Petrol Versus Diesel?

[missfroy]

Hi there

I don't actually own a Toyota yet (although I am an ex-Yaris owner) but after having endless and expensive problems with my Renault, I am seriously looking at buying a Verso.

I drive a diesel at present but as there are some pretty good special offers on the 1.8 SR at the moment, I am more than a little tempted to go for a petrol model!

Some reviews definitely favour the diesel 2.2 model, saying it is a much better performer, but I would like to hear from the people who actually drive these cars every day.

Any comments would be very welcome - but please keep it simple - I'm no techie!!

Thanks

[bjw]

If its any help I have a 2-2 D4D my personal opinion is I just think the diesel has more torque in the range were you need it.

The 2-2D4D SR is a extremely good buy at the moment but suggest you try the petrol and the diesel models out to see which you prefer ( you could try and get a 24 test drive out most dealers will do that for serious buyers).

Regarding servicing I don't think there is much in it between the petrol or diesel.

Because you own a diesel at present you know that a diesel will cost you more to buy but should get more at trade in time !!! and although you get more miles to the litre of fuel you pay more for it than unleaded !!!

.

If I was buying another car tomorrow it would be the diesel model again

[missfroy]

If its any help I have a 2-2 D4D my personal opinion is I just think the diesel has more torque in the range were you need it.

The 2-2D4D SR is a extremely good buy at the moment but suggest you try the petrol and the diesel models out to see which you prefer ( you could try and get a 24 test drive out most dealers will do that for serious buyers).

Regarding servicing I don't think there is much in it between the petrol or diesel.

Because you own a diesel at present you know that a diesel will cost you more to buy but should get more at trade in time !!! and although you get more miles to the litre of fuel you pay more for it than unleaded !!!

.

If I was buying another car tomorrow it would be the diesel model again

Thanks bjw - I booked a 24hr test drive this morning (must be psychic!) and discussed pros and cons with the salesman - he sort of confirmed what you have said

Hopefully by Thursday I will have decided which one is best - then it's just the colour to choose! Can't make up my mind - decuma grey or silver steel......it seems trivial but let's face it, after your house, it's probably the most expensive purchase you make!

[bjw]

If its any help I have a 2-2 D4D my personal opinion is I just think the diesel has more torque in the range were you need it.

The 2-2D4D SR is a extremely good buy at the moment but suggest you try the petrol and the diesel models out to see which you prefer ( you could try and get a 24 test drive out most dealers will do that for serious buyers).

Regarding servicing I don't think there is much in it between the petrol or diesel.

Because you own a diesel at present you know that a diesel will cost you more to buy but should get more at trade in time !!! and although you get more miles to the litre of fuel you pay more for it than unleaded !!!

.

If I was buying another car tomorrow it would be the diesel model again

Thanks bjw - I booked a 24hr test drive this morning (must be psychic!) and discussed pros and cons with the salesman - he sort of confirmed what you have said

Hopefully by Thursday I will have decided which one is best - then it's just the colour to choose! Can't make up my mind - decuma grey or silver steel......it seems trivial but let's face it, after your house, it's probably the most expensive purchase you make!

I quite agree with you a new car costs a lot of money and as you say its probably the second most important purchase you make ( when I change my car it can take months ).

I see the SR has rear parking sensors as standard they really are a big help and suggest if you can afford it have them fitted to the front as well !!!( They are a dealer fit option I think)

Also don't forget to haggle a bit even if you have a trade in!!! its a buyers market out there and dealers have sales targets to hit ( if you are uncomfortable with haggling try to get the front sensors ,mats ,and a full tank of fuel thrown in )

If you have a look through the forum you will see what type of deals have been achieved recently

Good luck and I hope you like the Verso

[Fidgits]

what you need to consider is also the fuel prices.

People automatically think a Diesel will save them money - and once upon a time that was true - but Diesel costs more than fuel at the moment, and can be up to 5p a litre more expensive.

A good diesel engine will only do around 10MPG better than petrol on average - so you would need to be doing in excess of 10,000 miles a year to make any actual saving on the diesel, and thats before you consider in the higher purchase price and higher servicing costs.

[bjw]

what you need to consider is also the fuel prices.

People automatically think a Diesel will save them money - and once upon a time that was true - but Diesel costs more than fuel at the moment, and can be up to 5p a litre more expensive.

A good diesel engine will only do around 10MPG better than petrol on average - so you would need to be doing in excess of 10,000 miles a year to make any actual saving on the diesel, and thats before you consider in the higher purchase price and higher servicing costs.

I don't think servicing costs are any different now !! they used to be more expensive as the oil had to changed every 6,000 miles but now with modern engine oils that is not the case .

