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Should I consider a diesel or a petrol Focus for a 300-400 mile weekly mileage?

I need to change my car, and would like to remain loyal to the Ford Focus. I currently drive between 300 and 400 miles every week, the majority of this is motorway driving. Should I consider a petrol engine in light of rising diesel costs, or is a diesel Focus the better buy given the mileage I do? Any advice would be very welcome.

Asked on 11 May 2013 by CH, Swansea

Answered by Honest John
Ford's alternative to diesel is the 1.0 EcoBoost 100 or 125. You should be able to get high 40s mpg out of it. But I saw 48 out of a Honda Civic 1.8iES due to the ugly but effective aerodynamics of the car. However, I also saw over 70mpg from Honda Civic 1.6iDTEC, and that engine is warranted for 10 years or 1,000,000 kilometres in France and Spain, so Honda is fairly confident of it.

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