One of each, perfect compromise IMO!
One twin turbo petrol for no real purpose other than fun and making obscene progress and a turbo diesel for the practical household vehicle. The diesel is a daily driver withe longer commute, the petrol doing much less miles PA with no real commute to speak of.
The 320d is our second diesel (replaced the Golf TDI) and we didn't consider a petrol. Not only are we getting close to 50mpg still (45-49) out of the BMW with mixed driving including a fair share of town driving (600 miles per tank) it has 150 BHP and the torque to make it a pleasure to drive and not a total come down from the Audi for day to day normal driving due to the power band and torque delivery. All this and EUROIV compliant, tax is currently only £150 a year.
The fuel effeciency is great, but whether it really adds up financially for us, I am not sure, in fact I probably doubt it. It's the torquey drive that combined with the effiecency that really steers us diesel and for that I justify paying the extra purchase cost of a diesel model. I could see myself in a high performance diesel one day.
On diesel engine note, I was amazed at the difference between the 115PS VW PD diesel and the 150PS common rail BMW diesel engine. The VW had the edge on economy, but then it was less powerful and a lighter vehicle. The VW engine was much more livelly at low rpm off of idle and off boost than the BMW. The BMW is however notably quicker (once moving) and perhaps due to it being 16v much happier to rev past the point the VW would have been wheezing and keeps on pulling too - much more like apetrol engine in that respect.
On topic with the thread, all the while we are a two car household, I see at least one car being diesel perhaps both in the future.
GO DIESEL, GO!!!!
