Quote:
Originally Posted by Airborne
This 'Diesel vs Petrol' question is what bothers me.
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To fully make a decision about going back to Petrol, i would want a 125i or m135i on loan from a dealer for a day or so to get the real MPG figures for my commute and driving style. I dont think i would give the 118i a look in as i have realised that what i enjoy most from the 120d is the torque, so it would have to be close to contend. I personally feel that smaller engined petrols with monsterous turbos aren't comparable to the larger diesels and the diesel wins hands down for me. After having use of a 116i F20 for a week, i used far too much petrol to achieve the sense of acceleration that i am used to in the diesel, so tbh i spent most of the time with my right foot firmly against the carpet, with the window rolled down to hear that glorious sound of the turbo spooling and the waste gate dumping, hehe
. The 116i is a fantastic engine tho, for performance and economy in comparison to what other manufacturers are offering, so dont get me wrong on that.
The smaller engine was working harder than say the 118i or 125i would to satisfy my driving demands, and cant help but wonder if i would actually use less fuel in the larger engine as it would be able to provide that power i expect with less effort. Obviously if i drove the 125i or m135i petrol flat out you could expect the larger fuel bill, but im sure this wouldnt be necessary on a regular basis.
When ordering the 120d i often wondered if i made the right decision, i knew it made sense for my pocket, but did it for my heart? As mentioned previously many petrol heads would turn their nose up at the 'd' badge on the back of a car. i loosely regard myself as a petrol head and im starting to realise i should have gone the other way. If you do 20k miles a year, diesel all the way, if its 6k miles a year its got to be petrol: like me doing 12k miles a year - either is fine so go with your heart i say, otherwise its a good few years until its financially viable to make the change again!
If you can stretch to a 125i, go for it; otherwise stick with the 120d!