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A friend of mine is selling his 2007 (I think) X350 with the 2.7 diesel engine. I'm tempted, if only because it's a lovely car, but these days I only cover 5K miles pa. I'm assuming this engine has a DPF? So, maybe not such a good idea then?

Advice appreciated.

Thank you.

Hi John,
The X350 is a lovely car, but whether the diesel would suit is a good question
You say you only do 5k pa which to me would suggest that it may not be the car for you, but it depends on what those miles consist of. As you asked, the DPF could be an issue if all you do is short journeys or around town. The diesel needs a good fast stretch in order to burn off deposits in the exhaust. So if the mileage is mostly done on the motorway then it should be ok.
If you could give some indication of the driving situations then others may be able to give a more considered opinion.
Hope that helps in the first instance though.
Tony

Thanks Tony - good point. These days my motoring mainly consists of A and B roads, with the odd blast along the M50 / M5 perhaps a couple of times a month. Suspect that may not be enough to keep the DPF in good health though?

My mileage has varied between 3,000 and 8,000 over the last few years (COVID of course). It's split perhaps 50-50 between 100 mile trips on the motorways andpootling around town to the shops. I've had no DPF issues since I bought it, second hand, 10 years ago. My feeling is you need a 50 mile journey at at least 50mph once a week to clean up the rest of that week's usage.

I've seen people say in the past "drive it like you stole it"; DON'T. That applies to old petrol engines where it blows out the soot, but on diesels it creates soot - remember the old days of following a lorry up hill, belching out smoke as it hit the rise - all engines used to get most power on an over-rich mixture. It's probably not so much an issue with modern engine management and injection systems, but IMHO "drive it like diesel is £1.50 a litre" is the way to go...

Thanks Paul - I shall need to give this some thought...

Just for your information stop start motoring with a diesel is not recommended, once the Emission alert comes up you are into upwards of a £1000.00p bill to clear it before your MOT, its an automatic fail if its there at MOT time. This applies to all cars.

Thanks for the heads-up Dave. After careful consideration I bought a V8 petrol X350 instead.

John,

I ran a 4.2 x350 for 80,000 miles. Phenomenal car, it averaged just under 30mpg for the 80,000 miles. Superlative relaxed ride, great performance. I still miss it!

I'm sure you're going to enjoy it!

Paul

Petrol makes sense, especially as the gap between petrol and diesel cost seems to be widening...