v40 Diesel mpg

[jeffreyt]

I'm planning to get one of my kids a diesel to replace his aging Focus for his next birthday.Had originally thought of a Fiat Punto but in case he wants something a bit bigger then a V40 is in the frame along with
VW Passat.

It will be an 02/03 vintage and I was wondering what kind of mpg you V40 diesel owners get out of vehicles of this age.

[MR BILL]

Originally Posted by jeffreyt

I'm planning to get one of my kids a diesel to replace his aging Focus for his next birthday.Had originally thought of a Fiat Punto but in case he wants something a bit bigger then a V40 is in the frame along with
VW Passat.

It will be an 02/03 vintage and I was wondering what kind of mpg you V40 diesel owners get out of vehicles of this age.

In the v40 you can expect up to 35 - 42mpg in city and 60+ mpg on the motorway the engines are bullet proof they just go on and on.

Passats are just on another level the mpg is very good but reliability is excellent so they are a tad bit expensive to buy.

v40's do clog up if they aint pushed very hard.

[DXMachina]

Originally Posted by MR BILL

Passats are just on another level the mpg is very good but reliability is excellent so they are a tad bit expensive to buy.

Forced to strongly disagree with this. I come from a Passat-friendly family, my dad and I have had 6 of them between us.

All Passats up to the introduction of the mk4 design around 1997 were great

Passats built into the 2000s with the 90 or 110 horsepower TDis are mechanically brilliant but have flaky electrics. From the introduction of the Pumpe-Duse 100/115/130/150 horsepower TDis and the subsequent 2 litre TDis the mechanical reliability has dropped to the same quality as the electricals

They have ragged wires, odd short circuits, ECUs that freak out requiring highly expensive and inconclusive investigation and frankly poor quality switches where you NEED good ones, like the auto handbrake engage switches which would spontaneously fail.

I also saw my employers go through a whole fleet of these in about 3 years and dispose of them all as they couldnt justify the running costs. They were replaced with Mondeos, amazingly enough, which proved markedly better.

[m1tch1987]

Around town - 45mpg, motorway driving - around 55-60mpg, engine is bulletproof and will last 250k+ miles.

I have avoided the german makes of cars due to shoddy build quality and electrical issues, there are very very few issues with the V/S40 1.9D, maybe need to clean the EGR every few years (3 bolts) and errrm add fuel.

[skyship007]

Originally Posted by jeffreyt

I'm planning to get one of my kids a diesel to replace his aging Focus for his next birthday.Had originally thought of a Fiat Punto but in case he wants something a bit bigger then a V40 is in the frame along with
VW Passat.
It will be an 02/03 vintage and I was wondering what kind of mpg you V40 diesel owners get out of vehicles of this age.

A FIAT PUNTO!! Mine Gott, what a terrible thought. The mpg will depend on how big your kids right boot is and the traffic, but in general terms will be about 40 to 60% more than a similar size petrol car. Not such a big difference doing in town stop-start driving, but much better on the autobahn.

The best V40 diesel is the phase 2 (2002 plus) 115hp, because it has enough power to be fun to drive, and has all the extras like AC, SIPS and roof air bags etc. The main block is a de-tuned Renault Laguna (130 hp) 1.9 TD and I know that block was probably the best one around at the time. In fact it is much tougher than the modern 1.9TDI used by VW because it was not built to a price.

If you buy a good one and service it correctly they will last a very long time, as the old V40 series were the last of the built to last Volvo's. Apart from the engine the body is also very good and there is hardly any talk of rust related problems on the forum.

Safety wise, you won't get a better car for the money than a diesel V40, as apart from the tough design, they hold the road like a sports car and have a very good braking system assuming Volvo parts have been used etc.
Try not to buy a lemon unless it's very cheap, because any older car can be degraded by poor maintenance and abuse. The 115hp diesel likes to be used, so be careful not to buy one that has spent too much time in traffic jams. The 1.9D should do instant cold starts and not smoke at any time except perhaps if you suddenly floor it and then only for a second.
Apart from smoke at hot idle (Walk around the back and look after a test drive) indicating a lemon, do check for engine or and turbo oil leaks in addition to the condition of the rear suspension links etc.
The cam belt service for all modern diesels is not cheap and does need to be done properly, preferably with Volvo parts.
The only irritating problem with the diesel V40's is the lack of a maintenance manual and the non Volvo 5W rear bulbs failing due to door slamming.

[maurice78]

We don't really have motorways here in Norway (most of the "highways" here are 50 or 55 mph), so I average around 48 mpg with my 2003 Volvo V40 1.9D on these roads which is pretty decent.

[jeffreyt]

thanks to everyone for the feedback.
I know the Fiat Punto is a step too far for most peple but Fiat's JTD unit is
actually a very good diesel engine and the 1.3 is really economical (its the rest of the car that bothers me as I will be paying for the maintenance !).
I think I will be steering him towards a V40 as the mpg looks better than I had thought for a car of this size,and I'm a V40 fan anway.
Now for a look on ebay to see what's on offer.

[Darlo 1]

I've got a 2004 v40d and have just done 350 ish miles on half a tank if that helps, and it's done just shy of 180000 miles.