Petrol vs Diesel

[Arragonis]

I'm thinking of a change as I don't drive very far any more and Helga is more of a long distance/high speed machine - my last long trip ended quite quickly as I cruised behind a Bentley GT doing ~105-110.

And no, I can't use public transport or cycle for my everyday use.

I quite fancy one of the Citroen C1 / Toyota Aygo / Peugeot 107 series. All of these cars are similar except for some minor styling.

This is a C1.



There are two engines available, a 1.0 3cyl Petrol (from Toyota) and a 1.4 4cyl HDi (diesel) engine (Peugeot / Citroen). The Diesel is no longer sold in the UK but there are still a few low mileage Citroen C1 HDis around as they have only just stopped.

For comparison the stats for the Petrol are :

Fuel consumption (urban) 51.4 mpg
Fuel consumption (extra urban) 72.4 mpg
Fuel consumption (combined) 62.8 mpg
0 - 62 mph 13.7 seconds
Top speed 98 mph
Cylinders 3
Valves 12 v
Engine power 68 bhp
Engine torque 69 lbs/ft

And the diesel

Fuel consumption (urban) 53.3 mpg
Fuel consumption (extra urban) 83.1 mpg
Fuel consumption (combined) 67.2 mpg
0 - 62 mph 15.6 seconds
Top speed 96 mph
Cylinders 4
Valves 8 v
Engine power 55 bhp
Engine torque 96 lbs/ft

Throw into the mix the difference in price between Diesel and Petrol (roughly 2-5p a litre) then its hard to choose which one to go for - my current monthly mileage is about 400, with occasional long trips and mostly urban/suburban.

My natural preference is for the Diesel but the difference is quite small as these are identical cars with different engines. Some reviews say the Petrol engine (revvy) suits the car more than the Diesel which is restricted by the lack of an intercooller and a low pressure turbo (it's more or less there for emissions I think).

In terms of the cars there is little to choose but the Citroen seems the best value (as in you get more stuff for your £s), the Toyota seems the nicest looking and the Peugeot is kind of ignored but some nice ones turn up. None of them have great long-term, high-mileage longevity but my mileage is low and I have minor spannering abilities. The great thing about looking at a used one is that the lose value very quickly

So what is the forum's thoughts ?

[JasonG]

Diesel.

[Weather Spotter]

Diesel. If gas gets scares you can burn most oils in a diesel.

[Odin]

Diesel, same as he just said ^^^ bio-diesel is also much closer to being mass produced compared to any other non-food source bio-fuel

[nimblemotors]

Diesel is worse for the environment, given the cost why?
If you don't drive far ofte, get or build an EV or plug-in hybrid, don't burn any fuel for short trips.

[euromodder]

I'm won't be buying a PSA diesel anymore - or anything from PSA for that matter.

Despite having bought diesels since 1994, and living in a diesel country, I most likely won't be buying a diesel car anymore.

Especially when you're not doing many miles, diesel is not the best choice.

There are small petrol cars with equally low fuel consumption, lower NOx and particulate emissions, and a lot less cost (maintenance) and problems associated with diesels.
If you pick the right petrol car, it can even be converted to LPG or even CNG.

[Arragonis]

Thats kind of where I am undecided. The Diesel will take more time to warm and the taxes here are changing to take into account NOX.

Still pondering.

[Odin]

does Europe not offer b100?

[Arragonis]

You can make your own but I haven't seen a pump with B100. All Diesel here is 5% Biodiesel. Not sure if the HDi is Biodiesel friendly.

[UFO]

As much as I hate gasoline (petrol), with short trips I'd have to recommend it. Especially since you seem to be limited in biodiesel options. I'm very surprised the petrol gets mileage almost as good as the diesel.