think it really is time for her to go.

 

So, any recommendations for turbo diesel cars or any other thought on diesel vs petrol.

 

Thank you.

[Class One]

I have a Volvo S80 D5 trip computer shows an av of 52.3mpg and we get @600miles from a 70litre tank.

[Scott]

I had an SRI vectra and i got over 40mpg doing exactly the trips that you are.

 

I filled up less than once a fortnight and got over 400 miles for a tank. When i did a couple of long motorway runs (was going to newcastle and back a couple of times over a week) i managed over 500 miles for a tank.

 

Diesels are untouchable for daily drivers IMO. They are quite pokey on the motorway due to the high torque at low revs and they seem to run on hope.

 

Oh, reliable too. It was a vauxhall and i never once had any trouble with it. My mate had the petrol equivalant and he had nothing but christmas lights on the dash.

 

Scott =op

[miko_supra]

i've got a Peugeot 306 1.9 td. does the job, won some engine of the year thingy back in day so im told. very nice on the motorway, really picks up after 40mph i get around 55-65 motorways and about 40-50 round town

[CJ]

I am sure you will see a considerable saving on your fuel bill but whether it is enough to warrant a change is more difficult to answer. Let me clarify what I mean;

 

Lets assume you do 250 miles per week. In the Supra that will probably equate to about 14 gallons of fuel. Now lets assume that fuel for both petrol and diesel is £4 per gallon. So, you will be spending £56 per week (approximately). Now, in the diesel car, lets assume you get 45 MPG. So that will be roughly 6 gallons - or £24 per week.

 

So, over a year, you would save approximately £1664. Now, take into account what you need to spend on the new diesel car and how long it will need to be driven just to pay for itself. See where I am coming from?

 

If you spend £3500 on a car you will need to run it for 2 years just to get your money back.

[Scott]

Nah, if you spend 3500 on a car, run it for 2 years and then sell it for 2k you just saved 1.5k

 

Remember the car you buy will still be worth money

 

Scott =op

[Jake]

Funny you should ask that. Me and Ash were just talking to a new guy here at work who's got an 07 plate diesel Civic. It's chipped to 320 ft-lbs and still does 40mpg !

It cost less than £400 to get it chipped too.

 

I'm seriously considering one.

[CJ]

Nah, if you spend 3500 on a car, run it for 2 years and then sell it for 2k you just saved 1.5k

 

Remember the car you buy will still be worth money

 

Scott =op

 

True but there is no money in the pocket for 2 years and then only if you sell it. What I was getting at was that there is no immediate benefit.

[Scott]

Funny you should ask that. Me and Ash were just talking to a new guy here at work who's got an 07 plate diesel Civic. It's chipped to 320 ft-lbs and still does 40mpg !

It cost less than £400 to get it chipped too.

 

I'm seriously considering one.

 

If you fancy something along those lines you should look at the Seat's.

 

The Ibiza Cupra TDI is 165ish bhp standard and with a £500 "chip" (actually just remapped) it can be tuned to 200bhp with a switch to change between 165 and 200.

 

Its only £400 for the same without the switch.

 

Thats the one i would go for anyway.

 

Scott =op

[edge]

99 avensis 2.0td (non d4d - old style engine) 160k miles, she uses it 20 miles each way to work and get about 40-45mpg.

[RedM]

I am sure you will see a considerable saving on your fuel bill but whether it is enough to warrant a change is more difficult to answer. Let me clarify what I mean;

 

Lets assume you do 250 miles per week. In the Supra that will probably equate to about 14 gallons of fuel. Now lets assume that fuel for both petrol and diesel is £4 per gallon. So, you will be spending £56 per week (approximately). Now, in the diesel car, lets assume you get 45 MPG. So that will be roughly 6 gallons - or £24 per week.

 

So, over a year, you would save approximately £1664. Now, take into account what you need to spend on the new diesel car and how long it will need to be driven just to pay for itself. See where I am coming from?

 

If you spend £3500 on a car you will need to run it for 2 years just to get your money back.

 

Good point, Sir. We would be selling the Supra so that would pay for the diesel car. Also whatever car you buy costs money initially. It's the daily/weekly spend that you notice most though and that's what we want to reduce.

