Spec me a motorway car

Typhoon2000

I wonder if anyone can help with suggest for a good motorway car. I do 150 motorway mile to work and back every day (75 eachway). Around 40000 miles a year. I have always had small city type cars 9no real reason other than they seem to be cheap). My current car is 2010 Yaris 1.3. I bought it with 30K on the clock and now its nudging 200Kmiles, needs a new clutch and suspension, so it time for a new car. Its been utterly reliable - oil and filter changes, tires and brakes - no other costs in all those miles (chain not belt so no cost there either) other than £30 road tax and issue free MOT's.


I drive against traffic so its pretty much 70mph for most of the journey with some up hill sections and overtaking lorries and such (which kills the MPG at the moment as I really have to rev the thing). A the moment I get around 10 miles to a litre of unleaded (not sure what that's works out as in mpg). I am wondering if a car with a bigger engine would be more economical for the motor at 70mph and a little more power to overtake and keep up speed on uphill sections? I see these cars with small engines advertised as 60+mpg on the combined cycle but I know that on typical motor journeys unless you drive at 55mph, they drink petrol and you get now where near this.


I have up to 10K to spend on a car with upto 30K on the clock in anticipation of it lasting me 4 years and another 160Kmiles with little expense on maintenance and servicing. I wonder in the modern turbos, intercoolers, diesel particulate filters etc you find on modern cars will go to 200Kmile without needing costly replacement?


I drive on my own, 2 seats is plenty, I don't need a big boot, or a badge. The only luxury I need is a basic radio and air-conditioning. I would like a bit more oomph than the Yaris and also better mpg. Golf sized minimum for perceived safety in a crash and airbags. I would rather have little to wrong than plenty of bells and whistles. Not worried about residuals (after 200Kmiles most things are not worth much). Reliability is important to me. Everyone seems to be driving diesels these days, but I fear the maintenance costs after high miles (turbos, dpf etc). I can change the oil and filter myself. The longer the car can stay away from a garage for servicing the better (at the moment I change the oil myself every 12k and take it to the dealers for a service every 24K or so).


Any one with suggestions for a replacement for the Yaris? I have upto £10K to spend, and would like it to last me 4 years at 40K miles a year. I am employed so cant write anything off tax. I tried driving at 55-60mph to safe fuel but could do it for more than a couple of days. Having to speed up to 70-75 to pass and maintain speed on the uphill bits seems to use up more fuel than just sticking to 70 all the way.

Thanks for reading

forgotmyname

Personally i would go for a larger family sized car. A lot more comfortable at those mileages.

Focus or Mondeo Diesel.

Richard53

Typhoon2000 wrote: »

A the moment I get around 10 miles to a litre of unleaded (not sure what that's works out as in mpg). I am wondering if a car with a bigger engine would be more economical for the motor at 70mph and a little more power to overtake and keep up speed on uphill sections?

10 miles to a litre is 45.5 mpg, roughly. I would have said that was fairly poor for a small car driven as you say. My 2-litre diesel Mondeo will reliably do well over 50 mpg in the same conditions, and is a comfy old barge into the bargain.

chrisw

Any of the rep mobiles, it's what they were designed for - Mondeo, Insignia, BMW 1 or 3 series, Audi A3/A4, Mazda 6, etc, etc.

mcpitman

chrisw wrote: »

Any of the rep mobiles, it's what they were designed for - Mondeo, Insignia, BMW 1 or 3 series, Audi A3/A4, Mazda 6, etc, etc.

As above.

OP - personally I have an insignia (I know some people hate them but for mway cruising you are doing exactly as they were designed to do), doing near enough same miles as you are.

Managed to pull 52mpg at about 80% mway and 20% town miles. Now with a remap pulling closer to 58mpg when cruising at 70mph on cruise control.

Comfy, big, air con, and nav/radio, and all other specs you could want.

2.0l 160bhp diesel (pre remap), no issues with the dreaded dpf as the mway miles help that issue.

GoldenShadow

Richard53 wrote: »

10 miles to a litre is 45.5 mpg, roughly. I would have said that was fairly poor for a small car driven as you say. My 2-litre diesel Mondeo will reliably do well over 50 mpg in the same conditions, and is a comfy old barge into the bargain.

My 1.2 Sest Ibiza got this amount, as does my 1.4 Fiesta.

mcpitman wrote: »

As above.

OP - personally I have an insignia (I know some people hate them but for mway cruising you are doing exactly as they were designed to do), doing near enough same miles as you are.

Managed to pull 52mpg at about 80% mway and 20% town miles. Now with a remap pulling closer to 58mpg when cruising at 70mph on cruise control.

Comfy, big, air con, and nav/radio, and all other specs you could want.

2.0l 160bhp diesel (pre remap), no issues with the dreaded dpf as the mway miles help that issue.

I was going to suggest an Insignia. My OH is looking to get one and they are obviously very popular for long journeys because a lot up for sale aren't thst old but have a lot on the clock. OH is looking at the 2l 160bhp (not that he needs it, but will he listen...).

Iceweasel

As several others have said what you need is a motorway cruiser.

BMW, Audi, Insignia etc. will all do the job adequately.

If you are going to spend that amount of time in your car every day then you want it to be pleasant and relaxing - not necessarily luxury - so why spend it in a small car that is not suited to the task.

I would do all your sums again perhaps and not just plan on 4 years from it.

Buy at 2 years old and sell at 5 might prove to be more economical.

colino

Get a 1.8 petrol Vectra or Signum and enjoy cheap motoring and throw away the car every two years.

harveybobbles

Spend £2000 on a big old S class or 7 Series and waft along

wba31

If you had more to spend the 1.6 diesel honda civic would be awesome, but i think you'd struggle to pick one up for £10k (although have a look, i might be wrong).

You could find many a 2.2 diesel civic which are great cars, but smaller engine has better MPG.

BeenThroughItAll

Volvo S80, V70 or similar. Get a five or six year old D5 which will happily do 50+MPG on a run like that, and you'll get out without aches or pains, and cruise in quiet comfort with lots of toys to play with.

Either that or a Skoda Superb. Big, comfy, reliable. Get an early shape one with a 1.9TDI PD motor and it will happily run for 400K miles with regular oil changes, and you could spend less than 4K for a top-spec Elegance with *all* the toys, and keep 6K in an ISA for any repairs needed along the way.