Mpg

[tonymcb]

Did anyone watch despatches on channel 4 on Monday night.

The Big Car Con

They were talking about how diesels were so unclean to run and that the government got it all wrong in encouraging new car buys to opt for diesels.

They also said that the MPG stated by the manufacturer was not true and that the majority of true on the road figures were on average 22% less than quoted.

They reckon the price of diesels cars will plummet and be taxed to the hilt in the very near future.

This has put the nail in the coffin for me and swayed my decision to go for the New Volvo V40 T2 T3 T4 petrol engines.

What are other members thoughts on this issue.

[JBONE]

I watched it, it was a eye opener. Worth catching up if you didnt watch it....

On the MPG note, I don't know what others get from their 2.0D's but I struggle to hit 40mpg.

[meanchris]

I've had my V50 2.0D SE for about 6 weeks.

For the first couple of weeks the computer showed around 37mpg for mostly short journeys in the (very hilly where I live) Peak District.

Once I went back to mixed local and motorway driving (work) and the DPF had self cleaned, I got 46.5 showing after a 260 mile motorway trip at the speed limit (some at GPS 75 and some at GPS 50 in the M6 roadworks), which has dropped to 44.6 over the last couple of weeks.

I guess that the computer is somewhat optimistic (as it was in my previous CLK 270CDi), so probably actually around 41-42 mpg.

The CLK showed an average mpg of 41 (true was about 39), over several thousand miles as it did very well at motorway speeds, probably due to a very good COD.

One thing I know, from having years of business mileage records, is that diesels tend to perform poorly during winter with short trips, as the fuel is less efficient due to winter mix additives and the diesel engine really needs to be hot for max efficiency, my CLK improved by over 10% mpg when I noticed that the temp gauge was reading a bit low. I measured the coolant temp at 84C and changed the thermostat, the temp then went up to 92C and that gave the mpg improvement straight away.

So, I'm waiting until warmer weather before complaining about the V50 too much. ;)

[Sasha94]

I have always said on this forum and others that diesels aren't as good as their fans have you believe and still some people won't listen. I hope the message is coming through loud and clear; I know I drive a diesel and have had lots of diesel powered cars since passing my test in 2011 and I am certain my S40 will be my last diesel if I can help it; my 127 mile a day commute is an economy killer and my 2.0D S40 appears to be powered by thin air compared to some of the cars on here as I'm getting 225 miles to £20 on my daily grind which is nearly 59 MPG and I can live with that and go to bed every night and hope to god the DMF doesn't give in or the an injector goes wonky etc and that it stays reliable at nearly 107k miles.

Any 2004 petrol car similar to my S40 you could find would doubtless scrape 30-35 MPG on my commute but new turbo petrols are nearly as economical and we are hoping to move closer to where I work, just busy saving now I'm the only one with an income after my fiancee was let go after suffering serious pregnancy complications but she is OK now, I hope to be changing for a petrol Volvo (V70 T6 hint hint ;)) next year haha

[scooby]

well i have had both t5 and d5 and loads a other cars diesels wins hands down every time on the mpg i have two cars now

v50 d5 thats doing 44.5mpg with winter tyres on

also have

clio dci 1.5 that is doing 65mpg never had a petrol car get close to that and its free tax

[Rusty1]

I think the diesel v petrol debate still centres around the same issue, how many miles do you do and what sort of journeys? The difference between 10 years ago and now is that 15k was generally acknowledged to be the threshold, now I think it’s 20k plus.

Diesels are still more economical than petrol engines but the envelope in which they have that advantage is a lot smaller than it used to be. I do 24k a year and since August 2014 my D2 has averaged 59.06 mpg, if my circumstances changed and annual mileage dropped to 20k or so I’d go back to petrol straight away.

[JBONE]

I do 12 miles a day and Nottingham to Chester & back minimum of twice a month, so its not short of decent runs. I do see some of these so called averages that people post on here and Fuelly from their 2.0D's i think how :err:

I will give it time, i've only done two fuel ups.

[ex Triumph Man]

My wife has a 62 reg C70 D3 manual. Our family pride and joy. Currently averaging 51.4 mpg on Shell V Power

Also got an XC60 D4 which hovers around the 60mpg, again using either Shell V Power or the BP equivalent. Would never use supermarket fuel. Never!

According to DVLA website, there are only 35 of these cars recorded with them. A future classic?

[SouthWestWanderer]

This page from Honest John might be of interest:

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/realmpg/volvo/v50-2004

it takes user submitted MPG figures and compares them to the manufacturers claimed data.

The only V50's that do better then stated are the 1.6 and D5.

There's also pages for the other Volvo's here:

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/realmpg/volvo

[JBONE]

Might have to give it a tank of the good stuff then to compare.

[Sasha94]

I do 12 miles a day and Nottingham to Chester & back minimum of twice a month, so its not short of decent runs. I do see some of these so called averages that people post on here and Fuelly from their 2.0D's i think how :err:

I will give it time, i've only done two fuel ups.

