I can remember that lovely V6 sound but to me my diesel is silent, I wouldn't know if the turbo was howling, the rear diff bearing had collapsed or I was running on steel rims, my hearing was damaged by industrial noise.

I once put my hearing aid in whilst driving and nearly booked it into Landrover with all the strange noises it was making, that was the last time,

But back on topic, I just can't bring myself to use the dearer fuel at the pumps and especially now that 'Techron' an additive for fuel has now been officially tested and certified to enhance performance, clean the engine and improve mpg (so the latest Auto Express says) it will be a way way cheaper option.

EDIT: With all that's happening personally, I don't think I have congratulated you Andy on your new vehicle, looks excellent and I hope you enjoy it

Don't encourage him, he needs to move on.......

npinks wrote:

I find I get about 50 miles extra using shell instead of tesco fuel

And I try to plan my journey so Im always going down hill, I can get 99 MPG that way

taztastic wrote:

Don't encourage him, he needs to move on.......

 p****d off with a Digital Keyboard Warrior

Is he a bit like Patrick Swayze in 'Ghost' where he can't make that final step because he doesn't realise his Freelanders gone or is it because there's an 'undead' residing on D4.

There needs to be a lot more evidence to support the theory that it improves MPG before I buy it, as has been said too many different factors to consider.

I'll stick to sainsburys cheap-power diesel, I've nearly got enough nectar points for a tankful  21MY Defender 90 S 3.0 D200

I'll stick to the V Power. Yes it is true that unless you can do like for like tests, it is hard to prove either way. But I look at this :-

A) If these higher grade fuels didn't give the benefits the manufacturers state, then they would not be allowed to sell them.
B) After nearly 6 years, I have had perfect trouble free motoring.
C) The engine for sure quieter and smoother than Freelanders I have driven that I know run on supermarket fuel.
D) Simple things like looking at the end of my exhaust tailpipes, normally they stay pretty clean, but on the odd occasion where I have to put in a cheaper fuel, they blacken up quite quickly.

The above is not an exact science but it works for me.

Regarding fuel cost, I don't really care what the cost is of the premium grade fuels is. I only fill up every month to six weeks, so the extra £4-£5 becomes insignificant.

I get on average 500 to 550 miles to a tank of fuel, sometimes a little more. Would I get this on the cheap stuff? Who knows, so maybe the extra bit of cash to fill up is covered by the extra miles I get to a tank full, so it cancels it out. Freelander 2 HSE Lux 2013MY - Barolo Black with Ivory Leather. Alpine DVD - Privacy -Evoque 20" Dynamic Wheels and more to come.........

Thanks for all the views and opinions. My first post and I'm very impressed.
I'll be giving the premium a 6 month trial. My Td4 runs very nicely already but we'll see if it can get any better ?! FL2 2007 57 GS
D2 2005 Td5 - gone and not missed
FL1 2005 Td4 - gone and missed

Jonathan26 wrote:

Thanks for all the views and opinions. My first post and I'm very impressed.
I'll be giving the premium a 6 month trial. My Td4 runs very nicely already but we'll see if it can get any better ?!

I used to try and always use Vpower or Ultimate in my Astra 888 CDTi and on the odd occassion I had to use 'standard' fuels there was a distinct difference including noticing a dirtier exhaust. I fill up every 10-14 days at around £6 a tank extra (the saving pays for my RFL!) however I do stick with premium brands with 2SO additive which works out at about 3-4p litre and gives similar benefits to Vpower. I haven't yet tried both...... eh tu?

About ten years back I carfefully logged the fuel useage of a company car I was driving.
I did this over several months and a lot of miles, so I'm sure the results were reliable.
At the time I was thinking of buying the from the company at 3yrs old, so I wanted to know mpg.
I was doing varied work - motorways, local roads, sometimes loaded with heavy kit (it was an estate).
I ran it for a while on Morrisons, then on Shell and BP premium diesel fuels (of that period).
Shell and BP were about equivalent.
Morrisons against the premium fuels - cost against cost, worked out virtually even.
Morrisons did less mpg, but it cost less per litre.
However, with Shell / BP premium fuels, more performance was there if it was needed (overtaking etc.).
I felt the engine was running more happily with premium fuels.
Since then I have always used premium fuels, and practically always Shell.
If the cost is the same and better performance is on tap if required, why not? The quick brown fox

I find in the Freelander the engine seems to run smoother using premium fuels. A lot of the local roads are restricted to 50mph. Using cheaper fuels, the engine feels a little lumpy at that speed in 6th, as though I'm not going quite fast enough. Despite what the green arrow says! With premium fuels, I can sit quite comfortably at 50, and can smoothly accelerate once the restriction is lifted. I can also squeeze a few more mpg as well, especially with the caravan on!

With the Picasso, I find supermarket fuel delivers about 8mpg less than even branded 'standard' fuel. Which more than covers the extra few pence per litre. Bp ultimate is even better, and it the Picasso can easily deliver c. 60 mpg, which is more than Citroen claim, and the computer figure is confirmed by the amount of fuel used / miles covered.

My ones due a fuel up so I will put my faith in those who say it runs a lot better and fill it up with V-power. 21MY Defender 90 S 3.0 D200

I've filled up with BP Ultimate a few times since buying the FL2. I have to say that when this fuel is in the tank the engine feels better and is more responsive/feels better pulling.

MPG stays resolutely the same, but then I end up driving it quicker as it feels so good.

Worth the extra money - probably for long runs, maybe towing. It's just so much easier to find a supermarket station now though...

I've been running a trial on V-Power for the last 5 tankfuls. Am getting 36 mpg and between 530-560 per tank. Proper calculated data not instrument values but they are identical.That works out at about 2mpg more than standard branded fuel with Miller's additive. I believe the engine is quieter and smoother. Would not touch supermarket fuel even if it was someone else's car. I do about 1000 miles per month of really mixed driving. No problems in 18 months of ownership. Not surprised but traffic really kills mpg, also lots of short trips with restarts. Also it seems that I get 70mph @ 1800rpm on V-Power but 2000 rpm on regular fuel. More revs = more fuel and more noise I guess.

I'm going to stick with V-Power from now on. Also if you get a loyalty card that equates to 1p per litre off. 12MY 61plate FL2 TD4 auto GS Orkney Grey Roof spoiler full size spare

Gone 07 Dodge Caliber 1.8 black
51 Nissan Primera
K Isuzu Trooper 3.1 SWB Citation