Regarding costing more !! yes you pay more for it but you get more back at trade in time .

You are correct modern petrol engines are more fuel efficient so if its a purely a financial decision its a hard one !! myself as I said I just like the performance in the 30 to 60 range you get with a diesel.

[Fidgits]

what you need to consider is also the fuel prices.

People automatically think a Diesel will save them money - and once upon a time that was true - but Diesel costs more than fuel at the moment, and can be up to 5p a litre more expensive.

A good diesel engine will only do around 10MPG better than petrol on average - so you would need to be doing in excess of 10,000 miles a year to make any actual saving on the diesel, and thats before you consider in the higher purchase price and higher servicing costs.

I don't think servicing costs are any different now !! they used to be more expensive as the oil had to changed every 6,000 miles but now with modern engine oils that is not the case .

Regarding costing more !! yes you pay more for it but you get more back at trade in time .

You are correct modern petrol engines are more fuel efficient so if its a purely a financial decision its a hard one !! myself as I said I just like the performance in the 30 to 60 range you get with a diesel.

You don't always get more back for a diesel - for instance the Mini Cooper Diesel has worse depreciation than the petrol version - so you'll always lose money.

And what your reffering to is the sharp torque curve of a diesel engine, which is mainly due to a very narrow power band and the turbo to give a 'shove', whereas petrol engines tend to be more usable throughout the rev range.

Of course, for motorway journies it doesnt really matter, most modern diesels are designed for this specifically...

[bjw]

what you need to consider is also the fuel prices.

People automatically think a Diesel will save them money - and once upon a time that was true - but Diesel costs more than fuel at the moment, and can be up to 5p a litre more expensive.

A good diesel engine will only do around 10MPG better than petrol on average - so you would need to be doing in excess of 10,000 miles a year to make any actual saving on the diesel, and thats before you consider in the higher purchase price and higher servicing costs.

I don't think servicing costs are any different now !! they used to be more expensive as the oil had to changed every 6,000 miles but now with modern engine oils that is not the case .

Regarding costing more !! yes you pay more for it but you get more back at trade in time .

You are correct modern petrol engines are more fuel efficient so if its a purely a financial decision its a hard one !! myself as I said I just like the performance in the 30 to 60 range you get with a diesel.

You don't always get more back for a diesel - for instance the Mini Cooper Diesel has worse depreciation than the petrol version - so you'll always lose money.

And what your reffering to is the sharp torque curve of a diesel engine, which is mainly due to a very narrow power band and the turbo to give a 'shove', whereas petrol engines tend to be more usable throughout the rev range.

Of course, for motorway journies it doesnt really matter, most modern diesels are designed for this specifically...

I used a TR as no SR about at that time

Toyota Verso MPV (06-) 2.2 D-4d TR 5dr 2006 (06)20,000 miles

Dealer £13,215

Private £11,975

Part exchange £11,080

Trade £10,575

Cost new £17,865

Toyota Verso MPV (06-) 1.8 VVT-I TR 5dr 2006 (06)20,000 miles

Dealer £12,160

Private £11,020

Part exchange £10,240

Trade £9,730

Cost new £16,765

So cost £1100 more than a petrol you got £ 845 more at trade in time

I am sorry I do not agree with you that the petrol is more usable you do not get any turbo lag these days but at the end of the day its really down to personal opinion .

[Fidgits]

thanks for proving my point...

you've lost an extra 200 quid - which isn't a lot, but still, if you havent made the fuel savings - the diesel has ended up costing you more money in the long run.

[bjw]

thanks for proving my point...

you've lost an extra 200 quid - which isn't a lot, but still, if you havent made the fuel savings - the diesel has ended up costing you more money in the long run.

You sound like you come from the anti diesel brigade !!!as I have said its down to personal opinion I have driven diesels and petrol and my opinion is I prefer diesel the fact that we do not know how many miles per year ? ,where the car will be driven ? how many passengers will be in the car ?, what will happen to prices in the future ??? we cannot say with any certainty which will be cheaper in the long run

To me Missfroy seems perfectly capable of making in informed choice regarding her next car purchase !!

She asked for an opinion from somebody who drives a Verso diesel which I gave

Why you decieded to compare a diesel mini cooper as an example I do not understand!! A mini cooper is as different from a Verso that salt is to sugar

[Fidgits]

I'm not anti-anything mate...

I'm a realist.

And once diesel made a lot more sense than petrol, costing less to buy, offering up more economy.

Since then, petrol has caught up on the economy sense, with diesel getting more expensive, making it less of a simple choice.

Of course, diesel has come a long way in refinement too - and absolutley is a good buy - IF you are doing the mileage it can save you money - I certainly would get a BMW diesel if I got a job as a road warrior..

