Petrol v Diesel
news.virginmedia.com
I have set my heart on a new focus 1.6 hatchback (new shape) and the only
decision is if I should buy a diesel instead of petrol?
Apart from the lower tax I would be paying (£35) - would I still be saving
on my fuel?
I had a word with the Ford sales rep and he said that a 1.6 Petrol would do
around 350miles and a 1.6 diesel would run 550miles on a full tank.
I dont know if these figures are accurate. Could any of you guys give me
your experience of fuel consumption in your cars. Is diesel still the most
cost effective of the two?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Chris Whelan
> Hi,
>
> I have set my heart on a new focus 1.6 hatchback (new shape) and the only
> decision is if I should buy a diesel instead of petrol?
>
> Apart from the lower tax I would be paying (Ł35) - would I still be saving
> on my fuel?
>
> I had a word with the Ford sales rep and he said that a 1.6 Petrol would
> do around 350miles and a 1.6 diesel would run 550miles on a full tank.
> I dont know if these figures are accurate. Could any of you guys give me
> your experience of fuel consumption in your cars. Is diesel still the most
> cost effective of the two?
>
> Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Diesel never has been cost effective if you only do low annual milages. Bear
in mind also that the new Focus diesel, in line with many others, has a
diesel particulate filter fitted. This makes it unsuitable for doing lots
of short, low speed runs without some faster use in between.
I can't vouch for its accuracy, but there is a lot of data here:
http://www.carpages.co.uk/guide/ford/ford-focus-guide.asp
HTH
Chris
--
Remove prejudice to reply.
BigGirlsBlouse
"news.virginmedia.com" <voodoo...@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message
news:vgJck.232567$aE7....@newsfe16.ams2...
efficient. You will get at least a 25% increase in mileage per gallon of
fuel... and for the 1.6 this should be maybe as high as 50% increase in
mileage. The only thing that annoys me is that the few pennies difference in
petrol versus diesel prices has increased to 10's of pennies
difference!...but it is still worthwhile going diesel.
David Millen
>Hi,
>
>I have set my heart on a new focus 1.6 hatchback (new shape) and the only
>decision is if I should buy a diesel instead of petrol?
>
>Apart from the lower tax I would be paying (Ł35) - would I still be saving
>on my fuel?
>
>I had a word with the Ford sales rep and he said that a 1.6 Petrol would do
>around 350miles and a 1.6 diesel would run 550miles on a full tank.
>I dont know if these figures are accurate. Could any of you guys give me
>your experience of fuel consumption in your cars. Is diesel still the most
>cost effective of the two?
>
>Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Beware of the dual-mass flywheel issue. Don't know if Focus diesels
still use them, but my 2003 1.8TDCi certainly did; it lasted 50k
miles before self destructing and landing me with a four-figure bill.
Rather common, apparently - see Honest John among other references, or
ask your Ford dealer's service manager. Not just Ford, either, these
things are found on many modern diesels to make them behave more like
a petrol engine, i.e. smoother. As others have said, if you're doing
a big mileage, the reduced fuel consumption and a three-year warranty
will make it worthwhile. Otherwise, avoid the diesels unless
something's changed.
I still have the TDCi, by the way, and it does 39mpg.
--
All the best
David Millen
Xativa, Valencia
www.fincacasablanca.com
please reply in group
if you have to email me, remove the obvious:
davidth...@millen.com
Tim..
"BigGirlsBlouse" <b...@tesconet.com> wrote in message
news:487386df$1...@mk-nntp-2.news.uk.tiscali.com...
...if you do 25,000 or more a year, then yes. Otherwise (at the moment) no,
buy the petrol.
Tim..
Paul Giverin
<notdm...@newsfeeds.com> writes
>
>I still have the TDCi, by the way, and it does 39mpg.
Sounds like you have a problem. I used to get 41 mpg from a 1.6 petrol
Focus and currently get 47mpg from a 2.0 TDCi Focus. That's not hanging
about either.
--
Paul Giverin
British Jet Engine Website:- www.britjet.co.uk
My photos:- www.pbase.com/vendee
Chris Whelan
> In message <i2b774l0pnv16mk8g...@4ax.com>, David Millen
> <notdm...@newsfeeds.com> writes
>>
>>I still have the TDCi, by the way, and it does 39mpg.
