by irlmin » Fri Feb 21, 2014 6:07 pm
This debate re Diesel vs petrol will always have polar opposite views , I personally think that if you are doing less than 40000 miles per annum then you don't need a diesel , if more than that it may be worth considering , also when people quote cost figures for diesels usually they are quoting 'new' vehicle figures and not taking into account the costs over perhaps 100000 kms , we have many customers with both petrol and diesel MINIs and yes I can say catogorically the D models do cost more long term in repair and maintanence , yes you can save 20% to 30% on your direct fuel bill BUT the overall cost over a 100000km period will be pretty much equal , again I am using an annual mileage of 40000 miles as the benchmark . initally you will pay more for the vehicle , you will pay more for maintainence , remember the curse of the 'dual mass' flywheel and the DPF filter , also if the MINI D has not been serviced at twice the service intervals MINI used to recomend ( MINI Have changed the service interval ) then you WILL have blocked oil pickup and turbo oil feed pipes and the consequent engine / turbo damage , remember this engine is also in Peugeot and Citroen as well as Volvo S40 D and Ford Focus , all of these have the same problem . btw this problem is not so common on the LCI 2010 on MINI D as this uses BMW's own 1560cc D engine ( btw which has been bought by Toyota for their full range of models) . normal R56 petrol models do 40 to 48 mpg , MINI D's do 60 to 70 mpg . as I said this debate will always rage on and the next one will be Electric vs Fosil fuel !! and I think everyone knows my take on that one .As I have said its down to the mileage you do annually and if the previous owner serviced the car more regularly than MINI specified then the figures might add up .which ever you go for both have the MINI fun and style in bucketloads and the on-road performance with the 110 bhp Cooper D is excellent with lots of low down power and torque only Diesel's can provide with small cc's .
G