S40 1.8 Petrol vs 2.0 TDi

Michael 12

Anyone have an opinion on this.

I'm a long time petrol driver and I'm thinking of switching to an S40. Looking at the way the price of petrol is going I'm also thinking of switching to a Diesel.

Having looked at the range of engines on offer, I'll either go for the 1.8 Petrol or the 2.0 Turbo Diesel.

Have to admit that I've never driven a diesel car before. All I basically know is that you get a lot more power in lower revs hence you don't need to change gear as much.

What would the power/ acceleration be like in both cars. Would the petrol be better for overtaking ? Nothing worse than getting stuck for a lack of power at the worst moment.

gyppo

For overtaking, what you need is mid-range torque - the diesel version will be far superior in this respect.
Also, I'd examine the 1.6l version diesel - in view of Mr Gormley's proposed motor tax hikes - it would probably be still as good as the 1.8l equivalent petrol from a performance viewpoint.

As regards the petrol vs diesel choice, you need to sit down and do your sums - what mileage will you be doing vs. the cost of purchasing the car.
Also, you will get a better resale value from the oil-burner.

Best thing you could do is test drive them all before you make a decision.

Michael 12

Thanks for the info gyppo.

Buying 2nd hand by the way and there doesn't seem to be much difference between the SE modem in petrol or diesel. Admittedly I'll prob only be doing 15,000 miles a year which is small compared to some drivers.

Will be looking at roughly €600 Euros if Gormley does indeed add 10% onto the price of motor tax.

By the way, I really don't understand why tax rates are the same for petrol and diesel considering a 2 litre diesel has less emissions than a 2 litre petrol ?

EIN

Michael 12 wrote: »

Anyone have an opinion on this.

I'm a long time petrol driver and I'm thinking of switching to an S40. Looking at the way the price of petrol is going I'm also thinking of switching to a Diesel.

Having looked at the range of engines on offer, I'll either go for the 1.8 Petrol or the 2.0 Turbo Diesel.

Have to admit that I've never driven a diesel car before. All I basically know is that you get a lot more power in lower revs hence you don't need to change gear as much.

What would the power/ acceleration be like in both cars. Would the petrol be better for overtaking ? Nothing worse than getting stuck for a lack of power at the worst moment.

i had one of these, 2.0D SE.they are 136bhp, nice and pokey for the size of the car,
the car is not great room wise, and the boot has a small opening.. the door pockets are sufficient only to hold a pack of chewing gum

fuel consumption was not great, was getting an avg of 45mpg..

on the other hand i found the toyota avensis diesel that i had, to be a better engine, and better fuel economy, i was getting an avg with the avensis of 50+ mpg.. ( new model avensis d4d 6speed)

on the plus side, the volvo had very comfy seats, and was a pleasure to drive on long spins.

they way things are going with fuel costs, i wouldnt bother with a 2L car anymore, i prob would get a corolla 1.4 d4d which has excellent fuel economy.. fuel costs are on the rise, and with increases in road tax, may make people go for smaller diesels..

when i sold the s40 it was very hard to sell privately. the 1.6 diesel in the s40 is not great , not much poke in it.

colm_mcm

they also do a 1.6d in the S40.

EIN

colm_mcm wrote: »

they also do a 1.6d in the S40.

hi on the subject of toyota, colm any word of toyota doing a corolla estate?

colm_mcm

Yeah, there's a Corolla Tourer on the way.

EIN

colm_mcm wrote: »

Yeah, there's a Corolla Tourer on the way.

that looks more like a liftback version as opposed to the estate?

R.O.R

EIN wrote: »

the door pockets are sufficient only to hold a pack of chewing gum

Re-styled 2008 model has room for 2 packs of chewing gum, and maybe a mint in the door pockets now

E92

2008 1.8 petrol model is availableas a flexifuel model, that means the car costs €28,000 in SE spec, as opposed to €31,250 for the non flexifuel model, and €32,650 for the 1.6 Diesel model. Is the likely better performance worth nearly €5,000 more?

Ice_Box

Another vote for the 1.6d. It works quite well.

Tabnabs

Fuel consumption for the S40 1.8 petrol is around 9L/100km (or what ever that is in old money?). It's a thirsty beast. Looks wise it's well ahead of much of the competition, People will openly compliment you on the car. The door storage issues are down to the additional safety features, which would you prefer, safety or multiple chewing gum storage

bazz26

I would also give the thumps up for the 1.6d version.

