I am thinking of buying a new Fabia Estate 3. I do about 12-15k mainly going back and forth to work and the diesel seems a good option. Putting aside the MPG and cost of diesel vs Petrol comparison does anyone have any views as to which is actually the best engine for my type of town and motorway driving?

how much motorway and how much town driving do you do? Also if running costs are to be considered, how long do you plan to keep the car for. You will save a £110 - £120 a year on road tax alone if you go for the diesel. Me being a cheapo man means I will be going for the diesel when my wife and I are ready to order.

I would go for the 1.4 TDi PD80. It is only £35 road tax at the moment.

907

Another vote for the diesel.

I've driven a Roomster with the 1.4TDI and really liked the engine , and having driven a 1.2 12v petrol Fabia this week I wasn't at all impressed by the fuel economy at motorway speeds. I can't imagine the 1.4 petrol being noticably better.

I'm not that sold on diesel, the fuel tax is advantageous at the moment, but there's no guarantee that will stay so. I did the calculations and I would have taken at least a couple of years just to break even. Add the noisy engine and after a good test drive, I went for the 1.4 16v.

To be honest, the performance of the 1.4 petrol car suits my journey perfectly. You do more miles than me, so the economics of the diesel will work better for you.

The price differential for diesel is up to 13p per litre in some areas. That makes it much harder to claw back the extra cost.

Diesel pays if you don't have to pay a premium. If I'd gone diesel, I would have gone for the 1.9 tdi, not the 3-pot.

I have had the 80bhp diesel for two months and have motored about 1600 on 3.5 tanks of fuel which is ? I came from an A class CDI160 auto with 75 bhp. That did about 50+ and was heavy and sluggish with the auto. But as a 4 pot it was comfortable and quiet within and I think that had I looked at both 1.4 & 1.9 I probably would have had the 1.9. Prior to 1999 I had the Seat 1.9 TD and that certainly did late 40's to the gallon and performed very well. It seems that the 3 pot needs to have a bit more refinement as overall it maybe does not get the mpg we might expect.

Aside I may invest in some sound proofing finsulation to go under that already fitted to the bonnet which is not quality stuff. £100 investment and cut out some shapes might well reduce the internal noise likewise insulating the rear spare tyre well.

Still happy with my first Fabia.

The biggest disappointment of my otherwise excellent Fabia experience is the 1.4 TDI fuel economy and the rising Diesel cost.

I do mainly motorway miles and the smaller engine has no economy adavantage over my wifes 2.0 TDI Passat on the motorway!

The difference between Petrol and Diesel is only going to get bigger. Predictions are 20p per litre in the near future.

Test drive the two and go for the one you like the drive of best.

I was originally looking at the 1.6 vs the 1.9TDi.

I haven't driven a 1.6 so can't say what that is actually like compared to the 1.9 but I imagine it's main advantage is it will be quieter and probably a bit sportier to drive.

My main reason for choosing the diesel was economy. Especially with what (on paper at least) is a big difference between 40mpg in the 1.6 and 57 in the 1.9.

I don't mind the extra bit of noise. I only tend to notice it when cold or just doing town driving. However, you don't need to rev the diesel at all. In my normal driving round town, I rarely exceed 2000rpm unless I need to pull away quickly. Sometimes I barely get over 1500rpm if I'm trying for economy!

Gives me at least 45mpg in short journeys in traffic and over say 5 miles of town driving in light traffic it can be nearer 55mpg. Motorways give about 60mpg when cruising at 70 and A / B roads at a gentle 45-55mph can give nearer 70mpg if I'm gentle.

Even with the extra cost of diesel, I still think I made the right choice.

I have driven the 1.2 70bhp petrol round town over the last couple of days and was surprised how nippy and free-revving that was. Not sure how good it would be on the motorway either.

Also, the average economy on the trip computer (overall on a car with 2400 miles on) was only showing 35mpg which I didn't think was that great. Although it was a courtesy car and if everyone else drove it like I did it might explain why the economy wasn't so good...

I'm getting a consistent 42-43 mpg on my normal commute on A and B roads (average speed 27-30 mph) based on brimming the tank. The trip computer varies from 41 - 45 mpg depending on traffic.

I must admit I haven't done any long trips since the day we picked it up. I drive over and alongside the M25 on B roads rather than get stuck in the traffic,

I'm kind of coming around to going for the diesel. I know it costs more, as does the Diesel itself, but I tend to keep my car for a while. Going to place my order next week... been told at least a 12 week wait

Groundsman; Why not go for a dealers pre registered model they are often very well spec'd. Prior to purchasing a pre-reg with 25 miles on the clock I had always bought new new but with a saving of £2000 on my 3 1.4 TDI it was no contest. With what you save buyyourself a nice registration plate, I have had 3 numbers / letters for 10 years now and that is now worth £900. Do something different tonight.

Have to agree about a dealers pre-reg. Did the same with mine - you can save a lot of cash,

Been phoning around my local dealers and none seem to have spec 3 Met Black estate ! Maybe you have to compromise on the exact spec for the price?

Groundsman try autotrader on line that always seems to have a wide selection but you must be prepared to travel. If the saving is good then 100 miles is no problem and a nice run when you collect.

This thread prompted me to repeat some of the calcuations I did before my decision to see how the changing fuel price changed things. My calcuations revealed that the break-even point for someone doing 10,000 miles per annum for the 1.4 80 bhp TDi was the third year of ownership, provided you were light with the right foot and achieved at least 57 mpg.

However, the the 1.9 Tdi, the greater price differential and the higher VED meant that unless you do above average mileage and keep the car for up to five years, you weren't going to save any money. You buy the 1.9 tdi because you like the car, and its performance, not because you'll save money.

Buying s/h may change the calculations as you may avoid some of the initial up-front cost.

You buy the 1.9 tdi because you like the car, and its performance, not because you'll save money.

One of the main reasons why I bought mine.

Although saying that, I do about 9000 miles a year. I average (so far) 52mpg in the diesel which equates to about £1013 pa on fuel. If I had chosen the 1.6, I would probably be averaging about 36mpg which is about £1316 pa.

So thats a saving of about £300 pa.

On tax, it's £90 vs £175 in 2009 and £95 vs £180 in 2010 so thats another £85 pa.

Then even assuming they both lose about 55% of their value in 3 years, the petrol would lose £12100 x 55% = £6655 and the diesel £13100 x 55% = £7205 - a £550 difference so by my reckoning, I will be about £600 better off over 3 years/27k than if I bought the 1.6.

I guess the difference will be less with the 1.4s as their economy is a bit closer.