Big petrol engines - 3 litre plus, any daily drivers?

manatoo

Hi all

Just wondering if there's anyone about who uses a 3 litre plus petrol engine'd car as their daily driver? Considering a purchase of 3.2 litre petrol and if the numbers as advertised are to be believed then a figure of around 25 mpg would be approx one third heavier on juice but I'm wondering is this true in the real world?

Any comments?

Cheers

Edit....left out when compared to my current daily driver which gives 38 mpg!

doOh

Im driving a 2l car which does 22mpg same as 3l so yeah 25mpg is just about right

PS what car u want ??

stealthyspeeder

Old Vauxhall Monaro (5.7 litre) returned an average of 14 mpg over the year, now that would have been 8-10 mpg if it wernt for the long motorway trips I do about once every 3 weeks

Just got Audi RS6 C5 (4.2 litre) so its to early to say as I havent gotten over the exhileration of throttle yet, It certainly hasnt seen over 15 mpg yet

Testament1

What car you thinking about getting OP? If its something fun you mightn't see 25mpg for a while if ya cant resist the loud pedal

unkel

I used to drive 3l and 3.5l V8 petrol automatic large saloons (for nearly 10 years) and did about 20MPG in mainly Dublin driving with the odd longer spin

In a 2l manual petrol 6 cylinder large saloon now and doing less than 25MPG...

Padraig Mor

manatoo wrote: »

Hi all

Just wondering if there's anyone about who uses a 3 litre plus petrol engine'd car as their daily driver? Considering a purchase of 3.2 litre petrol and if the numbers as advertised are to be believed then a figure of around 25 mpg would be approx one third heavier on juice but I'm wondering is this true in the real world?

Any comments?

Cheers

Edit....left out when compared to my current daily driver which gives 38 mpg!

My previous car was 1.8. Official MPG 36. My actual figure 30.
Current car is 3.0 auto. Official MPG 28. My actual figure 25 - 26.
Yeah, I'm paying an extra 15 - 20% for fuel - but, **** it, plenty of people piss that up against a wall.

Matt Simis

4.2 V8 Audi S8 is my daily and 5.6l V12 850CSi is the 3day a week car.

You can do your annual fuel calcs here (ignore the Euro/£ symbol):
fuel.netcessible.com

unkel wrote: »

In a 2l manual petrol 6 cylinder large saloon now and doing less than 25MPG...

Short / congested trips? My V8 can easily do over 25mpg if I drove it somewhat normally.

manatoo

Well a neighbour of mine is selling a 1996 Jaguar XJ6 3.2 litre. Wealthy old gentleman who has owned the car since new and wants 1500 quid for it. The car has been dealer serviced since new, has 60,000 miles on the clock, just NCT'd and 100% pristine showroom condition. It's also a very rare manual gearbox example.

Now I know the road tax is 1550 a year and I know petrol prices are nuts but if it really is reliably one third extra fuel costs I'm kinda thinkin it's worth it. It's actually a year newer than my current car and a whole lot more fun and considering it's in such incredible condition I'm kinda wondering why not...the problem is that without owning it for a few months I can't really know for certain that the MPG would be circa 25 and if it actually turned out to be more like 10 mpg I would be screwed! Unfortunately due to doing like 2,000 miles a year and having endless cash the guy that's selling it has no idea what MPG it actually gives.

doOh

unkel wrote: »

I used to drive 3l and 3.5l V8 petrol automatic large saloons (for nearly 10 years) and did about 20MPG in mainly Dublin driving with the odd longer spin

In a 2l manual petrol 6 cylinder large saloon now and doing less than 25MPG...

bmw or lexus ? ; p

cyborg

or maybe a chevrolet epecia ?

Padraig Mor

manatoo wrote: »

Well a neighbour of mine is selling a 1996 Jaguar XJ6 3.2 litre. Wealthy old gentleman who has owned the car since new and wants 1500 quid for it. The car has been dealer serviced since new, has 60,000 miles on the clock, just NCT'd and 100% pristine showroom condition. It's also a very rare manual gearbox example.

