Best FUN diesel workhorse for 100 mile commute
Discussion
At the moment I have an Audi TTS mapped to around 300bhp I have started a new job which is a 100 mile return commute mostly m25.
Is there a more fun car out there that will return more than the 30mpg I'm currently getting. Or the other options are:
- get a diesel banger as a daily and keep the tt for weekends
- keep the tt and front the cost of petrol and depreciation
Also I have no way of charging so an EV or hybrid not an option.
Let me know what you commute in
Is there a more fun car out there that will return more than the 30mpg I'm currently getting. Or the other options are:
- get a diesel banger as a daily and keep the tt for weekends
- keep the tt and front the cost of petrol and depreciation
Also I have no way of charging so an EV or hybrid not an option.
Let me know what you commute in
sounds like a BMW to me. BMW 330d or 335d can be mapped to 280 - 330bhp easily enough, and gets high 30s or low 40s mpg.
or a 2 series for a slightly smaller coupe more similar to a TT - a 225d has 225bhp before any remaps, and will likely get 50mpg on a cruise.
obviously if you go inside the M25 at point it'll need to be 2015 ish or newer to be ULEZ compliant.
or a 2 series for a slightly smaller coupe more similar to a TT - a 225d has 225bhp before any remaps, and will likely get 50mpg on a cruise.
obviously if you go inside the M25 at point it'll need to be 2015 ish or newer to be ULEZ compliant.
Firstly let me say that if that's a 5 day a week job you need to change jobs or move house, 2,000 miles a month and 40 - 60 hours in the car just to commute is madness, life is too short to piss it up the wall on that.
I make a 260 mile round trip once a week as my commute, from Cardiff to London for a couple of days in town and that's bad enough, I'm currently using a 5.0 XKR convertible as my commuter slag
If you set the cruise to 70, listen to an audiobook and drink coffee, and exercise self restraint surely a TTS can be nudging 40mpg? That's the whole point of using a small engine with a turbo. Book combined for that car is 38-39mpg I think, so if it's mostly a motorway commute you should be well into the 40s.
You'll get 5-10mpg better tops from a six cylinder diesel mid sized barge. Maybe worth buying a cheap one to keep the miles of your TTS if you care, but work out how an extra 10mpg will save you a month first.
I make a 260 mile round trip once a week as my commute, from Cardiff to London for a couple of days in town and that's bad enough, I'm currently using a 5.0 XKR convertible as my commuter slag
If you set the cruise to 70, listen to an audiobook and drink coffee, and exercise self restraint surely a TTS can be nudging 40mpg? That's the whole point of using a small engine with a turbo. Book combined for that car is 38-39mpg I think, so if it's mostly a motorway commute you should be well into the 40s.
You'll get 5-10mpg better tops from a six cylinder diesel mid sized barge. Maybe worth buying a cheap one to keep the miles of your TTS if you care, but work out how an extra 10mpg will save you a month first.
Edited by GeniusOfLove on Tuesday 23 April 14:27
I thought I had it rough doing an hour each way on the motorways in a diesel TT a couple of years back lol
I’ve just come in from a 2 hour round trip on the motorway and my back and neck are killing me even now I’ve got lumbar seats. I don’t think doing that run in any car would be fun to be honest.
I just hope it’s worth your while if you’re making that commute many times a week
I’ve just come in from a 2 hour round trip on the motorway and my back and neck are killing me even now I’ve got lumbar seats. I don’t think doing that run in any car would be fun to be honest.
I just hope it’s worth your while if you’re making that commute many times a week
Going back a few years I had a similar commute - Luton>Isleworth (W. London).
M1/ North Circ /Occasionally M25 if necessary.
Found it quite therapeutic/did it for 3 years,
Started off with an Impreza WRX but that didn't work out fuel wise!
Then went through a couple of Vectras (1.9CDTI and 2.2 direct) and a 1.8 petrol Mondeo.
No idea what I'd do nowadays car wise. I have a 335d which would be a lovely tool for such a commute I suspect.
Think I'd be tempted to get a cheap but reliable commuter car to wrack up the mileage and keep the TT as a weekend car.
M1/ North Circ /Occasionally M25 if necessary.
Found it quite therapeutic/did it for 3 years,
Started off with an Impreza WRX but that didn't work out fuel wise!
Then went through a couple of Vectras (1.9CDTI and 2.2 direct) and a 1.8 petrol Mondeo.
No idea what I'd do nowadays car wise. I have a 335d which would be a lovely tool for such a commute I suspect.
Think I'd be tempted to get a cheap but reliable commuter car to wrack up the mileage and keep the TT as a weekend car.
Jcp045 said:
At the moment I have an Audi TTS mapped to around 300bhp I have started a new job which is a 100 mile return commute mostly m25.
Is there a more fun car out there that will return more than the 30mpg I'm currently getting. Or the other options are:
- get a diesel banger as a daily and keep the tt for weekends
- keep the tt and front the cost of petrol and depreciation
Also I have no way of charging so an EV or hybrid not an option.
Let me know what you commute in
So there are some questions you need to answer to see which way to go.Is there a more fun car out there that will return more than the 30mpg I'm currently getting. Or the other options are:
- get a diesel banger as a daily and keep the tt for weekends
- keep the tt and front the cost of petrol and depreciation
Also I have no way of charging so an EV or hybrid not an option.
Let me know what you commute in
Do you go inside the ULEZ?
Is keeping the TT & getting a commuter car an option?
The depreciation isn't the biggest deal if you're enjoying your current car.
How much do you want to spend if you kept the TT? Or how much if you sold the TT?
As others have said, for a 100 mile round trip commute you want something comfy and a cruiser. I did a 120 mile a day commute once for a year and at the time, a Mondeo ST TDCI was brilliant... Like driving an economic diesel sofa.
Absolutely no way on this earth I'd ever do a commute like that again no matter how good the money was...
Absolutely no way on this earth I'd ever do a commute like that again no matter how good the money was...
There aren't any fun cars for motorway driving. I do a long commute like you, 95% on the motorway and the rest is A roads. You want comfortable really as doing these journeys over and over will not be good for your physical health in a fun sporty car. I use to do the commute in my old WRX, fuel cost was crazy and that's why I sold it. It also weren't comfortable to do it every day, so took the partners car every so often for a break.
I've now got a very mundane Insignia CDTI 160, which does the motorway part perfectly well, the fun part, not so much.
You've got a lot of options that might be fun:
Hatchbacks - VW Gold GTD, Skoda Octavia VRS, Seat Leon FR, Alfa Romeo Giulietta (170), Volvo V40 D4/D5 R-Design
Saloons - Alfa Romeo Giulia, BMW 330D, Merc C-Class
I've now got a very mundane Insignia CDTI 160, which does the motorway part perfectly well, the fun part, not so much.
You've got a lot of options that might be fun:
Hatchbacks - VW Gold GTD, Skoda Octavia VRS, Seat Leon FR, Alfa Romeo Giulietta (170), Volvo V40 D4/D5 R-Design
Saloons - Alfa Romeo Giulia, BMW 330D, Merc C-Class
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