2.7 vs 3.4 litre petrol engine ??

[jonathan blane]

Hello.

I have only had diesel Surfs before. I am now looking to buy another Surf but I am keen on 1] 3rd Gen; 2] sunroof; 3] the 'powder blue' colour.

Looking on Japanese car websites so far I can only see petrol engines which offer all three - eg:

http://www.tradecarview.com/used_car...+surf/8616459/

or
http://www.tradecarview.com/used_car...+surf/8596141/

I have zero mechanical knowledge but have read that in general terms diesel engines 'go on for ever' as compared to petrol ones.

Comments welcome esp as relates to Surfs.

Separate question from the reliability one : fuel economy : what is the likely difference in MPG as between the 2.7 litre petrol and the 3.4 litre one ?

Should I keep looking for a few months in hope of finding a diesel which offers my 3 preferences ?

All advice gratefully received.

[BUSHWHACKER]

Hello.
Hello.
I have zero mechanical knowledge but have read that in general terms diesel engines 'go on for ever' as compared to petrol ones.
Not necessarily true.

Comments welcome esp as relates to Surfs.

Separate question from the reliability one : fuel economy : what is the likely difference in MPG as between the 2.7 litre petrol and the 3.4 litre one ?
The 2.7 gives slightly better MPG than the 3.0 diesel. The 3.4 would be less than both of them.

Should I keep looking for a few months in hope of finding a diesel which offers my 3 preferences ?
No. I have two 2.7 Surfs, a 1996 & 2001 and they are much nicer to drive than the diesels.
All advice gratefully received.

Given.

[jonathan blane]

MPG on a 3.4 petrol ?

so roughly what MPG can be expected from a 3.4 petrol surf ?

In town and on the road ??

http://www.tradecarview.com/used_car...+surf/8984711/

[team japan daihastu div]

less than 30 no matter what, probably about 15-18 local and about 25-28 on a run, its harsh but true!

[jonathan blane]

I suppose this explains the apparent low price of 3.4 petrols on the website ?


But what are the comparative numbers for 2.7 petrols ? That much better ??

[BUSHWHACKER]

I suppose this explains the apparent low price of 3.4 petrols on the website ?


But what are the comparative numbers for 2.7 petrols ? That much better ??

Haven't we gone over this before????

If you're concerned about fuel economy, don't buy a two ton 4x4.

[team japan daihastu div]

mate, i have owned american vehicles all my driving life and if i had a pound for every time someone asks "what does THAT do to the gallon" and "i bet you tow a tanker behind you" i would be a rich man!!!!!! i just tell them a story of how me and some pals drove a 1969 chrysler newport to sweden a few of years back [ 383cubic inch big block running edelbrook hi lift cam/4 barrel carb ect] and our method of knowing when the fuel was getting low was to time the tank from full to empty in 4 hour blocks, so fill tank[18 gallons] then drive 4 hours-then find petrol station and repeat till we got there!! 3200 mile round trip, stuff the environment, stuff the poler bears!!!!!!

[tonupteabag]

Just get used to not passing a fuel station without pulling in!
As Vince has already mentioned "if you worry about mpg don't buy a 2t 4x4"
I did worry about MPG but i like my truck and am prepared to forgo the expense for as long as i can to keep her on the road! When the time comes i can't afford to put the fuel in, I'll park it up and wait until the finances are there and go back to enjoying my Surf..

Sorry!!!
Just realised this is for them new fangled petrol things...Mines a diesel!!

[jonathan blane]

Well everything is comparative.

I have been driving a 3 litre diesel for four years and can manage : I'm just trying to learn how much worse it would be MPG wise driving a 3.4 petrol than a 2.7 petrol: much worse ? or just marginally so ?

Actual MPG figures were provided above for the 3.4 petrol - I would just be interested to compare those with similar figures for the 2.7 petrol. [ Diesel 3rd gen versions from the mid 1990's seem to have disappeared from the Japanese websites and/or the few on sale are now hugely more expensive than similar looking petrol models. ]

[Balllsy]

There is no comparison between a diesel car and a diesel truck, (unless of course you meant you have owned a 3.0 surf for last 4 yrs in which case I apologise for this post)

I have had a 3.0 diesel BMW for 4-5 years that would give me approx 42mpg.

I now have a 3.0 diesel Surf and this gives me 20mpg !

But it's lots more fun, I can go almost anywhere without worrying about hitting the underside or scratching it, and I can usually see it towering over everything else in a carpark so it's much harder to loose

[BUSHWHACKER]

[ Diesel 3rd gen versions from the mid 1990's seem to have disappeared from the Japanese websites and/or the few on sale are now hugely more expensive than similar looking petrol models. ]

Thats mainly due to narrow minded people regarding a 4x4 with a petrol engine as some kind of Achilles heel.

[Ploddit]

All this MPG stuff only matters if you're doing lots of miles, if you do get a smaller car.

I don't do much so I'm not bothered.

[jonathan blane]

I have driven only Surfs for over ten years - first a 2.4 petrol in Tanzania. liked it so much I decided to stick with Surfs when I returned to UK.

Most recently a 3 litre diesel [ which was blown up by an arsonist - hence need now to replace.] When I imported the 3 litre diesel back in 2007 there seemed to be lots of them for sale [ 3L diesels that is ] on various Japanese websites.

The options for 3rd Gen, post 1996 models available to buy in from Japan NOW in 2012 seem to have narrowed to either a 3.4 petrol or a 2.7 petrol. Such diesels as are for sale seem prohibitively expensive compared to similar looking petrol versions.

Forum member above posted actual MPG figures for the 3.4 version ; I was just wondering if anyone had actual MPG figures / parameters for the 2.7 to be able to compare the two.

Economy is not the ONLY factor in the decision, but it is not entirely irrelevant.

[BUSHWHACKER]

http://www.hiluxsurf.co.uk/showthread.php?t=70185

[jonathan blane]

so according to that thread , albeit no specific MPG figures are given, the 3.4 litre petrol is slightly more economical than the 3 litre diesel ? [ And the 2.7 is more economical than either ].