Motorway muncher, Volvo S60 D5 of LPG E39?

Mr_Sukebe

Mr_Sukebe

Mr_Sukebe

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A few weeks ago I started looking at options for a motorway muncher. It would be doing roughly 150 miles per day, mostly on the M3. So the paramount requirements were comfort and economy. In addition, I'd like the car to have at least the space of our E46, so that it can drag around our little one and his bits if/when the E46 ever breaks down or we replace it.
From a lot of reading, the Volvo S60 D5 SE popped up. Cheaper than the equivalent BM, brilliant seats, fairly economical (50mpg on a run I guess).

One additional option did have occur, i.e. an already LPG converted E39 (or similar), or even the idea of having our existing E46 converted, then buying a dull hatch for the missus to get to work.

Anyone got experience with LPG cars and can comment on the viability and reliability? Do bear in mind the probable commute of 30k+ per annum.
 
No direct experience of LPG, but the quality of conversion seems to be of paramount importance to prevent later failure. The S60 is a excellent car for motorway work - better than the E46. Just be aware that the D5 can have common rail injector problems around the 100k mark, which can cost £1k or so to replace.
 
Volvo seats are uber comfortable. I don't know how they do it.

The old man's V70 would munch a European trip with a lovely muted 5-cylinder howl to accompany it. I'd get out feeling in better shape than when I got in. The back seats were almost as good as the front.

LPG - depends on the conversion. I'd personally opt for derv, plus the mid-range torque makes motorway driving that little bit easier.
 
Dad did an got an LPG conversion done on his V70 about 4 years ago. Hes has no problems at all with reliability, however the car will stall if he puts his foot down and as the car switches from gas to petrol he lets go of the accelerator, this is rare just if its hard acel and he takes his foot completely off at that exact moment.

Also i think he has to start on petrol then switch to gas? Im not 100% if this is the case, he might just of said its happier starting with petrol in the cold.

The car seems happy on the gas generally, though not quote as much grunt. Cant say much about that sort of mileage though, i doubt hes covered 30k since hes had it done, probably more like 20k. He seems happy with the amount it saves him on fuel even if he does to relatively low mileage in it
 
Jacob (: said:
Also i think he has to start on petrol then switch to gas? Im not 100% if this is the case, he might just of said its happier starting with petrol in the cold.
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It must be started on petrol. You can't switch to gas until the engine is warmed up to a pre-determined temperature.
 
LPG is most suited to large petrol engines, it returns economy like doing more than 50mpg, for the moment.

A good system will start on petrol then switch to gas automatically. A good system will also seem almost no different on gas. The reason they start on petrol is because the gas is VERY cold once it's been condensed from the tank, and needs to go through a heater in the coolant system, which needs to be warm.

Tanks; you can get ring tanks for your spare wheel well, under cill tanks are popular in 4x4s. Probably not room in a road going BMW though. Can get large ugly ordinary ones in your boot too.
 
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It's often possible to start them on gas, and the car will start, but you're risking damage to your condenser/heater thingy if you freeze coolant in it. Should really let the coolant temp. gauge rise enough to open the stat. 1st.
 
One thing that might put me off LPG is the fact that it's only cheap because of the fuel duty - there's nothing stopping the government from slapping the same duty as petrol that I know of....

Which E39 would it be?
 
I used to have a V70 D5 and it was a very comfortable car, cruising was effortless to the point that you were happy to sit in lane 1-2 and watch the world race by.

45-50 mpg should be doable, and the D5 motor will make you smile every time you need to boot it, it really is the closest to a drivers diesel I have driven (not driven a big 3+ ltr BMW tho).

I always found my gas car a pain in the ass, but that was some years ago, there may be better availability of filling stations now.
 
iaind said:
One thing that might put me off LPG is the fact that it's only cheap because of the fuel duty - there's nothing stopping the government from slapping the same duty as petrol that I know of....

Which E39 would it be?
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My thought was a 530 LPG.
From reading around, the LPG plan is starting to look a little hit and miss. Whilst some people have suggested they're great, a number of others have commented on them needing to be well installed and setup, not something I'd really be capable of judging. Looks like we're back to the D5.
Lets see if I get a positive call ref the job now.
 
I drive an S60, the T5 SE. On the motorway it's very comfortable and makes the journey much more relaxing. The sound system is fantastic, seats give good support and warmth if you have the heated option. Cruise control is handy when you get a nice stretch of motorway and the geartronic gearbox makes crawling in traffic a little more bearable.
 
Saabs also have very good seats.
not sure how good the GM diesel units in the 9-5 are though

what's your budget?

could you not get a 525d or something over an LPG E39?
 
mjt said:
Saabs also have very good seats.
not sure how good the GM diesel units in the 9-5 are though

what's your budget?

could you not get a 525d or something over an LPG E39?
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I'm expecting to pay under £5k for an S60 D5 SE.
The 9-5 is now pretty ancient, being first based on a car that shared it's floorpan with the Alfa 164. Hardly the best advert for it. In addition, I've got a genuine mistrust of ex-GM kit.

Ref the 525d vs 530i LPG, you probably can get the 525d. However, the 530i would nicely avoid the diesel rattle, won't have turbos that eat themselves, and when you take into account the present cost of LPG fuel, actually work out cheaper per mile to run.
 
Mr_Sukebe said:
I'm expecting to pay under £5k for an S60 D5 SE.
The 9-5 is now pretty ancient, being first based on a car that shared it's floorpan with the Alfa 164. Hardly the best advert for it. In addition, I've got a genuine mistrust of ex-GM kit.

Ref the 525d vs 530i LPG, you probably can get the 525d. However, the 530i would nicely avoid the diesel rattle, won't have turbos that eat themselves, and when you take into account the present cost of LPG fuel, actually work out cheaper per mile to run.
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The 525/530d won't 'eat' turbos any more than the D5 would 'eat' injectors. Would it be less likely to need a costly repair at high milage than an LPG converted 530i? You'd certainly have a much broader choice of cars if you forget LPG.
 
iaind said:
One thing that might put me off LPG is the fact that it's only cheap because of the fuel duty - there's nothing stopping the government from slapping the same duty as petrol that I know of....
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"They" can't increase the LPG duty to anything resembling that on petrol because there's simply not enough of it to make it a mainstream fuel. LPG is a by-product, so it will always remain a minority fuel.
That, and the fact that nobody will pay £1000 to convert their car if it only means a 10p/litre saving....unless of course the Govt. are going to pay for the conversion and we know how much chance there is of that happening.
 
Mr_Sukebe said:
the LPG plan is starting to look a little hit and miss. Whilst some people have suggested they're great, a number of others have commented on them needing to be well installed and setup, not something I'd really be capable of judging.
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Look at the price, pretty much says it all. Wouldn't take much research to find a company than can do a decent set up.

The system you want will be multi point injection, whereas the cheap ones are single point.
 
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