What car

[sandys]

I am currently in the market for a cheaper car to run than my current beasty which is to be sold soon.

I have been looking at a fair few diesels due to the sort of mileage I would be covering but to be honest I could happily afford a car that would do about 40-45mpg on the motorway so have been looking at some petrols too, I had a test drive in a 172 and it was good fun, bit niosy but infinately more enjoyable than the Golf GTi PD or Seat Leon SE TDi I have been considering.

can anybody tell me what sort of mpg you get on a run in a 172, quite fancy the 172 Cup.

Cheers

 

[Dash]

At a steady 80 I used to get about 30ish best in mt 172 was 37.something @ 55mph

I range from 11 to 24 now

 

[telford_mike]

Never get less that 30 (except on a trackday!!), can easily get high thirties on a motorway run. They really are surprisingly economical if you dont drive like you stole it all the time.

 

[teady172]

On a motorway run at around 70-80, i can get around 40+!!!

I never go below 30!

 

[Captain Slarty]

same here.. mid to high 30s on a run.. no probs.

Joe

 

[sandys]

Yep I had a feeling it wouldnt get the 45 ish that the government fuel figures suggest still a lot better than my tuned Coupe with its 24mpg average and almost 30 on a run, almost £500 a month in fuel which ideally I would like to reduce but still want a car thats enjoyable, driving is a bit of a hobby for me (trackdays etc.) so I would like both reasonable economy and performance, If peugeot would bring out its bloody RC diamonds and spads concept Id be sorted

 

[geordiepaul]

Well to cheer you up a bit I got 39.9 on a trip from newcastle to aberdeen and back.

Thats my calculated figures and not from the totally useless trip computer

1/2 b roads 60 mph
1/2 motorways 70mph

+ 1 race with a Lean cupra which went on for about 20 miles(I kept letting him catch up!)

 

[telford_mike]

LOL I do that too

 

[matt4478]

Sandys

When the fuel shortage was on a couple of years ago, I averaged 41 mpg with a mixture of motorways, A/B roads and a little town driving... So it is possible. But it was bugger all fun!

I went from Chesterfield to Snake Pass and back, met up with some of the guys on here for a few runs, and had my foot to the floor throughout most of the journey home and still managed 29 mpg! 172s are mega economical considering the performance you get! But yes, if you drive it like you stole it you get about 13 () mpg...

Matt

 

[JonC]

Sandys,

Welcome to the forum, I recognise your name from the Fiat forum that I use to frequent when I had my Silver LE. Clio172 is definitly cheaper to run than the Fiat Coupe especially if its over the standard 220bhp which yours is.

Pity youre selling it as I sometimes wish I still had my Coupe, I miss the looks and performance, often find Im always looking at 2nd hand Fiat Coupes in Topmarques, I still rate my old LE over the my 172. However, someone on here is developing a Turbod 172!! The ride and handling is abit better and is alot more nimble than the Coupe though and easier to park in tight spaces. I have done a fair bit of motorway driving and doing a constant 60mph over 100miles I get 44-46mpg, the same distance at 70mph is around 40mpg, 80mph 36-38mpg.

I have found that I got more "respect" in Coupe than in the Clio. People dont let me out of junctions or always try to undertake when Ive overtaken them for expample, probably because they think its a little clio and "I cant have that in my exec-mobile" and dont get as much admiring glances in the Clio. I do get more traffic light grand prix challenges in the Clio though.

Dont get me wrong, Im not trying to put you off from buying one, it great fun to drive and has a raspy engine rather than a trobbing engine of the Coupe, a bit low geared for motorway driving, but its not built as as a motorway cruiser but more suited for twisty A and B roads. Theyre cheap to buy and insure, approx £12000 OTR from Motorpoint and £680 to insure.

The Clio is stack full of toys, has similar build quality, the automatic climate control is a lot better than the standard air-con of the Coupe, side airbags, Xenon lights, cd changer. To those who arent familiar with the 172, to them its just another Clio and I have suprised a lot of exec-mobiles and other so called sports cars and coupes, which I find great fun. I havent come up against a Fiat Coupe yet, but if I do I dont think there will much in it given the circumstances. A fast A road/motorway the coupe will have the edge, but on a twisty A/B road I would favour the Clio.

I hope Ive given you a little bit of a perspective of moving over from a Coupe to a 172.

 

[sandys]

Cheers for the comments Jon and you other guys, I know the Renault is not in the same league with respect to looks and performance of the Coupe, and I dont really want to get rid of my LE but having owned a Coupe yourself youll know what they are like on the juice and maintenance etc, especially on around 1000 miles a week, Ill be gutted when shes gone spent thousands on the car. Not convinced the 172 was much better handling wise than the Coupe but then Im running on uprated suspension setup, and reading a hot hatch group thrash in AutoCar the Clio lapped castle combe in 1m34, in my Coupe standard I was doing 1m30s, but as I said it not about going for a better car but a cheaper car thatll give me a similar level of driver involvment and enjoyment that I have in my Coupe, Im sure once I have modded up the 172 ill get it how I like it, I have pretty much decided on the Cup rather than going for a fully specced 172 from motorpoint/trade-sales even though its more expensive but first going to try out some MGs this afternoon before I make my mind up, they cant match the pace of the 172 but the ZS120+ goes alright and apparently handles well. see if I can turn the salesman white like I did when I test drove the 172

Wanna buy a nice 283bhp Coupe LE Jon, go on you know you want to

Cheers

 

[JonC]

Sandy dont tempt me! Had a look at pictures of your motor and is stunning, but I dont think the other half would agree its a good move if I changed my brand new car again.

Why dont you keep it and buy a cheap diesel runaround to do the milage? I would have kept my coupe for a long time if I hadnt wrote it off (deer in the road! ).