Generally most can cope with lowish (40mph+) sustained speeds to regenerate the DPF, although I’ve heard some need 2500rpm+ for 10-15 minutes.

Need to clarify this. The DPF regeneration cycle happens in normal driving without you having to do anything. The problem occurs when your trips are too short and the normal regen cycle isn’t enough. That’s when you get a light on the dash and the manual tells you to drive at 2,500rpm for 10 mins or whatever it is.

That’s an exceptional situation though, not normal maintenance.

Sorry, should have worded a little more clearly – intention was to show that a relatively short journey can still be sufficient to allow the car to automatically run the regen cycle without any intervention. Some need only 5 minutes at an rpm consistently above a given figure, with many at about 1800rpm.

Are you sure that’s the automatic regen cycle or the manual intervention one? EDIT re-read your post, yes that is what you are saying.

The VW system has three options. The first thing it does is raise exhaust gas temps by advancing injection timing, to ttry and ‘burn off’ the excess carbon. Then if that doesn’t work it injects extra fuel in the exhaust stroke, and there’s a catalyst in the exhaust that burns up the extra hydrocarbons increaing the temp, to burn off the soot in the filter – all with normal driving. Only if that fails it gives you the light and you have to drive at high revs.

Either, it’s largely cost neutral I think at the OPs figures. Some of the new petrols are very good though especially if as some have hinted the diesel mpgs are optimistic. That said I was favouring the diesels 🙂

I’d say petrol also. It does depend largely on the type of journey. The wife and I have shortish (sub 15 mile) commutes, involving lots of traffic, stoppage time etc. On these trips her cheap Kia Soul petrol averages 35mpg. My expensive (Company) BMW diesel averages 41.5, even with efficient dynamics in action.

Ok, once on open road weekend stuff the differential opens up, but if it was my money, it would be a petrol almost every time

Try all electric. Nissan Leaf equiv. 255 MPG.
Pick mine up in a few weeks.
44 mile round trip commute. Perfect.
(I have a second family car for longer trips).
(Slightly biased as I work for Nissan).