Petrol Vs. Diesel.. Advice Please

[JoeZS19]

Ive been looking at the new shape petrol ZS for a while now, however i may be soon chaging jobs and covering 34mile round trip a day to work. (i know not a massive mileage :P )

Im undecided on whether to look into getting the 1.0 petrol or the 1.6tdci? I was just wondering what peoples thoughts are about which one to get and what MPG you are acheiving in yours?

thanks in advance

[Mariner]

I do a very similar mileage daily (have done for 20+ years) and am picking up a brand new Titanium 1.0 125 next week, trading my 09 plate Titanium 1.4 petrol. As ever its down to personal choice.

[JoeZS19]

sounds good :).. The 1.0 would probably be alright fuel wise compared to my current 1.6 ZS

[sambooka]

The new 1litre ecoboost engines are very economical and the plus of owning a deisel would be very little as deisel is more expensive service costs are higher I do a 50 mile round trip to work every day and my 1.6 tdci pre facelift deisel is doing 48mpg but that because I have a lead foot

[JoeZS19]

thanks for the reply sambooka. I'll probs still look into the 1.0 petrol as ive seen that has good mpg figures. haha we all have a lead foot ;)

[minnis]

At that sort of mileage its really personal preference. Diesel will cost more to buy, but will go for more when you sell it, and will return better mpg.

What sort of roads is it? As diesels need good long steady runs every so often - 34 town miles are no good. If its all m'way it should be fine.

Take a look at what car's true mpg and honest johns real mpg to get an idea of the sort of mpg you should expect for your driving style and journeys. Then use this to calculate the cost for the year using fuel prices where you live to see if buying a diesel will really save you money. Remember to factor in tax!

Next device both of the cars and see which you prefer. If the mpg won't offset the purchase cost for several years, you may still want to go for the diesel if it drives better, and vice versa. I personally prefer diesels, and am happy to pay a bit extra for one.

[FiestaZS90150]

i bought the petrol ZS and i drive 120Km per day XD. So your good lol. This petrol engin will giv me better mileage than the diesel i had before. Well thats whats written on paper. And i have to admit i chose it for more power.

[stevegtuk]

I prefer diesels myself, but from what you say I agree with everyone else, petrol is probably the best option

[The Dark Knight]

Ecoboost is a great engine. Low down turbo boost and yet it will rev unlike a diesel (at the expense of fuel economy though lol). Nothing against diesels and have owned more than petrols over the years but my current mileage would not justify a diesel.

The new ZS is faster (albeit not by much) on all fronts than the old 1.6 ZS and more powerful and more economical. I only have 1200 miles on the clock and am getting 370 miles from a full tank at £55 so that will just get better and better. Also worth remembering that the days of diesel road tax advantages are over. The ecoboost is free to tax. A test drive and you will be convinced lol

[JoeZS19]

thanks for the replies

minnis It would mainly be duel carrigeway driving with a small amount of town driving

FiestaZS90150 fair enough thats alot more mileage than i'd be doing aha

The Dark Knight from what ive heard the 1.0 petrol does sound a great car and looks really nice inside and out

I'll probs end up going for the petrol to be honest

[FOCA]

I always think diesel is safer -

But, as was said, it all comes down to personal choice - there are diesel people and petrol people, like there are dog people and cat people, sometimes logic does not come into it, often when i drive other cars, i feel there is something missing - like a shed- load of torque

Its funny - years ago i used to hate diesel cars

[The Dark Knight]

I came from a 2.2 diesel 190ps 315 lb ft torque and the ecoboost is still plenty nippy enough. In fact the torque is about on a par with the ZS tdci as far as I know

[FOCA]

I came from a 2.2 diesel 190ps 315 lb ft torque and the ecoboost is still plenty nippy enough. In fact the torque is about on a par with the ZS tdci as far as I know

Exellent! do you still have printouts? was it a mk3? what was the wheel Hp? the weight probably has a lot to do with it

[The Dark Knight]

Exellent! do you still have printouts? was it a mk3? what was the wheel Hp? the weight probably has a lot to do with it

Never had printouts. It was a stock Land Rover Freelander 2 SD4 Auto. The 2 tonne weight and breeze block aerodynamics slowed it down but in gear pace was impressive. Also, 'sand mode' on the terrain response with the auto box acted like launch control. I once allowed silliness to take over and made a souped up Golf GTi look stupid away from the lights before he later flew past doing about 5,000 mph lol

[Yokomoko]

This is just what I was looking for. I too am debating against either 1L Ecoboost engines (100BHP or 125BHP) vs the 3 diesel engines. I will be moving from Kent to Plymouth shortly after buying this car, so will be coming back every 3 months or so for a little while, so will be doing 600 miles of motorway driving some weekends, but mostly doing town driving.

