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Can you recommend a good diesel car for motorway journeys?
I’m considering changing our 2009 Ford Focus 1.8, which is still running well with 70,000 miles on the clock. It’s used as the second family car mainly for local journeys of 15 to 20 miles but we also use it for long motorway trips. My only dislike about the Focus is that it requires revs in excess of 4000 to cruise along motorways and, for this reason, I’m considering changing to a diesel. We like the Honda Civic, Mazda 3 the diesel Focus. I'd appreciate your comments on any models you think I should consider.
Asked on 20 March 2020 by bullsgreen
Answered by
Andrew Brady
A diesel makes sense for long motorway journeys but it might suffer from issues related to a blocked diesel particulate filter (DPF) if it's mainly used for local journeys. If you do buy a diesel, make sure you regularly drive it on the motorway for a good half an hour or so to clear out the DPF. All the cars you've mentioned are good options. We'd also recommend a Skoda Octavia - it's a very practical choice and represents good value for money.
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