2012 Symbol mpg

I can't help myself, after saying van prices were too high, I've seen a lovely 2012 Symbol for sale - 2012 2.2TD. Any owners who can advise on running costs please - specifically mpg, road tax and servicing costs. Lovely van with a layout that matches my 1998 Duetto and brings it up to date. Information appreciated, clearly pulling the trigger a bigger issue....

Hi, I have a 2009 SymbolES with the Ford 2.2D engine and get 38mpg on tours (Alps,Scotland and England, typically 60mph on motorways). Tax is £295 and I service myself - parts are cheap and basic servicing easy. Couple of issues I’ve had are a recurring engine error code (three times in last year, doesn’t affect driving but drives me nuts trying to work out cause, clears with OBD reader) and van insulation. Basically the insulation is thin and patchy - not what I expected from AS and I’ve been refitting which isn’t so easy. Lack of insulation makes the van a little more rattly when unloaded than my previous vans.

SpacemanPaul wrote:Hi, I have a 2009 SymbolES with the Ford 2.2D engine and get 38mpg on tours (Alps,Scotland and England, typically 60mph on motorways). Tax is £295 and I service myself - parts are cheap and basic servicing easy. Couple of issues I’ve had are a recurring engine error code (three times in last year, doesn’t affect driving but drives me nuts trying to work out cause, clears with OBD reader) and van insulation. Basically the insulation is thin and patchy - not what I expected from AS and I’ve been refitting which isn’t so easy. Lack of insulation makes the van a little more rattly when unloaded than my previous vans.

interested how you have refitted insulation??

I’m doing two types - self adhesive noise reduction foam on the larger panels (mainly to dampen noise but also adds a reasonable amount of thermal insulation) and then packing space between plastic internal panels and van with wool insulation (thermafleece). Quite expensive but much nicer to work with an rockwool and no glassy fibres floating around the van. I was surprised that some of the main cavities (E.g. main door) had no insulation and other places just had very thin pads loosely fitted.

Having now had 5 motorhomes, one Eribacar, two Warwick Duo (2.2 engine) one petrol Harmony and the present Executive, and religiously recording every molecule of fuel added and distance fie covered at every fill, always to full. My average on all 5 has been remarkably similar.
27.5 mpg. 
Just, literally Sunday, home from 3 week N Spain trip, everything from motorways to mountain passes, 60 or so on motorway, way less on passes.
27.7mpg whole trip.
Please note the accuracy I mention, no onboard computers, no guesses, just fuel added over distance covered.
None of mone would have got even close to 38 mpg unless on a trailer!!

I may also add that I really don't see why mpg gets such a mention on here when most are using a £30000+ second or third "car" for perhaps 5000 miles per year? Cheapest bit is the fuel!

IanH wrote:Having now had 5 motorhomes, one Eribacar, two Warwick Duo (2.2 engine) one petrol Harmony and the present Executive, and religiously recording every molecule of fuel added and distance fie covered at every fill, always to full. My average on all 5 has been remarkably similar.
27.5 mpg. 
Just, literally Sunday, home from 3 week N Spain trip, everything from motorways to mountain passes, 60 or so on motorway, way less on passes.
27.7mpg whole trip.
Please note the accuracy I mention, no onboard computers, no guesses, just fuel added over distance covered.
None of mone would have got even close to 38 mpg unless on a trailer!!

I may also add that I really don't see why mpg gets such a mention on here when most are using a £30000+ second or third "car" for perhaps 5000 miles per year? Cheapest bit is the fuel!

Dead right Ian, hit it right on the head

Just checked on mpg, for once, found it to be 24.7 average over last 1500 mls, local driving, 30/40 mph and mostly in 3rd or 4th gear.

Road tax went up in Spring from 295 to 325 pa. 

Forgot to say 2015 Warwick Duo.

Richard

We've had our Symbol now for the best part of 9 years and what a beautiful vehicle to drive and easy to park. The computer is telling me 37 to the gallon but using brim to brim I'm finding 33/34 is a more accurate figure.

I've had my 2lt HDI Nuevo for 12 years now, and although I don't log every fill up when pootling about the UK, I do use the same system as Ian when on big continental trips. Taking an average over the last twenty tours of over 2000miles, diesel consumption is dead on 30mpg.
Al.

bikeralw wrote:I've had my 2lt HDI Nuevo for 12 years now, and although I don't log every fill up when pootling about the UK, I do use the same system as Ian when on big continental trips. Taking an average over the last twenty tours of over 2000miles, diesel consumption is dead on 30mpg.
Al.

That sounds more like it

Richard

Weird how we all still convert to MPG when fuel has been sold by the litre in the UK for umpteen years, even those of us with no onboard computer in our van.
I guess 30mpg must sound better than 6.6mpl...
Al.

I log every single fill, always to the brim, and calculate the mpg based on how many miles I’ve driven how many litres it’s taken. On my Sussex Duo it’s almost bang on an average of 30mpg.

I think the laws of physics come into this. All things being equal, fuel has a fixed energy value and most vans have similar brick-like aerodynamics.
Engine tuning can only make a small difference to a vehicle weighing around 3 tons.
Driving with a light right foot plus making sure the tyres are at the right pressure and the brakes aren't binding are the key things.
Al.

If anyone’s still interested, just returned from our trip to Norway and the mpg was 32 to 37 - calibrated odometer and filled tank volumes. Lower numbers on motorways into a stiff SW wind ….and the horror of Antwerp, the upper was tootling around Norway below 80kph limit. Average over 3000 miles was 34.5. Interestingly, whilst the speedo is the usual 5-8% over-reading, the odometer was pretty close to the Google maps estimates, certainly given the typical “shortcuts” and “Oooo, let’s look at that” moments. Norway (and Denmark) were absolutely lovely.