Whats the point in owning a diesel currently?

[HellFire]

I'm trying to think of good reasons to own a diesel currently.

I think we all agree Petrol's sound better, but I like the turbo shove that you get with a diesel and the economy that comes with it.

I also like the economy that comes with it but when the government is charging extortionate amounts for fuel, in particular for diesel (where I live it's at 116.9 whereas petrol is 105.9) so what benefits are there in terms of economy are there?

I'm struggling to see it myself, most modern petrol's that are either N/A or even turbo charged these days are returning 30+ on the combined. My Astra returned 38.9 on a recent trip down to cornwall from yorkshire. And my brothers R26 Megane manages 31.5 combined (according to the trip computer), with similar service intervals and similar tax amounts if cars comply with euro emissions I am left thinking that Diesel drivers are finally starting to get the worst deal overall. Not to mention the initial outlay to get a diesel car over a petrol.

What are your views?

[Gizmo]

110 TDi Octavia = 60 mpg

130 TDi Superb = 48 mpg

quite a lot better than your low 30's

(BTW in the Octavia i had 70 mpg on a steady 250 mile run also)

[beeftech]

You peeps must drive like grandpa! My vRS will barely do 45mpg!

[The Jimmy]

The cost of diesel though. Not withstanding the absolute cost, have you noticed by how much the size of the gap over petrol has increased recently. It seems to have doubled almost - and that's nothing to do with tax.

[Octygone]

Lower road tax......probably lower insurance.....a lot more mpg....

The one thing I want to know is why is there such a gap between petrol and diesel ....diesel is only taxed 2p more a litre so I reckon us diesel users are sponsoring the petrol price....is there any one in the know at a petrol company

[ScoobyChris]

My view is that petrol cars have made quite big advances in recent years and the economy gap has closed substantially, as has the low-down torque/mid range grunt which used to be a diesel's forte. Petrol cars are also far more refined.

No doubt the government will force me back to (soul-less) diesel in the future but in the mean time I shall be enjoying owning and driving a petrol

Chris

[Neo_VR]

But power wise, diesels are now on a par/exceeding petrols, whilst offering relatively better economy and lower roadtax

[Tom_vRS]

But power wise, diesels are now on a par/exceeding petrols

???? Which one?

[Octygone]

???? Which one?

That's easy ...the Seats in the world touring car championships

and of course a certain person in Devon

[ScoobyChris]

and of course a certain person in Devon

Last time I checked most of the (significantly cheaper) tuned Octy's were putting out way more than a measly 260bhp :P

Chris

[Neo_VR]

???? Which one?

all of them... litre for litre

The Audi S5 3.0tdi is faster than the S5 3.0 petrol etc etc

edit: not taking tuning into account because thats irrelevent

[ScoobyChris]

So you're comparing a forced induction diesel against a normally aspirated petrol? Surely like for like would have the same?

Chris

[Octygone]

Jasons car has double its original power ....how many octy 2s are running 400bhp on here

[ScoobyChris]

Jasons car has double its original power ....how many octy 2s are running 400bhp on here

IIRC, Jase's car is a Fabia Mk1 so surely you should be comparing it to Octy Mk1's :P How many Fabia 2 diesels are running double their original power?

Chris

[yann]

diesel is more economical and pollutes less, which can only be a good thing with all the pollution caused by cars nowadays.

[mannyo]

Better economy, cheaper road tax, cheaper insurance.

Yes the fuel costs more, but even at current prices you go more miles per £. When I switched from petrol to diesel my fuel bill nearly halved, and currently I do 20K per year. My fuel bill per month is about £150, road tax on the octy is £120 and insurance £250.

[sms]

with vpower at 117ppl for petrol i get 30-40mpg depending on driving, so derv wouldnt be much better for me.

[andypandypoos]

So you're comparing a forced induction diesel against a normally aspirated petrol? Surely like for like would have the same?

Chris

like for like comparisons don't give the desired results, same reason stuff like 50-70 (or whatever) in top is used to promote the dirty diesel car

Jasons car has double its original power ....how many octy 2s are running 400bhp on here

m'brother is running pretty close to double the original power in his mk1 Octy, and I'd hazard a guess for less money too

[Dr Zoidberg]

Getting back to a slightly more sensible angle , and considering standard cars as 99% of the population will drive....

At the moment there is a new generation of smaller capacity petrol engines coming through that are giving diesels a good run for their money if you are choosing a brand new car.

As an example , you can buy a Jetta 2.0TDI with the 140bhp engine for £17900 that does 0-60 in 9.7 seconds and 48.7 mpg , or you can get a 122bhp 1.4 litre turbo petrol that does 0-60 in 9.8 seconds and 44.1 mpg and save £1700 on the purchase price (all manufacturers figures).

Diesel now costs 7% more than unleaded by me , so although you get 10% better economy in the diesel , the higher fuel price means that you are saving almost nothing on running costs.

Compare that to when I bought my Mk2 Octy , and it was a choice of a 2.0TDI that would do 50mpg , or the 2.0FSI that would realistically only do 35 with similar performance and it was a no brainer.

In a couple of years time things will quite possibly swing back in favour of diesels as new engines are developed. When you can get diesel hybrids then things will really change.

[devonutopia]

road tax £120 (£110 next year)

group 6 insurance (modified policy)

60mpg (real 55ish mpg I reckon)

Sure it cost a lot to get there, but I have a one-off. One off's don't come cheap.

[Delcac]

:popcorn:

[Neo_VR]

You petrol lot have gotta be having a giraffe with your fuel economy... on a "run" a diesel will easily see over 50mpg. case in point two years ago when i was following shiftys octy down the M6, he got somethin like 36/37mpg and i got 62mpg... same road same speed

trip back from WSM and i was doing well into three figures (KM) for most of it and still got 39mpg

[vindaloo]

I'm trying to think of good reasons to own a diesel currently.

I think we all agree Petrol's sound better, but I like the turbo shove that you get with a diesel and the economy that comes with it.

I also like the economy that comes with it but when the government is charging extortionate amounts for fuel, in particular for diesel (where I live it's at 116.9 whereas petrol is 105.9) so what benefits are there in terms of economy are there?

I'm struggling to see it myself, most modern petrol's that are either N/A or even turbo charged these days are returning 30+ on the combined. My Astra returned 38.9 on a recent trip down to cornwall from yorkshire. And my brothers R26 Megane manages 31.5 combined (according to the trip computer), with similar service intervals and similar tax amounts if cars comply with euro emissions I am left thinking that Diesel drivers are finally starting to get the worst deal overall. Not to mention the initial outlay to get a diesel car over a petrol.

What are your views?

I s'pose it comes down to what sort of response you like from your engines and how often you prefer to frequent the petrol station forecourt.

I can think of reasons to dismiss owning a diesel. Low miles per year, no longer trips, short journeys to work (<10miles).

J.

[Blade404]

diesel is more economical and pollutes less, which can only be a good thing with all the pollution caused by cars nowadays.

Just because diesel produces less CO2 doesn't mean it pollutes any less than petrol, diesel emissions are more toxic than that of petrol.

The amount miles I do a year doesn't warrant a diesel and I much prefer the engine in my current car :thumbup: to any diesel I've driven.

[HellFire]

Is now a better time than ever to have an LPG conversion? The cost at my nearest fuelling station that does LPG (about 5 miles away) is around 50p, which is half that of Petrol and 67p cheaper than Diesel where I live. Despite the recent price hike in LPG I still believe it is a good move for all those who do 15,000+ miles a year. Especially given that some LPG fitters are now charging just £1,000 to get it fitted!