Diesel or Petrol
We are considering a new car and cannot help but notice the growing unease with diesel and the possible ban on diesel cars in cities. A possible city ban would have little impact on our lives as we have neither need nor inclination to go to cities. On the other hand we wonder if we do buy a new diesel whether we might find that it becomes a difficult car to exchange or sell further down the line. I am interested to know if some have decided to go back to petrol for towing. We have not towed with petrol since the early 90's and have memories of struggling up hills with engine revs screaming. What do others think?
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if your petrol engine car was screaming up hills it needed a bigger engine. I towed for year with petrol cars, but they were 3.0 ... just not the most frugal of cars. Having said that, my current 3.0 diseasal is also reluctant to pass a fuel pump, but it does tow effortlessly despite the size of the caravan.
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We are looking to change our car but can find very few petrol engines big enough to do the job within our budget although, I would like one just in case diesels get hammered by the government.
Mazda looks the favourite although I did consider an Insignia, cheap, but its emissions and poor depreciation makes me doubtful.
Skoda charge the earth for the one in the Superb and the rest of the VW group seemed to have only diesels. The Mondeo with one also looks expensive compared with the rest of the range and again would have poor depreciation.
What Car quotes a Toyota Avensis but the dealers seem to think it has been dropped.
After that the choice might be a second hand one but not sure.
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There are so many diesel vehicles on the road, both cars and "white van" that any sudden and significant change in government policy would be political suicide. People are getting into a tizzy prematurely.
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Better wait to see what the German Chancellor as to say, Germany being one of the biggest produces of diesel engines along with France. Their is plenty of scope to improve emissions just wait and see,they won't let a multi billion euro Industry go to the wall, mind you some in Europe are daft enough that's why we are in Brexit.
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The anti diesel scaremongerers are having a field day at the moment. What they don't disclose is how much pollution comes from petrol and power station fuelled electric cars as well. Euro 5 & 6 diesels are much cleaner than older diesel engines which gave the bad name that seems to have stuck.
Bite the bullet. Buy a new or used diesel with at least a euro 5 engine and enjoy the low down torque that a petrol powered motor cannot provide. The anti diesel brigade cannot win in the long term because a viable alternative has not yet been designed.
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Entirely agree with Chris. And what the press are describing as a diesel only charge in London is actually for ANY car, petrol OR diesel which is pre Euro4 compliant. Petrol engines emit ultra fine particulates which increase with engine wear and mileage and which no one seems to consider. The recent pollution spike in London was - wait for it - from so called environmentally friendly wood burning stoves, you couldnt make it up! The politicians stampede to electric and hybrids is the same as the previous support for diesel, the result of successful lobbying of politicians who live in another world, except this time just wait until the penny drops with the lack of charging capacity and infrastructure, costs and environmental impact of disposing of tired old EV batteries.....etc.... And that is before consideration is taken into account for those who can only park on the street or in flats, how do they charge their EV's? diesel/petrol will be a round for a long time yet.
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l have come to the conclusion that all Politicians are useless, so what does that make us as we put them their. All this stems from the straight Banana remember that one from Brussels. Bureaucrats sat in the Hague on colossal wages and expenses thinking this sort of thing up to justify their existence, once they have meddled with diesel they will need to introduce something else, "wait for it" a round strawberry maybe. Lets hope Brexit fetches us back to reality and common sense, here's hoping
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It's interesting that Wildwood mentions the Avensis. I too am looking for a petrol alternative to pull my Coachman VIP and I was quite surprised to find the Avensis a suitable match (trusting that the CC matching app is right). At 1,8 I thought it might be a little underpowered but I was pleasantly surprised and after all, we only tow about 6 times a year so why pay more for a bigger or dirtier engine? I reckon if diesel days are numbered and petrols/hybrids can't match the power it's time caravan manufacturers start thinking seriously about making more lightweight vans
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So Diesel is dirtier than Petrol, think back when Gordon Brown was the Chancellor, what was he spouting, all by diesels petrol bad for the environment, are you telling me that crackpots that govern Europe didn't know about the emissions of the Diesel engine, load of codswallop all this is to hammer the motorist for more candy that will be wasted somewhere else
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Modern diesels are far cleaner than they were say only 5 years ago, the problem is the older diesels still running on the road and I think this is where the government is heading to remove these from the roads, diesel manufacturers are throwing vast amounts of money to produce cleaner engines, but as it was the particulars produced from the engine exhaust was the issue a few years ago due to all engines having DPF fitted this has been reduced significantly, but now it's NOX fumes that are causing the cancergenic issue this why they use add blue ( uria or pigs p@@s ) which when injected into the exhaust at high temperature burns some of the NOX waste but is unable to remove it all, manufactures are playing with incredible high fuel pressure to create a cleaner burn but this in its self is causing other issues and of course this is controlled by a lots electronices which with high temperatures is not proving reliable, but they will get there one day.
