What is the most fuel efficient commuter?

[va1o]

I don't know if you'd get one for £2k but I find my Golf 2.0 TDI excellent for long distance commuting. I never drive with economy in mind and the MPG just refuses to drop below 50, I see 60 on the way home occasionally. Its not quick (had a GTI before) but its fast enough for UK roads and the torque makes overtaking effortless.

[anonymous-user]

Don't get too hung up on MPG, as long as it's decent. Once you get to about 45mpg the savings start to tail off quite quickly and the premium you have to pay for the car starts to rise quickly.

[Matthen]

charltjr said:

Don't get too hung up on MPG, as long as it's decent. Once you get to about 45mpg the savings start to tail off quite quickly and the premium you have to pay for the car starts to rise quickly.

This - I can drive like a yobo in my car and get 45 - keep to 70 you get 50+, slow down further you get more. If you start to get hung up on it you find yourself spending longer and longer in the car for what is essentially pennies. Get something with a comfy driving seat, air con and a good ride. You'll be spending 12.5% of your time for the foreseeable future in it - make it a nice place to be.

[Uncle John]

Alfa 147 JTD Lusso with leather if you can and the smaller 15inch wheels for our potholed roads.

Climate control, cruise and a decent enough stereo. Late 40's mpg at a clip, 50's at a cruise, decent poke and a comfy ride.

Should be able to find one in your budget and if it's been cared for then you are laughing. Look for recent cam belt and suspension refresh in particular, other than that regular oil changes/fsh.

[wested]

Thanks a lot for all the help guys!
You have given me a lot to think about.

The aim really is to find a car that costs very little (thereby limiting depreciation) and is as fuel efficient as possible to maximise range and keep costs down.
I have a sports-car to play with at the weekend so not too bothered about whether the daily commuter needs to be luxurious.
(Although any creature comforts really would be a bonus..)

The list so far stands at:

VW Lupo diesel
Smart ForTwo or roadster
Peugeot 206 1.4 hdi
VW Golf 1.9 TDi Bluemotion
Audi A2
Alfa Romeo 147 JTD

[Pothole]

A2 will cost the most to buy but will depreciate the least.

[MarshPhantom]

wested said:

Thanks a lot for all the help guys!
You have given me a lot to think about.

The aim really is to find a car that costs very little (thereby limiting depreciation) and is as fuel efficient as possible to maximise range and keep costs down.
I have a sports-car to play with at the weekend so not too bothered about whether the daily commuter needs to be luxurious.
(Although any creature comforts really would be a bonus..)

The list so far stands at:

VW Lupo diesel
Smart ForTwo or roadster
Peugeot 206 1.4 hdi
VW Golf 1.9 TDi Bluemotion
Audi A2
Alfa Romeo 147 JTD

Did you know they did a Seat version of the Lupo too - the Arosa, probably cheaper to buy than a Lupo.

[Splendidmac]

When I had the same sort of issue (110m daily round trip, almost all motorway) I bought a Merc W126 and converted it to LPG. Covered 60k miles in just over two years in great comfort. I've moved house now and am (reluctantly) about to sell the car...

[cptsideways]

Lupo/Arosa Tdi's are surprisingly good on the motorway & A2 Tdi's too though the ride is awful in A2's. Other option is a Fabia with the 1.4Tdi which are found in later years.

I have a Lupo 3L 1.2 TDI & tbh it's great on long runs, I prefer it over multitudes of other cars I've owned including my e39 530d. However the 1.2 3L is a much quieter engine than the 1.4 variants for some odd reason.

Best bit is they are the PD engine, don't really go wrong at all engine wise, just watch for noisy or borked gearboxes & as with any variant the window switches are always crapped out!

[Willy Nilly]

we don't get quoted the figures for efficiency for cars. The Rolls Royce Trent 900's are under 200g/kw/hr, not sure many cars could get near that and those big, Wartsila ship engines are about the same.

[Gandahar]

If you can stretch to £3k

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...

Urban mpg 53.3 mpg CO2 emissions 109 g/km
Extra Urban mpg 83.1 mpg Annual Tax £20
Average mpg 68.9 mpg

Yuu can chip it too

http://www.tdi-tuning.co.uk/product.html/search/ca...

Even the tyres are only 155 size so less rolling resistance. Where manufacurers normally claim massively over inflated MPG values i think the average 68.9 is actually putting it down.

It's probably the UK most economical car if you take into account servicing etc and replacing consumables ( how cheap is a 14 inch 155 tyre for instance), just not the world's most exciting.

Edited by Gandahar on Friday 6th March 17:23

[anonymous-user]

I am looking for something with the pretty much the same criteria. 120 mile return commute daily. I could stretch to 3-4k maybe.

I am really interested in a Volvo V40 (02-04) I like the look of them and the space would be handy.

Any experience with these and motorway mpg? I know they are a bit heavier than others suggested here?

[cptsideways]

duckhunt said:

I am looking for something with the pretty much the same criteria. 120 mile return commute daily. I could stretch to 3-4k maybe.

