Say there is a diesel backlash ?

[J4CKO]

There wont be much choice for anyone buying a used car, there arent really any Petrols out there !

Pick any popular model on AT, say a Passat, look at all the cars for the last six years or so,

Diesel : 2515

Petrol : 16

With most, if you rule out superminis and Sporty versions, there really isnt much out there, things are better if you drop down to Golf size, but still 5608 to 2105 in favour of diesel.

Wonder if consumers will start changing, certainly evidence in our office, was pretty much all diesel but we now have a few petrols and a Tesla.

How do you think the car market will pan out over the next ten years ?

[J4CKO]

irocfan said:

People are going to be rightly pissed off though. Having had 20 years of 'the man' telling you that diesel is the way to save the polar bear now the very same how were extolling the benefits of the black are saying that you're one step away from a mass murderer.

And then they wonder why people choose not to listen to experts

Indeed, same with dietary advice, but playing devils advocate, new evidence comes to light from research that is being done all the time, it just always seems so cynical.

For a working man wanting a secondhand family car, at an affordable price to cart four or five people, plus stuff, there isnt much none diesel choice,

Petrols tend to be,

Superminis
Daft, expensive, super thirsty things like AMG's
Pre 2010 Barge type stuff (post 2010 barges tend to be diesel by and large in my experience)
Povvo spec 1.6 Focus/Golf type stuff
GTI type stuff

Then you get the occasional 2 litre turbo stuff, which has the performance of a diesel but nowhere near the economy, I suspect the Focus Ecoboost and similar is about the best bet for something that can (but doesnt always, granted) manage decent MPG whilst being at least a decent size, I think the downsized Petrol turbos will be the de-facto choice if owning a diesel gets too much like hard work, but like has been said, an awful lot of investment in the nationwide fleet of vehicles, a lot of it is with the finance houses, manufacturers etc, I cant see diesel cars getting taxed to death just yet, but I really wouldnt buy anything with one, unless its something that only makes sens with one, bigger SUV's and MPV's, maybe Mondeo sized stuff but Golf/Focus and Below, I would go for the downsized petrol or Hybrid, or the sportier petrol variant, there you have it chaps, man maths to justify that Focus RS or Golf R to the missus.

[J4CKO]

Two very informative posts.

Austin, hope you are correct, just not sure people are quite ready for EV's quite yet but I think the uptake will increase massively, like I said, first Tesla in the office, and very nice it is as well. We could easily manage with one for 99 percent of our use, for that 1 percent, am sure I could rent or use public transport, not the same for everybody but I think diesels economy, range an low operating costs has meant people drive more than they have to, take jobs with very long commutes, that otherwise would no be viable.

[J4CKO]

ChemicalChaos said:

BoRED S2upid said:

icepop said:

I've driven both the SEAT 1.2tsi, and Fiesta 1lt Ecoboost, and been given a lift in a new Astra 1lt, and all three are a revelation. They really do pull very nicely, well into licence loosing speeds.

I went for another SEAT 1.6 Tdi, and as before am getting 60mpg around town and 70mpg on a run, but do think it might be my last diesel, those petrols are mighty smooth and impressive, and f course, cause wild flower meadows to bloom

Really? You thought a 1ltr Astra was a revelation? I thought it needed screwing in every single gear to make any progress it was hard work over 200 miles a lot more changing gear required over a Tdi. Fiesta was much better Focus and Astra are too big and heavy for such small engines IMO.

I will stick to the devils fuel for a long time yet.

I drove to Germany in a Focus ecoboost last year. With 4 people and a week's worth of luggage, it pulled ridiculously strongly through the gears for such a small engine and easily kept up with traffic. With the leggy 6th it easily cruised at 100 on the autobahn too.

Maybe it helped that unlike diesel-blinkered sheeple, I knew the boost was at 3-4k RPM rather than trying to make it chug along at 1500 revs

Please speak to my missus, we had a minor argument the other day, she has an Ecoboost Fiesta 100 (mapped to 140) and its pretty nippy for what it is, but she seems to catch it off boost and then the whole thing shudders as she is trying to make it go up hill, 4 up in 4th at 40, which is complains about and she sees a downchange as an admission of defeat. I tell her she is potentially damaging it, the pistons are trying to go sideways but she just gets all grumpy, strange as she is then happy to bowl along a gear lower than she should be at speed, she is a pretty good driver but has some bad habits.

[J4CKO]

Sheepshanks said:

J4CKO said:

Please speak to my missus, we had a minor argument the other day, she has an Ecoboost Fiesta 100 (mapped to 140) and its pretty nippy for what it is, but she seems to catch it off boost and then the whole thing shudders as she is trying to make it go up hill, 4 up in 4th at 40, which is complains about and she sees a downchange as an admission of defeat. I tell her she is potentially damaging it, the pistons are trying to go sideways but she just gets all grumpy, strange as she is then happy to bowl along a gear lower than she should be at speed, she is a pretty good driver but has some bad habits.

Like turbo diesels, these cars probably work better as autos. The issue of being in the right gear goes away then.

Irony is, I have the auto, with nigh on 400 lb/ft it could probably work with 2 gears quite happily.

Her other bad habit it accelerating towards a prevailing situation, I find myself braking in an empty passenger footwell (empty apart from all her crap) doest leave much margin for error...