Diesel auto estate over 40mpg?

[LittleGreyCat]

Hi,

I have posted a 'wanted' ad but I thought I would ask a general question also.

Do the 'middle aged' large Volvo estates do over 40mpg in diesel variant with auto box?

I am gradually working up from 35mpg in my 740 manual diesel estate by treating it very gently and doing around 60-65mph on long motorway runs.

A friend with a much more recent V70 was getting 45-50 mpg on gentle long runs but I don't think I could afford one.

I understand there is a point (late 940 perhaps?) when the mpg improves a lot, but I guess I will lose some mpg using an auto box.

Any recommendations as to which model I should be looking at with a budget of £4k or less?

Auto diesel estates seem a bit thin on the ground - have looked in AutoTrader.

TIA

Dave R

[dodgyken]

FYI

@ 97p per litre

@ 35mpg costs 12.6p per mile in fuel
@ 40mpg costs 11p per mile in fuel
@ 45mpg costs 9.8p per mile in fuel

If your current car is working well, is reliable and cheap(ish) to run then keep hold of your £4000 - I estimate that it will take 143000 miles (at current fuel prices) for you to break even by moving from a 35mpg to a 45mpg car!!!

If you dont need to change the best way to save money on a car is not to buy a newer one!!!

[LittleGreyCat]

Ah!
Not as much information as in the 'Wanted' ad.
I need to change, if only for the reason that my Lady Wife cannot easily drive the manual 740.

Given that I am planning to change vehicle, I am looking for the best value for money.

MPG therefore does come into the equation, hence the question.

We bought the 760 Turbo many years ago because it was a lot of car for the money, and similar MPG calculations showed that the overall package was good value even with low 20s MPG.

So perhaps I can supplement the question with "...or is there a petrol version which compensates for lower MPG with lower second hand price?"

Cheers

Dave R

[st5ve]

Hi,
I have a 850 tdi auto, it has done 130k and has been well taken care of, on a long run Cornwall to Glasgow making good progress she will do 38-40mpg, at a more sedate pace she will do 45mpg. On local trips it varies from 36-38mpg.

A few people say the auto and diesel do not go but I was pleasantly suprised they are very good cars and not at all sluggish. I hope this helps.

[dodgyken]

I wasnt trying to be flippant - just I know from personal experience filling a car up with fuel although being the most visible cost of ownership is far from being the most expensive.

The first Volvo diesel to really win the thumbs up from the motoring press was the 163PS D5 found in the S60, V70 (2001+) and S80. It is an excellant unit once the gearbox has adapted to your driving style.

The early 2.5 140PS units are good - but are a lot noisier - and are slower and offer no better economy.

Diesels are normally well matched to a diesel - the autobox being good at utilising diesels abundanace of torque.

If it has to be a BIG estate then you can rule out the V40. Considered by many to be the runt of the 90s Volvo family - it is certainly not a bad car. The chassis and engines are shared with ironically named Mitsubishi Charisma - who pioneered direct injection petrol engines. My father runs a T-plate V40 1.8 - and gets 38mpg on a motorway run @ 70-75mph. Meanwhile my V70 T5 was returning 33mpg on the same journey/speed!!

Diesels - certainly modern ones - tend to have higher residues because of their mpg advantage - but it will take a long time to get the money back.

A quick look at www.pwcars.co.uk - a good independent - gives you a choice of:

V40 2.0 140BHP - 1998 - fully loaded £4300
960 2.5 170BHP - 1994 - fully loaded £4000
850 2.5 144BHP - 1996 - £4000 - 2 of them!!
850 T5 225BHP - 1997 - £3500 - more fun per mile than the others

if you want a cheap Volvo - then take an 850 or S70 saloon!!

[bobcat]

With a budget of 4k i would be looking at a mint 850 tdi or a p1 v70 again in mint cond.

these will do similar mpg to the d5's and cost a lot less to buy and maintain.

they can also be remapped to give better performance.

ive often thought about a d5, but even with me doing £200 a month in fuel with the r, a d5 would take about 2-3 years to get the money back, and considering mine is cheaper to run in terms of servicing and parts (from breakers etc) that 2-3 years could be even more.

and with the r being much quicker and more smooth i sticking with it. Its very hard to look past fuel consumption these days, but you need to look at the overal picture.

so i say get a p1 v70 tdi, similar economy to a d5, alot cheaper to buy and run and overall.

[seany]

Hi,

I have posted a 'wanted' ad but I thought I would ask a general question also.

Do the 'middle aged' large Volvo estates do over 40mpg in diesel variant with auto box?

I am gradually working up from 35mpg in my 740 manual diesel estate by treating it very gently and doing around 60-65mph on long motorway runs.

A friend with a much more recent V70 was getting 45-50 mpg on gentle long runs but I don't think I could afford one.

I understand there is a point (late 940 perhaps?) when the mpg improves a lot, but I guess I will lose some mpg using an auto box.

Any recommendations as to which model I should be looking at with a budget of £4k or less?

Auto diesel estates seem a bit thin on the ground - have looked in AutoTrader.

TIA

Dave R


I would be genuinely surprised to find a diesel auto that betters mid - high 30's mpg average.

I currently run an S60 D5 Auto .... achieivng 37mpg ave mixed, 31 mpg ave mostly urban. A long steady run pushes it into v high 40's, maybe even v low 50's at the 'recommended' 56mph