Petrol or diesel? Now or wait until June

[Rhic]

some advice please...

I've been reading the forums for over a year. Really useful and have helped me spec the van I want.

However...

...do I buy a diesel before the price rise in June or wait until after June and choose petrol. 2 dealers have confirmed that it will be an option.

I've estimated that the price rise will put 2k on the price of the van but the euro (from the German configurator) saving from diesel to petrol is around 3k. So if I wait and buy a petrol it may ending up costing roughly the same as a diesel.

The van will be used an everyday vehicle.

Obviously not much time to make the decision and I keep changing my mind.

Thanks

Richard

 

[BerndRos]

No one can give you advice on this, it's purely a decision for you to make without any outside influence.

 

[Digger]

Something to consider _ the petrol variant has much higher CO2 emissions and much less miles to the gallon. It is only a maater of time till the focus again goes back CO2 as the main greenhouse gas target. The future is for greener so they intend killing the combustion engines in some future time. Decide your use and good luck.

 

[Stuart]

Does the petrol engine sound nice? That's surely the most important consideration

 

[Rhic]

good point on the MPG. I'm currently running a t25 westfalia which does about 20 to the gallon if i'm going downhill.

i'd be interested to know the ratio of diesel vs petrol on the vans sold in europe. I've only ever seen diesel german t5 california's in cornwall.

think i might flip a coin

 

[Max-Felix]

So many factors here to consider and given the one fact you have:

VW are allowing a petrol option in the UK...

...I'd want to know a heck of a lot more about the exact spec first. Especially the torque figures and characteristics.

And to drive it of course but apparently more people buy a car without test driving than do test drive first...?!

 

[2haw]

some advice please...

I've been reading the forums for over a year. Really useful and have helped me spec the van I want.

However...

...do I buy a diesel before the price rise in June or wait until after June and choose petrol. 2 dealers have confirmed that it will be an option.

I've estimated that the price rise will put 2k on the price of the van but the euro (from the German configurator) saving from diesel to petrol is around 3k. So if I wait and buy a petrol it may ending up costing roughly the same as a diesel.

The van will be used an everyday vehicle.

Obviously not much time to make the decision and I keep changing my mind.

Thanks

Richard

Talk to your dealer, surely they will be ok for you to the order diesel now at the current price, but change to the petrol once the details are fully released if you prefer?

 

[hirsty]

I have high hopes for the petrol variant/s - some of the "smaller" VW group motors are fantastic, several people praising the 1.4 TSI here this week. I tried one in a hired Skoda in the Alps with 7-speed DSG & it was just perfect.

Obvs different to hauling around 3,000KG of Brandrup ...

If you're buying new right now I'd wait for the new model year, but as above it's only for you to decide.

 

[Rhic]

Thanks for the advice. I'm speaking to my dealer tomorrow so I'll ask the question about changing once the spec are released.

 

[GrannyJen]

Petrol will be very interesting, IF diesels are going to be persecuted.

However as one wise soul has already commented, fix the NoX on diesel and we can all go back to being terribly smug again about how little CO2 a diesel chucks out. If I bought a euro 6 now I would think that I have at least 10 years of happy motoring before I start to feel persecuted.

If it was a big V8 we were talking about then ok, petrol I might go for, but it's not, and it's going to be chugging a 3 ton lump with all the aerodynamics of a breeze block around, so I would be a little sceptical.

Something to consider, but it does not make my mouth water with excitement.

 

[ROKET]

good point on the MPG. I'm currently running a t25 westfalia which does about 20 to the gallon if i'm going downhill.

i'd be interested to know the ratio of diesel vs petrol on the vans sold in europe. I've only ever seen diesel german t5 california's in cornwall.
think i might flip a coin

Autocar said all the car manufacturers say small cars will alway have petrol engines,because of the £900 pounds for a diesel to reduce Co2 and Nox emissions.And large cars like 4x4s will always have diesel engines because of the power delivery needed and better fuel economy.

 

[jts46]

In France
Petrol 1.45 € litre
Diesel 1.17€ litre
No brainer as far as I'm concerned

 

[hirsty]

Yes, but they could reverse the fuel taxes overnight & the groundwork is already being laid for some kind of shakeup.

As things stand a Euro6 diesel isn't a bad choice, for now at least.

 

[Max-Felix]

In France
Petrol 1.45 € litre
Diesel 1.17€ litre
No brainer as far as I'm concerned

Different here of course:

Petrol is around £1.19

Diesel £1.22

But the difference has been much more marked in the past in petrol's favour.

As noted earlier though how they drive is key - a small revvy turbo petrol is fantastic in a small car but a 2.5 tonne van need oodles of torque and low down power.

For many Cali owners fuel consumption is not a huge deal and relatively insignificant and overplayed next to other costs.

We don't know what a petrol Cali real world MPG would be but say at 5000 miles a year at say £5.40 gallon:

20mpg = £1350
25mpg = £1080
30mpg = £900
35mpg = £770

So say the likely difference is maybe 25 mpg petrol vs 35 mpg diesel then it's only £300 odd at 5000 miles a year! Even if you're the exception at 10k a year then £600.

