How to choose the right engine

Before heading to the dealership to buy a new vehicle, it’s best to ask yourself the right questions about your needs. These fact sheets will help you select the engine that best suits your budget.

The gasoline engine

Those who drive less than 12,000 km per year in a city car or compact car. Gasoline will meet many of their needs while remaining the least expensive option.

Advantages: purchase cost and versatility

The gasoline engine is certainly the one that has evolved the most in the last 15 years. Its cylinder capacity has melted like snow in the sun (this is called downsizing) and has also been supplemented by a turbocharger (to increase driving pleasure and improve acceleration), direct injection (helping to control consumption) and, more recently, a particulate filter (to become cleaner). With all this, it can now be suitable for almost all types of use, including long journeys (unless they are very regular, in which case diesel remains the most suitable). In terms of price, this engine is also the most affordable in the manufacturers’ catalogs.

LPG

Much cheaper, the latter is quite common in gas stations. The disadvantage of this engine is that it requires the installation of a fuel system dedicated to LPG alongside the one dedicated to gasoline: a second tank (which encroaches While the autonomy in LPG mode alone stagnates around 350 km, the combined use of the two fuels allows, on the other hand, to travel around 1,000 km without returning to the pump.

E85

It must either be installed as standard (in rare cases), or a conversion box must be installed (on gasoline cars since 2001). With fuel at less than €1 per liter, the cost of this installation (up to €1,300) will be quickly amortized. Two drawbacks: excess fuel consumption of around 20% and an underdeveloped distribution network (barely 30% of stations offer E85). Fortunately, the engine is capable of consuming any gasoline, which helps prevent running out of fuel.

Advantages: sobriety and autonomy

While the diesel engine is clearly losing ground in new car sales, it still has some solid advantages for those who drive a lot. The main one? Fuel consumption is around 20% lower than that of a gasoline engine of the same power, resulting in a lower running cost. Even if its profitability is currently being eroded by a sharply rising fuel price at the pump (over the year, you have to drive several thousand additional kilometers to recoup the additional purchase cost), diesel remains advantageous in the long term. In general, its fuel efficiency also translates into a greater range than other types of engine. Furthermore, thanks to exhaust gas treatment devices such as the particulate filter, the NOx trap, or the use of the AdBlue additive, it has become significantly cleaner.