Would you still go Diesel...
Discussion
I recently bought a Mercedes with a 3.2 V6 diesel. The chap selling it was part of the PH pandemonium about diesels, and wanted shot ASAP. I ended up getting the car for far less than I should have paid for it, and I'm getting decent consumption figures to boot - 26 mpg around town and 34mpg on the motorway. My record is over 36mpg driving empty roads on new years (I was on call so couldn't really drink).
We've had a bit of attention towards electric cars at work recently - the rumour mill says that one of the juniors saved up and bought his own i3, and when he turned up to a meeting with a director driving an MX550DM///xdrive4x4MX5 or whatever it is, the customer asked why the "worker" was driving a better car than the director.
Suddenly we've had electric charging points pop up everywhere and it's free to charge electric cars at work. Free fuel is always appreciated, so realistically I can park my car on a charger and fill up 5 days a week, and I've never got to pay £120 for a tank of fuel again.
We've had a bit of attention towards electric cars at work recently - the rumour mill says that one of the juniors saved up and bought his own i3, and when he turned up to a meeting with a director driving an MX550DM///xdrive4x4MX5 or whatever it is, the customer asked why the "worker" was driving a better car than the director.
Suddenly we've had electric charging points pop up everywhere and it's free to charge electric cars at work. Free fuel is always appreciated, so realistically I can park my car on a charger and fill up 5 days a week, and I've never got to pay £120 for a tank of fuel again.
A further marker perhaps...
My wife and I regularly nip over to France a few times a year and if it's just for a short spell we get a hire car. Usually, a small one a rung or two off the bottom and from varied hire companies, depending on who was offering the best deal.
A few years ago these would always be fairly new diesels. However, in the last year or two...invariably petrol. And, that's in a place where, unlike the UK, Diesel is genuinely cheaper.
Perhaps it tells you where purchasers of large volume of cars are putting their money and the way that they see the wind blowing?
(I must admit though, I was impressed by the way Peugeot had managed to make the petrol engine in their all round woeful 2008 SUV sound like a diesel! Perhaps "C'est le nostalgie pour le Gazole"
)
My wife and I regularly nip over to France a few times a year and if it's just for a short spell we get a hire car. Usually, a small one a rung or two off the bottom and from varied hire companies, depending on who was offering the best deal.
A few years ago these would always be fairly new diesels. However, in the last year or two...invariably petrol. And, that's in a place where, unlike the UK, Diesel is genuinely cheaper.
Perhaps it tells you where purchasers of large volume of cars are putting their money and the way that they see the wind blowing?
(I must admit though, I was impressed by the way Peugeot had managed to make the petrol engine in their all round woeful 2008 SUV sound like a diesel! Perhaps "C'est le nostalgie pour le Gazole"
)Frances The Mute said:
I’m still doing ~22k a year with 85%+ of my driving on motorways so diesel will still be the choice for me; unless a different fuel option makes a strong enough case for itself.
Genuine decent use case for diesel for a while. Long distance cruising and towing etc. Anything vaguely commuter or town/city needs to be electric soon.
Second Best said:
I recently bought a Mercedes with a 3.2 V6 diesel. The chap selling it was part of the PH pandemonium about diesels, and wanted shot ASAP. I ended up getting the car for far less than I should have paid for it, and I'm getting decent consumption figures to boot - 26 mpg around town and 34mpg on the motorway. My record is over 36mpg driving empty roads on new years (I was on call so couldn't really drink).
The 3.5 litre petrol with 306hp is more economical than that by the way. 27mpg round town and 38-39mpg on a run easily.
I averaged 31mpg in mine.
That is what I was saying about how much petrol had improved.
For now I'd still go diesel, yes.
I drive typically 30k a year mostly on motorways so for me, the long range economy and torque on offer make for a much cheaper car to run than the equivalent petrol. For the record, the car in question has done 174000 miles and still has its original DPF and EGR in place and it's never had a problem with that.
My previous/other car is a 2.5 V6 which I converted to LPG. It offers similar pence per mile to the diesel but due to it achieving only 24mpg Vs my diesel's 50mpg, needs filling up a lot more frequently.
I drive typically 30k a year mostly on motorways so for me, the long range economy and torque on offer make for a much cheaper car to run than the equivalent petrol. For the record, the car in question has done 174000 miles and still has its original DPF and EGR in place and it's never had a problem with that.
My previous/other car is a 2.5 V6 which I converted to LPG. It offers similar pence per mile to the diesel but due to it achieving only 24mpg Vs my diesel's 50mpg, needs filling up a lot more frequently.
