Gerrycan

My only experience of the 1.0tsi was in a dealer loaned Fabia which I really liked although it not was not quite as smooth as the turbine-like smoothness of the 1.4tsi in my Octavia but still way smoother (imo) than the rental 3 cylinder 1.2l Corsa and I thought marginally smoother than Focus 1.0tsi I was once loaned in the UK. What are your engine vibrations like at tickover, or when revved when the car is stationary? That removes the other possible factors that have been suggested by others when on the move. Perhaps you could ask the dealers if you could drive another 1.0tsi to compare. You could also try a 1.5tsi to see if you like it All a bit of a faff but I know how disappointing it is to get a new car that just does not feel right. I had the same thing with another brand and getting rid of it after a year was the one positive when my employment situation changed.

Thanks for the replies. I was pretty sure I did not have 'mild regen braking' but I was curious as to how intelligently programmed it was to actually make any sort of difference or whether it was just another marketing gimmick for those that had it, and whether it was partly responsible for the short battery life that some have experienced? @J.R.'s description of the engine operation ties in with my understanding that the direct injection allows it to operate without a throttle like a diesel does. Does this mean that the versions of the 1.4/1.5tsi that have ACT, where two cylinders valves are closed, have even less engine braking effect? My car does actually have a very intuitive stop/start system which only operates when the operating system recognises that the car is stopped for a reasonable length of time such as at a known long traffic light cycle or the rare occasion when I get caught at a crossing to let a kilometre long freight train through. Yep, you guessed it, I turn off the engine with the ignition key and manually restart seconds before the lights change . My wife hates me doing it . A couple of years back my wife and I fluked a two week break between Covid restrictions to the Northern Territories and also scored a hire car upgrade to a Toyota sedan hybrid, my first real experience with one. One of the things that surprised me with the Toyota was that during purely regenerative braking from high speeds (130kph speed limits there), into a much bigger battery, there was (again) far less retardation than I expected. Toyota must have recognised this as there was a gear lever option to add engine braking into the regen process (for steep hills?). Another surprise was how stupidly economical it was at those high speeds on flat roads where the hybrid functions contributed virtually nothing. A tribute to the efficient Atkinson cycle engine and the CVT transmission. If an estate version was sold here I would have bought one when we got back , but the Corolla sedan and even smaller hatchback did not quite cut it after living with the Octavia estate Tardis-like interior for so many years.

Does anyone know how this mild regenerative braking actually works? I try to drive economically, which means I avoid actual brake application as much as possible. I figure that using engine braking uses no fuel and is still turning over the alternator but does this mean that if brakes are applied, however lightly, this will signal the alternator to create a greater output to the battery and more resistive load? Does that mean that someone who drives like me will not be adequately charging their battery especially if being drained by engine stop/start? My basic spec 2014 manual 1.4tsi Octavia does not have stop/start, I'm not even sure it has regen braking. In fact I have remarked many times in this forum that engine braking is markedly less than other car I have driven. This is excellent for fuel consumption on the flat but a bit of a pain on long moderately steep descents where engine braking even in low gears contributes little or nothing to speed control and I have to use brakes more than others around me or any car I have used before. Yes I know that what brakes are designed to do but I have never 'depended' purely on brakes as I do in this car. Not having stop/start means I have a relatively inexpensive non AGM/EFM battery and mine needed replacing at just over 5 years, but gave plenty of notice. Theoretically I should be on the lookout for indications of ageing in the Australian made replacement but there are no obvious issues as we approach our summer. As a footnote I do not have any appropriate software or dongle so I did not update the system when I changed the battery. I do not know if I have the mild regen braking of the more 'advanced' cars but quite like the relatively simplicity of this car and its consequent lack of issues to date.

The transmission on the Australian 1.4tsi mk4 Octavia (and current Golf) is an Aisin sourced torque converter unit so there is no clutch as such and why it is comparatively smooth. It is a good unit and also used on the Peugeot 208/308 and equivalent Citroens. Consumption would not be quite as good as the DCT transmission around town but on the highway when the torque converter locks up there would be little to no difference. I would expect you to get better consumption on a highway run than I do with my 2014 mk3 1.4tsi because your mk4 has better aero and would also run a higher top gear. Not far behind the best of the reported consumption for the 1.5tsi but at least 'our versions' seem to have appreciatively fewer issues than are bobbing up for the 1.5tsi?

A lull at work has allowed me more time to engage in a more regular running schedule, and I'm trying to address some bad habits I've developed. Before I recently threw a couple of old pairs of running shoes away I noticed how much wear there was on the outer edges compared to previous pairs which had displayed most wear on the ball of the foot. I have got arthritic big toes on each foot (from old injuries) and I was obviously compensating for the pain I can experience during the toe flexing, I think this was causing a misalignment in my gait that was also causing increased knee pains. For the first few runs I had to force myself to run through the toe joint pain of running on balls of my feet but it was worth it as the flexibility of my large toe joints has improved, and the associated pains in the toe joints and the knees has reduced to incidental levels without having to resort to medication. I have regained some of my running speed and it has even had a beneficial effect on just walking. A relief in more ways than one as I was beginning to think I might have cut back or even give up running. Ran along the beach today in wind and drizzle but I had the whole beach to myself for the 5km run. Quite wonderful and amazing on a metropolitan beach that, during the previous weekends hot weather, had tens of thousands of people on it .

