140 mile daily commute 70mpg - realistic ?
Discussion
crosseyedlion said:
In 2015 I did a few months doing a 190 miles per day commuting in a 2005 Golf TDI GT, it was the perfect tool for the job even though it was on 180k (ish) - the previous owner had done 30k miles per year in it for a few years.
Bought it for 1400, spent about 400 on a couple of fixes and Goodyear eco tyres and sold it 20k miles later for 1600. All in decent comfort (good driving position, enough motorway grunt, good climate control) and a real 60mpg+ (it was often 650miles per tank). Type of driving didn't seem to influence it much either, the worst I saw was 50.
Couldn't fault it for the commute. And it has to be the cheapest way to do it. About 9p/mile in fuel & almost 0 depreciation. Cheap parts and easy to fix.
Your commute would cost about £12.50 vs.
Quite fancy another...
I've got a 2003 Golf TDI GT, best I've got is 50mpg over a tank (long drive up north and back, average speed was about 75). On the 20 mile work commute it's 52mpg on the way in (roads are fairly quiet) and about 45 on the way home (too darned busy).Bought it for 1400, spent about 400 on a couple of fixes and Goodyear eco tyres and sold it 20k miles later for 1600. All in decent comfort (good driving position, enough motorway grunt, good climate control) and a real 60mpg+ (it was often 650miles per tank). Type of driving didn't seem to influence it much either, the worst I saw was 50.
Couldn't fault it for the commute. And it has to be the cheapest way to do it. About 9p/mile in fuel & almost 0 depreciation. Cheap parts and easy to fix.
Your commute would cost about £12.50 vs.
Quite fancy another...
Maybe it needs a remap .... (my A6 1.9 TDI was better on fuel after a remap)
crosseyedlion said:
Willy Nilly said:
Dan_M5 said:
Personally i'd be getting the train.
this. or getting a job closer to homeAt least if they go on the train they can have a snooze at each end of the day.
Mrs ZS used to do 70 miles a day cross country in a Mk7 Fiesta 1.6 diesel. She can be a bit heavy footed, but it still managed to average 65mph. I imagine cruising on a motorway would return 70+, so not a bad shout if cost is your primary deciding factor.
However, if I was doing that sort of mileage long term I'd probably want something a little more refined if the budget allowed.
However, if I was doing that sort of mileage long term I'd probably want something a little more refined if the budget allowed.
Willy Nilly said:
crosseyedlion said:
Willy Nilly said:
Dan_M5 said:
Personally i'd be getting the train.
this. or getting a job closer to homeAt least if they go on the train they can have a snooze at each end of the day.
SilverSixer said:
Megane 1.5 DCi should get you close to this MPG. Very comfy seats, Renaults tend to be built for comfort. Should be cheap to buy too. I used to have a Laguna 2.0 DCi estate which could hit 70MPG on motorways.
Honda Insight maybe?
Mate of mine has the estate version and he frequently gets 70 or more mpg on the motorway, while he doesn't exactly clog it he doesn't baby it either, often cruising at 75 to 80 leptons. Honda Insight maybe?
And it's comfortable, with no wind and very little road noise.
The Spruce goose said:
It is amazing all these cars that do 70mpg+, OP i would have a look on Fuelly as it gives a better indication of expected MPG.
People tend to believe the trip computers in their cars which in my experience are always 10-20% generous than what the car is actually achieving. I drove an Auris Hybrid to Swindon and back the other day. 130 miles each way. Plenty of traffic though as it took 3 hours each way.
Computer told me it managed 66 mpg. Whether I believe it is another question. But it did seem, if you are willing to drop your average speeds a bit, that it was pretty good. If you watch the Hybrid system, its constantly pulsing the motor on and off, even when cruising on a flat.
Computer told me it managed 66 mpg. Whether I believe it is another question. But it did seem, if you are willing to drop your average speeds a bit, that it was pretty good. If you watch the Hybrid system, its constantly pulsing the motor on and off, even when cruising on a flat.
Check out the real MPG on Honest John for a better MPG, I get 60+ MPG in an old Skabia but I'd be very surprised at many of these claims of 70 MPG at 70MPH+.
Consider a Vauxhall Ampera I'd you fancy electric hybrid. Or a Prius PHEV.
320 ED do seem to do well in real world, as do Bluemotion and Greebline models.
Consider a Vauxhall Ampera I'd you fancy electric hybrid. Or a Prius PHEV.
