Any big petrol cars capable of 50mpg+?

[rich12]

I'm wanting to get a different car for my commute.
It's circa 25 miles each way and 20 of that is on the M1.
I really don't want a diesel if it can be helped but i'm just not aware of any petrol saloons/estates/SUV's that can do 50mpg consistently.

Ideally no more than £15k and has to be auto with a good spec.
Is there such a thing?

[Sinatra21]

Maybe some form of hybrid car like a Prius estate would do 50mpg. Other than that nothing with any kind of power would do that, more like 40mpg.

Some of the new BMW hybrids can do 25 or so miles on electric alone combined with mid 30s after that so combined over 50miles a day would average over 50mpg.

[TurboHatchback]

No.

You can get quite close though. Even my 15yr old 330i will top 40mpg on that sort of trip and petrol is cheaper than diesel so that's more like 45mpg equivalent. More than worth the premium to not have a nasty clattery sootmobile.

[anonymous-user]

I'd say you're really looking at an LPG conversion to get genuine 50mpg+ equivalent costs in a car of that type.

Will need to keep it for a lot of miles to pay back the conversion though.

[rich12]

Thought as much.
I suppose i'll just have to try and find the best all round diesel.

[greggy50]

I believe that the Mazda 6 Sky Active petrols are very economical I am not sure about 50mpg but suspect they would get pretty close.

[anonymous-user]

I'd do the maths first, petrol is cheaper than diesel which helps.

Assuming 25k miles a year, petrol at 128p and diesel at 132p a petrol car returning 40mpg costs £3637 a year to fuel and a diesel at 50mpg £2910.

By the time you've factored in maintenance and purchase costs the diesel may not actually stack up all that well. Even 40 mpg may be optimistic for a decent sized car in the real world though.

[RazerSauber]

TurboHatchback said:

No.

You can get quite close though. Even my 15yr old 330i will top 40mpg on that sort of trip and petrol is cheaper than diesel so that's more like 45mpg equivalent. More than worth the premium to not have a nasty clattery sootmobile.

I don't think the equivalent is 5mpg for the price difference. It's what, 5p/litre? Say for arguments sake that Petrol is 119.9/litre and Diesel is 124.9/litre

Rough figures suggest at 40MPG Petrol you'd use ~£1700, 50MPG Diesel ~£1420 yearly. You'd need a petrol car to do a genuine 48mpg to match the diesel figures with cheaper fuel.

[irocfan]

define 'big' (physically or engine size?). In any case I think I'm safe saying 'no'. A C5 Corvette will get high 30's on a run (possibly the best big car?) but 50 ? Be interesting to see other suggestions

[ElectricSoup]

Petrol Hybrid, non-plug in. Infiniti Q70:

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

[300bhp/ton]

irocfan said:

define 'big' (physically or engine size?). In any case I think I'm safe saying 'no'. A C5 Corvette will get high 30's on a run (possibly the best big car?) but 50 ? Be interesting to see other suggestions

High 30's I doubt. Over 30 yes :nod: but more like 31-33 and would need a good decent run. However your actual real average will be lower, as you can't just cruise at a constant speed on the motorway.

[300bhp/ton]

rich12 said:

I really don't want a diesel if it can be helpe

Any real reason why? Most modern cars you'd probably be hard pressed to tell the difference except for the shape of the power curve. They are likely to be quiet enough you won't be hearing the engine much.

[classicaholic]

I know its not huge but we have a petrol golf that does over 50 even 60 on a run at nun driving speed!

[ElectricSoup]

Lexus IS 300h:

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

Again, petrol hybrid, non-plug in.

Also GS450h:

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

[quinny100]

Merc C350e or BMW 330e will average 50mpg over 60 miles if you charge them daily.

[Cambio]

If you can charge at home, you need a Vauxhall Ampera/Chevy Volt. Don't be put off by the badge.

You will do about 40 miles each day on electric, or the whole trip if you can charge at work. But you have unrestricted range if you need it.

Mileage on petrol alone is about 40-45mpg.

Auto, comfortable, lovely to drive. You will get a good one for around 12K.

Drawbacks? only 4 seats.

Since I bought mine, my Mercedes CL500 has stayed in the garage most of the time.

[TurboHatchback]

300bhp/ton said:

rich12 said:

I really don't want a diesel if it can be helpe

Any real reason why? Most modern cars you'd probably be hard pressed to tell the difference except for the shape of the power curve. They are likely to be quiet enough you won't be hearing the engine much.

That's just not true though if you have ears or nerves, diesels still sound awful and vibrate like an out of control washing machine. The press tells us with every new diesel that comes out that it's better than before and as good as a petrol but to me they're much as horrid as they ever were, just faster. I spent a couple of hours in a brand new Volvo V90 last week, it still sounded like a cement mixer and that's about as bargey a car as they make.

For the OPs 12k a year the difference in cost between 40mpg on petrol and 50mpg on diesel is no more than £300 per year, a no-brainer upgrade to me.

[CABC]

300bhp/ton said:

Any real reason why? Most modern cars you'd probably be hard pressed to tell the difference except for the shape of the power curve. They are likely to be quiet enough you won't be hearing the engine much.

whilst that's not even true in itself, it also highlights another problem - manufacturers making small turbo petrol engines that drive like diesels. so much great engineering progress driven to produce horrible cars. sad.

[geeks]

Ok you have 13k a year commuting and how much private mileage?

Some of the modern ecoboost stuff is very good, wifes Focus returns circa 60mpg on the motorway when popped into eco mode and the cruise set at 70.

You could probably get an ecoboost Mondeo with a decent spec in budget?

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201... this looks good for example, ok its an estate but shows the Titanium spec well. I actually really like it!

[rich12]

geeks said:

Ok you have 13k a year commuting and how much private mileage?

Some of the modern ecoboost stuff is very good, wifes Focus returns circa 60mpg on the motorway when popped into eco mode and the cruise set at 70.

You could probably get an ecoboost Mondeo with a decent spec in budget?

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201... this looks good for example, ok its an estate but shows the Titanium spec well. I actually really like it!

I probably do around 100-200 miles over the weekend plus a bit here and there during the day so probably 500 miles a week give or take.

I've done over 4,000 miles since the beginning of August.