Rear wheel drive diesel mpg ?

[baggy798]

Official fuel consumption figures for redblock NA/LPT/HPT vs D24TIC. Auto and manual.

[Prufrock]

Originally Posted by rwdkev

You can't argue with published figures as they are an "apples for apples" comparison. The case for buying the diesel vs the petrol when new would have been based on the fuel prices at that time being offset against the initial purchase prices. I've no idea what they were back in 1987.......

1987 fuel prices are easily found on the web, I was buying fuel in 1987 and running these cars for Volvo.

But another point you have missed is that probably very few, if any, of us here have bought a D24 new. We do not need to worry about initial purchase price or depreciation. Buying used the vehicle price is as good as the same for either fuel. Thus, the minute you turn the key you benefit from better fuel consumption with the diesel.

I haven't missed the point that none of you would have bought a new D24 (doubt even those of you old enough could have afforded one), I thought naively that you might have been interested in the data when that were (new that is)

We all know that Government cycle fuel consumption figures mean nothing in the real world but in the real world my experiences have been far more positive than yours it appears. My father ran a 745 B230K M47 for 10 years and replaced it with a 945 D24 M90. On the same journeys he has consistently seen a 10 mpg improvement for 15 years! I then ran the same 745 and later a 945 D24 M46 where I got 8 mpg. That's appreciable in my book!

The contemporary figures are a benchmark and should not be confused with the recent scandals apropos emission and fuel consumption - I find the fuel consumption figures for the 745GLa with the B230K pretty much spot on over nearly 30 years of experience with one - if driven carefully and 700s do require a change of driving habit to get the best out of them, I can get near 40mpg on a run.

Perhaps this difference was because all our cars were manual whereas yours were automatics.......? I notice you have mentioned maintenance costs being higher on the diesel. Did you invest in pump timing check and injector reconditioning at the intervals recommended by Volvo? If not, that would help explain the apparent poor consumption of your diesel, although you mention no actual figure.

My own D24 equipped car was a one owner before me and a cherished car with all the correct maintenance from new. And maintenance on diesels then and now is higher than for a petrol version.

"my own experience ...... leads me to conclude that there's a poor argument for the diesel"

There was poor economic argument for the D24 when new, that is why so few were sold in the UK - diesels were not popular in the 1980s in the UK and carried a heavy price premium as I have shown. This NOT to say it is a BAD car.

"then" - the fuel prices from back then will help with that argument but it all depends on what you consider to be an acceptable pay back period once you have also factored in service costs..........

"today" - used vehicle prices and my own fuel figures prove otherwise

"there is a fault in this comparison which may favour the TD". Can you please explain?

Jon
700/900 Register Keeper VOC.