Now I know the road tax is 1550 a year and I know petrol prices are nuts but if it really is reliably one third extra fuel costs I'm kinda thinkin it's worth it. It's actually a year newer than my current car and a whole lot more fun and considering it's in such incredible condition I'm kinda wondering why not...the problem is that without owning it for a few months I can't really know for certain that the MPG would be circa 25 and if it actually turned out to be more like 10 mpg I would be screwed! Unfortunately due to doing like 2,000 miles a year and having endless cash the guy that's selling it has no idea what MPG it actually gives.

Just had a look on Parkers and official MPG is 25. TBH unless you're doing mostly motorway work, you'd be lucky to see an average of 22 - 23 mpg. But you gotta live! Sure you'll spend a fortune on juice and tax, but the car is only €1500! And is in mint condition with only-broken-in miles? Buy it, and enjoy having a *proper* car while those around get plenty of miles per gallon but feck all smiles per gallon!

manatoo

OSI wrote: »

IMO it's one of those cars that just should't have a manual box.

Yeah I kind of agree but I just can't stand automatics to drive!

manatoo

Padraig Mor wrote: »

Just had a look on Parkers and official MPG is 25. TBH unless you're doing mostly motorway work, you'd be lucky to see an average of 22 - 23 mpg. But you gotta live! Sure you'll spend a fortune on juice and tax, but the car is only €1500! And is in mint condition with only-broken-in miles? Buy it, and enjoy having a *proper* car while those around get plenty of miles per gallon but feck all smiles per gallon!

Oh believe me, I agree with your line of thinking, just don't have pockets deep enough to run it if it turns out to be a complete pump sucker!

unkel

Matt Simis wrote: »

Short / congested trips? My V8 can easily do over 25mpg if I drove it somewhat normally.

Yes all Dublin urban area, mostly short trips with engine not warmed up. The V8s did 30+MPG on longer trips, the 6 pot 35+MPG, all with heavy overtaking and not that light a foot in general

doOh wrote: »

bmw or lexus ? ; p

BMW * 3

E34 530 3.0l V8
E38 735 3.5l V8
E39 520 2.0l I6

manatoo

unkel wrote: »

Yes all Dublin urban area, mostly short trips with engine not warmed up. The V8s did 30+MPG on longer trips, the 6 pot 35+MPG, all with heavy overtaking and not that light a foot in general

What year are your cars?

Idbatterim

when I saw 3.2L i thought it would be E46 m3! Id question is there any point in paying that much insurance and fuel on an old, non performance car?

unkel

manatoo wrote: »

What year are your cars?

'94 E34 530 3.0l V8
'96 E38 735 3.5l V8
'99 E39 520 2.0l I6

manatoo

Idbatterim wrote: »

when I saw 3.2L i thought it would be E46 m3! Id question is there any point in paying that much insurance and fuel on an old, non performance car?

Well strangely enough, it's actually €100 cheaper than my current car. Only €305. One of the cheapest cars I've ever had a quote for. I guess jag owners aren't known for their road hooliganism!

True it's not balls to the wall performance or anything but swift progress down the road nonetheless. 0-60 in 8.4 secs. Anyway it's not the speed it's the magic carpet ride, the sumptuous interior, the massive scale of the car that you enjoy with a jag!

To take a chance or to play it safe...that's the question....

manatoo

unkel wrote: »

'94 E34 530 3.0l V8
'96 E38 735 3.5l V8
'99 E39 520 2.0l I6

Interesting...your two V8s wouldn't be too different from the Jag 3.2 V6 consumption surely...

TheBazman

5ltr M5 as daily driver. 18 mpg and 400 - 500 mls per week.

manatoo

TheBazman wrote: »

5ltr M5 as daily driver. 18 mpg and 400 - 500 mls per week.

Cripes you must have your own oil well....

Matt Simis

manatoo wrote: »

Cripes you must have your own oil well....

Nah, he has one of those flying mid-air fuel tankers trying to catch up to him at all times.

manatoo

Matt, do you keep your daily driver and your 3 day car taxed all year round??

Matt Simis

manatoo wrote: »

Matt, do you keep your daily driver and your 3 day car taxed all year round??

