Vehicle & Technical > Discovery

Tdi vs LPG

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John T:
I'm looking to buy a Disco for the wife, problem is I don't know if I should go the tdi or lpg route.
I all ready have a 300tdi that is my off roader, so I do know how they perform  :cry: ...................

I fancied something with a bit more power, is the V8 noticeably better ??

It would be used as family car and occasional tow vehicle (2500kgs)

Or is the tdi a more reliable option, mines done 150k no problems :D

Which way should I go tdi or lpg..............   Help!

P.S. i would be looking at spending around 5k

Wireless:
My 96 V8 had covered 11,000 miles on Unleaded when I bought it in March 1999, £1,200 Independent Garage Autogas conversion and I was buying fuel at 35p a litre.

It made it cheaper to run than a 300TDi, and saved me about £2,000 if you take in to account the conversion costs, plus the vehicle was lower mileage, diesels tend to attract higher mileage for obvious reasons.

I still have the same vehicle today, and 65,000 miles later I'm currently only paying 39.3p a litre (33.4p if I could claim back the VAT), I'm not sure you could say the same about the rise in Unleaded or Diesel over the last seven years.

The engine oil is still coming out at service the same colour as it is when it's first poured in, which has been done religiously every six months, so the engine internals will last much longer than on Unleaded, and I'm not using any oil between changes, could anyone say the same about a vehicle running exclusively on petrol or diesel?

In terms of power, there is a slight loss when running on LPG, but most wouldn't notice it.

In terms of economy, I'm getting an average of 19 mpg on a run, but then I rarely venture over 60mph, even on motorways, and if you do the maths, taking into account the engine is 20% less efficient when running on LPG, then I'd need to be buying Unleaded that gives me around 57 mpg, pound for pound.  If anyone knows where I can get petrol like this please respond.

The only downside is the availability of LPG at fuel stations, it's not everywhere, unlike diesel, however, if you're within the catchment area of Countrywide Farmers you could open an account and get LPG 24/7, without queueing to fill up or pay, they debit your fuel used from your bank account, every month, on the 15th day of the following month.

http://www.countrywidefarmers.co.uk/energy/index.htm

Might be worth a look, I should also mention I have no plans to sell my Disco just yet  :D

dew1911:
For Towing I would have to say TDi, purley as you get the raw grunt a Diesel has that petrols can only dream about.

Also, when you buy a TD you've got your car there, whatever price you pay. With a V8 you've got to remeber you'll be spending another possible £1000 having it converted to run on Gas.

Not trying to put you off, I'd love a V8, and I WILL own a V8 110 one day, but just offering my view on the situation. Especailly for towing I'd have to say the TDi.

Wireless:
I've towed with the V8i on LPG;

A large twin-floor twin-wheeled sheep trailer loaded to the gills with everything you could think of for establishing a scout camp, Shropshire to Devon, didn't even notice it was behind me, except on a few of the steeper hills down there.

I've brought back an old VW Type 3 Variant Estate on a twin-wheeled car trailer from Scotland to Shropshire, again I didn't really notice it was there, fuel consumption changed to 14mpg on LPG (equivalent to 42mpg on Unleaded), that was all.

Not sure how much difference there is with a TDi 300 diesel, have to admit that although I've driven them and the more recent TD5 (seemed more powerful), I haven't had the opportunity to tow anything.

If I had a diesel it'd be running on Bio-diesel or SVO anyway, so the comparison might be slighly different.

Wireless:
Coming back from Hampshire to Shropshire on Sunday, I noticed a Discovery 300 towing a Discovery 300 on a trailer, who gave me a friendly flash of the lights as I overtook them at 60mph on the M40 Northbound approaching Birmingham.

Was it a mud club member?  They were struggling up a slight incline on the motorway, must have been doing 30mph tops, prolly nearer 25mph, went past too quickly to see whether the tow car was V8 or TDi, but with that sort of weight it'd be a challenge for either motor.

If they are a mud club member, they could offer valuable input here.

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