engine size and travel distance

vixmony

HIe I need your advice and knowledge again is there any link between the engine size and distance the car can travel sorry if am not being clear but what am basically asking is that can 1.0 to 1.4 engines do long distance journeys or these sort of cars are only meant for inner city travel . I once had a ford ka and I was up and down the motor way with it with no problem am kinda more curious about your views regarding the 1.0 engines .

eamon

Modern cars (small, medium large) tend not to have any issues with motorway miles. Lots of urban driving (sub 30mph, stop start etc) kills fuel consumption in all vehicles. Larger cars can give a more relaxed drive and feel more secure etc. But use more fuel. If you are doing in excess of 10k per year then you should do the maths & consider a diesel.

smitchy73

I've had small cars, and I've had larger cars, I once had a Smart car and bought it from Ebay from a guy in Southampton, I got the train down from Glasgow via London, and crossed London and got the train to S'hampton, then drove the car home, no bother whatsoever. I also had a Toyota Aygo and drove to Milton Keynes a few times, Manchester/Liverpool once or twice a year and all over Scotland in them too, thats on top of normal driving distances to and from work.

I now drive a Chrysler Sebring 2.0ltr diesel, and the only difference is really that I get less mpg, but more comfort(leather, heated seats, more room, steering wheel audio controls etc etc)

As eamon says it really does depend on what you want, but smaller engined cars have to work that bit harder on longer, faster journeys, but with modern engines it's better to cope with a constant drive than stopping and starting all around a city.

tomstickland

Any car can do any distance. However, if a lot of motorway miles are being done then it's preferable to have a decent reserve of power and small engines can be less efficient.

I wouldn't want to do a lot of motorway miles with a 1L engine if traffic is busy. The extra power can allow safer acceleration if you want to move out into the outside lane etc.

thescouselander

There has been a tendency where I work to supply us with smaller engined cars when we go on business trips in the belief it would reduce fuel costs. In my experience you end up driving the car so hard that it becomes really uneconomical and you use more fuel than a larger engined car. Also the frantic noises from the engine can make driving tiring.

I wouldn't recommend doing regular long distance journeys in a 1.0 litre car myself but I'm sure such a car would get you there ok - I would recommend a larger engine though.

Lum

As someone who once had to do 2500 miles in a single week in a brand new rented 1.4 automatic Corsa, I say go for the larger car.

Not only was it inefficient but I also managed to boil the automatic gearbox fluid on the M25 causing the service light to come on with only 1500 miles on the clock and then forcing the car permanantly into 3rd gear (limp home mode for automatic gearboxes) until I parked up at a services to let it cool down a bit.

Also, never buy an ex rental

[Deleted User]

I did 170miles to Scotland and back on Monday in a 1.4

tomstickland

I drove to Scotland several times in a 1.1 Escort. It worked, but I'd say a 1.6 - 2.0 engine would be better.

vixmony

thanks a lot guys for all your replies, i think all get something bigger, instead, many thanks.

dannymccann

If you are planning on using motorways as a commute to work, dont bother with anything less than a 1.6 petrol (or diesel for that matter). They will almost certainly only have 5 gears (meaning you will be sitting at around 3.5k - 4.5krpm in a petrol and 3 - 3.5k in a diesel, which will make you deaf). Plump for a 1.9/2.0 TDi if doing long distances or a 1.8 / 2.0 petrol, preferably with 6 gears to give a nice quiet cabin and good fuel economy

cyclonebri1

dannymccann wrote: »

If you are planning on using motorways as a commute to work, dont bother with anything less than a 1.6 petrol (or diesel for that matter). They will almost certainly only have 5 gears (meaning you will be sitting at around 3.5k - 4.5krpm in a petrol and 3 - 3.5k in a diesel, which will make you deaf). Plump for a 1.9/2.0 TDi if doing long distances or a 1.8 / 2.0 petrol, preferably with 6 gears to give a nice quiet cabin and good fuel economy

Not true nowadays,
Renault megane 1.5, (1460cc)dci 105;

6 speed
115mph
55to70mpg at motorway speeds
2000rpm at 64mph
Can only tell its a diesel at tickover,

and there are many other similar spec smaller engined cars, and just to show I'm not biased, this is the 1st sub 2ltr car I've owned for about 20 years.

The biggest difference is in comfort and ride between smaller class cars, the best equalling large family saloons, the worst loosening your fillings