But a Verso is for transporting kids to and from school - not a huge mileage, or crusing task - which negates the anticipated cost savings - but of course, because Diesel 'used' to be cheaper, people still have this preconception - I'm simply offering up the specific technical statement that diesel is no longer cheaper and thats that, but that there are plenty of reasons for both depending on your usage and requirements.

[bjw]

I'm not anti-anything mate...

I'm a realist.

And once diesel made a lot more sense than petrol, costing less to buy, offering up more economy.

Since then, petrol has caught up on the economy sense, with diesel getting more expensive, making it less of a simple choice.

Of course, diesel has come a long way in refinement too - and absolutley is a good buy - IF you are doing the mileage it can save you money - I certainly would get a BMW diesel if I got a job as a road warrior..

But a Verso is for transporting kids to and from school - not a huge mileage, or crusing task - which negates the anticipated cost savings - but of course, because Diesel 'used' to be cheaper, people still have this preconception - I'm simply offering up the specific technical statement that diesel is no longer cheaper and thats that, but that there are plenty of reasons for both depending on your usage and requirements.

Which if you look at my original post

Quote

" Because you own a diesel at present you know that a diesel will cost you more to buy but should get more at trade in time !!! and although you get more miles to the litre of fuel you pay more for it than unleaded !!!"

Which put another way Petrol costs less per litre but you will get less miles per litre and if you buy a petrol model it will cost you less but you will get less for it at trade in time

[missfroy]

I'm not anti-anything mate...

I'm a realist.

And once diesel made a lot more sense than petrol, costing less to buy, offering up more economy.

Since then, petrol has caught up on the economy sense, with diesel getting more expensive, making it less of a simple choice.

Of course, diesel has come a long way in refinement too - and absolutley is a good buy - IF you are doing the mileage it can save you money - I certainly would get a BMW diesel if I got a job as a road warrior..

But a Verso is for transporting kids to and from school - not a huge mileage, or crusing task - which negates the anticipated cost savings - but of course, because Diesel 'used' to be cheaper, people still have this preconception - I'm simply offering up the specific technical statement that diesel is no longer cheaper and thats that, but that there are plenty of reasons for both depending on your usage and requirements.

Which if you look at my original post

Quote

" Because you own a diesel at present you know that a diesel will cost you more to buy but should get more at trade in time !!! and although you get more miles to the litre of fuel you pay more for it than unleaded !!!"

Which put another way Petrol costs less per litre but you will get less miles per litre and if you buy a petrol model it will cost you less but you will get less for it at trade in time

Now, now children......

Have just had a test drive in a petrol version and am hoping to have a go in a diesel at the weekend. I'm reserving judgement until then - money, fuel prices etc etc are obviously factors, but if one gives a better driving experience, that's the one for me

Thank you for your posts, anyway and I'll let you know how I get on

[bjw]

I'm not anti-anything mate...

I'm a realist.

And once diesel made a lot more sense than petrol, costing less to buy, offering up more economy.

Since then, petrol has caught up on the economy sense, with diesel getting more expensive, making it less of a simple choice.

Of course, diesel has come a long way in refinement too - and absolutley is a good buy - IF you are doing the mileage it can save you money - I certainly would get a BMW diesel if I got a job as a road warrior..

But a Verso is for transporting kids to and from school - not a huge mileage, or crusing task - which negates the anticipated cost savings - but of course, because Diesel 'used' to be cheaper, people still have this preconception - I'm simply offering up the specific technical statement that diesel is no longer cheaper and thats that, but that there are plenty of reasons for both depending on your usage and requirements.

Which if you look at my original post

Quote

" Because you own a diesel at present you know that a diesel will cost you more to buy but should get more at trade in time !!! and although you get more miles to the litre of fuel you pay more for it than unleaded !!!"

Which put another way Petrol costs less per litre but you will get less miles per litre and if you buy a petrol model it will cost you less but you will get less for it at trade in time

Now, now children......

Have just had a test drive in a petrol version and am hoping to have a go in a diesel at the weekend. I'm reserving judgement until then - money, fuel prices etc etc are obviously factors, but if one gives a better driving experience, that's the one for me

Thank you for your posts, anyway and I'll let you know how I get on

No not children !!! just two people with strong opinions :D (also I suppose a little bit of I am right and your wrong )

As you drive a diesel at present I am sure you know about the advantages and disadvantages of diesel ownership

Let us know how you get on

[missfroy]

I'm not anti-anything mate...

I'm a realist.

And once diesel made a lot more sense than petrol, costing less to buy, offering up more economy.

Since then, petrol has caught up on the economy sense, with diesel getting more expensive, making it less of a simple choice.