Lol, thats more an Octane.ie question than a Boards.ie question... People tend to have a rather black and white, right and wrong view here which would de-rail the thread with threats and name calling.

manatoo

I see...

Such a pain in the @ss that carlovers in Ireland are penalised so heavily for having a decent car. In Australia it doesn't make a blind bit of difference how big your engine is....

Matt Simis

manatoo wrote: »

I see...

Such a pain in the @ss that carlovers in Ireland are penalised so heavily for having a decent car. In Australia it doesn't make a blind bit of difference how big your engine is....

Just the ones that arent dropping big $$ on big engined but post-2008 cars (CC vs C02 tax).

manatoo

Yep so all older cars get dumped no matter what condition they're in or how many miles they have left in them... its just total bs

Voodoomelon

2.8l I6 here, 90% town driving and I get 19-21MPG of late. Does 36-39 MPG on the motorway at 100kph no problem, about 32MPG at 120kph.

Any straight drive with the RPMs below 1800rpm sees 35MPGish.

2.5V6 MG ZT
12 miles to and from work, half dual carraigeway half not, bit of traffic so would rarely see 60mph, small urban spin most evenings and all urban the weekend

20mpg

Haven't gone on a long run in it yet.

Swampy

manatoo wrote: »

Well a neighbour of mine is selling a 1996 Jaguar XJ6 3.2 litre. Wealthy old gentleman who has owned the car since new and wants 1500 quid for it. The car has been dealer serviced since new, has 60,000 miles on the clock, just NCT'd and 100% pristine showroom condition. It's also a very rare manual gearbox example.

I have a 1997 XJ6 3.2. Amazing car, I love it. Mines an auto. I get around 21mpg locally. On a recent trip to westport and back to dublin the on board computer gave an average of 28mpg.

Pity its a manual but it sounds like a great car for the money. The 95-97 x300's are one of the most reliable jags built.

Buy it, you will not regret it.

L-M

manatoo wrote: »

Well a neighbour of mine is selling a 1996 Jaguar XJ6 3.2 litre. Wealthy old gentleman who has owned the car since new and wants 1500 quid for it. The car has been dealer serviced since new, has 60,000 miles on the clock, just NCT'd and 100% pristine showroom condition. It's also a very rare manual gearbox example.

Buy it, if you don't get 1200-1300 for that in 6 months time I'll eat my hat.

Vertakill

Do just shy of 60miles a day... 40 of which is motorway and 20 is backroads in a 3.5 V6 and I get 24-26mpg.
That's traveling at a constant 80'ish mph on the motorway, traffic permitting

I'm quite happy with that!

manatoo

Vertakill wrote: »

Do just shy of 60miles a day... 40 off which is motorway and 20 is backroads in a 3.5 V6 and I get 24-28mpg.
That's traveling at a constant 80'ish mph on the motorway, traffic permitting

I'm quite happy with that!

What car are you driving? That seems really good!

Vertakill

manatoo wrote: »

What car are you driving? That seems really good!

A 350z. But that should actually read 24-26 so I've edited previous post. What it gains in 'somewhat tolerable MPG' it lacks in chronic impracticality in most other departments..

If you drive on motorways much, your MPG will be fairly acceptable considering that's where a big engine is most at home.

Matt Simis

Yeah, the overall size and weight dies a death in urban commuting while being surprisingly decent on 100kph+ stretches.

PS: Just to note I mean big engines in general.

TheBazman

Vertakill wrote: »

A 350z. But that should actually read 24-26 so I've edited previous post. What it gains in 'somewhat tolerable MPG' it lacks in chronic impracticality in most other departments..

If you drive on motorways much, your MPG will be fairly acceptable considering that's where a big engine is most at home.

I had a 2004 350z and was getting exactly the same - 24-26mpg consistently ..which wasnt actually that bad

Vertakill

Yeah it's really not half bad when you consider some peoples Integras and stuff like that getting only about +5 mpg better with much smaller engines and several hundred kg's less weight.

