diesel vs petrol

edd78

hi there
i need a bit of advice i don't know if it's best to go for a diesel or petrol i do about 13000 miles per year. i saw two cars that i want to compare
focus 1.6 tdci on a 13 plate 13700 miles priced at £ 11962
focus 1.0 125 ecoboost on a 13 plate 14400 miles priced at 11700

so need a bit of advice if it's best to go for a diesel or petrol i do mixture of driving on motorways/town driving

benham3160

Oh heavens, that will open a can of worms.

-I'll predict now;
- One post that'll bemoan how unreliable modern diesels are;
- One post saying that the 'Ecoboost' technology is unproven;
- At least one post pointing out petrol is x-pence a litre cheaper;
- One post saying not to buy a Ford/Focus.

Ho-hum.

Realistically they're going to do a very similar thing, they're both perfectly pleasant to drive, and the values/reliability appears very similar.

I'd say drive them both, buy the one you like best. I'd go with the EcoBoost but the novelty of that engine appeals to me.

cardinalbiggles

edd78 wrote: »

hi there
i need a bit of advice i don't know if it's best to go for a diesel or petrol i do about 13000 miles per year. i saw two cars that i want to compare
focus 1.6 tdci on a 13 plate 13700 miles priced at £ 11962
focus 1.0 125 ecoboost on a 13 plate 14400 miles priced at 11700

so need a bit of advice if it's best to go for a diesel or petrol i do mixture of driving on motorways/town driving

I will say there wont be much difference between them except the 1.6 diesel will be far more economical.

I sometimes get a 1.0 Focus to use as a hire car and you could not guess it was a 1.0, in fact if actually feels (and sounds with its 3 cyclinder engine) like a diesel. Its mpg is not good on 70mph motorway journeys, you would get more from the diesel easily.

I have not driven a diesel Focus but I have a diesel and I quite liked the Ecoboost Focus.

Those 13 plate cars have horrible depreciation, were they not like 19k new?

roonaldo

I'd go for neither and get the 2.0 td engine, at least it will have some power.

maxmycardagain

13,000 miles a year?

there wont be any savings by having a diesel car

1. Diesel cars are dearer than petrol cars to buy
2. Diesel is dearer than petrol
3. Most diesels achieve 10mpg more than a petrol AT BEST, some dont
4. Diesels need more servicing
5. A broke diesel is a money pit big time

Iceweasel

maxmycardagain wrote: »

13,000 miles a year?

there wont be any savings by having a diesel car
Perhaps there will be.

1. Diesel cars are dearer than petrol cars to buy
Correct but there are more diesels than petrols to choose from.
2. Diesel is dearer than petrol
Yes - but only in the UK and a small number of other countries where the tax on fuel is daft.
3. Most diesels achieve 10mpg more than a petrol AT BEST, some dont
True - but some achieve MUCH more - my 2 litre diesel gets 20mpg more than the equivalent petrol engined model.
4. Diesels need more servicing
Mine doesn't - it's exactly the same.
5. A broke diesel is a money pit big time
Possibly if you are foolish enough not to have a manufacturer's used car warranty.

Then there is the performance - my diesel is more powerful and has better acceleration that the petrol model. More low down torque too - so less gear changes and easier overtaking.

I'll probably never buy another petrol-engined car.

OP - if you're doing a mix of motorway and town driving there should be no downside to a diesel.

dktreesea

Iceweasel wrote: »

Then there is the performance - my diesel is more powerful and has better acceleration that the petrol model. More low down torque too - so less gear changes and easier overtaking.

I'll probably never buy another petrol-engined car.

OP - if you're doing a mix of motorway and town driving there should be no downside to a diesel.

Likewise. I have a 1.9 litre diesel that gives way better fuel economy than the 1.8 litre petrol car I had prior to the switch.

cardinalbiggles

Iceweasel wrote: »

I'll probably never buy another petrol-engined car.

I agree it would have to be a major saving for me not to go with diesel again.

sh0597

Nothing wrong with either choice.


I'd choose the diesel.

facade

To answer the op's question, in this instance I'd go for the diesel.

I've driven 1 litre 3 cylinder cars, they are very thirsty on the motorway, if the ecoboost gets 120bhp out of the engine (I really have no idea) it will be at the expense of massive fuel consumption.

Hotspur

The answer depends on your percentage mix of driving and what you need in a car for your style of driving. In general diesels are better where the majority of journeys are over 15+ miles giving the engine time to warm up and become more efficient. They also have greater torque which makes for improved acceleration compared to a petrol engine of similar horsepower. With the advent of DPF's,which need to be 'cleaned' during travel when up to temperature (or by regeneration which burns more fuel), cars doing short journeys may require more maintenance.

Where the journeys are mainly short and around town then a petrol engine is generally more efficient. Modern petrol engines are becoming more efficient and are often a better choice for urban motorists.

I travel 12,000 miles a year, 80% of which consists of 20+ mile journeys on the motorway, dual carriageways and fast single carriageway roads, and chose a diesel Golf 2.0 TDI (my 4th diesel) primarily for its overtaking capability. However, it was a close call this time as the latest VW petrol engines are very efficient. Interestingly the 2.0 diesel is slightly more efficient than the 1.6 TDI.