Petrol/diesel education

mjt · 22 Jan 2011 at 21:46

They make so little sense in the UK, I fail to understand why every man and his dog is getting a diesel nowadays.

Maybe if diesel was cheaper than petrol like other countries in Europe, sure.
But the fact it's MORE expensive than petrol makes it more bizzare.

Jez · 22 Jan 2011 at 21:47

Added to this Fox, who in reality has access to £43k for something as inconsequential as a car, and yet still gives a toss about how much fuel costs?

Whoever these people are who seemingly do, they are seriously misguided.

Jono8 · 22 Jan 2011 at 21:50

Jez said:
Added to this Fox, who in reality has access to £43k for something as inconsequential as a car, and yet still gives a toss about how much fuel costs?

Whoever these people are who seemingly do, they are seriously misguided.

Indeed, you wouldnt think someone who can splash that amount of money out on a new car is bothered about saving a few hundred quid a year in fuel.

Lashout_UK · 22 Jan 2011 at 21:54

I've driven a TwinAir, found it quite disappointing. Not very good on fuel in the real world and poor low-end throttle response. Revs nicely though once you get it going and it makes the 500 an engaging little car to drive - but the only real benefit is the low emissions, especially for congestion charge and tax dodging. The diesel or 'proper' petrol ones are better in the majority of respects.

It also sounds permanently broken, like the manifold's blown

I've recently driven a fair few small diesel cars that have very smooth, quiet and refined engines too. French PSA units in particular, newer ones, are excellent in that respect. Some were so good that passengers, without being told, didn't know otherwise from inside.

For whatever reasons, you're only going to see larger petrol engined cars having their prices driven down gently over the next year - but not to the same extent as last time when fuel prices jumped and everyone bailed out into smaller cars

Third Opinion · 22 Jan 2011 at 21:58

Jez said:
Added to this Fox, who in reality has access to £43k for something as inconsequential as a car, and yet still gives a toss about how much fuel costs?

Whoever these people are who seemingly do, they are seriously misguided.

Thats what the point of the thread partly. People who can just blow 43k on a car must be on a fair old salary a year. Sure I have heard the BMW diesel engine is amazing but I can't believe it is gonna be as good or sporty as the petrol. That obviously excludes company cars who often insist on diesels nowadays.

Diesels are becoming like a plague now.

Jono8 · 22 Jan 2011 at 22:01

Few questionsL

Is it bad for modern diesel engines to do lots of short trips?

Do they still take a long to warm up and deliver their most efficient mpg?

[TW]Fox · 22 Jan 2011 at 22:01

Third Opinion said:
Thats what the point of the thread partly. People who can just blow 43k on a car must be on a fair old salary a year. Sure I have heard the BMW diesel engine is amazing but I can't believe it is gonna be as good or sporty as the petrol. That obviously excludes company cars who often insist on diesels nowadays.

Diesels are becoming like a plague now.

Most £43k 5 Series are company cars and chosen for tax reasons - but of course even that doesnt explain it logically, the CO2 emissions of the two cars I've chosen as my example are so close that the tax difference is not very big anyway.

In reality it's simple assumption and perception. People assume diesel will cost less tax and be noticeably more economical. So they order one without looking into the alternatives.

[TW]Fox · 22 Jan 2011 at 22:02

Jono8 said:
Is it bad for modern diesel engines to do lots of short trips?

Yes - especially models fitted with a diesel particulate filter which needs to be driven on longer trips to regenerat the DPF. If you only ever do short trips you'll eventually block the DPF and depending on the car you could be facing an eyewateringly huge bill to sort it out again.

Do they still take a long to warm up and deliver their most efficient mpg?

Yes, they do. As a direct comparison my parents old 530d took twice the time to reach operating coolant temperature than my same age 530i did. As a result it was fitted with a Webasto Auxillery heater as standard to provide cabin heat.

Jono8 · 22 Jan 2011 at 22:07

[TW]Fox;18291429 said:
Yes - especially models fitted with a diesel particulate filter which needs to be driven on longer trips to regenerat the DPF. If you only ever do short trips you'll eventually block the DPF and depending on the car you could be facing an eyewateringly huge bill to sort it out again.

Yes, they do. As a direct comparison my parents old 530d took twice the time to reach operating coolant temperature than my same age 530i did. As a result it was fitted with a Webasto Auxillery heater as standard to provide cabin heat.

Cheers. Parents were thinking of getting a diesel but they only do 5-10 mile trips normally and rarely go on the motorway and only do 6-7k a year.

Doesnt sound like it is going to be worth it at all.

Third Opinion · 22 Jan 2011 at 22:07

Jono8 said:
Is it bad for modern diesel engines to do lots of short trips?

Yeah like I say with the diesel education. How many pensioners in flat caps do you see driving little Citroen's and Peugeot diesels that a majority of the time just go down the shops and back.

Vita · 22 Jan 2011 at 22:08

RSClio said:
Clutch is a bit more heavier? Depends on the car not engine.

How does it blow?

What cars have you driven?

Diesel: Audi A3 2.0TDI Sline, Toyota Corolla D4D, Pegeout 307 HDI, VW Golf TDI. I just found the clutch heavier on those then that of my Yaris.

sigma · 22 Jan 2011 at 22:11

I think the word diesel should be put in the swear filter.

MOOGLEYS · 23 Jan 2011 at 13:43

My clutch is light in my vectra its also quite nippy. The engine is not that noisy even under load and it returns around about 45-55Mpg.. Its so easy to drive my wife uses it i,m not sure how you can get any easier unless it was an auto. It is a hell of lot better than my old 2.2 Astra on fuel doing the same kind of driving. I don't have a DPF and it only takes a couple of miles to reach operating temp.

Kenai · 23 Jan 2011 at 14:08

Vita said:
Diesel: Audi A3 2.0TDI Sline, Toyota Corolla D4D, Pegeout 307 HDI, VW Golf TDI. I just found the clutch heavier on those then that of my Yaris.

The clutch on a Yaris is about the lightest I have ever experienced in a car

kip02 · 23 Jan 2011 at 15:12

This is something which really annoys me too.
I drive a diesel car and do on average about 15-16k miles a year. I was swaying going back to a petrol car when I changed earlier this year but found the spec of car I wanted it just happened to have a diesel engine.

I know several people who all within the last year had petrol cars and switched to diesel becuase they think they are going to save loads because they are going to get more mpg. I've given up trying to explain that as they only do 7k a year that it is pointless, as they have been brainwashed that diesel=mpg by the media and car salesmen.