Most economical petrol commuter
Discussion
New job gives me a commute of 70'ish miles a day, Cant expense the fuel to the office in this role, which is a shame as I liked that in previous jobs.
I can either do the run in a 3.0 X Type and sit on leather for a couple of hours watching the fuel gauge go down, or throw a grand or so at a small hatch. I was thinking Punto or Micra - each seem to be around 50 mpg claimed, and I'll be on fairly free running A roads. I can probably fix them on the weekends if they break small bits
I'm planning on doing my DAS soon, which opens up another possibility, but would need something for the first 6 months thats cheap n cheerful.
My other thought was perhaps a diesel 206 or 115hp TDCi/TDDi Mondeo
I can either do the run in a 3.0 X Type and sit on leather for a couple of hours watching the fuel gauge go down, or throw a grand or so at a small hatch. I was thinking Punto or Micra - each seem to be around 50 mpg claimed, and I'll be on fairly free running A roads. I can probably fix them on the weekends if they break small bits
I'm planning on doing my DAS soon, which opens up another possibility, but would need something for the first 6 months thats cheap n cheerful.
My other thought was perhaps a diesel 206 or 115hp TDCi/TDDi Mondeo
PaulGT3 said:
406 HDI 110.
Will do about 45mpg, but won't be a ticking timebomb like a mondeo tdci and won't be horrible for the motorway like a punto or micra!
I used to get that out of my 1.8 406, nearly 50 if I was trying...Will do about 45mpg, but won't be a ticking timebomb like a mondeo tdci and won't be horrible for the motorway like a punto or micra!
Will agree that its a nice and very, very comfortable place to be on the motorway. Get the rapier edition if any, the trim is the nicest outside of executive models, none of that horrid grey interior. Look at post facelift.
Mine cost 999 3 years ago, ran it until it died, not including the petrol and insurance, cost no more than 1500 in the entire time I ran it.
There's a question mark over the X Type, if it starts getting too expensive to do that trip I'll sell it and put the money towards a bike. I already have another car, it's not a commuter though, it'll just break down too much
Good shout on the Clio, also looking at throwaway Rover 25's as well.
Good shout on the Clio, also looking at throwaway Rover 25's as well.
206 1.4 hdi, will do 60-70mpg all day long and only £30 to tax. Do not buy a 1.6 hdi it is problem after problem. If you want a bit of power get the 2.0hdi will do 40-50mpg and if you find the eco version is only £30 to tax a year. This is due to a longer 5th gear and final drive ratio resulting in lower emissions. Other than that identical to the normal 2.0
I get around 50mpg in a 1.4 16v seat Ibiza. Usually anything from 45-52 even touched 57mpg on a super-economy forgot my wallet fuel light trip home.
They are relatively economical for a petrol so I suppose something in the form of a Ibiza/polo/fabia type thing could prove more of a rounded choice than some kind of tiny Eco box.
They are relatively economical for a petrol so I suppose something in the form of a Ibiza/polo/fabia type thing could prove more of a rounded choice than some kind of tiny Eco box.
andy-xr said:
Good shout on the Clio, also looking at throwaway Rover 25's as well.
Diesel Rover 25's/45's get silly mpg, plus the lump is very old-school and not prone to the issues newer diesels suffer from. If you can live with the interior they are well worth a look.Also, mk4 Astras give you a lot for your money, despite being considered a bit naff dynamically. I'd still be looking at a 45TD first though
Our old Punto 1.2 v8 would easily break the 50mpg mark on the motorway as long as it was flat, and would touch 60 if you were willing to slipstream lorries. It started to drop off dramatically if you went much above 70mph, but I suspect that will be broadly the same across all small-engined petrols.
Thoroughly unpleasant car to drive on the motorway though.
Thoroughly unpleasant car to drive on the motorway though.
Alx323 said:
I say this too much but get yourself a Clio DCi
Not a bad shout if you ignore the petrol bit. A mate has just bought a Clio DCi and he's getting something like 65 mpg out of it in real world conditions.What are the other requirements? A Honda CR-Z is a bit more interesting than the usual hatchbacks and will do a genuine 50 mpg on the motorway. A Golf 1.2 TSI is probably worth a look.
Failing, a 1.1 Saxo or 106 will do nearly 50 mpg on a run and they're huge fun to chuck around.
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