Recommended Cars for Motorway Commute

[jm79 10]

I live in Dronfield and I have just accepted a new job offer which means I will now have to commute to Nottingham (motorway side) from J29 every day.

 

My 2001 Golf 1.6 petrol car is going to have to be replaced with a more efficient car (preferably a Diesel) and I was looking to spend no more than £9-10k (on a good 2nd hand car).

 

Ive done some research and I really like the 1.6 TDCi Ford Focus Zetec 115 and there are some good deals out there for less than £10k for these with less than 25,000 miles and under 3 years old. The official MPG looks good as well although I am more concerned that the actual MPG is reported closer to the 45mpg mark.

 

I'm also considering other cars such as Audi A3 (but will prob have to settle for a pre-2010 version with approx 50k miles if £10k is my limit).

 

Can anyone recommend any other similar cars that are reliable and have good MPG (through experience) more around the 50-60mpg. If any Ford Focus 1.6 Zetec drivers can also clarify mpg for these as well.

 

Thanks

[neeeeeeeeeek 10]

How big a car do you need? A friend has a Micro and that gets good economy.

[Cyclone 10]

Have you considered just getting a newer Golf?

[tzijlstra 11]

This should probably be in a different section, but as I have been looking for something recently I thought I'd chip in.

 

Unless you are going to drive over 10K miles a year (or thereabouts) a diesel is actually going to wind up being more expensive, keep this in mind when you decide. Dronfield to Notts (motorway side) is some 30 miles x 2 x 5 x 48 (assuming you work 48 weeks) which is way more (14,400 a year). So it would work out for you.

 

Now the annoying thing is that the best diesel-engines in your price range/mileage range are French, this is annoying because the rest of the car is usually not as good and dealers are not renowned for being brilliant. Having said that, a lot of their reputation in terms of quality is a bit daft and in terms of comfort they frequently beat out their rivals. So I would say - have a look at the DS series of Citroen or the Pug 308.

 

I had similar criteria but am OK with upto 50K - at this point you can include Golfs and, frankly, they have a reputation for being solid for a reason, 50K miles on a Golf is rather insignificant if it is the right car. (I don't like the Golf, it is too small for me up front and I don't like the hardness of the ride - keep this in mind when you do a lot of motorway miles, you don't want to feel every bump!)

 

But, as someone who likes being odd I would go for either an Alfa Romeo Giulietta, ignoring all the obvious warning signs related to Alfa when it comes to reliability and all that and choose the best small diesel engine in the market today: The Fiat 1.6l Multijet or a Volvo C30 because I know and trust Volvo's - but that would be a compromise on space for passengers (Which I don't care about on a commute!).

 

Of course, a lot of people will have different opinions!

[jm79 10]

I was hoping for a medium sized hatchback (akin to the Focus) as there will be times when we use it as a family car at the weekends.

 

I have thought about the new Golfs - the Bluemotion in particular which gives really good mpg but I fancy a change after I had a few issues with my current Golf (although I know the newer models will be much better now).

[Bonzo77 13]

Honda civic

[Gazza58 10]

I was hoping for a medium sized hatchback (akin to the Focus) as there will be times when we use it as a family car at the weekends.

 

I have thought about the new Golfs - the Bluemotion in particular which gives really good mpg but I fancy a change after I had a few issues with my current Golf (although I know the newer models will be much better now).

 

Ive got the renault megane coupe diesel,easily get 50mpg round town and up to 65mpg on motorway.

[Eater Sundae 12]

Not really the sort of cars that are on your radar, but I've used a couple of cars for longish periods on a similar sort of run.

 

Suzuki Splash (1.3 diesel), and

Skoda Fabia (1.9 VAG diesel)

 

Both cars delivered 60 mpg. The Skoda was probably a bit better fuel consumption of the two.

 

Much newer (and presumably better) engines than the 1.9 VW engine, so I would expect as good as or even better real world fuel consumption from a more modern diesel.

[Sproutbum 10]

I have a Mondeo 1.8 Diesel Ghia and it is a great motorway car. Combined 45 mpg, easy 55 on a motorway run.

[geared 317]

Skoda Fabia or Seat Ibiza are a good shout, cheap to buy but still pretty much a VW Polo underneath.

[hyper 10]

Go for a bigger car - mondeo size/class.

Speeds are higher, traffic density is higher, you're spending more time on the road - you need more protection. Some smaller cars may offer 5 stars safety protection, but like for like, I reckon you stand more chance in a bigger car, should you have an accident.

 

But I'm not professional expert.

[mlfc 10]

I'd tend to advise the biggest car possible.

 

If you are buying second hand, large Fords and Vauxhalls like the Mondeo and Insignia tend to depreciate quickly too and they often end up cheaper than the Focus and Astra. You can probably get either for £10k and less than 2 years old

 

50 - 60 mpg isn't out of the question either