Petrol GU running costs

[mabsydney]

Any owners of either 4.8 or 4.5L petrol GUs give me an idea of fuel consumption and servicing costs?

I was dead set on a diesel, but the petrols are cheaper to buy..........just wondering if they would break the bank to run?

Thanks,

Martin

[alki]

I owned 4.5 GU before getting 3.0 GU.
4.5 manual used up to 24 l/100 km in city
3.0 manual uses up to 15 l/100 km in city

both vehicles driven by same driver and over same roads.
My fuel consuption is higher due mainly to my driving style and partly extra weight and wind resistance of the accesories.

Way prices of petrol and diesel are going ,it's hard to justify driving diesel apart from longer touring range

[mabsydney]

Thanks Alki, the petrol models are pretty thirsty obviously. There's pros and cons, but I guess the 4.8 is even more thirsty.

[Go the Nissan]

I own a 4.5 petrol Gu.

I average 18.9L/100kkm.

On highway i'm down to 16.5L

City can be high as 21L.

As said prior, depends on driving style. Just nede to get use to the torque on the vehicle. around 2000rpm is nice.

I know pacemaker extractors and 2 1/2" exhaust, snorkle and a unichip raises the power considerably and the fuel consumption is immensely imrpoved. But it also depends on the person that tunes it on the dyno. I'm getting these things done very soon so i can have better fuel economy.

When i bought mine, i was going for a 4.2TD patrol.

When i considered the k's i do per year, servicing, price of diesel as it's 12 cents dearer where i am... it worked out to be cheaper to run the petrol. plus the convenience of unleaded. just fill and drive. none of this diesel problem and buying additives and so on.

depends on you personally. I like to buy a vehicle so i can use and drive it. not stuffing around with it all the time. I have better things to do.

e-mail me if you want more info.. I'm in brisbane

[AndrewPatrol]

Mab,
I'd imagiine the 4.8 would be about the same 'cos its higher tech, anyway its mostly about driving style. across the Simpson recently a 4.5(man) only used about 20 lt more than my 3lt(auto) diesel, mind you he was driving more conservative 'cos of the unknown factor of his consumption.
If you do more country than city k's then the perol looks pretty good.

[mabsydney]

Thanks guys, very interesting

'Go the nissan'........ I didn't know fitting extracters and chip would improve the fuel consumption.

Excuse my ignorance but do the petrol models come with the same fuel capacity as the diesels?

[AndrewPatrol]

Some models vary by 5 lt in the sub tank which is near enough to YES

[alki]

When i considered the k's i do per year, servicing, price of diesel as it's 12 cents dearer where i am... it worked out to be cheaper to run the petrol. plus the convenience of unleaded. just fill and drive. none of this diesel problem and buying additives and so on.

depends on you personally. I like to buy a vehicle so i can use and drive it. not stuffing around with it all the time. I have better things to do.

I agree about petrol being cheaper to run(if it's not cheaper than it's not very far,considering that diesel is 15c dearer in Sydney).Also take in the account that extra power of petrol,no turbo lag etc.
I don't try to bag diesels as i drive one but just being honest with my self.
As for just fill and drive,that's exacly what I do with my diesel.
I don't add any additives.
If you want,you can add additives to petrol as well,but i don't see a point of them.

[AndrewPatrol]

Exactly what he said (Alki)

[SWBmav]

I have a swb mav running on gas and it work out to be about one $1 cheaper per hundred k's then my mate's GQ lwb TD42.

[Monty]

I have a swb mav running on gas and it work out to be about one $1 cheaper per hundred k's then my mate's GQ lwb TD42.

Can see how that happens however once LPG also goes up considerably for some tax or something that has already been discussed on here then the diesel will be cheaper to run again.

Depends on what u want like the petrol doesnt require as much servicing, however diesel comes into its own in long distance touring when fuel cosumption of the diesel means less need for jerry cans etc

[SWBmav]

I agree with gas will go up. but also after owning my gas mavrick I've been on trips in diesal's and the diesal is much easyer and less stress because they do get longer distance from a tankof fuel. But also some places you can't even get gas. I had owned the mav for two years and there has always had somthing wrong with it to. And at the moment I'am looking at getting a GU TD42 ute.

