Why do you not suggest petrol vans?

Recently someone sought advice on a small van primarily for short journeys with one 350 mile trip per month. You suggested a 2.0 TDI VW Caddy. I’m of the thinking that diesel engines are less suited to short journeys than petrol. Petrol engines have now closed the gap against diesel for economy. Plus it’s cheaper.

I’ve recently bought a Transit Courier with the 1.0 litre petrol engine, specifically for short, stop-start journeys. I get 39-40 mpg on those journeys. On a longer motorway run, I’ll get 49mpg. I think this is a better suggestion than a 2.0 litre oil burner. Do you have something against petrol?

Asked on 2 July 2025 by mark Goodman

Answered by Craig Cheetham
The reader was very concerned about reliability on this occasion and the VW TDI engine is a proven, reliable unit. Unfortunately, the 1.0-litre Ford EcoBoost petrol is known for poor reliability issues at higher mileages. We have nothing against petrol vans, but for the specific reader's purposes and the fact he wanted an older model, we advised him to buy the van we thought most appropriate for his requirements.
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