Should I get a petrol or diesel car?

jenny-wren

The type of driving we do is mainly urban, 4 miles to work, 4 miles home (30 - 40mph). A few longer 10 mile (once every 2 weeks) and occasional 30-40 mile motorway journeys (maybe once a month or so). 8000 miles a year.

We want to try to get good fuel economy from a small family car. Would we be better to opt for one of the new 1.4 TSI Petrol engines or a diesel?

If we are buying an 09/10 diesel car, do they all have DPF? I've read the advice on the AA site and worry about the kind of journeys we do damaging the engine if the particulate doesn't burn off (as most times the car wouldn't have had time to warm up by the time we'd get to our destination).

We think we'd be much better with the petrol but nearly new TSI engine cars seem to be a bit thin on the ground in my neck of the woods.

DKLS

8K a year = Petrol would be advisable.

thescouselander

+1 for petrol here!

flyingscotno1

Petrol is probably the best option. Who does Turbo Petrol TSI engines- Seat, Skoda, VW, Audi, Fiat and Alfa? Any one else?

thescouselander

flyingscotno1 wrote: »

Petrol is probably the best option. Who does Turbo Petrol TSI engines- Seat, Skoda, VW, Audi, Fiat and Alfa? Any one else?

The VAG petrol TFSI engines are pretty good. Last time I visited my parents my petrol A4 managed to get 44 MPG (actual calculated manually) on the 200 mile trip back home - thats very nearly as good as the diesel engined version.

ahillsy

Very similar situation to me - I do about 4 miles each way to/from work, about 8K a year.

My advice would be without a doubt, not to go for a diesel if it has a DPF. I nearly did, but luckily found out about the whole DPF issue. So I made the switch to petrol. The VAG TSI petrols are very good, and slightly more refined and economical than the TFSI predecessors.

Using Skoda Octavia as an example, you can go from a 1.2 TSI (49.6MPG Combined) up to the 2.0 TSI in the VRS (37.7MPG Combined). The TSI engines started to be phased in (for Skoda at least) over the past year/year and a half or so there wouldn't be as many of those around second hand.

BlueFox

I do similar mileage (approx 10k per year) with a mix of town, A & B roads & motorway driving.

I had a Golf diesel which I was getting decent mpg from but then I started reading about the DPF problems, and my mileage just wasn't high enough to warrant a diesel and all the potential problems I could have had.

So I changed it for a 1.6 petrol just over a year ago (not vw though!) and have not looked back since, I usually get around 35-38 mpg around town and anything up to 50 mpg on a good run.

My advice would be to steer clear of diesel unless you are doing in excess of 20k per year.

jenny-wren

There don't seem to be that many used TSI cars around, not close to me anyway.

I can get a used one now but it'll cost me for the privelege. I'm concerned that I'll have paid a premium to get one now (when I really need to change my car) but when I come to trade the car in in 2 or 3 years time there will be so many TSIs about that the resale value will have plumetted.

verityboo

Not all diesels have a DPF. The VAG group 1.9PD diesels do not have them fitted.

Another problem with diesels which I think should be considered are the dual mass flywheels fitted to manual cars which can fail

At 8K miles a year I would definitely go for the Petrol option