Best engine/car for high MPG?

[BruceT]

I'm looking at selling my Volvo 850 T-5 remapped to 260hp dyno proven bla bla


Now... Even though its pretty modified its only worth about £250-600 part ex and about 1000-1500 max private.


Now, im looking at 1k budget and quiting the performance car game and just jumping to something comfy, quiet & decent MPG.

My mrs has a 90 HDi 406 and she is getting 42-43mpg on my commute which is spot on!!

Now, my budget may not stretch do a D9, buy may get me D8 1.9 TD or 2.1TD.

Now are these older 1.9 and 2.1 TD units the same kind of effiency?

If not, i know it cheeky but what other diesels mid sized are gunna get me 40mpg+?

Also, it MUST have a trip computer (Our GLX 90HDi didnt but because its a D9 we retrofitted easily)

Thanks guy

[omega]

d8 has no computer on the 2.1

[swiss]

Don't need one. Fill it right up, reset your trip counter and drive until empty. My '98 1.9 gets 600 miles from a tank of Morrisons B30, 500 from regular dino diesel. Divide 600 by a nine gallon (I believe) tank to get 66mpg ^^

[HimBigChief]

Do the 406's not have a 70L tank so that'd be more than 15 gallons ish? I usually put £50-£60 worth of diesel in a week to get about 500 miles.

My 2.1TD averages the mid to high 30's but I do drive it pretty hard so it's not too bad. I'll see what it's like when I eventually bother my ass to get it remapped as the economy is supposed to increase aswell as the power.

[BruceT]

I always like to have the Info Centre cos I like my gadgets :p

Im guessing the HDi's are more economical than the older 1.9 and 2.1Td?

Ive seen the Rover (Cringe) 420 Diesels seems pretty economical but again probably doesnt have the info centre but seems a decent diesel performace/cost mpg etc.

[Captain Jack]

My old 2.1TD never did below 40mpg but never really about 45mpg.

My 110 HDI is doing 47-48mpg easy. You can probably get a higher milage one for under 1k

[mjb]

My '98 1.9 gets 600 miles from a tank

...and I got 707 miles to a tank in my V6. That's got to be a kick in the nads

[BruceT]

Id like a D9 (So I can easily retrofit the info centre) saloon or estate with 90 or 110 HDi in a nice blue colour

[Welly]

Don't need one. Fill it right up, reset your trip counter and drive until empty. My '98 1.9 gets 600 miles from a tank of Morrisons B30, 500 from regular dino diesel. Divide 600 by a nine gallon (I believe) tank to get 66mpg ^^

Swissy the 406 tank is a 15 gallon'er so 600 miles would be about 40mpg

Brucey - I went the other way round to you i.e. from a HDi to a T5 and to be honest the Volvo's 'only' costing and extra £10.00 per week in fuel. The other problem is that an old HDi will keep on demanding money spending on it (I got the T-shirt).

Maybe, if your Volvo is pretty much how you'd like it to be (maintenance wise) then that could be the cheaper car to run in the long run?

[Doggy]

Get yourself a 110 HDi exec - best mpg & got all the gadgets as standard - i'm sure you can find a good one for under a grand if you're patient.

2nd choice, a GTX - got everything apart from leather & memory seats.

Cruise isn't generally available until 2001, but some folks have retro fitted it fairly painlessly.

[BruceT]

Welly,

My T5 is doing 21mpg on my commute, the misses 90HDi is doing 43.5 on a short run and she drives it fairly hard!

So, on the commute alone id be half my fuel bill.

Motorway commute I can get 28-30mpg IF i plod at 65-70mph. It can soon drop do 27-28 with the odd squirt of the throttle based over 205 miles.

The misses pug was nudging 58mpg!! So again almost half the cost.

I keep saying it to myself "I quit the game" of performance cars and getting more power. Im bored of the power now. I cant use it 1) i cant afford the fuel 2) where I live its pretty much rush hour traffic all the time and 30-40mph limits.