Whatever way it's set up, whether its aerodynamically or gearing, it's better than most would think.
2900rpm'ish at about 80ish mph in 6th is pretty good.

Matt Simis

Vertakill wrote: »

Yeah it's really not half bad when you consider some peoples Integras and stuff like that getting only about +5 mpg better with much smaller engines and several hundred kg's less weight.

Whatever way it's set up, whether its aerodynamically or gearing, it's better than most would think.
2900rpm'ish at about 80ish mph in 6th is pretty good.

Lack of fluff like big turbos on small CC engines or VTEC Yo! makes for a more linear fuel consumption.

alanmc

TheBazman wrote: »

I had a 2004 350z and was getting exactly the same - 24-26mpg consistently ..which wasnt actually that bad

I currently use a 2004 350Z as my daily driver. I'm getting a smidge over 25 MPG (self calculated). Mostly motorway mileage with a few spirited runs of a weekend (that's until the weather recovers enough to get the Gixxer out ).

itarumaa

I have an 98 Lexus Ls400 as daily driver, mostly I drive from Maynooth to Leixlip and back, so not too long trips. Also try to avoid the motorway, so mostly city driving and some backroads.

Mpg is about 17-18, but because I drive so little my road tax and petrol cost per month are about the same.

steppen

I drive a W140 S320 daily. get about 20 mpg. my driving is about 5k miles/year so the tax and insane fuel costs in Ireland don't affect me that much.

Nissan doctor

The Nissan VQ engines seem to give very respectible MPG for their size. My 350gt has gotten closer to 30mpg on long 100kph journeys. Its the same engine as the Z's but tuned a little more for motorway cruising.

mickdw

I only get 26/27 mpg from my 1.8T Audi. This thread is showing me that I should buy a bigger engine.

Heroditas

mickdw wrote: »

I only get 26/27 mpg from my 1.8T Audi. This thread is showing me that I should buy a bigger engine.

I got roughly the same mpg with my previous car, 1.8T A4, as with my current one - BMW 523i (2.5L)!

exador

manatoo wrote: »

Well a neighbour of mine is selling a 1996 Jaguar XJ6 3.2 litre. Wealthy old gentleman who has owned the car since new and wants 1500 quid for it. The car has been dealer serviced since new, has 60,000 miles on the clock, just NCT'd and 100% pristine showroom condition. It's also a very rare manual gearbox example.

Now I know the road tax is 1550 a year and I know petrol prices are nuts but if it really is reliably one third extra fuel costs I'm kinda thinkin it's worth it. It's actually a year newer than my current car and a whole lot more fun and considering it's in such incredible condition I'm kinda wondering why not...the problem is that without owning it for a few months I can't really know for certain that the MPG would be circa 25 and if it actually turned out to be more like 10 mpg I would be screwed! Unfortunately due to doing like 2,000 miles a year and having endless cash the guy that's selling it has no idea what MPG it actually gives.

Go for it. The X300 (95 - 97) xj6 is probably the best model that Jaguar have ever built I.M.O .. you should get 25 mpg if you drive it handy enough. Very robust engine and far superior to the later V8 model but if you need parts they can be expensive. If it is as clean as you say and only has 60K on the clock its a no brainer..If you do need parts try britishparts.co.uk wher you will get parts at fraction of price here. pity its not auto but still a good buy..

sogood

exador wrote: »

Go for it. The X300 (95 - 97) xj6 is probably the best model that Jaguar have ever built I.M.O .. you should get 25 mpg if you drive it handy enough. Very robust engine and far superior to the later V8 model but if you need parts they can be expensive. If it is as clean as you say and only has 60K on the clock its a no brainer..If you do need parts try britishparts.co.uk wher you will get parts at fraction of price here. pity its not auto but still a good buy..

I agree with all that is being said here, except maybe on the cost of parts. Twice recently, I have been quoted mad prices for the equivalent parts for an 02 Rover 45, as opposed to my 97 xj6 (x300). 28-30 mpg is easily achieved, but will drop with stop start driving. Great car, a real solid cruiser, with a nice enough turn of speed when needed. Go for it and dont look back. Do it now before petrol prices rise again!!