[chetalien]

I'm currently running 330dxdrive. approx giving me 40mpg. done 11.5k so far.
obviously i've been doing research re petrol vs diesel.
If i had bought petrol version then although gives me less mpg it would be more economical.
Approx do 15k/yr.
Looking at it it takes me about 5-6yrs just to break even.

I'm going through PCP anyone done similar calcs and see if petrol is better after all.

cheers

[JD6]

Which petrol version are you comparing it to?

[....,,,,..,,..]

Also are you including the big discounts against the bigger engines.

That should also be included.

As an aside does anyone actually buy / lease / PCP a car and expect to save cash, break even etc?

I always thought cars were a large hole to throw money

[jusdorange]

Seiously though

Say 330d vs 328i

What mileage is break even

[....,,,,..,,..]

Originally Posted by jusdorange

Seiously though

Say 330d vs 328i

What mileage is break even

Add in 25% discount on 330d
And whatever the 328 gives.

[F30/330/NH]

Diesel Every Time just for the torque currently running a DTUK tunning box on my F30 330D

[Sabo]

The only petrol engine I would chose over the 330d diesel is the 335i but it's considerably more expensive with pretty bad fuel consumption especially in town also being replaced in a few months hence I went with 330d on my new order again. 4 cylinder 320/328 just don't do it for me.

[JustChris]

30mpg in M235i so far. I do a lot of Motorway with work though. That's very rasonbale for 330HP 3L petrol. Obviosuly on the way home and the twisties its about 15 but the average is great

[Nick the Greek]

Diesel -

Boats
Cement mixers
Tractors
Industrial generators
Commercial vehicles
HGVs


Petrol

Lawn mowers
Cars.

[Pablo68]

Originally Posted by SZABO

The only petrol engine I would chose over the 330d diesel is the 335i but it's considerably more expensive with pretty bad fuel consumption especially in town also being replaced in a few months hence I went with 330d on my new order again. 4 cylinder 320/328 just don't do it for me.

It's about the same price if you haggle. And I get 40-42 mpg on a motorway run if I don't drive like I stole it, which is pretty remarkable for a 3 litre 6 pot petrol.

[Sabo]

Originally Posted by Pablo68

It's about the same price if you haggle. And I get 40-42 mpg on a motorway run if I don't drive like I stole it, which is pretty remarkable for a 3 litre 6 pot petrol.

Great engine no doubt but for our use which is mainly town use lots of short journeys was struggling achieving even 20mpg and personally think pointless buying a 335i if you have to nursing it I drive my car almost like I stole it and still does 35+ mpg. However I did seriously consider it and the only reason I didn't go for it as the engine being replaced next year.

[DieselRocket]

I'd say you won't get 'business case' return on running a 330d over a 328i, unless you're doing very high mileage and you take a 5-year+ view. At this point, it's not really a business case.

For me, the diesel vs. petrol thing comes down to taste, driving style and what you appreciate most. I was a hard-core petrol person a while back but, setting aside the fun, tounge-in-cheek comments from others on this thread, modern 6-cylinder diesels really are good these days.

For sure, Diesels don't sing like a good petrol engine, but I tried a 335i quite recently and, while it was beautifully smooth, it very thin in the mid-range and only really took off up in the big revs. This is compared to my 330d, which hurls you down the road so effortlessly, without needing to go past 3krpm. Strangely, I even found the same thing in the M235i I borrowed - yes, it handled properly and sounded good, but it too felt week in the mid-range and, by the time it was really accelerating hard, it was also making a lot of noise and attracting a bit of attention.

I just love the way you can make very quick progress in such a low-key way in a good diesel. So it's just down to personal preference - if you simply have to have a petrol engine singing to you and you're OK to loose out on the low and mid-range grunt, then petrol is the right way to go.

In general, the diesel engines are heavier, so you loose some handling, turn-in and feel (for me, the 328i and 320d both handle better than my 330d), but the difference isn't huge and neither the 328i or 335i have enough mid-range grunt for my taste. Yes, they both hustle quite nicely at the top end (the M235i is properly quick at the top end) and sound lovely up there, but the thinness of the mid-range , where most of us spend our time in daily driving, tips the balance in favour of fast diesels for me.

