New guy!

[clivvy]

HI Guys,

I just registered, as I am looking to buy a Mav or A terrano. I have my eyes on a few Mavericks, and might be buying THIS WEEK! Only one niggle bugs me, petrol or diesel, and I could really do with you experts advice! First, I intend to use my Mav as a main car to my Mazda MX6-which will become a weekend car/holiday car. The Mav will be work horse/weekend off road fun trips-i wont be doing serious off roading as I am still fairly new to 4x4's (recently sold my Fourtrak-scary to drive on roads!!) just basic fun offroading. With that in mind, which is best, petrol or diesel? With the costs being what they are, it would cost me less to fill up with petrol, but i will get less MPG?

any advice would be wicked, then i can make my decision!

thanks
clive

 

[rogerneale]

I have a "52" plate Terrano II SE deisel automatic.

I get between 30 and 35 MPG depending on how/where I drive it.

 

[zippy656]

Welcome Clive. for a fun car SWB 2.7i

ive the LWB. still fun, but not as much, also the SWB is quicker

Zippy

 

[clivvy]

so, does anyone think the petrol is best avoided, if i want to use it off road??

 

[rogerneale]

I've waded throuhg a local ford with the water up over the front edge of my bonnet, I wouldn't have doen it with a petrol engine !!!

 

[rogerneale]

I can't spell either !!!

 

[clivvy]

ahhh..now this sort of info actually helps my decision. wading through water isnt something i had immediatly thought of, but its bound to happen during my ownership...cant you fit a snorkal to petrol engines, or am i being silly?

i cant spell either!

 

[zippy656]

I've waded throuhg a local ford with the water up over the front edge of my bonnet, I wouldn't have doen it with a petrol engine !!!

just remember the air intake in behind the n/s headlights..

I can't spell either !!!

your not the only one who cant spell!

i use the abc on here ..


Zippy

 

[clivvy]

i suppose off road economy on a petrol is much worse than a diesel? what with all the high revving etc

 

[lacroupade]

One word. D-I-E-S-E-L.

Roger above has a 3.0 (the sorted Patrol engine) so he gets better fuel economy (the swine - look he's only just joined and already I'm insulting him!) - you should expect between 25-30 mpg on a 2.7 diesel, and the higher figure is only with careful driving....in mixed driving you ought to get 25-ish on an automatic or 28-ish on a manual.

Be aware the TD has no intercooler and only 100 bhp; the later TDi with intercooler has 125 bhp and probably a bit more economical (fuel consumption above is my experience over 230k miles with three TDi intercooler equipped trucks).

Both engines have more torque than you can shake a stick at - no idea what the petrol is like as I've never driven one but I can guess you have to row it along a bit with the g/stick!

Keep us posted with your search/purchase! - One thing you can be sure of, having looked at buying a L**d R***er for my missus a while ago, I know you will be getting ten times better value for money with a NissMav!

 

[zippy656]

you can get more bhp with a power box. or chipping. up to 145bhp i think

very nice, £00 ish i think some times pop up on ebay

 

[lacroupade]

i suppose off road economy on a petrol is much worse than a diesel? what with all the high revving etc

Just a tip; if theres one thing I've learnt is that offroad, unless a section warrants a bit of a charge for some reason, e.g. zero grip, then 'nice 'n easy' is the order of the day....check out some of the vids the peeps on here have posted and you'll see..thrashing the guts out of your truck just gets you buried in the slime as some members will attest.

(Not that I'd ever embarrass people like Makefit by naming them of course. Oops!)

 

[zippy656]

very true nice gentle and slow..

see salisbury plain vids and pics.

video SOUND OFF .. not the Queens english used

 

[lacroupade]

very true nice gentle and slow..

In fact off-roading is a bit like making lerrrrvvv isn't it.

Unless your name is Makefit in which case you keep getting it stuck.

:naughty

 

[zippy656]

In fact off-roading is a bit like making lerrrrvvv isn't it.

Unless your name is Makefit in which case you keep getting it stuck.

:naughty

:clap:clap:clap:clap:clap:clap:clap

very good that.

 

[clivvy]

thanks guys, oh well, thats a shame, i had my eyes on a real nice petrol one for £1k. i was pretty sure that diesel was the way to go, but as the nissmav is more unusual in having a petrol equivalent, i just wanted to be sure.

diesel it is, thanks guys, i will elt you know how i get on, and fingers crossed!

i will also check out your vids, its amazing how much you can find out about a vehicle from watching these clips!!

 

[daveg]

i have both petrol and diesel swb and both are as good as each other. the main benefit to the petrol is alot more power and cheaper to buy than diesel. with fuel prices where they are at moment it is alot cheaper to fill the tank on petrol than diesel. running costs are not that much different about 2-3 mpg difference between them. as the petrol is a smaller engine than the diesel.they both run very well with only the odd problem with the cars, but you can see common problems on the site.
most common problems where sorted out with the newer models and the problems that do come up are reasonabley cheap to sort out. i think so anyway.

the common faults are water pumps, auto hubs, door sensors and other ones are seen on site. at the end of the day if you look after a vehicle...it looks after you. took both of mine off road and both are great cars.so don,t be put off the petrols they are not a bad car. but that is my opinion....

dave g

 

[clivvy]

Thanks Dave, that helps, its good to get "real world" views on the cars. I have seen loads of petrol ones for sale, but i will be mixing road driving with offroad, and i dont want to be stuck if the petrol is no good off road.

 

[makeitfit]

Someone mention getting stuck?
The very thought!
Any road up I've had a couple or three petrols and now an oil burner. I have to say it was far more fun getting stuck with the petrol ones:lol
Petrol mpg on SWB was around 25 with big right foot!
Diesel is only a little better until you're on a decent run. BUT petrol 10p a thing cheaper:thumbs
So if you're buying cheap then petrol is cheaper, if you see what I mean.
If you want to tune things up a bit then deisel is the way to go cause the add on bits for more umph are cheaper. Anyway you can find of tuning the petrol is silly money
Off road cant see any diff, really other than its probably easier to keep the deisel in deep water.
Snorkel the same prob on both.
Muddy enough for you now?

 

[clivvy]

hmmm...ok then...what about engine breaking.....?