[SWBmav]

I agree with gas will go up. but also after owning my gas mavrick I've been on trips in diesal's and the diesal is much easyer and less stress because they do get longer distance from a tankof fuel. But also some places you can't even get gas. I had owned the mav for two years and there has always had somthing wrong with it to. And at the moment I'am looking at getting a GU TD42 ute.

[gu4800]

I own a 4.8 manual. I get around 18 - 19 L per 100 klms around town and about the same on the highway. Always towing a camper on the highway, so I can't comment on "normal" consumption on the highway.

As far as servicing, a mate looks after mine. Has done since new (A grade mechanic - no prob's with warranty). Nothing really comes up, just the usual. I do make a point of changing the air filter every service (10,000), but at $65 a throw money well spent. Also use Shell Helix Ultra synthetic oil. Even with those extra's, servicing is still way cheaper than a dealer.

Not sure, but don't you have service a diesel more regularly? Oil and filter every 5,000? Not sre, I've never owned one.

I also think that as manufacturers develop engine technology, they are usually more efficient. So even thiough the Patrol went from 4.5 (145Kw) to 4.8 (185Kw), it is still probably more efficient (or at least no worse). A mate went from the 4.5 100 series cruiser to the 4.7, and he says it is 20% more fuel efficient even with an extra 40 odd Kw's and 2 more cylinders!!

I would hunt down a good 4.8 over a 4.5. As far as diesel v's petrol, different horses for different courses. Fuel consumption/servicing shouldn't be your only deciding factor. Look more at use, and how long you intend to keep the truck.

[mabsydney]

Good points and yeah I agree about deciding on intended use etc. Mine is gonna be a tourer, but as it is also my daily driver it's going to do a lot of city miles.

I've noticed that the petrol models are cheaper to buy hence the question....I want to know if a petrol model is going to send me broke just re-fueling it.

What I don't understand though is this, people are saying petrol and diesel running costs are about the same, overall, but:

Say average fuel consumption (based on what people have said here and what I've read elsewhere) are:

3L TD: 13L/100km
4.5/4.8: 21L/100km

Fuel prices in Sydney now are approx:

$105.9/L unleaded
$117.9/L diesel

Which works out at:

3L = $15.33/100km
4.5 = 22.24/100km

Thats probably being generous to the petrol too...........multiply that up for a long journey and that's a big difference.........I know petrol servicing costs are lower........but that much lower???

Anyone care to comment?

[gu4800]

21 for the 4.8 is a little excessive - I'd say more like 19 city and perhaps 17 highway.

4WD Monthly "4WDOTY 2003" quoted the following:

Highway - 4.8 @ 15.7 and 4.2 @ 11
Heavy Sand (and I mean heavy - dunes and the like) - 4.8 @ 82 and 4.2 @ 64 (yes you read correctly!!! Best was Defender @ 38)
Offroad Low Range - 4.8 @ 32 and 4.2 @ 14 (best of the bunch)
Highway Hills - 4.8 @ 28 and 4.2 @ 16

Average the straight highway and offroad low range:

4.8 @ 23 and 4.2 @ 12.5 - almost double.

Even with that difference, I still bought the 4.8. Why? Because the majority of driving the truck will do is for my wife to and from work (and she has a fairly light foot) and the difference in consumption is probably 4-6 ltr per 100 . I can live with that. And, perhaps most importantly, the truck is now 2 1/2 years old and I've only just had the 30K service done - really it doesn't do that much driving so the extra cost won't bankrupt me.

I own a company car (in comparison, it has done 90K in 2 1/2 years) and it goes everywhere - full personal use. My decision on what to buy may have been different if the Patrol was my "daily driver" and we didn't own another car.

Hope this helps.

[mabsydney]

Thanks Dan,

That's the kind of info I'm looking for.

As soon as somebody buys my truck I can start looking for for a my Patrol for real!

Martin