One major difference is the Powershift auto box; it's simply not as efficient as a manual mate. Also I have had my injectors out and professionally cleaned as well as a careful driving style, 56mph cruises with no a/c on and minimal traffic on my commute, if the wheels ever stop turning from home to work there's something wrong! Round town the car only gets c.36 MPG but I never use it, it literally only takes me to work and back, nearly 130 miles a day at 56 mph, I live 1 mile away from the junction I need and work is half a mile from the junction I have to take so the car does 124 miles a day at 56 mph constant in 6th gear on the cruise control and I accelerate as quick as possible to 56 with RPM always beginning with a 1 :) We use the C30 round town as it is the 1.6 petrol but it might have to be sold so the S40's average would drop if I used it round the doors etc

[andylinney]

Okay, bit of a comparison then in a C70 T5 auto...

I live in rural North Wales so the majority of my driving is on hilly, winding a-roads and lanes with the usual profile of acceleration to 60, hold for a few miles, 30 through the village, up to 60 and repeat ad infintum...

Average is 23.5mpg - but it's fun and lovely in the summer.

[Proghound]

I'd expect low-to-mid 50's from my manual D5 C70 on Sean94's commute.

I can average 50mpg on mine in the summer (currently 45mpg in the freezing cold), which is 20 miles each way, part dual carriageway at 60, then villages and A/B-roads 50-55 tops.

I'd probably be looking at mid-to-high 30's round North Wales. Sounds like a nice thing to try out this Summer if we get one!

[Sasha94]

Summer? In North Wales? Someone's been telling you porkies haha I'm sure andylinney would agree! I tried my best to be hard and have the roof down every day it didn't rain when I had my C70 lol Enjoy your hols over here, will be slumming it this year in my S40!

[tullyman]

Have a 2010 C70 D3, slightly under 40 in the winter, slightly over in summer, the wife's 2012 Honda Jazz 1.4 shows around mid forties, given that the Jazz is slower and a lot lighter and yet is only 6-7 mpg better I think derv has a place yet

[Wooders]

Manufacturers will tell you anything they can get away with to sell motors,so no surprises there.

The MPG was/is a selling point with diesel engines,personally I prefer the usable power (ft/lb) of a diesel, right in the normal driving rev range.

[meanchris]

Manufacturers will tell you anything they can get away with to sell motors,so no surprises there.

The MPG was/is a selling point with diesel engines,personally I prefer the usable power (ft/lb) of a diesel, right in the normal driving rev range.

Agree with that.

As someone who has owned quick petrol cars - Sierra XR4x4 with Sprintex blower - Sierra Sapphire Cosworth, 330hp - S70 T5 - Scooby etc, I like the laid back instant torque of a diesel.

The quickest vehicle away from the lights that I ever owned was, however, a 4.0l Jeep Cherokee Limited. ;)

None of the cars above did more than 30mpg (the T5 managed that on long runs) and the Jeep never managed more than 19mpg.

I got fed up with paying for petrol and being followed by the bacon. :D

[andylinney]

Summer? In North Wales? Someone's been telling you porkies haha I'm sure andylinney would agree! I tried my best to be hard and have the roof down every day it didn't rain when I had my C70 lol Enjoy your hols over here, will be slumming it this year in my S40!

Ha ha, it's always summer on Anglesey lol!

(He says looking out of his office window at the snow)

[Sasha94]

Ha ha, it's always summer on Anglesey lol!

(He says looking out of his office window at the snow)

I was so gutted this morning when I dug the S40 out then got to Llanfairfechan and there was nothing! When I got to work everyone was like snow? What snow? The joys of work being 65 miles away from home!

[abw]

I've had a 1.8 Petrol, 2.0 Diesel and 20=.0 Petrol in that order.

1.8 - 32 mpg (Manual)
2D - 45 mpg (Powershift)
2P - 34 mpg (Manual)


Moving from 1.8 to 2D was like moving to starship enterprise on warp speed!

Moving from 2D to 2P - I had to get used to the feeling that I was thrashing it. Much more aware of the higher engine revs on the motorway, otherwise performance pretty similar.

[GMcL]

This has put the nail in the coffin for me and swayed my decision to go for the New Volvo V40 T2 T3 T4 petrol engines.

What are other members thoughts on this issue.

I'd do some more reading before basing my decision on how to spend £20+k of my hard earned cash on 30 minutes TV.

Euro VI diesel NOx is 0.08, petrol is 0.06. Look at the PM emissions, both (diesel and direct injection petrol) set for 0.005, CO emissions for petrol 1.0, diesel 0.5.

In 5 years time Dispatches will have a programme how the mass switch to petrol was a mistake because CO emissions are now through the roof.

Thought it was a bit off giving the mother the guilt trip of all guilt trips saying she was harming her child when you can see from the above a direct injection petrol would be just as bad.

[andylinney]

In reality it's only fair to say that ALL engines produce harmful emissions and that dependant upon your needs, it's better to purchase a car that meets them rather than pre-empting future scandals.

It'll pass soon enough and the next fad will prevail.

Best example is the 'drone' that's constantly in the news at the moment. I've been flying RC models since 2003 and have flown many things that satisfy the unmanned aeriel vehicle category that everyone is getting excited about now, including 'quadcopters' since 2010. All of a sudden the media focus is on little plastic models that can carry a camera, calling them drones to promote the widely held misunderstanding that they're really predators carrying munitions and everyone is panicking.

In a few months everyone will get upset about something else and everyone will forget about these 'drones' until eventually the media circus rolls back over to MPG and emissions.

If it's a genuine concern buy an electric car (but then, what about the emissions from the power station, harmful lithium in the batteries etc.) or even a fuel cell car (eeek, hydrogen goes BANG...)