It has 110bhp I have the same engine in my Focus. Have done around 700 miles from a full tank of diesel. Acceleration is pretty good too from it and alot quiter than say a VAG TDi. Not sure what the performance is like in the S40 but would image that it would be slightly less due to the S40 being a slightly heavier car.

I would only opt for the more expensive 2.0d if I needed the extra torque for towing heavy trailers, etc to be honest.

The diesels will also have a better resale value come selling time too. Just make sure it is the SE trim you go for. The basic S is pretty basic and an S40 without the leather interior looks and feels strange.

bazz26

Dyflin wrote: »

The door storage issues are down to the additional safety features, which would you prefer, safety or multiple chewing gum storage

Other car makers have similar safety features and still provide decent storage on the doors.

I'm afraid Volvo are no longer the pioneers of car safety that they used to be. Alot of other manufacturers have caught up or overtaking them in this area.

E92

bazz26 wrote: »

Other car makers have similar safety features and still provide decent storage on the doors.

I'm afraid Volvo are no longer the pioneers of car safety that they used to be. Alot of other manufacturers have caught up or overtaking them in this area.

Funny you should say that, but Volvo are responsible for your Focus's safety features(and they develop all safety gear for anything in the Ford empire) and for the fact it got a 5 star safety rating. But you're absolutely right in saying that its just Volvo who take it seriously. They're all at it now.

And FWIW Volvo invented the Blindsport detector thing and didn't they also invent something that prevents your mobile phone from ringing when you put your foot down to overtake(which made it's debut in the current S40 did it not?)?


I still think the 1.8 Flexifuel is the model to go for. I don't think the 1.6 oil burner is worth 5k more. Normally I'd be keen to suggest a diesel, but the idea of getting a car(1.8F as per the badging) with 50% of VRT reduction sounds very appealing to me. The 1.8 in the old S40(the Mitsubishi engine) is a bit slow for a 1.8(I should know since I drive one). Not too hot on the whole overtaking business, but it will do the job fine.

Maybe the ones with the Ford engines are better?

EIN

E92 wrote: »

Funny you should say that, but Volvo are responsible for your Focus's safety features(and they develop all safety gear for anything in the Ford empire) and for the fact it got a 5 star safety rating. But you're absolutely right in saying that its just Volvo who take it seriously. They're all at it now.

And FWIW Volvo invented the Blindsport detector thing and didn't they also invent something that prevents your mobile phone from ringing when you put your foot down to overtake(which made it's debut in the current S40 did it not?)?


I still think the 1.8 Flexifuel is the model to go for. I don't think the 1.6 oil burner is worth 5k more. Normally I'd be keen to suggest a diesel, but the idea of getting a car(1.8F as per the badging) with 50% of VRT reduction sounds very appealing to me. The 1.8 in the old S40(the Mitsubishi engine) is a bit slow for a 1.8(I should know since I drive one). Not too hot on the whole overtaking business, but it will do the job fine.

Maybe the ones with the Ford engines are better?

i found the 2.0 D well good! also it was well good on eating front tyres if you had a heavy foot.. nice power too. the s40 is a good comfy drive.. i drove from west cork to dublin without stopping at all in the 2.0D SE , the seats in them are the best i ever had, they were so comfortable. i once got 1016km from a tank of diesel, but it was long drives, up and down the country..

i like the v50 , nice car..

Michael 12

Would the 1.6 TDi have a noticable lack of power compared to the 1.8 Petrol ?

How does the 1.6 TDi stack up against the 2.0 TDi. I'm currently driving a 1.6 petrol and to be honest, its a bit more power I want.

JJJJNR

What is your budget for your new car? I've a SEAT Leon 2.0 Tdi 140 bhp , things I like about it are the amount of torque you've got at mid range, stick the car into 6th gear and away you go, its almost like driving an auto. This will also keep up with a 2.0T GTI, Mini cooper S etc through the gears up to sensible speeds. Unless you plan to modify the 1.6D I wouldn’t even go there if your looking for more power, your 1.6 petrol, will out accelerate a 1.6D from the lights, mid range the 1.6D will be faster, but nothing to write home about.

I do about the same mileage as you and I much prefer the choice of economy when "I" want and power when "I" want it, with the 2.0 Diesel I get that.