I'm almost sold on the petrol (but again, 100BHP or 125...) as most of my time will be spent town driving (probably 50/50 on mileage though). Euuugh

[The Dark Knight]

Try both versions. Around town the 99ps will be just as quick. A blast down a dual carriageway or motorway and harder acceleration would reveal the 125ps advantages

[b1g_dav3]

This is just what I was looking for. I too am debating against either 1L Ecoboost engines (100BHP or 125BHP) vs the 3 diesel engines. I will be moving from Kent to Plymouth shortly after buying this car, so will be coming back every 3 months or so for a little while, so will be doing 600 miles of motorway driving some weekends, but mostly doing town driving.

I'm almost sold on the petrol (but again, 100BHP or 125...) as most of my time will be spent town driving (probably 50/50 on mileage though). Euuugh

I'd say the 100bhp may be better around the town, but then again it's one of those things where you'll be left feeling 'what if...', best to go test drive both and see how they fare. The 100bhp is generally nicer to drive around town and in this setting every bit as capable as the 125bhp, but the 125bhp is nicer to drive on the B roads.

[Thedaleman]

Had a 2 litre TDCI Focus diesel for 6 years and loved every minute.The torque even in 6th gear was amazing.Overtaking a doddle but it was falling to bits.

So I decided to have a test drive in the Fiesta ecoboost 100bhp and found it slightly lacking in 4th and 5th but great handling.

After much research I ordered a Fiesta Titanium x 125bhp with full leather in frozen white.

It is a totally different drive from the 100bhp.

Have had it for 2 weeks now and it is the best car I have had in 40 years of motoring. I am 62 years old.

The level of comfort,handling and spec is awesome.

The torque is on a par with the 2 litre Focus up to 4th.

I got 44 mpg with the Focus mixed driving whilst the Fiesta is at 40.4 with only 320 miles on the clock.

I reckon 50 mpg after it has run in at around 1500 miles is quite feasible.

Opened it up slightly tonight to 4000 rpm and it is rapid hitting 85 in 3rd.

I thought I would never go back to a petrol after the TDCI but I feel the writing is on the wall for diesel with the introduction of the Ecoboost engine.

It is in the Fiesta,Focus and soon the Mondeo and the 1 litre with probably tune to 150 BHP no problem.

Turbo petrol fuel injection way to go.

[JoeZS19]

Thedaleman i love how even though your 62 you still use the word awesome! :D aha

I think the 125 1.0 ZS is the one i'd go for if i went petrol as i like the styling of the ZS and would want the equivalent power to the 1.6 i have now

[The Dark Knight]

Joe, considering you have the old ZS 1.6, 125 is the way to go. I have spent so much time on here praising the ecoboost that I can't bring myself to type it all again lol.

Comparing it to the 1.6 though, the new one is streets ahead. I don't mean any offence to 1.6 owners because I have driven one on a few occasions and it is a fine and economical performer. I just found that despite being faster than the tdci, it needed working hard to get the best out of it. The tdci had the turbo kick for less hectic acceleration but being diesel didn't rev much before needing a change. Diesel owners could also boast something like £20 a year tax but the 1.6 petrol was circa £120 I think.

The new engine has low down punch from the turbo just like the tdci and matches it for torque but it will rev high if you wish. There is also a large welcome to FREE road tax!

Power, torque, 0-60, top speed, economy and tax; Stock vs stock, the new engine wins on all fronts.

Other aspects like improved interior may influence new buyers but the looks will divide opinion and most dislike SYNC. I have got on with SYNC ok and I think the new shape looks awesome.

New buyers have a number of petrol engines to choose from but its easy to see why this award winning engine is going to dominate sales. TCH told me that the ecoboost ZS is expected to have good residuals partly because of the demand for the engine on the used market and partly because of the ZS spec.

[b1g_dav3]

I still like my diesel, 76.9mpg on a 90 mile trip is quite welcome :P

[Steve92]

Petrol all the way, I no longer spec diesels for town work. What I would say is if you have a 1.6 work out the cost to change against the cost of fuel, spending £5000 to get an extra 5mpg could take a long way to recover the costs. Oh and I'm looking at swapping from a 300bhp cupra to the zs, I'd like the t but not sure I can justify the price and also because I want to fit a towbar to it.

[FOCA]

I still like my diesel, 76.9mpg on a 90 mile trip is quite welcome :P

Me too - i only get 50mpg but the 5-second 50-70 in top is handy for safe overtaking + i don't think the ecoboost runs on veg oil

I wonder in 15 years time we will be debating electric vs hydrogen powered cars?

[b1g_dav3]

Hydrogen is better. You get annoyed at someone, drive into them - that's their day ruined.

[The Dark Knight]

I still like my diesel, 76.9mpg on a 90 mile trip is quite welcome :P

No arguing with the big figures Dave. Obviously, a customer can choose a car based solely on preference but many decide on which fuel between like for like models such as the fez ZS by doing their sums on mileage.

Higher mileage and the diesel will claw back the outlay and extra fuel costs. Lower mileage and the petrol makes sense. Interestingly, I read an article that said so many people buy small diesel cars for the perceived saving and never leave the town/city roads. This means that the DPF doesn't regenerate and gets clogged causing problems and visits to the dealer.