320 ED do seem to do well in real world, as do Bluemotion and Greebline models.
I drove the current model Astra with the 1.6 108bhp diesel engine as a hire car last year, and was blown away by how competent it was in almost every way.
It doesn't have much personality, and on twisty roads I'd rather have a Focus, but honestly as a life-long Vauxhall hater I was converted! It was quiet, comfortable, smooth, felt decent quality inside...
And 70mpg would be no problem at all on a long commute. I bet you could get near 80 if you're gentle. I got 65mpg on my 15 mile commute with heavy traffic where I normally get 35mpg from my Mondeo 2.2 diesel.
It doesn't have much personality, and on twisty roads I'd rather have a Focus, but honestly as a life-long Vauxhall hater I was converted! It was quiet, comfortable, smooth, felt decent quality inside...
And 70mpg would be no problem at all on a long commute. I bet you could get near 80 if you're gentle. I got 65mpg on my 15 mile commute with heavy traffic where I normally get 35mpg from my Mondeo 2.2 diesel.
I used to average 160 miles a day for just under 3 years. M20/M26/M25/M3.
Doesn't matter what you do, there's traffic, in those 3 years, my leave time got earlier and earlier just to experience the same level of traffic. Chuck in a crash or two, that's a 3 hour commute. I ran an Audi A4 1.9 (130bhp). Would do 55 without trouble, sat at a constant speed it would indicate over 70. With private mileage, it did just over 160k during that time.
The other issue is boredom, and frustration if you run late. Nowadays businesses can be more flexible on when you do your hours, if you don't have that luxury it can be frustrating, luckily I do, although I dialled in to many a conference call!
Cruise control, decent seats, space, good hifi, soundproofing from road noise and an auto box imho are a must. If you go small, you'll regret it, and if you're playing in the lorry lanes, a bit of extra metal around you always helps.
In the end I had enough, so moved. In true PH style, the Audi went, BMW V8 replaced it
Doesn't matter what you do, there's traffic, in those 3 years, my leave time got earlier and earlier just to experience the same level of traffic. Chuck in a crash or two, that's a 3 hour commute. I ran an Audi A4 1.9 (130bhp). Would do 55 without trouble, sat at a constant speed it would indicate over 70. With private mileage, it did just over 160k during that time.
The other issue is boredom, and frustration if you run late. Nowadays businesses can be more flexible on when you do your hours, if you don't have that luxury it can be frustrating, luckily I do, although I dialled in to many a conference call!
Cruise control, decent seats, space, good hifi, soundproofing from road noise and an auto box imho are a must. If you go small, you'll regret it, and if you're playing in the lorry lanes, a bit of extra metal around you always helps.
In the end I had enough, so moved. In true PH style, the Audi went, BMW V8 replaced it
There is plenty of choice for stuff that'll do that sort of economy. The 320d would be a good shout.
I my wife's 2013 Civic i-Dtec easily does over 60mpg. I've not hit the quoted 78mpg yet but over 70mpg is not difficult to obtain over longer trips at 70mph. If my own commute were longer I'd have that off her in a shot.
I my wife's 2013 Civic i-Dtec easily does over 60mpg. I've not hit the quoted 78mpg yet but over 70mpg is not difficult to obtain over longer trips at 70mph. If my own commute were longer I'd have that off her in a shot.
PixelpeepS3 said:
H6Nathan said:
I've been doing 140 miles a day commuting round the M25 for the last 8 months....
Get a VAG Diesel with adaptive cruise (and a Tesco Club Card).
My Passat GT 150 (non adblue) on lease was sourced specifically for this grind, and it's working well. Comfy seats, iPod Dock, 20k service intervals, 50 mpg and about 25ppm all in.
how did you manage to get such high mileage on a lease to work out cost effective ?Get a VAG Diesel with adaptive cruise (and a Tesco Club Card).
My Passat GT 150 (non adblue) on lease was sourced specifically for this grind, and it's working well. Comfy seats, iPod Dock, 20k service intervals, 50 mpg and about 25ppm all in.
The VWFS excess is max 7.2ppm up to 999,999 miles, less if you renegotiate once into the term.
I knew I wanted comfy, auto, non ad blue diesel and ACC, beyond that I just worked with the sales chap to get into something he needed to shift, and something I could pile some miles onto. Worked out well tbh.
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