[edge]

I agree with cj's point but i still think you will see the difference straight away as you will be saving once you have the car. Before we got the weazal we had a 4.0V8 and i spose that used to used a little more than a surpa tt but we noticed it straight away through savings and not filling up so bloody much.

[Muffleman]

I have a 2.0TDi DSG Toledo, 40mpg combined. It's my first diesel and I don't think I'd have one again. You always have to factor in the turbo lag, it's slow as hell without the turbo. 40mpg isn't great but it is an auto.

 

I'd rather spend less on the car and more on fuel tbh, but that's my personal preference. I wont be doing the mileage anymore but if I was then I would buy a cheap luxury barge, have the comfort and effortless power at the expense of fuel costs.

[RedM]

Any more thoughts?

 

I had an Astra 1.9 TD thing pull some distance on me tonight while driving on Leeds ring-road. If I'd tried to keep up the bloody Supe would have been weaving all over the place. Torquey feckers these diesels.

[Muffleman]

Any more thoughts?

 

Yup, I'm quite peckish but can't be arsed to go downstairs.

 

Well, you asked

[robin]

Ive got a 02 tdci focus and no matter how hard I try I cannot get less than 40 mpg. If I was gentle with it I think 50+ mpg would be possible.

 

It's not fast but it pulls well and is a capable car. 115hp and 185 ft-lbs.

[Havard]

We have 2 diesels Martin. My 55 plate Mondeo is 2.0 Tdci. I got 60 mpg coming back from Devon recently but I get 50Mpg usually. This will be a good 70% motorway driving but always at about 85 leptons!!

 

Vicki's Beemer is a different class. Always around 50 - 55 Mpg and very rarely sees a motorway. It's also 0 - 60 in 8.5 secs so it's no slouch!!

 

She's got the 320d Coupe on an 06 plate!

 

H.

[SUPRASUZUKI]

I get 55+ out of my old 405 NA.

 

It's dog slow and dog rough, but 700+ miles on 35quids worth of veggie oil pisses all over Gordon Brown's tax plans. Get in!!

[Havard]

I get 55+ out of my old 405 NA.

 

It's dog slow and dog rough, but 700+ miles on 35quids worth of veggie oil pisses all over Gordon Brown's tax plans. Get in!!

 

[absz]

05 audi 2ltr tdi i drive it like my supra, and still get 33 mpg:D

[jonshaw_uk]

i got a mondeo tdci 115bhp which is a 53 model and i do the same sort of travelling and im averaging 45-48mpg, its a big car too and fully loaded with all the extras and the tax is cheap to only £120 a year

[Carl_S]

We are looking to get a diesel (turbo) car, probably a smallish one (Golf, Megane etc) and want to know what kind of mileage people are getting on mostly urban runs.

 

We do 40 miles each day, mostly in the 30-40 limit, some open A roads and rush hour m-way. Mucho stop-starting etc. We are hoping a diesel will cut our trips to the petrol station from every five days to maybe once a fortnight or better.

 

Is that realistic?

 

What's behind all this? Basically we are starting to think the Supra isn't the best daily driver around and if we kept her as a weekend car she'd rarely get used. I think it really is time for her to go.

 

So, any recommendations for turbo diesel cars or any other thought on diesel vs petrol.

 

Thank you.

 

 

ah, the petrol costs strike again!

 

I would personally go for a 2005 prius. But thats just me,

[DaveSupTT]

I used to have a VW 2002 Golf GT TDI 130bhp pd edition and it was really nice. Very nippy, and did good mpg. I think the best mgg I got was about 58, and the worst was about 40mpg. Very reliable as well. My friend had the Golf GT TDI 150bhp, and chipped it for about £300 and it produced in total about 170 - 180bhp. It was rapid! It also improved his mgp! Think he got the chip form

http://www.tunitlancashire.co.uk/index.php

[_Lynz_]

I've just got an A3 2.0l TDI, and it's fanbloodytastic.

 

It's really quick and is definitely cheaper to run, and I only had a 1.2l corsa beforehand (bring on the stoning!!)

 

We test drove the 1.9 aswell and there was a world of difference, not nearly as fast or as much torque.

 

I would definitely recommend the A3 though, if this is the size that you are looking for.

[RedM]

We've been looking at the 2ltr A3. What year is yours?