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Distance relative

My wife and I wish to replace our automatic car, which is now only used for short journeys covering approximately 2,000 miles annually. Reading your weekly column avidly every week you seem to recommend a petrol engine for this duty. Is this so and please will you explain the reason? Thank you very much and please keep up your column.

Asked on 25 January 2010 by KW, Henley-on-Thames

Answered by Honest John
Avoid a diesel with a diesel particulate filter at all costs. The filter gathers unburned hydrocarbons on start up and burns them off later in the car's journey. But the engine and exhaust system have to heat up sufficiently for this to happen, otherwise the DPF will simply clog. If you want economy, look at something like a Hyundai i10 Blue: www.honestjohn.co.uk/road-tests/hyundai/i10-blue If you must have an automatic then the most appropriate is a Toyota IQ 1.0 CVT, though there may now be a supply problem due to the earthquake in Japan.

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