Dacia Citroen - If you don't feel petrol is strong enough...... | Motoring discussion | Back Room Forum

Mon 19 Jan 2015 12:45

Dacia Citroen - If you don't feel petrol is strong enough...... - Jetsam1

Hello,

The usual dilemma, roughly 10000 miles a year but in a largish car where the best petrol engine is a 1.2 tce compared to a 1.5 dci. Apparently both have similar torque pattterns but instinctively feel the diesal would cope better........

Very mixed driving, local roads, dirt tracks, motorways and the autobahn with a considerable proportion of the 10000 coming in at least one trip back to the UK from Hungary a year. Fully laden of course..... Will be a workhorse car used as a van overflow as well as family tranport and with the Lodgy available potential 7 seats if required. Not bothered about speed really as I've gotten that out of my system already. New as I would like a guarentee and to know it hasn't been messed about with or imported dodgily (both very possible in the 2nd hand car market here).

Never bought new before so it's obviously a huge undertaking and thinking aloud to make sure the best choice is made. Over here nothing comes close to the overall Dacia package and cars hold value better here as well, I'm just concerned that the engines can cope with the abuse that's going to get thrown at them.......... Anything comparable is not much cheaper and 3 to 5 years old at least and anything newer and comparable seems to be at least 1-1.5 miliion HUF more.

Lucky to be in a position to even consider this, so want it to be a decent decision.

(We do have a 1.2 Fabia that can be used for ultra short trips around the locality to take that pressure off a diesel)

Yours confusedly............

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Mon 19 Jan 2015 13:22

Dacia Citroen - If you don't feel petrol is strong enough...... - skidpan

Dacia and Citroen are not connected. Dacia owned by Renault.

We looked at the Logan late last year as a possible replacement for our Ceed. It is not available with the 1.2 TCe engine, its the 0.9 TCe. The 1.2 option is not the turbo engine.

The 3* NCAP finally put us off.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Mon 19 Jan 2015 13:59

Dacia Citroen - If you don't feel petrol is strong enough...... - retgwte

In the UK Dacia offer 3 engines.

A 1.2 4 cylinder non-turbo petrol, which is not available in some higher spec cars.

A 1.5 4 cylinder turbo diesel.

And a 0.9 3 cylinder turbo petrol.

The 1.5 diesel and 0.9 petrol are supposedly broadly similar. But the diesel will be more relaxing to drive as more power lower down, it will also be more economical (value of this to you depends on price of fuel where you are), and tax is less due to lower emissions (in this country anyways).

Personally having had a hire car with 3 cylinders have one cylinder fail, and find that car a non-runner, I would rather have a 4 cylinder that can at least limp home if any one cylinder fails.

Edited by retgwte on 19/01/2015 at 14:01

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Mon 19 Jan 2015 14:26

Dacia Citroen - If you don't feel petrol is strong enough...... - Jetsam1

We get the Lodgy (Scenic 7 seat MPV) and Dokker here (the Citroen was a mis firing brain! THough the Berlingo looks good) and also Renaults' 1.2 turbo petrol so a bit more of a range.

I agree with 4 cylinders, much more relaxing! Can't find anything to actually drive at the moment so academic. May well end up with the diesal and just find excuses for a decent run each month and hope the DMF holds up for long enough........ Had one go ona previous Astra Estate when in the UK and was painful.....

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Mon 19 Jan 2015 15:16

Dacia Citroen - If you don't feel petrol is strong enough...... - dieseldogg

Is this not the Renault 1.5 diesel, in the Renault owned or part owned Dacia?

Therefore it should be a "good-un"

Yes?

There were , I understand , some stories of Dacias rusting badly/prematurely?

Was/is this correct?

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Mon 19 Jan 2015 15:21

Dacia Citroen - If you don't feel petrol is strong enough...... - Jetsam1

From what I understand it was early Indian bult RHD Dusters had had the problems. All the LHD are made in Romania and much, much better. Had a look at a couple of Dacias in a local dealer and those at least felt nicely screwed together and perfectly acceptable for an interior.

All the engines are used by Renault as well so hopefully that diesal has a fairlty decent reputation?

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Mon 19 Jan 2015 20:20

Dacia Citroen - If you don't feel petrol is strong enough...... - Bromptonaut

You mention the Berlingo.

Don't know how prices play in Hungary but at UK figures I'd regard it as well worth a premium over the Dacia. The lowest powered diesel might be sluggish but the 115 is pretty spritely for n MPV and I'm sure the 90's performance is adequate.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Mon 19 Jan 2015 20:58

Dacia Citroen - If you don't feel petrol is strong enough...... - daveyK_UK

Bromptonaut

the 75bhp basic 1.6 diesel berlingo moves fine, its feels alot faster than the figures.

It also benefits from not having a dual mass fly wheel

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Mon 19 Jan 2015 23:21

Dacia Citroen - If you don't feel petrol is strong enough...... - Bromptonaut

Bromptonaut

the 75bhp basic 1.6 diesel berlingo moves fine, its feels alot faster than the figures.

It also benefits from not having a dual mass fly wheel

My other car is also a Berlingo, a 2005 1.9D IDI with a bit less than 75BHP/PS. As with yours it feels faster than figures suggest but I'd be chary of recommending it to those who'd think it underpowered 'cos it cannot overtake in a blink.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Tue 20 Jan 2015 07:10

Dacia Citroen - If you don't feel petrol is strong enough...... - Jetsam1

Hi,

Since moving over here I have become almost comically defensive in my driving and have seen enough crazy overtaking to just sit back and let them all get on with it! Enough power to overtake lorries/buses/Trabants is fine (though I was once tailgaited by a lorry to the point he overtook just as I was pulling over to let him past on a windy backroad, he then just about forced the car in front off the road!! I was in a 1.2 Fabia and doing the speed limit). It can be hairy here in ways I never experienced in the UK........In the city bringing my FIL back from the hospital late at night I was overtaken by a Lada doing about 70mph or so in a 30mph who then almost hit a bus......

The price premium for a decent Berlingo (the basic ones are really basic and miss out on certain safety features) is around £2500 -£3000 over the top specced diesel Dacia Lodgy for example. They are nice cars I've sat in one in the UK. The Citroen petrols seem better though. We're still deciding as it probably won't be worth much once we've finished with it and how much to actually put up front. Our mileage is on the edge of diesel/petrol but the businessy miles and international miles do require some thought and preferbly a decent spec to make it more bearable. My Brother in Law has an early 2000's Berlingo van and whilst hammered into almost destruction still plods on.

(MOT equivalent is every two years and doesn't appear all that stringent so not too much of a worry).

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Tue 20 Jan 2015 10:10

Dacia Citroen - If you don't feel petrol is strong enough...... - retgwte

re Dacia's and rust... its the cars made in India which are the problem. Cars coming from Romania are no worse than any other make. Indian made is 1st model Dusters, new model Dusters are coming from Romania (Dacia UK changed factory due to bad experience with the Indian production). Other Dacia's in UK have been coming form Romania anyways.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Ask Honest John

Sell Your Car

Real MPG

Fuel Calculator