# 2.8 or 3l



## towtruck (Jun 27, 2011)

what is the best engine 2.8 or 3l 
& what mpg do you get


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Are we talking old, new, electronic, mechanical, etc. etc.

Ray.


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

well it has to be the 3lt. engine.as to mpg, it depends on the type of conversion it is pulling.

cabby


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## towtruck (Jun 27, 2011)

i am looking at a 2005 2.8 autotrial tag axle 
or a 3l 2008 roadstar 786
dont want to buy the 2.8 if they are low on power


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## Hymie (May 9, 2005)

*2.8 or 3.0*

There is no comparison between the two.

The 3.0 is much nicer to drive with plenty of power - and 6 speeds.

Our previous 2.8 sometimes ran out of puff on hills - even though we had the lower 5th gear.

The 2.8 is a very good engine ( if you buy it make sure the cambelt is changed) - but the 3.0 is a completely different experience and fuel is about the same as the 2.8 in my experience.

Other good plus is all chain cam drive on the 3.0.

Happy Travels.

Dave


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## Jezport (Jun 19, 2008)

We have a 2.8 Tag Frankia and although I cant say it has lots of power but it will get up Garrowby Hill at 0ver 30mph so will do me.

It has none of the judder or other problems that the larger 3ltr van owners seem to report.


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## duxdeluxe (Sep 2, 2007)

I agree with Hymie - the 3 litre is a superb engine, but check out if the clutch is causing you problems. Although not acknowledging an issue with the 3 litre engine, they did change the clutch specification in 2009 (as far as I can gather) so earlier vans might - repeat might have a problem with clutch wear.


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## jonegood (Nov 5, 2007)

The other answer is to have a 2.8 remapped.

If you pick one which has the later box then you will get the strongest possible fiat combination.


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## DTPCHEMICALS (Jul 24, 2006)

Bog standard 2.8 no problems.

Had I wanted to race about I would not be motorhomeing.

22 to 29 mpg depending on terrain right foot etc

Dave p


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## Jean-Luc (Jul 21, 2005)

Mine is a 2005 2.8 which has never let me down over 70,000+Kms.
It mightn't have the refinement of the 3.0 but it doesn't have a dual mass flywheel either  

As regards power, maybe I'm a bit spoiled as it's a Power version, but I've never felt the lack of it, even on the Brenner Pass or the A75 heading north out of Béziers for example.


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## Chudders (Jul 5, 2008)

towtruck said:


> what is the best engine 2.8 or 3l
> & what mpg do you get


I doubt that you are gonna get a definate un biased answer. Those with a 2.8JTD will swear by theirs, and those with the 3 Ltr will have reasons why that is the best.

Now my answer (biased of course) I have a 2.8 JTD pulling a Euramobil max 5 tons. Seems OK to me, it does run out of puff on hills but I am never in a hurry anyway so I am not at all bothered. Now if I had a 3ltr version I have no doubt that would be the best in my view.
MPG for me is about 22 to 23mpg . Rarely go above 60mph. I am sure MPG would be less if I drove it harder.


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## LittleGreyCat (Jun 22, 2008)

towtruck said:


> what is the best engine 2.8 or 3l
> & what mpg do you get


How long is a piece of string?

The question, especially MPG, cannot be answered without details of the model using the engine.

A range of Hymers, for instance, use the 2.8JTD Fiat engine.

The size, loaded weight, maximum GVW all make a big difference to the fuel economy.


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## Hymervanman (Aug 20, 2010)

Our 2.8 returns an average of 25mpg under mixed driving conditions- the best tank average was 28 when in Scotland recently due to the fact that we were doing 50mph or less on the excellent A roads. The ecu has been re-mapped which also means that the extra power enables me to stay in 5th at speeds of 30mph.
Regards Steve


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## Jezport (Jun 19, 2008)

Chudders said:


> towtruck said:
> 
> 
> > what is the best engine 2.8 or 3l
> ...


Except the people who had a choice, I could have bought either but bought a 2.8jtd with the later gearbox. Why did I go for an older model? Well I knew that fiat had finally got things right with the 2.8JTD and its gearbox. I knew that people were having problems with the 3.0ltr on heavier motorhomes. As Fiat have still not agreed that there is any issues with the 3.0ltr models I did not feel that I wanted to take the risk of having to pay for major repair work. There are a number of owners on here who have had to pay for new clutches on low mileage 3.0ltr vans and lots of DMF issues.


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## Rosbotham (May 4, 2008)

As a wildcard answer, unless it's an A-class there's more to it than the engine anyway.

My first van was X250-based (as it happens 2.2 Peugeot), but the main factor had nothing to do with the chassis, and everything to do with I couldn't get comfortable in the old-shape cab...especially habitation designs with cupboards/washrooms behind the driver's seat...because the seat wouldn't go far enough back.


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