Hi everyone,
Ive been a member of the site for a while but havent posted much,
anyway, yesterday I traded in my 2008 2.0tdi dsg elegance for a 2008 1.8tsi manual elegance.
I had the 2.0 tdi remapped f by Viezu, not mentioned much on here but I found the map to be very smooth, and having taken the map off when changing the car it adds a noticeable amount of power, leaving the car feeling quite flat without it.
I just though I'd write a quick review of how the two cars compare, because when I was looking to change I was very unsure of whether or not to go for the petrol.
Having read many reviews on here I went for it, and I'm glad I did.
My main worry was that the 1.8 wouldnt have the torque of the diesel, and at the end of the day it cant quite match it in this respect.
However, it never feels lacking for torque, even from low revs, and I dont find myself having to change down unless I want to overtake or whatever, which I probably would have done in the diesel anyway. Note that on the motorway at 60/70 either car is happy to pull out for an overtake in 6th.
When the revs build and the turbo is on song the car really pulls, and although not scientific,
it certainly looks and feels as though it would outstrip the 2.0 tdi, especially as the speed increases.
Economy was anther factor, and again, although not scientific, the diesel did 50mpg on the 100+ mile trip to pick up the car, and the petrol did 42mpg on the way back. (both according to the onboard computer) Both journeys were mainly motorway and cruise controlled at 70. Obviously I did test the 1.8 at every opportunity!!
Until driving the 1.8 I always read the comments about the pd diesels having a lump of torque then running out of steam quickly with a pinch of salt, because it felt perfectly smooth to me,
however, having driven the tsi for a few days, my opinion is that it is much smoother (and quieter) and gives a better driving experience because of it.
The engine really is a peach, and for anyone else out there torn between petrol and diesel I can definatley recommend you give the petrol a chance!
I dont want this review to sound as though I'm bashing the TDI because that was a brilliant car in its own right, I loved the low down torque and the DSG box complements the engine really well. For the performance/economy its a great engine, and had I been doing more miles in a year (I do about 10k) it would have been another diesel for me.
In summary:
1.8 tsi
+ faster, smoother, quiter
- economy, but doesnt seem too bad so far.
2.0 tdi
+ bags of torque, easy to drive
- noisy, runs out of steam
Harry.