Gerrycan

The Superb and Kodiaq have never been released with 1.4 or 1.5tsi engines in Australia so they only got the heavier duty 'wet' DSG with 2.0L diesel or petrol engines. A recent trend for Skoda Australia is for the 'dry' DSG to be replaced with a torque converter automatic and replace the 1.5tsi used in Europe with the old 1.4tsi. Understandable as the majority of Aussies have never driven a manual and were used to the torque converters fitted when we had a car manufacturing industry mating them to big V6 and V8 engines. Dry DSGs treated like a torque converter in traffic will wear out the clutch units, treat them as you would a manual box and it makes sense they will last. Our emission standards are still Euro 5 level and our fuel has a high sulphur content which not good for PPFs

The only pairing I can remember with the 1.4tsi (150bhp) and DQ250 6 speed gearbox was in an AWD Yeti.

@ERIK99, you have not given us any details of your actual journey and speeds. The WLTP cycle is mostly slow and stationary traffic which is quite punitive for ICE but EVs fair comparatively well it is also conducted at a nominal 20 deg C so they don't heat or cool the cabin. If you have a motorway journey at speed and heating the cabin, seats and steering wheel then consumption would inevitably be high

A few years back we had a Kia 1.6d hire car for a UK holiday and did a lot of miles there on the crowded motorways. The last thing we wanted was a speed ticket while abroad and since we were in no hurry just went with the traffic flow. We usually got 70+mpgs from a tank but while we were doing the tourist thing down in Devon and Cornwall it was notable that our average dropped to around 50mpg despite clear off-peak-season roads., I presumed it was the effect of steep hills and cautious driving on one car-wide only country lanes. I was aware of regens when they happened but they were pretty rare. Definitely not spirited driving but it did dawn on me after a while that I got better consumption and driving experience by ignoring the displays recommended gear, which always had me trying to slog the engine in low revs. and choosing at least one gear higher for more comfortable revs. I first joined Briskoda about 6 years back when we got our current 14tsi mk3 Octavia and I remember a regular contributor of the time recounting a situation where he swapped vehicles with his wife for a month or so. He usually got 50's in a 2.0tdi Octavia on his regular longer commute but was horrified to subsequently find out that his wife's consumption had dropped down to the teens with her usual short local journeys. When they swapped back again the Octavia consumption returned back to normal on his commute. I think she may have got on the wrong side of continually interrupted DPF regens?

I'm going to guess that a lot of short journeys in cool, and probably wet, weather is going to compound the problem and make it harder to get the exhaust to a soot-burning operating temperature and maintain it. Small direct injection/turbo motors are relatively efficient so there is not a great deal of superheated exhaust. Even revs on engine overrun is likely to extend the process by allowing cooling air through the exhaust. You might find that allowing the engine to continue to tickover at a high rate until complete is the most efficient way? During our cooler months in Adelaide a series of short runs in our non-PPF 2014 1.4tsi will result in an exhaust so full of water it gurgles like an old man with pneumonia.

Hi @scubasad, What sort of annual mileage do you anticipate in your possible post covid, post brexit, retirement world? Are looking at buying new or second-hand? I'm assuming second hand since you posted in the mk3 section and a new model Mk4 is out Have you driven a VRS to know whether you like it or not? Same for DSG transmission? There are other possible factors that you don't need to share here but will influence your decision like personal health, grandkids, dogs, elderly dependants, partner's preferences etc. Not to mention possible UK diesel exclusion zones?? The DSG box in the VRS is very efficient, when compared to traditional torque converter automatics, comparable economy to a manual but the manual will usually have the slight edge in the right hands. DSG boxes are brilliant 'on-the-go' swapping pre-selected gears almost seamlessly and instantly. Some people have some issues in stop/start traffic and pulling away quickly at roundabouts. I think this latter may be an issue with stop/start features, a bit of turbo lag and driving mode selected. If the preselected gear is different to what is suddenly needed then there may be a hesitation. Some also report 'delays' engaging reverse gear and reversing up slopes. Can't say I have witnessed issues with any DSG I have driven although I don't own one. Something for you to investigate on any test drive though. The clutch packs in the more robust 'wet' DSG (above 250Nm) sit in an oil bath, are very robust and suffer little wear even when stressed by towing or fanging, but that oil must be changed at recommended times and is not cheap. I believe CVT's have similar maintenance requirements though. The water pumps on VAG group diesels are a known weakness and may need replacement at anything from 20k to 60k+ miles. It is not a catastrophic failure there usually being plenty of warning as the temp gauge starts to fluctuate, plenty of threads on it. Personally if I were only going to do low annual mileage and lots of short trips then I'd strongly consider petrol.

I think I have only experienced what you described once in six years of ownership of my 1.4tsi on dry smooth tarmac. More right foot than usual in first gear to avoid faster than anticipated oncoming traffic. The turbo kicking in so vigorously surprised me and I experienced the wheel spin/hop, some torque steer as well but all manageable. There is not much weight over the front wheels with the 1.4tsi compared to diesels and that would probably account for a bit of the difference you experienced between the two. Although the mk3 1.4tsi is not that bad, my previous mk2 1.9pd was exceptionally stable in severe crosswind conditions and I always put that down to the extra weight under the bonnet.

An indicated consumption figure of 2.3L/hour at idle with no ancilliaries running is very high. I have not owned a diesel with a dpf filter but my old 1.9pd diesel in the mk2 used to show 0.5L/hour at its natural 900rpm idle when warm. Even my current 1.4tsi display shows 0.5L/hr at idle in similar circumstances. Sounds like the car is locked into a permanent and continuous regeneration? Only with the aircon on at full blast during a 47 degree day have I seen idle consumption near 2L/hour.

Thanks for your comments, I am considering one when they release here in Australia in 2021. To edit a comment you click on the three dots in the top right corner of the comment box and Edit is one of the options (if using a PC).