Boring thought I know, but I need to replace my wifes Focus with an MPV, looking at a Corolla Verso, SMax or Mazda5. Now I've always hated diesel engines but I now have the problem that petrol MPVs are either stupidly slow with a 1.6 engine or stupidly thirsty with a bigger engine.

Does anyone own one of the above and use it mainly for short runs? I only have a single drive so most mornings I will have to move it out the way while I get my S out the garage - what effect will this have on a turbo diesel engine?

Cheers

 

My business partner has an S-Max diesel with the robotised manual gearbox. It's the low CO2 output version.

The car is a really nice drive and is certainly quick enough for the type of vehicle it is - it's economical too.

He drives c. 3 miles to work each morning so I'd guess it's never had the best life! In three years and an odometer approaching 30K miles, it's never had any problems.

 

The new turbodiesels are pretty good, both my parents have them now for work purposes, admittedly both are German diesels, but they are excellent. Not as good as petrol but day to day, you can't complain.

The Ford TDCI is a good example of a good diesel, go and drive one and see what they are like now, they are a lot different to the old clackety nasty smoky ones of yester year! They actually have some performance now!

The rev range is still shockingly poor though and you should really get an auto otherwise you will be forever changing gear to stay in the power band. But there is a lot of torque so it can encourage lazy driving!

 

FRV 2.2 cdti.

 

I test drove a Corolla Verso T180 diesel last week - that felt fairly quick for an MPV! I'm going to try and drive an SMax and Mazda 5 this weekend.

My main concern is reliability if it's doing lots of short runs, although my wife's journey to work is also about 3 miles.

I'm not sure if any of them a a particlulate filter or not?

I looked at an FRV but my drive has quite a narrow entrance and FRV's are quite wide. Plus my experience with my car at the local Honda dealer has put me off buying another Honda.

 

I know all the German diesels have DPFs (therefore Seat and Skoda as well) but don't know about other marques. I imagine most do now.

Mum only does short journeys in her car, if the light comes on (i.e. the filter is clogged with soot), you just take the car up the motorway for a couple of junctions with a heavy right foot and then come back and its all clear. You just have to get some heat into the filter to burn off the soot.

I wouldn't worry too much about reliability on modern diesels, if it is a decent one then it doesn't really matter the length of the journey. Average joe doesn't give a flying crap about mechanical sympathy and the car manufacturers know this when they design the car!

As long as the car gets a decent run at some point, I am sure it will be fine.

 

3 miles!!!! get her a pushbike.

 

A pushbike would save me a fortune - but then I'd have to have a car with rear seats!

1.8tdci SMax is looking the best so far.

 

thats what i did,hence the vauxhall mpv.

 

Is it cost effective having Diesel if one is not doing relatively high annual mileages

You need to look at the cost vis a vi the petrol with the same trim level, the extra cost of the fuel and do the calcs per mile, you have to do a lot of miles usually to make it worth while