Petrol v Diesel

Diesel never has been cost effective if you only do low annual milages. Bear in mind also that the new Focus diesel, in line with many others, has a diesel particulate filter fitted. This makes it unsuitable for doing lots of short, low speed runs without some faster use in between.

I can't vouch for its accuracy, but there is a lot of data here:

Chris

Without any doubt diesel wins every time because the engine is so much more efficient. You will get at least a 25% increase in mileage per gallon of fuel... and for the 1.6 this should be maybe as high as 50% increase in mileage. The only thing that annoys me is that the few pennies difference in petrol versus diesel prices has increased to 10's of pennies difference!...but it is still worthwhile going diesel.

Beware of the dual-mass flywheel issue. Don't know if Focus diesels still use them, but my 2003 1.8TDCi certainly did; it lasted 50k miles before self destructing and landing me with a four-figure bill. Rather common, apparently - see Honest John among other references, or ask your Ford dealer's service manager. Not just Ford, either, these things are found on many modern diesels to make them behave more like a petrol engine, i.e. smoother. As others have said, if you're doing a big mileage, the reduced fuel consumption and a three-year warranty will make it worthwhile. Otherwise, avoid the diesels unless something's changed.

I still have the TDCi, by the way, and it does 39mpg.

...if you do 25,000 or more a year, then yes. Otherwise (at the moment) no, buy the petrol.

Tim..

In message , David Millen writes

Sounds like you have a problem. I used to get 41 mpg from a 1.6 petrol Focus and currently get 47mpg from a 2.0 TDCi Focus. That's not hanging about either.

It depends so much on how and where you drive though.

My 1.8 petrol has only to my knowledge achieved 40+ mpg once, on a long, constant speed motorway trip.

My normal average is around 33!

Chris

The 1.8 and 2.0 Zetec E were never famous for economy though. The 1.6 Zetec SE was much better and the 1.8 TDCi should be better than all of the above.

My (56) 1.8 TDCi hatch will happily do 500 miles to a tank before flashing up the 50 mile warning light, but many things need to be taken into account to make a definative judgement.

Purchase price, ownership duration, annual mileage, residual value, fuel costs, driving style, road fund licence all have an effect...

If you're doing 3,000 miles per year and you're the car for 10 years then you're probably better off financially with the petrol; whereas if you're covering 30,000 miles pa and only keeping it for 2 years then the diesel will no doubt cost less...

Do the maths. The Diesel should return 45-50mpg, the petrol will be closer to 30-35.

Maybe, but I've driven the car over 35,000 miles, regularly serviced at main dealer. I rented a 1.6 petrol Focus recently, and got 34 from that, which served to reinforce my view that diesel ain't worth it. The higher maintenance costs, and the higher cost per litre, overwhelm a 15% improvement in fuel economy.

On Wed, 09 Jul 2008 00:43:06 +0200, David Millen wrote Re Re: Petrol v Diesel:

Exactly.

My previous 1.8 zetec would do 34-36mpg depending on run, seemingly no matter how it was driven. I usually drive "briskly" but seldom over 4500rpm.

Tim..

I have a 2006 Focus Mk2 1.6 T-VCT Petrol. I am currently getting 44.3mpg, over 530 miles per tank.

Secrets? - 1) DON'T use supermarket petrol - I used to get 33mpg using Tesco's - 2) Train yourself to accelerate SLOWLY (unless a real emergency) - 3) Think ahead - sharp corner ahead? - take foot off go pedal and aim to hit corner at a speed you can take safely WITHOUT braking. Look ahead to traffic lights - red? do the same. Avoid braking as much as possible - braking is WASTED energy - LOTS - preserve your momentum. - 4) Stick to 70 - 75 mph on motorways, even an extra 1 mph at that speed is a dramatic increase in fuel consumption.

THINK - what am I going to do with the extra minute I have saved when I have arrived?

In general, if you think ahead and treat driving as a game of chess it becomes truly more enjoyable and you can get to your destination in the same amount of time, refreshed.

In message , Icky Thwacket wrote

You will probably find that irrespective of brand and retail chain all the petrol for an area comes out of the same storage tank from the closest refinery.