>
> Sounds like you have a problem. I used to get 41 mpg from a 1.6 petrol
> Focus and currently get 47mpg from a 2.0 TDCi Focus. That's not hanging
> about either.
>
It depends so much on how and where you drive though.
My 1.8 petrol has only to my knowledge achieved 40+ mpg once, on a long,
constant speed motorway trip.
My normal average is around 33!
Paul Giverin
<cawh...@prejudicentlworld.com> writes
Zetec SE was much better and the 1.8 TDCi should be better than all of
the above.
gandissy
news:vgJck.232567$aE7....@newsfe16.ams2...
My (56) 1.8 TDCi hatch will happily do 500 miles to a tank before flashing
up the 50 mile warning light, but many things need to be taken into account
to make a definative judgement.
Purchase price, ownership duration, annual mileage, residual value, fuel
costs, driving style, road fund licence all have an effect...
If you're doing 3,000 miles per year and you're the car for 10 years then
you're probably better off financially with the petrol; whereas if you're
covering 30,000 miles pa and only keeping it for 2 years then the diesel
will no doubt cost less...
Do the maths. The Diesel should return 45-50mpg, the petrol will be closer
to 30-35.
--
gandissy
David Millen
wrote:
>In message <i2b774l0pnv16mk8g...@4ax.com>, David Millen
><notdm...@newsfeeds.com> writes
>>
>>I still have the TDCi, by the way, and it does 39mpg.
>
>Sounds like you have a problem. I used to get 41 mpg from a 1.6 petrol
>Focus and currently get 47mpg from a 2.0 TDCi Focus. That's not hanging
>about either.
Maybe, but I've driven the car over 35,000 miles, regularly serviced
at main dealer. I rented a 1.6 petrol Focus recently, and got 34
from that, which served to reinforce my view that diesel ain't worth
it. The higher maintenance costs, and the higher cost per litre,
overwhelm a 15% improvement in fuel economy.
Caesar Romano
<notdm...@newsfeeds.com> wrote Re Re: Petrol v Diesel:
> I rented a 1.6 petrol Focus recently, and got 34
>from that, which served to reinforce my view that diesel ain't worth
>it. The higher maintenance costs, and the higher cost per litre,
>overwhelm a 15% improvement in fuel economy.
Exactly.
Tim..
"Chris Whelan" <cawh...@prejudicentlworld.com> wrote in message
news:qwQck.262588$M63.2...@newsfe13.ams2...
My previous 1.8 zetec would do 34-36mpg depending on run, seemingly no
matter how it was driven. I usually drive "briskly" but seldom over 4500rpm.
Tim..
Icky Thwacket
"news.virginmedia.com" <voodoo...@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message
news:vgJck.232567$aE7....@newsfe16.ams2...
I have a 2006 Focus Mk2 1.6 T-VCT Petrol. I am currently getting 44.3mpg,
over 530 miles per tank.
Secrets? - 1) DON'T use supermarket petrol - I used to get 33mpg using
Tesco's
- 2) Train yourself to accelerate SLOWLY (unless a real
emergency)
- 3) Think ahead - sharp corner ahead? - take foot off go
pedal and aim to hit corner at a speed you can take safely WITHOUT braking.
Look ahead to traffic lights - red? do the same. Avoid braking as much as
possible - braking is WASTED energy - LOTS - preserve your momentum.
- 4) Stick to 70 - 75 mph on motorways, even an extra 1 mph
at that speed is a dramatic increase in fuel consumption.
THINK - what am I going to do with the extra minute I have saved
when I have arrived?
In general, if you think ahead and treat driving as a game of chess it
becomes truly more enjoyable and you can get to your destination in the same
amount of time, refreshed.
Alan
Thwacket <i...@it.it> wrote
>
>I have a 2006 Focus Mk2 1.6 T-VCT Petrol. I am currently getting 44.3mpg,
>over 530 miles per tank.
>
>Secrets? - 1) DON'T use supermarket petrol - I used to get 33mpg using
>Tesco's
You will probably find that irrespective of brand and retail chain all
the petrol for an area comes out of the same storage tank from the
closest refinery.
--
Alan
news2006 {at} amac {dot} f2s {dot} com