I am really interested in a Volvo V40 (02-04) I like the look of them and the space would be handy.

Any experience with these and motorway mpg? I know they are a bit heavier than others suggested here?

Wife ran one for a couple of years, nice interiors with leather, diesel manaual was 50mpg on her hilly commute. Its a Renault underneath though! Still a nice one can had for a bag of sand these days.

[va1o]

Gandahar said:

If you can stretch to £3k

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...

Urban mpg 53.3 mpg CO2 emissions 109 g/km
Extra Urban mpg 83.1 mpg Annual Tax £20
Average mpg 68.9 mpg

Yuu can chip it too

http://www.tdi-tuning.co.uk/product.html/search/ca...

Even the tyres are only 155 size so less rolling resistance. Where manufacurers normally claim massively over inflated MPG values i think the average 68.9 is actually putting it down.

It's probably the UK most economical car if you take into account servicing etc and replacing consumables ( how cheap is a 14 inch 155 tyre for instance), just not the world's most exciting.

I thought that the general consensus used to be that the diesel in those is pointless and you're better of just going for the already economical petrol?

[Kosy]

I have got an 02 Polo 1.9 TDI Sport as a runaround and I would highly recommend one.
It's done 130k and flew through MOT without an advisory. They are solid, comfy and will give 55-60mpg for your commute.
It's also got enough guts for when you need it and you are never ringing it's neck to go anywhere.

I used a Lupo diesel for while previously and they are good cars but not what I would want for that commute. Polo in a different league.

[Welshbeef]

Kosy said:

I have got an 02 Polo 1.9 TDI Sport as a runaround and I would highly recommend one.
It's done 130k and flew through MOT without an advisory. They are solid, comfy and will give 55-60mpg for your commute.
It's also got enough guts for when you need it and you are never ringing it's neck to go anywhere.

I used a Lupo diesel for while previously and they are good cars but not what I would want for that commute. Polo in a different league.

If you drive at 65mph the mpg will be MUCH higher than that too.


Fabia vRS LE?

[GroundEffect]

60 miles each way would make far more sense in something comfortable than purely maximising fuel range. Otherwise you'll want to kill yourself. Some older German diesel barge.

[Bodo]

wested said:

Hello, my commute may soon be increasing therefore I am attempting to work out what could be a suitable fuel efficient car for the commute of approx. 60 miles each way within a budget of under £2k.

So far, the Smart ForTwo and the VW Lupo come to mind with around 60+mpg.

Anymore suggestions?

The criteria you'll be looking at is not just fuel consumption:

• deprecation
• running cost
• -fuel
• -oil
• fixed cost
• -tax
• -insurance
• maintenance
• -services&sundry
• -repairs
• -tyres
• alternative travel if car fails
• -planned
• -unplanned (breakdown)

The chances for a breakdown rise with growing mileage of the car - and growing use. What do you do, when the car breaks down on the way to work? Do you need a taxi, or a hire car? Factor that cost in. What does the employer say, when you don't turn up for work, because your car broke down, for the third time in one year?
Your mileage per year will be roughly 27500 miles, if you only use the car for commuting. A mid-sized car's lifespan is ~190k miles (smaller cars less) if serviced regularly; though this includes exchanging brake discs, clutch, exhaust, timing belt, etc. before they fail.
You may find that leasing C-sized Diesels for 48 months might be the best compromise between cost and reliability. Look at new cars with long warranty or maintenance included-leasing deals.

[Welshbeef]

Bodo said:

The criteria you'll be looking at is not just fuel consumption:

• deprecation
• running cost
• -fuel
• -oil
• fixed cost
• -tax
• -insurance
• maintenance
• -services&sundry
• -repairs
• -tyres
• alternative travel if car fails
• -planned
• -unplanned (breakdown)

The chances for a breakdown rise with growing mileage of the car - and growing use. What do you do, when the car breaks down on the way to work? Do you need a taxi, or a hire car? Factor that cost in. What does the employer say, when you don't turn up for work, because your car broke down, for the third time in one year?
Your mileage per year will be roughly 27500 miles, if you only use the car for commuting. A mid-sized car's lifespan is ~190k miles (smaller cars less) if serviced regularly; though this includes exchanging brake discs, clutch, exhaust, timing belt, etc. before they fail.
You may find that leasing C-sized Diesels for 48 months might be the best compromise between cost and reliability. Look at new cars with long warranty or maintenance included-leasing deals.

You make a very valid point re break down cannot get into work.

If you have a company car and it fails that's different if you opt out then your car fails that's bad luck however hard luck you made that choice so you get to work.

Also c30k a year is not insignificant so your looking at changing the car fairly often if you buy older also older cars have shorter service intervals.

You can get a decent brand new car on lease for very little money utterly hassle free and totally reliable buy a 150k+ car and expect to keep it years doing 30k a year without expecting to face bigger repair bills and be off road for longer. Hmm

[MattHall91]

Eddh said:

Bicycle.

+1