Hi guys

I am thinking of a used VRS (pre-FL) but can't make up my mind on whether it should be a petrol or diesel. I have always preferred driving petrol engines but the diesels seem to be much more popular. My gut feeling is that if you are so inclined to want a VRS the natural choice would be a petrol engine. The diesels are a bit slower but more economical. If economy is on the top of priorty lists why go for a VRS in the first place. Is it to get the best of both worlds? Are there other reasons to make so many people go for the diesel? Am I missing something fundamental?

Thanks

MPG..almost double

Performance..very similar

No brainer to me!!

You'll not get double the mpg with the diesel.

The difference is about 10mpg.

If you're doing a lot of miles the diesel will make sense obviously but you've not mentioned that.

You really need to drive both before you make your mind up. There really isn't much between them and you need to see which one drives in a way that you like best.

Diesel engines are the perfect choice for something like a canal boat. For a performance car, petrol is the only choice as far as I'm concerned.

If fuel economy is a big thing for you, then the 1.6 tdi is a better choice? Or maybe just use the car less?

n.b. my petrol vrs is hovering around the 33mpg mark, so I would challenge the comment that the mpg on the diesel is double?!

Others may have a different view

As has been said, realistically you'll get 30bhp less, 10mpg more, 2,500rpm less rev-range, more noise, more vibration, a DPF to deal with...

So get the petrol

Diesel engines are the perfect choice for something like a canal boat. For a performance car, petrol is the only choice as far as I'm concerned.

If fuel economy is a big thing for you, then the 1.6 tdi is a better choice? Or maybe just use the car less?

n.b. my petrol vrs is hovering around the 33mpg mark, so I would challenge the comment that the mpg on the diesel is double?!

Others may have a different view

Unfortunately some people don't "get" diesel's do they!

In the real world A 2 B, point to point etc the ground covering ability of a good diesel is probably going to be better than a petrol due to the torque reserves. Personally I find it easier and more relaxing to drive the derv but each to their own. 33mpg is excellent from a petrol VRS but lets be honest here - if you were driving it in a "spirited" manner you would be lucky to see 28. I can hoon around in my diesel and still average 37 although I've said it before that I think this figure is crap compared to other performance oil burners out there which regularly see 40 - 45+ even whenn driving on their door handles. Apparently it gets better with time........

Look, a lot depends on your personal preference - try and drive both and I think you'll be suprised how far diesels have come on. They are much more refined than they used to be and the latest Common Rail or CR's are even smoother. No diesel is going to give you the "petrol experience" but hey, no petrol of equivalent horsepower and torque is going to give you anything like the fuel economy and real worlds driving ease. The first time you boot a fast diesel to overtake will put a big smile on your face, especially if its had a good re-map!

Before the brickbats start flying - I love petrol engines and if petrol was still much cheaper than diesel, I did less mileage and my bank account was fatter I'd probably have one but the diesel VRS covers 99% of my requirements, goes like stink and is subtle enough not to say "look officer I'm driving like a ****"!

Think how much mileage you do, what you want from the vehicle and try and drive both to see which you actually prefer.

And don't listen to Bab's for crying out loud!

The petrol is 200bhp / 206lb/ft. The diesel is 170bhp / 258lb/ft. Trust me that 42lb/ft makes a bigger difference on the road than the petrol's 30bhp. Sure if you spend half you'r life at the local circuit playing racing drivers you'll probably want the increased rev range but driving from Brighton to Bedford it ain't gonna make much difference. What you WILL notice is the lower tax band - the diesel is a D while the petrol is an E. The way the world is going this will make even more sense financially as time goes on. The increased running costs are nothing to be sniffed at - servicing is pretty much the same but you will pay more tax and use more fuel in the petrol. This wasn't so much of an issue when diesel was 10p a litre more than petrol but that differential has reduced to the point where it makes no odds anymore. Oh and another thing - don't let the luddites on here put you off with scare stories of DPF issues either!

Seriously, go drive one and see what you think.

Edited 16 February, 201016 yr by wardth

The petrol has a load of torque, and it's a plateau that last most of the rev range, not a premature-ejaculation spike

The petrol has a load of torque, and it's a plateau that last most of the rev range, not a premature-ejaculation spike

Try the CR - no spike! Me thinks you've only drived a PD Babs?!!

Me thinks you are wrong!

I'd still describe the CR as having "peaky" delivery, albeit not as much as as the PD

My advice is do your sums carefully......If you are doing less than 10-12k pa and only intend to keep the car for 2-3 years the diesel premium will prpbably not be recouped. Make sure to include purchase price, projected difference in resale value, RFL, cost of diesel vs petrol fuel and servicing. Once you've done all that it will probably tell you that financially their is little difference - then if fun is important to you, buy the petrol.

With 207 ft lb of torque the petrol is seriously quick. OK so the diesel has a bit more, but it also carries more weight over the front axles. Compare the torque figures of other 2.0T petrol engines from other manufacturers and you will soon see that 207 is well above average.

Oh and yes, I have owned an Audi with the TDI engine and I know I prefer the petrol.

AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH !!!!!!!! :( :(

I like dervs and have near enough always driven them.

IMHO the current VW derv engines have too much to go wrong on them and that's in addition to the DMF/DPF issues that some have seen.

I hate to admit it, but even I'd go petrol for the VRS,

I hate to admit it, but even I'd go petrol for the VRS,

Yes... come into the light!