Kierkegaard said:
Diesel = kills people
Petrol = kills planet
I'd rather kill the planet as I won't be here in 50 years time (or less).
I can see why people would want to kill people though.
Tough one.
I don't get the diesel hate. From an environmental point of view it still appears to be much better than petrol.Petrol = kills planet
I'd rather kill the planet as I won't be here in 50 years time (or less).
I can see why people would want to kill people though.
Tough one.
I can see a case for diesel (range) and Electric (pottering about with less damage to environment) but very little for petrol (Good news city dwellers your lungs are OK but the eco-system you need to stay alive is screwed).
Edited by Fittster on Monday 4th February 08:02
Fully depreciated 140k mile Euro 3 diesel ... and adding 25,000 miles a year to it. No DPF, no EGR to clag up, just a big comfy motorway monster that turns my mileage allowance into a surprisingly large profit. I’m thinking of getting another one to stick in the barn for when this one expires.
Muddle238 said:
I'm also of the viewpoint that running a used, existing car into the ground, by putting another 100k on it over four years is probably more environmentally friendly in the big picture, when compared to commissioning the manufacture of a brand new car and replacing every 2/3 years, regardless of fuel type. That's why I don't buy into the anti-diesel thing from a environmental stand point.
+1 this definitely, some people I know can't seem to get their heads around this fact...gizlaroc said:
Nah, we will still buy them, because we think we are saving money.
I certainly do. 2007 Golf 1.9TDi. No DPF. Owned it for 7 years now. Drive it Sheffield to Worksop and back every day, nice and steady. In a morning it pretty much never fails to drop below an average 60-65mpg. Going home in traffic it's approx. 55mpg. Compared to the petrol Vectra I had before, I'm saving bucket loads. Less VED, same service costs, Job's a good un. I've loved owning it from that perspective.
Hoofy said:
Hm. Interesting thread as I've been considering getting a performance diesel 4x4 before I commit to hybrid tech.
Recently I tried a Mercedes GLC 350D. I was shocked by the performance - OK it's no GT3 race car but considering it's supposed to be a dull family 4x4 for doing the school run, the stats are bonkers: 3.0-litre V6 twin turbo, 255bhp of power, 457lb ft. With the sports setting, and the seat at the lowest setting, it felt like some kind of bizarre hybrid sports car. 9 gears meant the power on acceleration was relentless. In-gear acceleration eg when overtaking on a motorway was when you could really notice the performance. And 32mpg about town.
More info here: https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-reviews/mercedes...
And so before things get a bit silly, I'm toying with the idea of going down the diesel route.
I just bought one. They are great !Recently I tried a Mercedes GLC 350D. I was shocked by the performance - OK it's no GT3 race car but considering it's supposed to be a dull family 4x4 for doing the school run, the stats are bonkers: 3.0-litre V6 twin turbo, 255bhp of power, 457lb ft. With the sports setting, and the seat at the lowest setting, it felt like some kind of bizarre hybrid sports car. 9 gears meant the power on acceleration was relentless. In-gear acceleration eg when overtaking on a motorway was when you could really notice the performance. And 32mpg about town.
More info here: https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-reviews/mercedes...
And so before things get a bit silly, I'm toying with the idea of going down the diesel route.
The Intelligent lights/adaptive high beam is a thing of witch-craft, the shaded square following the oncoming car is amazing to see.
Yes, I know about the tyre skipping, but I couldn't honestly give a monkeys
Edited to add, I chopped in a Freelander 2 (Euro 5) for this. It's Euro 6 and as far as things stand today, hopefully it's compliant for at least 5 years as Bristol CC will take that long to decide what they want to do with their own version of the ULEZ.
No doubt I'll end up being forced into an electric car for my commute, but my wife doesn't work and hardly ever goes into Bristol (or Bath) so it's not likely to affect us much out in the sticks anyway.
Edited by juice on Monday 4th February 08:36
Muddle238 said:
I'm also of the viewpoint that running a used, existing car into the ground, by putting another 100k on it over four years is probably more environmentally friendly in the big picture, when compared to commissioning the manufacture of a brand new car and replacing every 2/3 years, regardless of fuel type. That's why I don't buy into the anti-diesel thing from a environmental stand point.
Well your viewpoint is wrong and there are many studies to show it. Like for like ev will pay back it's enviromental cost in 2-3 years if the majority of electricity is generated from coal. That's ignoring the air quality problems diesel especially causes.
If you change car every 2-3 years you feed nice newish enviromentally better cars to people who can't afford them new, and old polluting s
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