Based on my Touareg's Adblue consumption at 400 miles/litre, I'd expect a V60 to get 500-600 miles/litre as it's smaller/lighter..

Your motorway useage may mean diesel is viable, that doesn't mean it is a great idea though.

Increased servicing costs - do diesels actually cost more to service as a rule, or do they just have more to go wrong in terms of DPF, EGR valves etc?

As to this, yes, in both cases.

(apart from diesels sounding like a tractor)?

Not neccessarily, depends on the individual car. Some diesels are perfectly refined, especially with 6 or more cylinders.

Personally, i'd consider other options, such as a hybrid. Maybe a Lexus?.

Thanks. Yes, you're right, there are some refined diesels but the reviews of the Volvo diesels suggest they are not in that camp!

I like the idea of a hybrid but I suspect that would cost me even more, given the higher cost to buy and I would worry about more expensive repairs out of warranty due to all the complex electrical gubbins. Also, the motorway miles are not going to be the optimal way to run it as that sort of speed would, I imagine, run the battery down much faster than town driving.

I've considered a Lexus but they don't seem to make an estate car any more and the IS200 is a bit small (coming from a Skoda Superb).

Before someone asks why I am looking to change; the Superb almost lives up to its name but, after having it for 2 years and trying every seating adjustment possible, I can't get my right leg/foot comfortable.

The reason I'm not buying yet is also to see what the new Octavia hybrid is like and if the seats are better (for me) than in the Superb.

Note KBB that many people are getting rid of diesels not just because of changes to tax or ULEZs, but because many, especially those equipped with DPFs, etc, are at the age that any usage-related problems start showing up.

You may well have a driving pattern that will not give any further problems, but as you're buying second hand, can you 100% guarantee any previous owner(s) did not do a lot of short trips from cold, and are offloading the car before some expensive issue(s) appear?

You're already paying a premium for a Volvo anyway - why not consider something less 'upmarket' (how 'posh' the car is, not the quality of its engineering) that is either cheaper for the same age (especially if it's a petrol engined car) or a slightly newer car for the same money?

The Honda Civic diesel be worth a look for size and as a generally reliable engine. I'm not so keen on the styling, but that's subjective, and the car has a decent sized boot. The last of the Skoda Octavia 1.4TSi (150PS) would be also a worthy car, especially with its equally huge boot. Both would also be good on fuel.

It really depends on how lucky you are owning a second-hand diesel engined car, even over a shorter period. It could be great with no problems, or be no end of trouble because of how it was driven previously. Because of the extra emissions control systems, maintenance WILL be higher over the longer term - by how much depends on its previous life as much as in your hands.

I'd stick to a petrol car for the likely annual mileages you're going to be doing.

Yes, that is the worry of buying 2nd hand and I suppose buying something at 2 years old and low mileage could actually be a worse bet than average or high mileage as the lower mileage car may have just pottered around town and never got up to speed for any decent amount of time.

I'm not a badge snob but I do think the V60 (well, pretty much everything Volvo are producing at the moment) is a really good looking car with what appears to be a lovely interior and whilst I am very impressed with the interior and the refinement of the Superb I have read a few comments from people who have made the same switch and have said that the Volvo is in a different league in terms of better interior quality, low ride noise etc. Or maybe they are just telling themselves that since they've spent so much cash on it...

I have the 1.4 TSI in the Superb and it is a great engine, has enough power (for me) even in something the size of the Superb and I get about 46mpg over a tank with the mostly motoroway miles but as I said in my reply that just co-incided with yours, I just can't get comfy. It's actually OK on longer journeys as I can put on the CC, but around town when I am regularly on and off the pedals, it is worse.

I may have a look at the Civic but I share your view on the styling. The new Corolla looks decent but seems expensive and the infotainment looks crap.

As I said, I'm also holding out for new Octavia once that is properly released and not just the overpriced "First Edition" trims but then I'd be back with another DQ200 gearbox and worrying about that failing with a £4k+ repair bill.

The OP said he was looking at 2018 Volvo's. The EGR problem was solved by then, at least that was said on this forum some time ago. I have a 2017 Volvo XC60 with a diesel engine and this design came after all the problems. I do like driving diesels but only really have one to tow a caravan. Other wise for my 8K or so annual mileage I would go a different route. Probably hybrid given my longer occasional journeys. I would not balk at the V60 diesel, it is a fine unit. It mates well with the TC 8 speed autobox with fuel consumption in the high 40's when not towing. I think it could be a bargain for the OP to own a good brand with a decent reputation. Only drawback is the dealers are horrendously expensive for service and repairs so find a recommended indie as soon as you can.

Cheers Concrete

I used to have a V60 (the previous model but the same D4 diesel engine as in the current one), and averaged 44 mpg in mixed motoring. Volvos are notoriously thirsty, both petrol and diesel. We also had an Audi A1 at that time with the 1.4 TFSI engine and it weas easy to get 50 mpg, more on a long run.

Aha, I've finally worked out how to split the previous message into sections. Is there any way to be notified of new replies?

Anyway, back on topic, I've seen 60mpg in the on board display of the Superb after a long section of 50mph avg speed limit on the motorway. Although I think that overestimates as the brim to brim measurements are never near that.

Most people can get comfy in Skodas, but comfort is a very personal thing and clearly you can't. I wonder if sitting higher up, as in an SUV, would help. Youi could stick with Skoda and look at the Kodiaq or smaller Karoq. If you want a diesel, the 2-litre versions, both petrol and diesel, use a wet-clutch DSG which doesn't have the same problems as the dry-clutch DSG which the 1.4s have. Or there's the Volvo XC40 and XC60 SUVs, but again both will be thirsty.

I'm going to sound like a grumpy old man here but I really don't get the SUV fashion. They are more expensive than the equivalent estate, have worse handling, worse fuel consumption and generally a smaller boot (eg. the Karoq boot is smaller than the Octavia).

However, I'm not that much of a grumpy old man that I would rule them out without at least giving them a try, so maybe I should look again.

Also, if you do go for a new-model Volvo, make sure you can live with almost everything, including heating and AC, being controlled by the touchscreen. I couldn't.

That does put me off but I imagine one these things you adjust to reasonably quickly and people say the voice recognition actually works quite well. Looks like the new Octavia had gone the same way, although not to the same extent as the new Golf.