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Which Polo-sized car offers better fuel economy?
My wife currently runs a 2004 Volkswagen Polo 1.4 Twist. Her annual mileage is about 3000 - 4000 made up of fairly short journeys of up to 20 miles. She is always complaining about the fuel economy (currently about 40mpg). Could you recommend a vehicle with four side doors as a suitable replacement to the Polo that would give a better mileage? The car is well maintained with tyres kept at the correct pressure.
Asked on 19 May 2012 by PB, Fordingbridge
Answered by
Honest John
That's about the best she can expect with this sort of usage. Fuel economy will be worse in winter because the engine takes longer on enriched mixture to reach full working temperature. A diesel will be entirely unsuitable because this type of use will not allow the diesel particulate filter to regenerate. A small petrol turbo might be best (eg Polo 1.2TSI), because the water-cooled turbo in the exhaust manifold acts as a heat exchanger and warms the engine up quickly.
Real MPG enables you to register the fuel economy you are actually getting against your make and model of car, its engine and type of transmission.
Every time you enter an average consumption figure against your car, the overall average automatically adjusts to reflect it.
Our Fuel Cost Calculator shows you which will be the best choice for you.
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