I used to religiously record refuels and distance but now only do a quick calc when I refuel to see how it compares with the display 'since refuel' figures. A bit easier being metric based here. My other small runaround is so old and basic I have to rely on the manual reset of the trip meter and calcs when I refuel. Varies between 4.8L/100 and 5.9L/100 depending on the driving profile between refuels, similar to our 1.4tsi if I am driving it, worse if my wife is driving the Octavia during local peak traffic periods. It is possible to get far better consumption driving over 8km in our local (Adelaide) urban environment than at the higher speeds of our interstate 'highways' (mostly undivided single lane each way) unlike the UK where the busy motorways will nearly always better urban driving (West side of the M25 at peak is particularly miserable in my experience).

Some really interesting information here on how this type of engine operates @EnterName. I must admit to having little interest in an engine with performance beyond what I need on public roads and probably even less in mapping for more performance, BUT the apparent excellent consumption results you are achieving has piqued my interest. I've always said power is easy, efficiency is far more difficult but assumed where consumption improves it is probably due to the mapping not having to meet stringent manufacturers emissions standards One question in my mind is whether you have confirmed the accuracy of the displays with actual figures during refueling post map? Even allowing for a bit of display optimism, and the fact you are driving economically, I have got to say they are still probably the best I can remember seeing reported on Briskoda for a 2.0tsi.

He said 98RON and quoting L/100 so I'm guessing either Aus or Ireland? Update: Whoops RHD LHD so wrong on both counts

On much the same theme as @kodiaqsportline, what type and size of bikes are you using? I have fitted three upright small frame road bikes (sans front wheels, and lowered/removed seat posts) inside our mk3 Octavia Estate, and three people with a small amount of luggage. A bit of reassembly faffing at the other end but was worth a lot of set up expense, our bikes were secure during stops and better protected from the elements during the journey. I'm only 178 cm so I'm not sure that large bike frame would have fitted in this way in our car but I'm surprised that larger bikes cannot be fitted if the rear seats can be removed from your Karoq?

Welcome @the_cyclist and nice car.......but what type of bikes do you ride? May I also point you to , and invite you to participate in, the 'Health Club Forum' where there are several cycling threads: Health Club Forum - BRISKODA

We received similar dealer recommendations on our previous mk2's rear brakes and they also mentioned the disks would need to be replaced. When I asked if they could machine the disks level, they actually laughed and said there was not enough metal on VW disks to do that. Not sure how accurate that statement was but have you checked your disks to make sure they are serviceable enough for new pads?

Seems you 'can't catch a brake' 😏

A series of 'unfortunate events' has severely affected any training continuity over the last two or three months so it seemed a bit hypocritical to be posting here but an on-line article piqued my interest. Pat Farmer, a former Australian politician, is literally running around Australia in support of an upcoming referendum for a change to the constitution. The stats are quite mind blowing: The 61 year old had covered about 10,000 km (as of the end of August) of the intended 14,000+ km, running between 65 and 80km daily he is going through a pair of shoes every thousand km or so. I'd say he has shoe sponsorship since he has 30 pairs available but thinks that 15 pairs will be used when he finally ends up at Uluru (formerly Ayres Rock) Obviously a man of immense stamina, natural running talent and belief in his cause. Is it wrong I'd like to know more about the shoes he has elected to wear? The referendum date of the 14th October was announced yesterday so by my calculations he may have to increase his daily mileage to 90+ km daily to stand any chance of getting to the finish before the event. Ultramarathon runner Pat Farmer clocking up 14,400 kilometres for Voice to Parliament - ABC News As far as I can see the only similarity between us is that I also find that a pair of running shoes is good for about 1000 km (about 1.5 years) before they are relegated to less arduous duties

I have a similarly aged 1.4tsi Octavia and the last service suggested that brake pad wear had increased considerably since my wife uses the car for her commute. No surprise there If I have to replace them (and probably disks) then it presents an opportunity to fit pads that produce less dust. The two Skoda I have owned were/are far worse for brake dust than any other British/Australian/Japanese/Korean car I've owned. The alloy wheels are usually filthy soon after being cleaned. Are there any noticeable differences between the recommended brands for brake dust? If not are there alternate recommended brands?

