Extra economy equates with extra touring range. I get between 850-900km from a tank in my Td5 Auto (which has now done 230K KM) on long highway trips. Based on forum reports a V8 owner would be searching for a petrol station after around 450-500km. If you are doing much country or outback driving that makes the difference between having to carry jerry cans and arriving with fuel to spare.
If like Disco Muppet, myself and many other Td5 owners who actually drive the D2 regularly, it's pretty easy to clock up 20K Km a year.
Based on 11l/100km for a Td5 and 18l/100km for the V8 and a 10c per litre price differential between diesel and petrol, the Td5 would be $1726 cheaper fill up over 12 months.
If you are looking at a three year ownership you'd also want to factor in that V8 prices are not just cheaper at purchase, but resale value also declines faster than the Td5. That means you'll recoup more of your original investment on a Td5.
So basically if you want a weekend toy the V8 is a reasonable choice. If you plan to drive more than taking the D2 out on weekend outings to play on the tracks then the Td5 is the pick.
cheers
Paul