Unless you're comparing a 2-litre diesel with a 3-litre petrol or a V8, I don't think you'll sensibly be able to make a decision based on life-time ownership costs alone. So it's down to the style of drive that you like.

Anyway, this is a rather boring response from me. Nick will always be able to give you a much more colourful and entertaining view on this topic :-)

[Pablo68]

Originally Posted by SZABO

Great engine no doubt but for our use which is mainly town use lots of short journeys was struggling achieving even 20mpg and personally think pointless buying a 335i if you have to nursing it I drive my car almost like I stole it and still does 35+ mpg. However I did seriously consider it and the only reason I didn't go for it as the engine being replaced next year.

I drive mine like I stole it most of the time ...and get about 19mpg. But life's too short to worry about things like fuel economy

In repsone to Dave, funnily enough I agree that although the N55 has a lovely flat torque curve it does feel (comparatively to a 3 litre diesel) weedy in the mid range, which is why unless I'm pottering about I nearly always bung it in Sport+ Manual and drive it like a petrol should be driven..hard and revving. But I guess I just enjoy that style of driving - even on a commute - which is why diesels never properly do it for me, whereas I can well see why if you like the more relaxed leave it in auto and let the car do it's thing style of driving a big diesel with it's giant dollop of lazy torque is preferred.

[Steven1077]

I find it pulls nicely at anything about 2500 rpm, and as I keep saying my 335d was hardly any different on consumption, it did 6 more mpg which is crap and drove like a tank, and I drive them the same, mostly under 2000 rpm

[ZeroFx]

Originally Posted by ChesterM4

30mpg in M235i so far. I do a lot of Motorway with work though. That's very rasonbale for 330HP 3L petrol. Obviosuly on the way home and the twisties its about 15 but the average is great

its reasonable unless you expected what they CLAIM you can do.

37 mpg is it?

[ZeroFx]

Originally Posted by Pablo68

It's about the same price if you haggle. And I get 40-42 mpg on a motorway run if I don't drive like I stole it, which is pretty remarkable for a 3 litre 6 pot petrol.

If you did 100 miles at 70mph on cruise in the auto what would your mpg be?

I get 46-50 mph out my 330d atm

[Hunky Dory]

Originally Posted by ZeroFx

If you did 100 miles at 70mph on cruise in the auto what would your mpg be?

I get 46-50 mph out my 330d atm

I recently did around 180 miles at an average of around 65mph.

The trip computer told me I'd done around 43mpg.

And my 35 is having to lug a hearse around!

[ZeroFx]

Originally Posted by Hunky Dory

I recently did around 180 miles at an average of around 65mph.

The trip computer told me I'd done around 43mpg.

And my 35 is having to lug a hearse around!

if i could get 40+ mpg out of a 435i then id be up for one. at least i could have fun at weekend with it.

That said im addicted to Torque!

[Hunky Dory]

Originally Posted by ZeroFx

if i could get 40+ mpg out of a 435i then id be up for one. at least i could have fun at weekend with it.

That said im addicted to Torque!

It's far from norm, but I was pretty chuffed!

[chetalien]

To do a fair comparison i did 320d vs 320i and 335d vs 335i albeit taking claimed mileage to keep it uniform and just take the bog std cars for comparison.
all numbers rounded off.

car cost mpg miles m/l no of lit cpl total cost
420ixd 35645 43 15000 9.5 1579 1.25 1974
420dxd 38110 56 15000 12.4 1210 1.3 1573

cost differnce 2465 402/yr

number of years to breakeven 6.1

435isd 43205 37 15000 8.2 1830 1.25 2287
435dxd 45040 50 15000 11.1 1352 1.3 1757

cost differnce 1835 530/yr

number of years to breakeven 3.5

[ZeroFx]

i do 40-45k a year so i break even within a year

[chetalien]

I agree- i've just quoted average driver miles. at 45-50k deco diesel better.