I'm looking for a car for my parents - I drive a TDi elegance estate which they like. Was wondering if there's a major difference if they have the ambiente spec. dad likes the fuel economy readout and isn't bothered by the alloys/cc/extra bhp etc. cheers andrew

I'm not sure the Ambiante has as good a computer as the Elegance (I've driven both, but the Ambiante was a hire car). It certainly doesn't have Climatronic as standard though, and I don't think it has rear electric windows or the false floor boot.

The Ambiante is decently quick in a "not getting in other people's way" sense.

I've got an Ambiente hatchback which I bought new. When I got mine (52 reg), they had exactly the same trip computer thing, and the Ambiente did have electric rear windows. Not sure about boot floor (as mine's a hatch), but I think Ken might be right that the Ambiente didn't have the false one.

Differences I can remember were:

Elegance has 110bhp, Ambiente has 90. Elegance has alloy wheels (1 inch bigger than the Ambiente's steel ones, and with wider tyres), sunroof, climate control (rather than just manual air con), side airbags, traction control, headlight washers, different seat fabric and a flip-out key (mine doesn't flip). I think Elegance might also have lockable glovebox and reading lights in the back which I don't have.

Personally I've no regrets about going for Ambiente rather than Elegance.

AJB is right about the glovebox and reading lights. I had to go and check though since:-

1) IMO locking a glovebox is risking having your facia destroyed on the assumption that "there must be something valuable in there".

2) I never use the reading lights.

The bigger engine and Climatronic were worth the £500 I paid used (based on seeing newer cars out of budget in both trims), but I'd not have paid extra for the rest of the Elegance trim. I didn't really go out to buy an Elegance, but there were no Ambiantes in budget.

Actually, one thought - does the Ambiante have both a boot-mounted stacker and a radio-cassette head?

Actually, one thought - does the Ambiante have both a boot-mounted stacker and a radio-cassette head?

Yes it does. Exactly the same one as the Elegance.

I had a hatch - in the process of getting an estate as the hatch was so bad reliability wise! Anyway I thought that all ambiente came as standard with rear electric windows, cassette / cd multichanger? Sorry mine was a petrol - so power wise 101bhp on a 1.6