BMW convert

[ex750]

Picking up my new (to me) Elegance next Weds

A friend of mine bought an SE saloon recently and I used it on a trip to France, and was so impressed I came home and immediately started looking. I have/had a BMW 750iL and was amazed to find the Superb had more rear legroom than the Beemer, even though the Beemer is a 'stretch' model. In Elegance trim, there seem to be a similar number of 'toys', and after a period of sub 20mpg mileage in the 750 I can't argue with the fuel figures either!

I had my heart set on a 140PS oil burner, but they seem to be so much more expensive than their petrol equivalents that it would take forever to recoup the difference - the price premium for diesel when new seems to be magnified when used, with like-for-like diesels about £2000 more than the petrol equivalent! At about 10,000 miles a year, a petrol car comes in at (38mpg x 1.329/l = 263 gallons) total £1600, while the diesel costs (51mpg x 1.389/l = 196 gallons) total £1240. All else being equal - not that it ever is - that means it would take me five years to recoup the extra £1800 or so for a year-old car.

So with that in mind, I bought an 'll plate Elegance 1.8 from my local dealer for 15k, with 40,000 already on its clock. Bit expensive for the mileage, but got a cracking deal on the Beemer which in todays market is worth fourpence. Looking forward to some trips with economy figures starting with a 3, or even occasionally a 4, rather than regular 2's and a fair handful of 1's! My favourite colour combination of black bodywork and cream leather too, and hopefully get back to gadget goodness - the Beemer wouldn't pick up TV because it had an analog tuner and we're all digital now, and it never accepted my phone so I had to maintain a second contract for the ones built in to the dash and rear armrest.

Edited 26 July, 2012 by ex750

[Cemesis]

Same position as me. Went from an M5 to a Greenline. Quite a difference but I do enough mileage that it makes a big difference to my pocket.

[Noddy90]

Hey, great news about the purchase! The Superb is a fantastic car.

Now, I don't want to p*** on your strawberries too much, but I'm finding fuel economy is the weakest part of the 1.8TSI Elegance package. I bought my car about a fortnight ago at 57,000 miles with full, bullet-proof history and one careful (no, really) owner. Since then, I've installed a K&N filter, changed the plugs, cleaned the injectors, had an oil change, over-inflated the tyres and, after 800 miles, I STILL can't get above 33-34mpg. And this is with me driving as if I'm in a hearse, mostly on flat 'A' roads! The maxi-dot over-read by 7.24% on the first fill, then by about 3% on the second (go figure) - you must do brim-to-brim to get a true reading.

I think you'll still be miles ahead of your BMW, but I'd be very surprised indeed if you got anywhere near 40mpg.

Whatever, enjoy your car; not so much worrying about the petrol already!

[Cemesis]

On my test drive of a 1.8TSI estate I struggled to get 40mpg so opted for the greenline instead. I actually wanted something slower than the M5 as I kept winding me up that everyone drove to slowly. Now I'm one of them

[JB.]

A friend of mine bought an SE saloon recently and I used it on a trip to France,

I'm just amazed your friend let anyone take away his new Superb, and not just for a short drive, but all the way to France and back. I don't even let my wife drive my Superb!

[BilboBaggins]

I have the 1.6CR twindoor and usual fuel consumption is real 53mpg on mix of dual carraigeway and rural roads. Superb cruises a dream at 70, but feels really nice at 56-60 mph and returns great mpg

Enjoy hoggin nearside lane of A90 at steady 60 with cruise on, especially when moving between work locations

[Glen Mansbridge]

I have the 1.8 TSI 6 speed manual estate and the long term fuel consumption (2) on Maxidot is showing about 43 mpg. I do mostly journeys of at least 50 miles, often over 100 and driving at sedate speeds I can see 47-50 mpg on Maxidot. Driving around town or in heavy traffic, it drops to 20 - 30 mpg.

Enjoy your car!

[PAW3001]

Welcome to the club. I'm an ex 5 series man. Moved to the 1.8TSI DSG estate in Elegance trim.

I have achieve mileages of 47mpg with motorway. But average around 35mpg with mixed driving.

1 year on and I don't regret my move to the Skoda. In fact I love surprising people with how good it is.

[smf1007]

All else being equal - not that it ever is - that means it would take me five years to recoup the extra £1800 or so for a year-old car.

All else isn't equall though. You have to look at whole life costs including maintenance (possibly cheaper), tax, insurance, and then the residual value. It could be a lot closer than you think.