MPG!

Arthur Brown

New member
I was used to a series 2A with 2.25l petrol engine, I managed about 18 MPG on road, I hired a S3 with diesel engine and made about 24MPG on road. What sort of MPG should I assume from a Defender 90 or 110 on road? Are they all diesel?
 

javelinadave

Administrator
Staff member
US gallon is smaller than an Imperial gallon so our numbers will be different. With my NAS 90 with a V8 I would get 12ish MPG. With my 300Tdi powered 110 I get about 18-20 MPG around town and 22-28 on the highway depending on speed and terrain.
 

Arthur Brown

New member
Whatever the size of your gallon 25 vs 12 means that diesel will win! Unless I can find a hirer in Vegas I've got a lot of positioning miles to do.
 

RBBailey

NAS-ROW Addict
Callsign: KF7KFZ
My V8 trucks almost all get 12. Maybe 15-16 on highway. I'm getting just about 20 mpg in the 110 with 300Tdi on a good tank. I think I get about 22 on freeway. But Not sure, I need more trips!!
 

rocky

NAS-ROW Addict
The UK gallon is approx 20% bigger than the US gallon. But the UK gallon is crazy expensive in comparison.
 

rovercolorado

Well-known member
My last fill up in my 1991 200 Tdi 110 was 28 MPG in US gallons. I never got below 28 MPG the whole time I owned the truck. I ran B20 and regular diesel fuel. Still sad I had to sell the truck because I sure miss the great fuel mileage I was getting for such a heavy truck.
 

Red90

Well-known member
My mileage history with the 200TDI.
 

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Red90

Well-known member
The last stuff was mostly highway miles. The bad numbers are mostly off road miles. There was 10000 km single trip last summer.
 

RBBailey

NAS-ROW Addict
Callsign: KF7KFZ
I put this together for another thread a while back. I have not been keeping up on it because I'm using Fuelly on my phone, but it is interesting to see what others are getting: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1XiyJ3xvKDIFBNNqZKH67sXmM3Elhby497QlmugD6Nzg/edit?usp=sharing

I'm going long distance this weekend. Although it will be a lot of hills, I should be able to stop and fill up at different spots on the gauge, and get a really good sense of exactly what mileage I get on the highway. So far, my gauge is very accurate -- 1/2 tank really does mean I have 10 gallons left.
 

ezzzzzzz

Well-known member
Diesel never wins. Underpowered and stinky. When you consider the cost per gallon of diesel vs petrol and your terrain and driving style the difference isn't enough to justify an enemic turbo'd 4 banger. If you load your vehicle, drag a trailer or live in a mountainous area you soon realize what a dreadful mistake that choice is. IMHO, of course.

Whatever the size of your gallon 25 vs 12 means that diesel will win! Unless I can find a hirer in Vegas I've got a lot of positioning miles to do.
 

1of40

Well-known member
IMO the benefit of a diesel isn't just fuel savings but also length of life. Historically diesel engine, properly maintained from new, will give you more at a lesser cost. That's why trucks, ships and busses use diesels, right?
 

rovercolorado

Well-known member
Diesel never wins. Underpowered and stinky. When you consider the cost per gallon of diesel vs petrol and your terrain and driving style the difference isn't enough to justify an enemic turbo'd 4 banger. If you load your vehicle, drag a trailer or live in a mountainous area you soon realize what a dreadful mistake that choice is. IMHO, of course.

After living in the Colorado mountains with my 110 diesel truck for almost two years I can say that as long as I wasn't in a hurry the diesel performed equally to gas if not better. My 1997 gas Discovery couldn't get over the passes any faster than my diesel truck and I got less than 10 MPG with gas and almost always got in the high 20's MPG with diesel. Now I never really drive faster than 70 MPH in my diesel truck and could easily reach 85 MPH + with cruise control set in my gas truck so I understand the difference in performance. Even with a 40 cent difference higher in price over gas the more than double the distance I can travel with diesel pretty much says it all. Modern Rovers aren't in the discussion we are dealing with Defenders with older Buick V8's and Rover 200/300 Tdi Diesel engines. I don't count older diesel engines even the turbo models since they are very under powered. I'm talking about 1990's trucks and comparing performance and fuel mileage.
 

Red90

Well-known member
For me, being able to go 700 to 1000 miles between fills is important as we do off road trips of one to two weeks well away from civilization. That and the simplicity of field troubleshooting if it was ever needed. The power is adequate when they are setup correctly.
 

RBBailey

NAS-ROW Addict
Callsign: KF7KFZ
I’m paying just under $3 per gallon for diesel. I am cracking 20 mpg on a good tank of mixed driving. I only find it to stink at start when cold. The old V8 is faster and quicker, and quieter, but in the long run it does about the same, or worse on a hill, than the Tdi does.

I am going over 6k this weekend, covering at least four 4-5k foot passes along the way, starting at sea level. I’m predicting 55-60mph on 90% of the hills, depending on if I get the proper run-up!

One thing I have noticed in comparison to the RRC and the Disco is that they perform very close to the same on hills, but the diesel doesn’t seem to be working as hard to do it.
 

ezzzzzzz

Well-known member
Those that like a diesel will always justify it just as I prefer petrol. As for proper trucks, ships and busses, these are running BIG diesels that do produce serious HP. The LR diesels are not even close in this class of engines. There is the safety factor of diesel over petrol but it isn't enough to justify going to the dark side.
 

jymmiejamz

Founding Member
Callsign: KN4JHI
The big thing I noticed owning a diesel in Va was that the diesel didn't get bogged down going up hills like Afton Mountain. I could cruise at 70 no problem where I couldn't even get over 65 in my DII with similar tires.
 
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