Of course, diesel has come a long way in refinement too - and absolutley is a good buy - IF you are doing the mileage it can save you money - I certainly would get a BMW diesel if I got a job as a road warrior..

But a Verso is for transporting kids to and from school - not a huge mileage, or crusing task - which negates the anticipated cost savings - but of course, because Diesel 'used' to be cheaper, people still have this preconception - I'm simply offering up the specific technical statement that diesel is no longer cheaper and thats that, but that there are plenty of reasons for both depending on your usage and requirements.

Which if you look at my original post

Quote

" Because you own a diesel at present you know that a diesel will cost you more to buy but should get more at trade in time !!! and although you get more miles to the litre of fuel you pay more for it than unleaded !!!"

Which put another way Petrol costs less per litre but you will get less miles per litre and if you buy a petrol model it will cost you less but you will get less for it at trade in time

Now, now children......

Have just had a test drive in a petrol version and am hoping to have a go in a diesel at the weekend. I'm reserving judgement until then - money, fuel prices etc etc are obviously factors, but if one gives a better driving experience, that's the one for me

Thank you for your posts, anyway and I'll let you know how I get on

No not children !!! just two people with strong opinions :D (also I suppose a little bit of I am right and your wrong )

As you drive a diesel at present I am sure you know about the advantages and disadvantages of diesel ownership

Let us know how you get on

Well, I have now had a test drive in both the 1.8 and the diesel and guess which one I preferred? ......

The diesel! By quite a margin actually, it seemed much smoother and packed a bit more punch - in fact, I liked it so much I bought the company! (Well, ok, just the one car!)

Thanks for your help, bjw - I did haggle (in a nice sort of way) and feel I was happywith the deal (in the end money off list price, more for my part-exchange, less deposit, and the rest on 0 % finance over 3 years - plus a few extras!)

Dealership were very good - salesman very laid-back, but very helpful (can't say the same for Jemca at Colindale....)

Anyway, I'll let you know more when I actually become an OWNER!

Cheers

missfroy

[bjw]

I'm not anti-anything mate...

I'm a realist.

And once diesel made a lot more sense than petrol, costing less to buy, offering up more economy.

Since then, petrol has caught up on the economy sense, with diesel getting more expensive, making it less of a simple choice.

Of course, diesel has come a long way in refinement too - and absolutley is a good buy - IF you are doing the mileage it can save you money - I certainly would get a BMW diesel if I got a job as a road warrior..

But a Verso is for transporting kids to and from school - not a huge mileage, or crusing task - which negates the anticipated cost savings - but of course, because Diesel 'used' to be cheaper, people still have this preconception - I'm simply offering up the specific technical statement that diesel is no longer cheaper and thats that, but that there are plenty of reasons for both depending on your usage and requirements.

Which if you look at my original post

Quote

" Because you own a diesel at present you know that a diesel will cost you more to buy but should get more at trade in time !!! and although you get more miles to the litre of fuel you pay more for it than unleaded !!!"

Which put another way Petrol costs less per litre but you will get less miles per litre and if you buy a petrol model it will cost you less but you will get less for it at trade in time

Now, now children......

Have just had a test drive in a petrol version and am hoping to have a go in a diesel at the weekend. I'm reserving judgement until then - money, fuel prices etc etc are obviously factors, but if one gives a better driving experience, that's the one for me

Thank you for your posts, anyway and I'll let you know how I get on

No not children !!! just two people with strong opinions :D (also I suppose a little bit of I am right and your wrong )

As you drive a diesel at present I am sure you know about the advantages and disadvantages of diesel ownership

Let us know how you get on

Well, I have now had a test drive in both the 1.8 and the diesel and guess which one I preferred? ......

The diesel! By quite a margin actually, it seemed much smoother and packed a bit more punch - in fact, I liked it so much I bought the company! (Well, ok, just the one car!)

Thanks for your help, bjw - I did haggle (in a nice sort of way) and feel I was happywith the deal (in the end money off list price, more for my part-exchange, less deposit, and the rest on 0 % finance over 3 years - plus a few extras!)

Dealership were very good - salesman very laid-back, but very helpful (can't say the same for Jemca at Colindale....)

Anyway, I'll let you know more when I actually become an OWNER!

Cheers

missfroy

Its nice to get some feedback !!

It does not matter what deal you got really!! if you feel that you got a good deal and are happy with it that is all that matters if you know what i mean!!! it does help things along when the salesman is not to pushy

I had a feeling you would prefer the diesel you do not get the turbo lag as you did years years ago they really do make a comfortable cruiser.

Regarding fidgets comments I do think that in a way he does have a point !!!at the prices diesel fuel is at the moment it makes you think