Given the lower initial purchase price, lower servicing and presumably *much* lower annual VED and freedom from city taxes/bans then petrol could be a real no brainer...

 

[alter]

I have recently bought two VW cars, with the 6-diesel diesel engines, which I am fully satisfied with the problem of the frequent regeneration of the regenerating filter ... Low fuel consumption and good engine torque but if I had the chance, I would have chosen the petrol engines .... those who buy a 65,000 euro vehicle is not looking at the price of gasoline ... The engines of my boat consume 140 liters / hour each but I would not change them for smelly diesel!

 

[Max-Felix]

... The engines of my boat consume 140 liters / hour each but I would not change them for smelly diesel!

Nice! Luckily (or not for me as I'd rather have yours) my boat has a 15hp and uses 8/litres hr at WOT!

 

[OCCALI]

Different here of course:

Petrol is around £1.19

Diesel £1.22

But the difference has been much more marked in the past in petrol's favour.

As noted earlier though how they drive is key - a small revvy turbo petrol is fantastic in a small car but a 2.5 tonne van need oodles of torque and low down power.

For many Cali owners fuel consumption is not a huge deal and relatively insignificant next to other costs.

We don't know what a petrol Cali real world MPG would be but say at 5000 miles a year at say £5.40 gallon:

20mpg = £1350
25mpg = £1080
30mpg = £900
35mpg = £770

So say the likely difference is maybe 25 mpg petrol vs 35 mpg diesel then it's only £300 odd at 5000 miles a year! Even if you're the exception at 10k a year then £600.

Given the lower initial purchase price, lower servicing and presumably *much* lower annual VED and freedom from city taxes/bans then petrol could be a no brainer...

Could not agree more.
Sit back and wait for the new petrol engines to be released....

 

[BerndRos]

Nice! Luckily (or not for me as I'd rather have yours) my boat has a 15hp and uses 8/litres hr at WOT!

My boat has a 28hp engine and a tank full of diesel lasts years...I have lots of white cloth stuff hanging from the rigging.

Sailors are green.

 

[Max-Felix]

My boat has a 28hp engine and a tank full of diesel lasts years...I have lots of white cloth stuff hanging from the rigging.

Sailors are green.

I frequently am green too - with my sea legs and the south-westerlies round here!

 

[phillme]

will the petol model be better for shorter more frequent journeys ?

 

[briwy]

Only problem I can see in buying a diesel now is that if the current diesel bashing continues then it will be difficult or impossible to sell in the future, certainly residuals will plummet.

 

[Erbster]

I think diesel residuals will fall generally, but I wouldn't expect the Cali to be as strongly affected. As someone said earlier in the thread, Diesel engines are the most appropriate for this size/weight of vehicle. I don't see that changing particularly fast. The diesel bashing is primarily political not environmental and the focus will likely move elsewhere after a while; we can't do without the enormous fleet of diesel vans, buses and lorries. That may change in time, but meanwhile I hope I have many years of enjoyment of my Cali ahead of me.


Charles

 

[Grey one]

Only problem I can see in buying a diesel now is that if the current diesel bashing continues then it will be difficult or impossible to sell in the future, certainly residuals will plummet.

Surely a new T6 will be not only be Euro 6 but add blue as well. Any attack on diesel will start with older vehicles. By the time they get to having concern over Euro 6 vehicles, there will be a further delay on attacking those with add blue as the Nox and particulate figures are really quite low (especially Nox).

 

[WelshGas]

Surely a new T6 will be not only be Euro 6 but add blue as well. Any attack on diesel will start with older vehicles. By the time they get to having concern over Euro 6 vehicles, there will be a further delay on attacking those with add blue as the Nox and particulate figures are really quite low (especially Nox).

Are they? We only have the Manufacturers word for that. In the real world, who knows.

 

[Grey one]

some advice please...

I've been reading the forums for over a year. Really useful and have helped me spec the van I want.

However...

...do I buy a diesel before the price rise in June or wait until after June and choose petrol. 2 dealers have confirmed that it will be an option.

I've estimated that the price rise will put 2k on the price of the van but the euro (from the German configurator) saving from diesel to petrol is around 3k. So if I wait and buy a petrol it may ending up costing roughly the same as a diesel.

The van will be used an everyday vehicle.

Obviously not much time to make the decision and I keep changing my mind.

Thanks

Richard

Rhic, interesting question. As stated by many, there are clearly differing views. Perhaps your answer lies in the actual reason you ask the question in the first place. You did mention costs but did not mention concerns over the future of diesel. Is it just financial (initial cost, running costs, residuals, etc) or is it the issue of the future of diesel? I think quite a few on the forum use the diesel for a daily drive and do not report engine issues with short trips. There is an issue of overall mileage but then again that may not kick in until any vehicle has well over a 100,000 miles on it? I am not sure on the effect of residuals on a high mileage petrol engine. If your question is however primarily answered by your personal view on the future proof nature of diesel that's a little more difficult. If so, I would advise you look at the emission stats for both petrol and diesel as it is reasonable to assume Government reactions will be based on those and residuals will follow accordingly. I may of course be wrong! Good luck, I am sure you will make the right choice for you.