I'm sorry but I'm not sure I fully understand paragaraphs 1 and 3?? But I agree with your comment in paragraph 2

The Subaru XV is a pretty well "idiot proof" car to drive with mediocre power outputs and an effective awd system. Transitioning to an Octavia vRS with vastly more low down torque applied only to the front wheels is going to require far more considered driving on public roads irrespective of what tyres are fitted. I'm pretty confidant that changing the tyres to a more recognised brand will make a noticeable improvement but if you buy summer biased tyres for winter then you will be back on here making exactly the same comments in the cold weather. Try looking in Briskoda's tyre section for some background on the benefits of appropriate all-season tyres especially if you are likely to experience some snow (Ireland so probably not). Also when your new tyres are fitted avoid the temptation to see how good they are for at least 100km to allow for them to bed in and also scrub off that slippery new surface. Read some reviews of the Davanti tyres and they are amusing to say the least. They vary from "would race on tracks with them" to "they nearly killed me" so you can assume, as with many low cost tyres, that quality control is more a concept than reality.

Ooh a Corolla Hybrid Estate...jealous! Not available in Australia, we are only allowed bloated "SUV" type vehicles. Had a hire Corolla Hybrid Sedan, but an economy focused 1.8L, a couple of years back. Blown away by the excellent consumption, even on the open highway with speeds upto the 130kph speed limit where the hybrid functions were not supposed to contribute much. My only criticism was a lot of tyre roar noise on the course tarmac surfaced highways in the Northern Territories, it was virtually silent on the smooth surfaced roads of Darwin.

Your "G-spot"?

Totally agree with what you say about how environment and style being such major consumption factors but a bit bemused by how much better your car is with the higher ron fuel, but hey if it works for you then . There may be a couple of percent more calories for the potentially lower ethanol content for higher rated fuel and most manufacturers claims I've seen will say there is a potential 1% improvement in consumption for each individual increase in ron on a standard production engine, but only if the engine is designed to recognise the higher ron fuel. I've used this example before but Mazda produce a turbo assisted SkyActive 2.5L engine that is designed to run on a range of fuel types in the US where they have the equivalent of 91 ron fuel (appearing as an even lower rating by a different measuring system) and presumably as high as 98/99 ron fuels for 'exotica'. Mazda say their engine produces 13 kw more power using the higher rated fuel which I think is close to a 7% improvement. Unfortunately they did not make any comparable statements regarding the effects on consumption.

Don't expect much improvement if any just from changing fuels. Comparisons are so difficult! There can be differences between individual vehicles which are otherwise identically specified but more likely it is due to the driving environment and individual driving styles. I suspect that @AlanOsborne is also a far more accomplished "hypermiler" than he is letting on Differences between my wife and I driving the same car: a) highway, speed limit, no traffic - we get the same consumption b) highway with traffic - I'll get 10 to15% better c) urban driving conditions then I'll get about 30% better consumption. Hopefully my wife doesn't read this post.

Glad to hear you are enjoying your new car and getting good consumption with the Aisin 8 speed box. Modern torque converters are way better than they used to be although unbelievably there are still ancient 4 speed versions on a few brand new cars. With your very good highway consumption I'd be interested to hear what revs the car is doing at the 110 kph legal limit in 'top gear'. Adelaide petrol prices vary by up to 25% percent over a 2 or 3 week cycle. I recently bought 95 ron at a low A$1.78 a litre which at the time converted to 96 pence. The next day the price rocketed to A$2.25 as the school holidays ended. There is a thread in the Briskoda "Off topic chat" zone entitled "£1 per litre" and dating from October 2014. For British readers our 91 ron fuel is about 15 cents cheaper still although forbidden for use in VW group vehicles.

Thanks for the information. I only saw the online promotional technical details on the launch of the 1.5tsi years ago so I am really surprised that the variable turbo is not currently fitted to the most commonly used 150ps version. Maybe it had something to do with the protracted non availability of the 1.5tsi during their issues meeting WLTP standards and non-variable version was retro fitted? I did not even know there was a 130ps version! If your A4 owning friend is averaging 5.5L/100 (51 mpg) then he is matching most one-off best journey reports from standard 2.0tsi owners, best averages are usually in the mid 40's mpg range. While the speeding fines here in Australia are probably not as high as Finland (where I think they are speed and income related) they still raise billions for the regional governments as many Australian drivers are slow to learn from their mistakes.

Let's be clear I have no experience with an engine with cylinder deactivation so I am going by previous owner comments on Briskoda. I have no real idea how modes affect operation in different driving environments. I don't even have modes on my car but I do have different 'moods' and that can affect consumption The 1.4tsi that was put in the Superb had it and owners reported similar consumption to the lighter/smaller Octavia without it so I assumed it was worth a bit more than 5% improvement. I do remember reading an early 1.5tsi Octavia owner complaint that the cylinder deactivation did not cut in as much as he expected but it turned out he was trying to lug the engine in similar gears to his previous 1.4tsi and needed to adjust to allow the engine to rev a little more which reduced the load and allowed the cutout to activate, which for his version was reported from 1500 rpm. I'd love to get my hands on one to see what I could achieve but alas there is no 1.5tsi Aussie Octavia mk4 and I let the purchase opportunity for a really well priced new manual 1.5tsi engine Scala slip by during the instability of the Covid era. The only current one on the market is an interstate demo (2500km away) and about A$20k more expensive than the original including A$8k of packs I don't want.

Yes you have and