Old cars are inefficient etc

tomstickland

I regularly read threads where people want to buy a newer "more efficient" car.
Well, I've been doing some tests in my 1997 VW 1.9 TDi and by driving in a slightly more careful manner I've managed to obtain 53mpg. This is a mixture of motorway, A, B and unclassified roads.

Generally I've been paying more attention to slowing down to save wasting energy there, and I've cut my motorway speed down to 70mph. That's the only changes I've made.

I still end up overtaking several vehicles every day on the A/B road section. Moving at around 55/60mph, so I'm not driving like a travelling road block to obtain these figures.

I'm pretty impressed with the car.

AdrianHi

It's a sad fact that, especially with diesels, all the emmissions control measures slapped on cars undoes the any good progress made in making them more efficient. I've heard many people report the same with their VAG group TDi and BMW diesels - going backwards in fuel economy even though the car might get better at producing a better result in the hugely contrived official EU fuel consumption tests.

These "blue motion" and "efficient dynaimics" measures seem to be getting cars back to where they were in the generation that your 1997 TDi comes from.

Great progress at... standing still.

Petrol engines are gebnerally getting a lot better though.

blued

I get about 40mpg with round town driving in my 2000 VW 1.9TDI 115bhp. The car is coming up to 150k on the clock so I think it's good going.

I dont see anything efficient about paying thousands to buy a new car and losing out on depreciation to gain (or even lose) a few extra mpg.

LandyAndy

blued wrote: »

I get about 40mpg with round town driving in my 2000 VW 1.9TDI 115bhp. The car is coming up to 150k on the clock so I think it's good going.

I dont see anything efficient about paying thousands to buy a new car and losing out on depreciation to gain (or even lose) a few extra mpg.

I had one of these as a company car but it had only done about 50k miles.

It invariably did 60mpg regardless of use.

I replaced it with a 2003 Golf GTi 150 diesel and that always bettered 55mpg even when driven hard or towing our trailer tent through France.

robredz

tomstickland wrote: »

I regularly read threads where people want to buy a newer "more efficient" car.
Well, I've been doing some tests in my 1997 VW 1.9 TDi and by driving in a slightly more careful manner I've managed to obtain 53mpg. This is a mixture of motorway, A, B and unclassified roads.

Generally I've been paying more attention to slowing down to save wasting energy there, and I've cut my motorway speed down to 70mph. That's the only changes I've made.

I still end up overtaking several vehicles every day on the A/B road section. Moving at around 55/60mph, so I'm not driving like a travelling road block to obtain these figures.

I'm pretty impressed with the car.

One thing that will not affect this car is a particulate filter, these can cause problems in a new diesel, if they are driven gently all the time. I have managed to squeeze 35 + mpg out of an Iveco Daily without dawdling, best I've seen out of a Transit driven in a similar manner 28 mpg. The older cars are worse on Co2 though, so we are told. I used to get 55mpg or better, from a Peugeot 106 diesel.

goldspanners

robredz wrote: »

I have managed to squeeze 35 + mpg out of an Iveco Daily without dawdling, best I've seen out of a Transit driven in a similar manner 28 mpg.

this week im getting between 36-38 mpg out of my transit tdci. which is decent for a van at its weight limit.

rev_henry

All this government 'buy a new more efficient car' propaganda misses one vital point. What about all the CO2 emissions and air/ship miles from making the new car, rather than keeping an old one going?
Its all contrived EU nonsense IMO.

boliston

A new car might be fuel efficient but the depreciation can make your eyes water!

motorguy

AdrianHi wrote: »

It's a sad fact that, especially with diesels, all the emmissions control measures slapped on cars undoes the any good progress made in making them more efficient. I've heard many people report the same with their VAG group TDi and BMW diesels - going backwards in fuel economy even though the car might get better at producing a better result in the hugely contrived official EU fuel consumption tests.

These "blue motion" and "efficient dynaimics" measures seem to be getting cars back to where they were in the generation that your 1997 TDi comes from.

Great progress at... standing still.

Petrol engines are gebnerally getting a lot better though.

I think your spot on with this. I'd a 1999 1.9TDI 110 passat, and i got 62mpg from it over a fill over longish runs. Nothing i've owned subsequently has come close - until i got a 2010 Passat 2.0 CR TDI bluemotion at the start of the year there. Its averaging close to 60mpg on a mixed driving fill, and can easily break 70mpg on long runs.

motorguy

rev_henry wrote: »

All this government 'buy a new more efficient car' propaganda misses one vital point. What about all the CO2 emissions and air/ship miles from making the new car, rather than keeping an old one going?
Its all contrived EU nonsense IMO.

The scrappage allowance was never ever about the environment. It was always about bump starting the motor industry. Which it achieved.

Kilty_2

One thing I think is missing from this thread is the mention that if we are comparing two TDI Passats, say one from 1997 and one from 2010, the fuel economy might be very similar between the two or even slightly better in the older car but how much heavier is the new model?

Safety regulations and the constant strive to produce safer cars pushes the weight up and fuel economy will suffer as a result of this, that's before you even get into the environmental aspects of engine management.

I don't know what the NCAP ratings of the two would be but I'd bet the newer one is closer to 5 stars...

I do agree though - the attempt (by manufacturers) to put an environmental spin on the scrappage scheme is a joke.