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Diesels for me every time. My 22 yr old Toyota Surf will run happily on recycled veg oil and in the summer I run on a 50/50 mix. That is in itself cleaner. You can't do that with petrol and I wonder how much this has to do with pollution which the government couldn't give a toss about or forcing a fuel on the public that ensures FULL vat and excise!! I notice the carbon dioxide argument hasn't been raised! - global warming? Yeah right!!!
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Tax increases will have to come anyway as some big bills are coming down the line.
I to believe that the manufacturers are addressing the pollution issues and the latest diesels are a vast improvement over those 6 or 7 years old but I'm sure that there is further progress to be made.
I can see the need to restrict I/C vehicles from city centres but the diesel is the most efficient mass produced engine that we have so it will be around for quiet a while.
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I can't see the big articulated lorries having a petrol engine installed any time soon as they need the 'grunt' for heavy loads, also diesel price rises will be kept in check by the haulage companies as we have seen in the past. Moving freight onto a better railway system could be the answer but the government wants change without spending on infrastructure.
Change will come but not for some while yet and those changes will primarily be in heavily populated areas for starters, on saying that I am considering petrol for my next towcar.
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We tow with both, a diesel or a petrol. Petrol is a 4.0 litre Jeep, was rather thirsty, however, we had LPG conversion done, currently just over 50p per litre round here. No loss of torque or performance, more than double the mileage. Only uses petrol to start up, switches over to LPG within a mile. Had no problems whatsoever in last six years of conversion. Paid for itself within months.
Our other Jeep is a 2.8 diesel, again excellent tow vehicle.
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Just had a look at how many cities in UK have chargeable zones. One, no prizes for guessing which one. Most visitors who go to London will never need to use their own car as the vast majority of the public transport budget is spent here, easy to get about on local transport. Those who live there and have to pay charges? Goes with the territory I'm afraid.
Half a dozen other places are looking at making buses more emission friendly, but few other restrictions. Got a long way to go before diesel engines are no more.
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You are very lucky to still have it, as I had to get rid of my hilux of a similar age, even though it was in good condition and low mileage, just because I live just inside the London emissions zone. Joke was I worked outside it 😕
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Oh, that's a bummer John. A highly capable vehicle which I hope and think will see me to the end of my caravanning days. Hopefully, that won't be for a few years yet! I had a towbar fitted to my 65 plate Seat Leon Estate today - so much plastic! I won't be towing my 'van with it as it's not a match- just a small trailer for collecting logs etc. It's diesel though and is very responsive - particularly in sports mode!!
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Before everyone rushes to buy a petrol Towcar be aware that next week the WHO will be publishing a report about petrol engine pollution..... And guess what, it appears that direct injection petrol engines produce more harmful particulates than diesel. I said something like this would happen, just didn't expect it quite so soon! However it will of course depend on how much coverage the anti diesel press give to the report.......
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I too always had petrol towcars....always 3ltr plus...Granadas..Senator....Troopers,...and a Sorento........However.....I tried a 2.5 diesel for 3 years and currently have a 2.2 diesel.Economy and torque of the diesel will mean that I will not go back to petrol and as I am now over 70 years old I really do not care very much about future restrictions!!!!
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Modern diesels, Euro 6 are not going to fall off the edge of a cliff, old diesels may well disappear. The trouble with listening to BBC Fads is the next week they will be saying petrol is the greatest polluter after all, (its already been hinted at) not so long ago diesel was the clean fuel. The next scare story will be the lithium battery fire risk that you sit on in an electric car.
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Petrol for me,non turbo,chain driven timing, torque converter auto,and at least 2.0ltr,had a diesel did not like it, plus the dreaded DPF😡
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There was a Mitsubishi Outlander Hibrid on site last week 2ltr petrol and two electric motors,,the owner was very pleased with it,towing on electric about 18miles then petrol for about 30miles while also charging batts then another 18batt and so the cycle continues so well over 100miles per gal and zero road fund licence
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No response to my query on this subject under the 'Towcar' heading, so I'll try this one! Like others, I'm getting concerned that diesel drivers may be seen as an easy target for a tax hike. Looking around, without paying a fortune, there seems to be little choice of petrol engines with the necessary power for towing. I'm very happy with Skoda for towing, being on my 2nd 2 litre Octavias (big boot is a requirement). However their only petrol alternatives is a Superb, with the much criticised DSG gearbox, or the manual Octavia vRS - theoretically their sports version. If anyone has any experience of towing with a vRS I'd be glad to hear what they feel.
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Before people run like headless chickens to ditch their diesels I suggest reading Autocar magazine dated 5 April or look at the articles from last week on thier car news section of their website. Can we just please calm down about all this ill informed anti diesel hysteria?!
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