Petrol or diesel?

mkirkby

Diesels are also much more economical on shorter journeys. Lower torque gives less revving. Chck the urban MPG figures to see

daveyjp

Claiming for a clogged DPF would be like claiming for worn out brake pads - they'd listen then say no.

tomstickland

It's easy to get 45-50mpg out of a Diesel compared with 35-40mpg from a petrol.
You need to work out how many years of a 20% fuel saving takes to pay for any purchase cost difference.

Diesels engines have a high compression rati, no throttle and can run on variable air-fuel ratios (unlike petrol). All of which makes them inherently efficient.

terryya

daveyjp wrote: »

Claiming for a clogged DPF would be like claiming for worn out brake pads - they'd listen then say no.

Surely brake pads are a wear and tear consumable that you'd expect to have to replace every now and then? Is a DPF something you should be expecting to replace?

Kittikins

JonathanA wrote: »

What is your current car & what trim level is the Hyundai? I think you also need to try the Fiesta to see which you prefer. I've recently bought a Fiesta Zetec 1.4TDCi which is doing 60mpg, costs £20 per annum to tax (lower emissions than the Hyundai) and is a lower insurance group than the Hyundai. Having said that, it only has a 3 year warranty, not a 5 year warranty.

There are lots of nearly new, low mileage Fiestas out there and their high list price can be ignored, they lose a lot in their first year or so. I wouldn't make the purchase without at least testing other options out. What Car magazine lists the running cost per mile of a Hyundai i20 1.4CRD Comfort 5 dr to be 32.2pence per mile, the Fiesta 1.4TDCi Zetec is 30.9 pence per mile. The i20 petrol has a per mile running cost of 33.8 pence and the Fiesta 1.4 petrol 34.5 pence (Comfort & Zetec trim respectively).

You really need to try both cars and both engines and see which you prefer - I've run diesels for years and never had any problems, includine a Vauxhall fitted with a DPf covering low mileage that never had any issues (it had lots of other problems that were unconnected though!).

It is difficult to comment on the deal you've been offered until we know what car you are trading in!

Thanks for this - I'm actually trading in a 1.4 53 plate petrol Fiesta , and I have driven a new one and like it. I like Fords as they're easy to drive, but on looking around locally, they seem expensive to buy second hand in comparison with the i20, and typically have a lot more miles on the clock than this one.

JonathanA

Fiesta 1.4 Zetec diesel 5 doors round here seem to be selling for between £10,800 - £11,500, with less than 5,000 miles and approx 6 - 9 months old. It is really a question of which car you prefer and which deal is the most competitive for you.

There will be loads of Fiesta diesels for sale if you're willing to travel, fewer Hyundai I suspect. Is there a pressing reason to change now, or can you wait / do you want to wait?

I'm sure both will be good cars, so it all comes down to which you prefer. Good luck!

Kittikins

Thanks JonathanA, I need to do it soon as my current car is ailing and now I know that a diesel seems to be 'as good as' a petrol one, it gives me more scope to look around.

Thanks everyone for your advice

daveyjp

terryya wrote: »

Surely brake pads are a wear and tear consumable that you'd expect to have to replace every now and then? Is a DPF something you should be expecting to replace?

A DPF is classed as a maintenance item if the use of the vehicle does not enable the DPF to regenerate successfully - the fault is down to how the car is driven, not due to a fault with the DPF, hence no valid warranty claim. Eventually this use will require it to be replaced.

That's the reason DPF diesels aren't sold on the Channel Islands.

smitchy73

I was told that if you drive at about 40mph for about 15 minutes it burns off the particles in the DPF, thats what I got told by the Seat dealership when I was looking at buying a Seat Ibiza Ecomotive, didn't get one in the end though, but not because of a DPF!