Big diesel/little diesel?
Discussion
Hi all,
Sorry for a dull topic, but I need to go sensible with my next car. I do a 55 mile round trip to work - mainly dual carriageway - and the 100HP Panda, whilst fun isn't ideal. Especially as I need to tow a trailer with a couple of (lightish) motorbikes on every now and then.
I'm looking at buying a car purely as a tool at the moment, so I'm going the diesel route. My budget's around £7k, and the current thinking is Seat Ibiza.
My question is though, whilst the 1.4L 3 cylinder one is more economical on paper, would it wheeze to a halt with a trailer behind and would it rev its head off (relatively speaking) on long dual carriageway slogs negating the economy a bit?
Would I be better off buying the 1.9L diesel, coughing up for tax etc and less mpg on paper for a more relaxing drive and power to tow?
Also, anyone have any experiences (good or bad) of Seat diesels - service costs, anything to avoid etc - or any other car suggestions?!
As I said, sorry for the dull topic but diesels are a new world for me
Sorry for a dull topic, but I need to go sensible with my next car. I do a 55 mile round trip to work - mainly dual carriageway - and the 100HP Panda, whilst fun isn't ideal. Especially as I need to tow a trailer with a couple of (lightish) motorbikes on every now and then.
I'm looking at buying a car purely as a tool at the moment, so I'm going the diesel route. My budget's around £7k, and the current thinking is Seat Ibiza.
My question is though, whilst the 1.4L 3 cylinder one is more economical on paper, would it wheeze to a halt with a trailer behind and would it rev its head off (relatively speaking) on long dual carriageway slogs negating the economy a bit?
Would I be better off buying the 1.9L diesel, coughing up for tax etc and less mpg on paper for a more relaxing drive and power to tow?
Also, anyone have any experiences (good or bad) of Seat diesels - service costs, anything to avoid etc - or any other car suggestions?!
As I said, sorry for the dull topic but diesels are a new world for me
1.9 engine 6 speed box will get you 50mpg on dual cariageway. Small engine will be worse economy on dual carriageway at 80mph no matter what the fuel consumption figures say.
Examples:
Diesel Zafira with 1.7 diesel engine,5 speed, 40 mpg if you are lucky, towing 30mpg
Diesel Astra 2 litre, 6 speed, 50 mpg all day, towing 40 mpg.
Consider pre-2007 for avoiding cars with DPFs, but on your journey should be fine for not clogging the DPF.
Examples:
Diesel Zafira with 1.7 diesel engine,5 speed, 40 mpg if you are lucky, towing 30mpg
Diesel Astra 2 litre, 6 speed, 50 mpg all day, towing 40 mpg.
Consider pre-2007 for avoiding cars with DPFs, but on your journey should be fine for not clogging the DPF.
I would be surprised if the 1.9 didn't equal or better the 1.3 when towing or on a dual carriageway or motorway run. Larger engine and more torque means less need to thrash the engine which is absolutely the worst thing to do with a diesel when it comes to economy.
The larger engine would also be more enjoyable and relaxing to drive.
The larger engine would also be more enjoyable and relaxing to drive.
Yeah, that's kind of what I thought really. I get a consistant 42mpg from the Panda (1.4L petrol) so I'd hope for a reasonable improvement on that, given the increase in pump price of diesel over petrol.
The bigger engine is more appealing for comfort and really, the 1.3 only caught my eye as it's free to tax! It's interesting to hear that the Seat suspension bits are prone to wear, it's a bit of a bugbear of mine on 'everyday' cars!
I'd be keen to hear if anyone has any other suggestions - should I rule out another petrol car for economy?
The bigger engine is more appealing for comfort and really, the 1.3 only caught my eye as it's free to tax! It's interesting to hear that the Seat suspension bits are prone to wear, it's a bit of a bugbear of mine on 'everyday' cars!
I'd be keen to hear if anyone has any other suggestions - should I rule out another petrol car for economy?
I think the slight penalty in MPG and tax is a small price to pay for the larger capacity diesel. I have a towbar on my diesel Yaris but I wouldn't fancy towing much over 500KG with it. Real world MPG is around 55mpg, mostly 80mph motorway driving.
7K and I would be looking at a 320D to be honest or even some sort of pre DPF S60 Volvo.
7K and I would be looking at a 320D to be honest or even some sort of pre DPF S60 Volvo.
cptsideways said:
The only issue with the post 2000 SEAT & VAG's on the whole is the rest of the car is crap, switchgear, interior trim wear, suspension bushes etc.
Between my wife and I we have had 3 fords and 3 VAG cars in the last 4 years, the fords completely fell apart inside, seats stopped tripping, parcel shelves getting damaged, steering wheels and gearknobs wore badly and they were hardly mechanically any better in terms of reliability. Had the same dilemma as you recently. Fabia diesel - 1.4 TDi vs 1.9 TDi.
Went for the 1.9. It's still pretty cheap for tax/insurance compared to my Saab and I can averaged mid to high 50's mpg. The extra horsepower and torque make for a more relaxing drive and I use mine for a carpool so helps when carrying 3 other people.
Went for the 1.9. It's still pretty cheap for tax/insurance compared to my Saab and I can averaged mid to high 50's mpg. The extra horsepower and torque make for a more relaxing drive and I use mine for a carpool so helps when carrying 3 other people.
On topic, the 1.9 TDI is a brilliant engine and when driven normally does 55mpg on a dual carriageway, I get 52mpg on my 15 mile drive to work but have lots (about 8) of roundabouts to negotiate! On a motorway run at the speed limit I get 63mpg. A couple colleagues have A2s with the 1.4 TDI engine, and whilst they get brilliant mpg one of them comments on how underpowered it is with his wife and kids on board, let alone with his roof box! With that in mind I wouldn't look forward to towing with one!
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