So now your asking why get a T5?? Well, performance, sleeper appeal and love Volvos... So can afford this 1500 mods etc? I got a bonus in march and spunked that into the car. If i JUST drive the T5 to and from work... Im using about £60 of fuel a month (JUST COMMUTING) I cant afford to drive it for the sake of driving due to my sallary and commitments (Wife, house, dog etc) to run it. Ive kinda been there done it and bored. If I was earning more id still run it, its a great car. But since im only 23 and not the richest guy I feel id better of saving money on Insurance, fuel etc and run a diesel for a few years till im earning more cash.

My car is quick but it doesnt excite me anymore, id be more impressed with 45mpg on my commute than a 60-100mph figure of 14-15 seconds and 21mpg driving like a granny.

Is the 110 HDi SLIGHTLY less economical the 90 HDI? Parkers and autotrader say so (Slightly ie - 2mpg lol)

Do they drive massivly different?

[HimBigChief]

I spend that amount per week for my work commute!

Trust me, you'll miss the power when it's gone. I've gone from 309GTi's and 405Mi16's to the 406 and it is sluggish in comparison. Best bet though is you can get the diesels remapped for about £250-300 for an extra 30ish bhp and 50ish (IIRC) lbft of torque.

What Welly was saying thoguh was that surely you've ploughed a lot of money into the Volvo so it's not likely to go wrong. If you were to buy a 406, there's nothing to stop you throwing your money at that to get it to a decent reliable condition. You may find that you're having to replace bearings, bushes, etc, etc which will cost you more in the long run than if you were to keep your Volvo. Personally, I enjoy the mechanical side so I like to play around with my cars which means I'm always doing something or t'other. Got a track rod end, 2 tie rod washers and the rear anti-roll bar bushes to replace this afternoon.

[BruceT]

I've drove the misses 406 90 HDi and yes, its slower but you get upto speed fine.

I dont mind spending money on Peugeot to maintain it and get into great condition.

My problem is having NO money to fuel the T5 and sometimes struggle to afford the fuel to just commute!

I also like the mechanics side of things like to get my hands dirty. I never expect to buy a used car in A1 condition, They ALWAYS need something doing and enjoy "fixing them up" Problem with the T5 is its still costing me a load on insurance and fuel and cant enjoy it because of this.

Ive had several fast cars and yes there great but for ever day to day id drive the misses Pug to work, its smooth, quiet etc and when your sat in traffic, you can turn the stero up and chill out knowing your fuel is ok and not wathcing the MPG like the T5.

Dont get me wrong, id love to keep the T5, its spot on and someone WILL get a bloody cheap car but its not for me now.

Ive seen the benefits of the Diesel economy from the misses and it means you can just go drive for the sake of driving (I love driving) whether the performance is there doesnt matter, the pug is smooth and decent to drive and get back into driving for the sake of driving just to enjoy it and not think "id love to go to x place and see something or go see a mate" but then think, i wont be able to afford the rest of the months fuel bill if I do go.

Im also bored of the T5 in many ways, the power is boring now... The ehaust is too loud, the suspension is too hard, the clutch is heavy and MPG is not viable for me. Been there, done that etc.

Stop putting me off the damn pug diesel lol and help me find one :p

[steve_earwig]

Ah, welcome to the real world I'm not sure what the HDi's like after a remap but the 2.1td gives you a nice kick in the backside at about 3k, which is where you give up waiting for it in my HDi 'cos that's where it runs out what little puff it had. The fuel consumption difference between the two is hardly worth the bother either.

Or, if you want something fast and economical, get a bike

[Welly]

Well I think he's made his mind up!

If it was me I'd be inclined to look for a nice 2.1 D8 like an 'S' reg or something (even though it won't have the mpg-o-meter) I don't think the economy of the old 1.9 is much different as that unit needs working harder etc. the 2.1 is a lovely engine with a surprising turbo boost 'shove'.

The difference between the HDi's and the old generation Diesels is no more than 5mpg in real terms.

My 110 only used to average 38mpg in summer and 35 in winter which wasn't that good really although you could squeeze 53 on a long run if very carefull.

Have you considered getting a 125cc Scooter? since you already have the missus car too? just a thought.