Commuter Car for 50 mile Round Trip Commute - Page 1 - Car Buying

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Original Poster

132 posts

156 months

Monday 1st April 2019

Hello All - looking for advice / recommendations on a daily commuter car that meets all or most of the specs below:

(1) budget of around 5k;

(2) automatic gearbox;

(3) comfortable for daily commute on town / A roads;

(4) very economical and reliable; and

(5) if possible, something that meets the ultra low emission zone standards.

At the moment, the closest I can get is something like a VW Golf 1.6 Diesel but don't think that will meet the ULEZ standards. All thoughts most welcome - including left-field suggestions!

loafer123

16,664 posts

244 months

Monday 1st April 2019

The usual winner in these competitions (lots of previous threads) is the Volvo S60.

KTF

10,625 posts

179 months

Monday 1st April 2019

50 mikes a day is only 1k a month which is pretty average mileage really so I would be looking for petrol rather than diesel.

A mid size - Insignia, Mondeo, etc. - should do the job fine.

Krikkit

27,935 posts

210 months

Monday 1st April 2019

loafer123 said:

The usual winner in these competitions (lots of previous threads) is the Volvo S60.

Or, with the budget, the S80 from 2006-on.

Great cars.

Original Poster

132 posts

156 months

Monday 1st April 2019

Anything sensible that would meet the ULEZ standards?

loafer123

16,664 posts

244 months

Monday 1st April 2019

knowledgeseeker said:

Anything sensible that would meet the ULEZ standards?

"Petrol cars and vans, which have historically been cleaner, are unlikely to be affected unless they are more than 13 years old."

KomodoWagon

157 posts

113 months

Monday 1st April 2019

Yes, I'd say you want to be looking at petrol for this. The only way you'll find a diesel that'll conform to ULEZ is stuff from 2014/15 onwards, which is likely to be a struggle for five grand unless you go small like a basic spec Fiesta... and then you're likely to lose the auto. My fag-packet calculations suggest you're doing about 12,500 miles a year so I'd say you're in petrol-land here.

How about a Lexus IS200 or 250? Very comfortable place to sit. Decent enough on A-roads and refined in town too. Reliable, obvs. 5k would find you in something 2006 - 2009 I reckon, depending on mileage and spec. And both the 200 and the 250, manual or auto, are ULEZ-compliant. Most petrols made 2006 or later will be. Even big ones. My 2008 Nissan Murano 3.5 V6 is ULEZ compliant, just to demonstrate the nonsense of the entire thing. So's a Chrysler 300C 5.7 V8 Hemi... spin

30,528 posts

154 months

Monday 1st April 2019

Edited by ZX10R NIN on Monday 1st April 17:06

Matt Clay

105 posts

148 months

Monday 1st April 2019

For reference as people are recommending it:

I do a 50ish mile round trip commute and opted for a Lexus IS 250. My journey is a mix of motorway miles and B roads, and I've averaged 30mpg over the last 35k miles. It's ULEZ compliant, and meets most of your criteria.

However, purely on the commute miles, the difference in cost over the year for fuel between 30mpg and 35mpg is roughly £300,
40mpg is roughly £600,
50mpg for £900.
VED is band K so £325 pa.

My driving would probably get around 38mpg in a 1.8 Civic, so I opted to pay the additional in tax and fuel. Previously I was driving a 2.2 Civic diesel that averaged 48mpg, but was a chore that wasn't worth it to me (sat in traffic for 10 out of 50 minutes of my commute and didn't want another diesel).

Given running costs are given as a factor for you, it would be a stretch for me to recommend an IS250 for your use.

MaxSo

1,910 posts

124 months

Monday 1st April 2019

Isn't the obvious answer to the stated criteria a Prius ?

30,528 posts

154 months

Monday 1st April 2019

With you doing 12k you can go either way, petrol or diesel it depends on your commute, something like those diesel hybrids will see a real world 66mpg average.

Sc0tchland

448 posts

110 months

Monday 1st April 2019

ZX10R NIN said:

Edited by ZX10R NIN on Monday 1st April 17:06

What sort of real life MPG would this car get?

30,528 posts

154 months

Monday 1st April 2019

Sc0tchland said:

What sort of real life MPG would this car get?

So far it seems a real world 62-66mpg average which is really good & both the Citroen/Peugeot come loaded with kit too as well as sensible running costs.

GreatGranny

9,519 posts

255 months

Tuesday 2nd April 2019

ZX10R NIN said:

Another car I didn't know existed.

I'm presuming it's 4x4 because of electric motors on the rear wheels?

Look a great option for a commuter.

Thanks ZX10R

Original Poster

132 posts

156 months

Tuesday 2nd April 2019

Thank you guys - much appreciated (especially to ZX10).

Any suggestions as to petrol cars that might break 45-50mpg and will also be relatively comfortable for a boring, stop start commute (if indeed that is possible)? Looking to maximise savings on this one as it will be used predominantly for the commute.

KTF

10,625 posts

179 months

Tuesday 2nd April 2019

If you want 45-50mpg out of a petrol then you are looking at a hybrid. Even then, if its mainly motorway miles rather than slow or stop/start you will just be burning fuel lugging the battery around.

One of the numbers above shows a rough difference in the fuel cost based on MPG. It isn't that much in the grand scheme of things so dont get too caught up on it.

30,528 posts

154 months

Tuesday 2nd April 2019

knowledgeseeker said:

Realistically if you want to see a real world 50mpg in stop start commutes I'd say that not only will the hybrid diesels above achieve this all day long they'll be better suited as well as a nicer place to be than the petrol options below:

Honda Civic ES Hybrid

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Insight

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Toyota Auris Hybrid

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

The thing with all of the petrol alternatives above is that if you show them an open road/motorway the fuel consumption takes a turn for the worse whereas the diesel hybrids come into their own & lets not talk about the petrol hybrids performance (in the 11's to 60mph) which makes an overtake or a swift pull away from the roundabout a bit more (8's for the DH's) tricky.

Original Poster

132 posts

156 months

Tuesday 9th April 2019

Been reading up on the Peugeots and noticed a few complaints about reliability. The Toyota Auris seems like a decent option, cost-efficient and sturdy enough. What about the Toyota Prius or is there something I’m missing with that?

flatso

1,364 posts

158 months

Tuesday 9th April 2019

Citroen C5 exclusive with hydropneumatic suspension, double glazed windows, massage seats and full leather (including dash and headliner in alcantara). Well kept secret'

Lexus LS or IS

Mr Ponkerson

1,524 posts

121 months

Tuesday 9th April 2019

ZX10R NIN said:

Helpful stuff

I do a lot of browsing on this forum and see you constantly respond with multiple useful examples to help OPs on thread after thread. Thank you for taking the time to do this, even as a casual observer I appreciate the effort, it gives me ideas for my constant window shopping too.

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