I haven't driven a petrol in years. I would be lucky to average mid 40s in previous petrols that I have driven so unless petrol engines have come a long way since 2013 (i had a 1 litre fiesta ecoboost) i cant see a petrol being economical enough untill hybrid vehicles become the norm, and cheaper.

To be fair, the Ford Ecoboost petrol engines aren't exactly famed for their mpg, especially the older 1.0 if I recall reviews and posts in other threads.

The VAG TSi engines are, on the other hand, are, though you need to make sure which one you would go for, as some still have reliability (mostly the older ones, some of which only went out of production in the last year or two) and other issues (user reports of the 1.4TSi's replacement, the 1.5TSi ECO being very 'rough').

Of their petrol engines, the latest 1.0TSi and the belt-driven 1.4TSi 140/150 ACT seem to be very well regarded for both useability, reliability and mpg when paired with the right car. For a mid-sized car, the 1.4 TSi 150 ACT seems to do very well.

Take a look for yourself in the 'Real MPG' section of this website where real-world mpg figures (from us lot reporting our own cars' mpg) are given. That engine holds up well, even for larger cars like the Octavia, and far closer to its 'official' mpg (in percentage terms) than many diesels.

It's also worth noting that most of the major (and thus expensive) reliability problems in cars generally in recent years have come in diesel-engined cars, which are also more expensive to buy and service. Your estimated mileage is in the transition zone where, assuming a reliable car, there wouldn't be much in it costs wise (over its life) between petrol and diesel-powered cars.

Often, all it would take is one significant issue for that to tip, normally in favour of the petrol engine. You may be fine, but just be wary of this, especially when budgeting for maintenance costs after the warranty is up (if you keep them that long). Note that petrol hybrids, whilst having near diesel mpg, tend to do less well if mainly used on longer journeys on motorways etc, as most of their uselessness is negated once the hybrid batteries are depleted (quickly) and thus are just lugging them around (extra weight) on their petrol engines. Most affordable hybrids also aren't exactly known for their sport handling and performance either.

If you're not 100% sure and would prefer to wait a bit more, next year Mazda will be introducing a new type of engine (Skyactiv-X) in their range (first only the top models for each car) which has partial spark controlled ignition when moving off to start with/accelerating hard and compressed-controlled ignition for far better efficiency the rest of the time, all on a petrol engine. They claim it will boots mpg by 20%+ over achieved by their existing Skyactiv-G range and with more power on tap and no turbo. And petrol-turbos are improving all the time, so don't discount them on principle.

The 320d has all three, but it is rear wheel drive. I need that... with front wheel drive haha.

There must be something out there with everything, surely. Maybe i need to compromise... either on mpg or speed.

Disagree that a BMW 320d would have all 3 and also disagree that 0-60 is a good measure of performance, in gear figures are far more relevant in the real world.

We had a BMW 118D for 5 1/2 years and we really liked it. Over those 5 1/2 years it averaged a true 47.5 mpg (the dash lied and said 53 mpg) with 53 mpg on a run, it was quick enough for virtually all conditions, was nice and refined and even in poor weather I never had an issue with RWD since it was on Kleber Quadraxer tyres, got off the street when many FWD cars on summer tyres were stuck fast.

I would expect the 320D to be no more economical and even with more power to be no quicker since its bigger and heavier than the one series. With decent winter or all season tyres the RWD should not be an issue.

When I replaced it bought a Seat Leon with the 1.4 TSi 140 PS engine. Petrol not diesel and without a doubt it was quicker in all situations. Still rode well and did 45 mpg overall with about 52 mpg on a run. Take the fact that petrol is cheaper than diesel and that small gap narrows. Its also FWD.

The Leon is probably too small for you so why not consider a Skoda Octavia Hatch with the newer 1.4 TSi 150 PS engine with ACT. We have that engine in the Superb, a bigger, heavier car than the Leon but on a long run we have seen as much as 55 mpg. I say hatch because of refinement. Driven 4 Octavias, 3 estates and 1 hatch. All 3 estates were very boomy, the hatch was fine.