PH Challenge - fastest economical 4 seater car

[300bhp/ton]

Just been reading some threads and it got me thinking.

What is the best 4 seater car out there in terms of speed/performance and real world fuel economy?

e.g.

A poor example would be an RX-8, great looks and handling and fab car. But 15-25mpg ability means its a pricey sucker to do 12,000 miles a year in.

vs

EP9 CTR. 4 seats and a boot but real world 30mpg+ average. Much more wallet friendly.



Such a requirement seems a common want for many, many people. Mostly because such a vehicle is practical, usable, but in truth running costs and fuel economy really do matter to most of us.

So not only could this be a bit of fun, but it could also be a useful resource for people looking for such a vehicle


So some restrictions:

1. Qualifying cars must truly be able to seat 4 adults, 2+2's are fine, so long as you could reasonably ask an average adult to passenger in the back. Anything smaller is a no no.

2. Real world mpg. This for me is not what a car could get on a motorway at a steady 65mph. What I mean is a true reflection of using a car over an entire year. So mixed driving, motorway, high speed, town, traffic, B roads, hooing and so on. What is it truly likely to average as an average

3. Fun and a drivers car. If the car is yawn inducing to drive, don't bother. This is PH afterall

4. Price range. Cars cost various amounts, so lets break them up a bit. New or used doens't really matter, just what you can get for that money.



Sub £3000 category

Sub £5000 category

Sub £8000 category

Sub £12,000 category

Sub £20,000 category

Sub £30,000 category




EDIT:

BTW - there's no minimal mpg requirement as such. Its more an informal ratio vs speed/performance. But must remain affordable, as in "some for of economical sense" within the price range.

So as good as a BMW M5 is, and as affordable as they now are, it is now way in any form of sanity good on fuel. Same with a Jag XJR. So I don't really consider these contenders.

Edited by 300bhp/ton on Monday 22 November 13:23

[Chris71]

I think this is a very relevant challenge. I'll start with a Skoda Octavia VRS for the under £5,000 category.

Not the fastest thing around, but pretty economical as petrol performance saloons go.

Maybe switch to the dark side and a 330D for the sub-£10k category?

Edited by Chris71 on Monday 22 November 12:57

[kambites]

This entire thread is going to be full of diesel BMWs.

[frosted]

kambites said:

Only BMWs

Edited by frosted on Monday 22 November 12:59

[5lab]

clio 172 for <£3000?

[McSam]

I like very much

Do you have a minimum figure for the fuel economy? I'd slot in an E46 BMW 330i for under three grand (just!). 231bhp and around 30mpg

[zakelwe]

Can you get a Ford Puma under 3k now? If so that would be lots of smiles per buck spent running it.

Actually the rear seats might fall outide the criteria .. blush .. quick swap to a Fiesta ST for under 5k
Andy

Edited by zakelwe on Monday 22 November 13:10

[Tycho]

5lab said:

clio 172 for <£3000?

Good call, my 182 gets 34mpg on average even with a 40 mile commute over A and B roads with 20 miles of M3 thrown in @ about 90ish.

[300bhp/ton]

McSam said:

I like very much

Do you have a minimum figure for the fuel economy? I'd slot in an E46 BMW 330i for under three grand (just!). 231bhp and around 30mpg

I think it's a very valid and very good option. It certainly ticks the drivers and performance boxes and is yet still economical to drive, or at least affordable, even for Mr or Mrs Average Jo.

[mnkiboy]

zakelwe said:

Can you get a Ford Puma under 3k now? If so that would be lots of smiles per buck spent running it.

Actually the rear seats might fall outide the criteria .. blush .. quick swap to a Fiesta ST for under 5k
Andy

I was looking for one for a cheap daily runabout, they're down £500 now! Easily pick up a decent one for a grand.

Edited by mnkiboy on Monday 22 November 13:28

[WhoreSaab]

I'd suggest a Saab tbh for the £3k catagory, 9-5 aero 250 bhp and in manual form 6.1 seconds to sixty

[crofty1984]

My car, does 45mpg and has 45bhp, but the suspension's a bit odd so it's always entertaining!

[ALawson]

Sub 3k, Honda Accord Type-R, 30mpg (Average over 145k miles), good performance, easily sits 4 people only downside is the seats don't fold down if required.

[E21_Ross]

kambites said:

This entire thread is going to be full of diesel BMWs.

you make a fair point though, my dad used to have a 330d and it was a bloody good all rounder. now has an E92 M3 though

but the 330d would easily get over 40mpg and still did over 150mph (though not at the same time )

Edited by E21_Ross on Monday 22 November 13:35

[Farrant]

Saxo VTS for under 3k, 0-60 in about 8 sec iirc, and 30-35mpg

[The Wookie]

kambites said:

This entire thread is going to be full of diesel BMWs.

Sorry, I'm going to have to add mine:

123d, 15-20k 2nd hand, 200bhp, 7 second 0-60, 145mph top speed, lovely balance and steering, seats four adults in more comfort than the anti 1er trolls would have you believe, and returns 50mpg being gentle, 45mpg with normal driving and never less than 35-38mpg ragging it.

Edited by The Wookie on Monday 22 November 13:44

[coley20]

Sub £3k category.

I used to have a 530d sold it for £2750

roughly 200bhp as it was mapped, and I did 60mpg from Newport to London following my old man in the van @ 60mph all the way.

My clio 182 is also a good bet in this category, and performs very well on a long journey with its good spec i.e cruise control, xenons, auto wipers& headlights, multichanger, leather etc.... And will do 40mpg if driven sensibly in the motorway, mine averages about 34mpg

[blugnu]

E21_Ross said:

kambites said:

This entire thread is going to be full of diesel BMWs.

you make a fair point though, my dad used to have a 330d and it was a bloody good all rounder. now has an E92 M3 though

but the 330d would easily get over 40mpg and still did over 150mph (though not at the same time )

Never driven a diesel BMW, but a mate borrowed a 330d off another mate once and said it was the most crushingly dull thing he'd ever driven because on normal roads you never came anywhere near any of it's limits and it was so thoroughly well made and practical. His argument was that you'd be even further from the limits of, say, an R8, but at least you'd have the drama of the architecture.

I digress, as ever. My first thought though was to agree with kambites - there are a lot of diesel cars out there kicking out a lot of torque. Me being me, I'd nominate an Alfa - you can get a decent 20v 2.4 JTD 156 for 3k.

[300bhp/ton]

weSaab said:

I'd suggest a Saab tbh for the £3k catagory, 9-5 aero 250 bhp and in manual form 6.1 seconds to sixty

But what sort of real world mpg??

[technoluddite]

300bhp/ton said:

weSaab said:

I'd suggest a Saab tbh for the £3k catagory, 9-5 aero 250 bhp and in manual form 6.1 seconds to sixty

But what sort of real world mpg??

I've been getting around 28mpg from the 9-3 Viggen on a 30 mile each way commute that's a mix of motorway, slow A road and fast B road...