Even though I've got the diesel I have to agree with Babs on this, unless you really like driving diesels or are doing big mileage its not really worth it. I went for the diesel in the end purely as I intend to keep this like the fabia for atleast 5 years so I went diesel to make it a little more future possible proof, i.e. if I start doing big mileage like I was before.

There is a very small part of me that wishes I went for the Petrol.

Pretty much agree with what's been said before...

I went for the diesel because of the mileage I do... I'll have over 3500 miles on mine by the time I get home tonight and I only collected the car from the dealers on January 11th...

However, if my job role changes in future and my mileage comes down to about 15K a year I would probably get the petrol one as I would prefer to be driving that.

I think the best thing you can do is do the maths and work out what they are going to cost you over the lifetime of the car and if the costs aren't wildly different, then take them both for a test drive to see which you prefer.

Diesel engines are the perfect choice for something like a canal boat. For a performance car, petrol is the only choice as far as I'm concerned.

I'd like to see you navigate a canal in one of these diesel powered jalopies:

Much commons sense spoken. Diesels like the VRS don't give away much to there petrol cousins now. It comes down to what you need against what you want. If you do less than 20k get the petrol if more its up to you. I do a total of 40k a year 30k travelling to work. I used to have a mg zt cdti mapped to around 160bhp/295lb/ft. Now I have a fiesta 1.6 tdci mapped for some fun and 60mpg. Then i have a 4.6 V8 mg zt for fun. I liked the cdti but much happier with the replacements. PS with the savings I am now having the mg supercharged as we speak at the dreadnought garage in Callander, Scotland.

Steve.

Petrol is best - fact.

Thanks for the replies so far.

I didn't mention that this will be the second car in the family so will have low'ish mileage, probably less than 10k p.a. I test drove a 2008 petrol today and have to say I was impressed. Yesterday I test drove a Focus ST which is more hardcore but would be harder to live with on a daily basis and is very thirsty. I may test drive a diesel as well before deciding but with the mileage I will be doing it sounds like the petrol makes more sense. I can't find another car that makes sense bearing in mind fun and value for money.

Try the CR - no spike! Me thinks you've only drived a PD Babs?!!

Is the 2007 or 2008 VRS a PD or CR diesel, what's the difference?

Go derv! I Borrowed mine to a friend who is a proper petrol head and he couldn't belive mine was a diesel. He said the torque was tremendos and really was shocked by the performance. I get 55 mpg doing 80 in 6th gear. roughly get 500 miles to a full tank. Ill never go back to petrol again.

Having owned both I would go for the petrol unless you do mega miles and/or a lot of motorway miles.

The difference in economy certainly is not double. I average about 37mpg in the CR TDi although I tend to drive it like I've just pinched it whereas with similar driving I would get 27/28mpg in the petrol. The newer TSI engines are also more economical than the older TFSIs which means the petrol makes even more sense now.

Re running costs have a look at Parkers 'Petrol v Diesel' calculator, it will spell out how long you would have to a keep the diesel version before you re couped the additional expense you paid for it, from memory its in the region of £800 extra for a VRS CR TDI.

Thanks for the replies so far.

I didn't mention that this will be the second car in the family so will have low'ish mileage, probably less than 10k p.a. I test drove a 2008 petrol today and have to say I was impressed. Yesterday I test drove a Focus ST which is more hardcore but would be harder to live with on a daily basis and is very thirsty. I may test drive a diesel as well before deciding but with the mileage I will be doing it sounds like the petrol makes more sense. I can't find another car that makes sense bearing in mind fun and value for money.

I do 14000 miles a year. For the last three and half years I have had a Focus ST remapped to 270hp and did 47000miles before I recently changed to my new VRS.

Most of my miles are steady speed motorway and I consistently got 30 to 32mpg. Now I know from reading many threads about fuel economy on www.focusstoc.com those figures are very good, most ST users are in the 23 to 26mpg range.

On a day to day basis it is just the same as the VRS, if anything it is slightly more comfortable even with Eibach Pro lowering springs. However the power and the 5 pot aural soundtrack are a league above the VRS even a petrol.

But for me as private purchaser the prospect of 50mpg and £1000 saving a year in running costs was one of the main reasons for changing. Also as I get older I was using the great performance of the ST less and less.

My new VRS is a great car and I am very pleased with it, I think the DSG auto box is well suited to the CR170 diesel engine. For a diesel it is very quiet and smooth but with still a very good performance.

With all the discounts the CR170 only cost me c£700 more than the 2.0T TSI, I think I will get all that back when I come to sell it in 4 to 5 years time.

At the end of the day you need to have a serious test drive in the petrol and diesel.

If you go for the petrol, then have another go in a Focus ST, more fun in my opinion

Thanks for the replies so far.

I didn't mention that this will be the second car in the family so will have low'ish mileage, probably less than 10k p.a. I test drove a 2008 petrol today and have to say I was impressed. Yesterday I test drove a Focus ST which is more hardcore but would be harder to live with on a daily basis and is very thirsty. I may test drive a diesel as well before deciding but with the mileage I will be doing it sounds like the petrol makes more sense. I can't find another car that makes sense bearing in mind fun and value for money.

The Focus ST on full chat makes one of the best car noises ever, I'd love one!

And I may even buy one this year if things go well