Best cars for 100+ mile commute

energy1x

Apologies if asked before... I searched but most posts few years back.

Started a new job, commute by train is 1hr 30mins, car is 1hr 15-20mins.

Looking for the cheapest car to commute the distance which door to door is 120 miles, up to 3 days a week. Other days would be work from home or other travelling (not commute/car).

Are the usual assumptions still correct, diesel cheaper etc? I've been looking so far at various Skodas, Kia, Fiestas and Golf's. Budget is up to £4,000.

Any help appreciated!

DUTR

For 10 minutes , let the train take the strain, plus you can have a nap on the train there and back, no such luck driving.

energy1x

Sticking point is the train times in the morning aren't flexible/early enough - only 1 train an hour.

Work is a good 2 miles from the nearest station also.

sevenhills

Something like this, 80+ mpg


https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/208-Peugeot-Allure-1-6-Diesel/123577514677?hash=item1cc5cb3ab5:g:uG0AAOSw-4JcLmEL

System

Diesel and I disagree with the above suggestions. You want a motorway mileage muncher, not a small hatchback. 120 miles later getting out of an Octavia, Mondeo, Insignia etc you'll feel a whole lot better than getting out of a Golf, Fiesta, Pug 20x/30x.

The larger cars are also more likely to come with features that make the journey more pleasant as standard, i.e cruise control. The Fiesta only has it on one model of trim as standard.

jimbo6977

Suzuki Celerio is the cheapest, most efficient car out there but wouldn't be most people's choice due to being small and lacking toys.

sevenhills

jimbo6977 wrote: »

Suzuki Celerio is the cheapest, most efficient car out there but wouldn't be most people's choice due to being small and lacking toys.

But only Fuel economy: 72 mpg

DUTR

Tarambor wrote: »

Diesel and I disagree with the above suggestions. You want a motorway mileage muncher, not a small hatchback. 120 miles later getting out of an Octavia, Mondeo, Insignia etc you'll feel a whole lot better than getting out of a Golf, Fiesta, Pug 20x/30x.

The larger cars are also more likely to come with features that make the journey more pleasant as standard, i.e cruise control. The Fiesta only has it on one model of trim as standard.

Golf is a different size car to a Fiesta (which is Polo size), my Golf has CC as standard, and certainly munches the miles, ut are the cars you mention £4K budget?

Mercdriver

It's not really about the size of car on long commutes, but the comfort of the seat. You need good lumbar support (well at least I do!) for long drives. You can get lumbar support in seats at Golf size level...

mcpitman

DUTR wrote: »

For 10 minutes , let the train take the strain, plus you can have a nap on the train there and back, no such luck driving.

My initial thoughts until OP mentioned train times/availability etc

energy1x wrote: »

Apologies if asked before... I searched but most posts few years back.

Started a new job, commute by train is 1hr 30mins, car is 1hr 15-20mins.

Looking for the cheapest car to commute the distance which door to door is 120 miles, up to 3 days a week. Other days would be work from home or other travelling (not commute/car).

Are the usual assumptions still correct, diesel cheaper etc? I've been looking so far at various Skodas, Kia, Fiestas and Golf's. Budget is up to £4,000.

Any help appreciated!

I have done a similar commute until about a year ago. I have an insignia diesel, good trim level. Nice comfy car, on long runs will give 55mpg+ even without hypermiling techniques. Cruise control, sat nav etc.


I have taken this car through 100k of motorway miles, with no more issues than general tyres etc and regular servicing. Service interval on the insignia is 20k miles, which is handy too.


The advantage of motorway running is miles per repair seem to increase as everything warms up nicely, and the brakes clutch etc are used proportionally less than town driving.


As others have said, if you are spending that much time in a car, make sure it is a nice comfortable place to be, lots of options out there.

Herzlos

Have you tried spending 3+ hours a day in a car? It's boring. Really, really, boring.
In the car you've got the radio or an audio book, but you're otherwise stuck. On the train you've got a nice seat, can work/read/nap/wander and so on. 2 miles at the other end isn't too bad, depending on the roads you could cover that in a bike easily enough.



How long does the commute actually take? Is it 1h:20 according to google maps or have you tried it at rush hour?
Some road works, bad timing or just congestion could easily push that to 2 hours each way.
My commute (50 miles) can take anything from 1-2 hours depending on where I get stuck.