Hi guys

Not been on here for a while, mainly cos Ive not had a bad word to say about my car.

I bought my CR vRS is late 2008. since then Ive had 18k trouble free miles, first service today.

Problem is, I dont think I can afford to keep the car...it really kills me as I love it :( :(

I had a prang in the snow in December, and looking at insurance quotes, its gonna be too much to insure really.

That and the fact my company decided to freeze salaries, so effectively Im taking a paycut this year

Therefore, I spoke to the dealer today, and Ive got about £2,500 equity on my PCP deal (im on the mark of 18mths in a 36 mth deal, so can quit with no penalties).

This means cost to change would be nothing, and I'd get lower montly payments, and insurance.

I'm booked to test drive a 1.4 TSi and 1.6 CR but was wondering if anyone has advice, things to look for on both cars

The car is to be used as business car, doing long journeys.

It will be Elegance spec, and DSG equipped. Unfortunately the cars I'm driving will be manual, as thats what they have in stock.

Thanks for your time and help.

I can only comment on the 1.4TSI but for long journeys it is great. I've got the manual so I don't know about the DSG, but the low 6th gear on the manual means its nice and relaxing to drive with minimal changing of gear required, but still has plenty of get up and go should you wish to go a bit faster, and the seats are soooo comfortable, much more so than our Scout. The Elegance spec is great and has all the toys I could want considering how little the car cost. I would say you might be disappointed with the umph after owning a VRS. I had a 2.0 TDCI Focus before this and it was quite a shock no longer having the low down power of the diesel, but now I'm used to it I love it. As much as I think I wish I'd gone for another diesel or the 1.8 TSI when I consider how much cheaper this car was to both buy and the ongoing running costs (tax, fuel, insurance, etc) it makes you realise just what a good package this is.

edit: Just to comment on the fuel consumption over long journeys. My car's now done just over 1700 miles and I was getting around 43mpg the other day on a run down the M1 at "swift" motorway speeds

Edited 28 April, 201016 yr by GroundHog

Thankyou for your comments, its much appreciated.

Im under no illusions that I will sorely miss my vRS, but I can get another one down the stretch, when Im older, wiser, more insurable, and have built up some no claims!

I should add I live in a bad postcode area :( so even getting a quote can be hard.

I think your comments on the overall value proposition and ownership costs are right on the ball for where I am at right now.

As long as the fuel consumption is in the 40s that what I would need.

Going on the mileage you do (roughly 1000 miles a month?) I'd probably go for the 1.4 rather than the 1.6...

It's not going to cost a fortune to run and by all accounts it's a cracking little engine and the list price is about £1700 less than the diesel...

I think that you will be surprised by the 1.4 TSI - I was, so much so that I will be collecting my new Elegance Estate on Friday. It feels like a MUCH bigger engine, thanks to 200nm torque between 1500 and 4500 rpm - the torque curve literally is flat all the way according to a spec I found somewhere on YouTube. By way of comparison the old 1.9 TDI engine produces 250nm at 1900 rpm - but in a much narrower band. At the moment I am driving a NIssan Primera 2.0 petrol - with max torque at 4500 rpm and about 15% less than the 1.4 TSI. In theory the Primera is a bit quicker, but in practice it is soooo easy to use the torque from the 1.4 TSI, so it felt quite a bit nippier than I am used to. I life in a part of the country where the roads are fairly quiet and I always exceed the 'Combined' mpg figures without really trying - I can get 43 mpg from the Primera on a reasonable run, so I am hopeful of 45+ from the new car.

I didn't drive the 1.6 diesel - but I read plenty of reports saying that it is very sluggish at low revs and generally it is damned by faint praise even on this forum. What's more the diesel is considerably more expensive than the petrol engine - £1900 or so and no 4 cylinder diesel can come near a petrol engine for refinement (the 6 cylinder diesel in the Jaguar XF is amazing though). So unless you are driving mega-miles it has to be a 1.4 TSI. Whar Car say that the 1.4 TSI is the one to go for - "We love this little engine" as do most of the magazines - Autocar, AutoExpress etc.

I rest my case.

I think that you will be surprised by the 1.4 TSI - I was, so much so that I will be collecting my new Elegance Estate on Friday. It feels like a MUCH bigger engine, thanks to 200nm torque between 1500 and 4500 rpm - the torque curve literally is flat all the way according to a spec I found somewhere on YouTube. By way of comparison the old 1.9 TDI engine produces 250nm at 1900 rpm - but in a much narrower band. At the moment I am driving a NIssan Primera 2.0 petrol - with max torque at 4500 rpm and about 15% less than the 1.4 TSI. In theory the Primera is a bit quicker, but in practice it is soooo easy to use the torque from the 1.4 TSI, so it felt quite a bit nippier than I am used to. I life in a part of the country where the roads are fairly quiet and I always exceed the 'Combined' mpg figures without really trying - I can get 43 mpg from the Primera on a reasonable run, so I am hopeful of 45+ from the new car.

I didn't drive the 1.6 diesel - but I read plenty of reports saying that it is very sluggish at low revs and generally it is damned by faint praise even on this forum. What's more the diesel is considerably more expensive than the petrol engine - £1900 or so and no 4 cylinder diesel can come near a petrol engine for refinement (the 6 cylinder diesel in the Jaguar XF is amazing though). So unless you are driving mega-miles it has to be a 1.4 TSI. Whar Car say that the 1.4 TSI is the one to go for - "We love this little engine" as do most of the magazines - Autocar, AutoExpress etc.

I rest my case.

Jeffs

How long did it take to get your 1.4 Elegance? I ordered mine earlier this month but there's still no build date. Skoda GB says there probably won't be until June, there's a delay on the Octavia and the works go on holiday for three weeks in the Summer......

I asked (semi-jokingly) if I'd get it by Christmas. Oh yes they said. You should do...

Jeffs

How long did it take to get your 1.4 Elegance? I ordered mine earlier this month but there's still no build date. Skoda GB says there probably won't be until June, there's a delay on the Octavia and the works go on holiday for three weeks in the Summer......

I asked (semi-jokingly) if I'd get it by Christmas. Oh yes they said. You should do...

VW are currently stating a time of 4-5 months for cars with this engine on their website due to the high demand for this engine... Shows how good it is...

If I decide to change I'm hoping to steal one from stock

And yet mine arrived in 7 weeks when ordered just before Christmas and wasn't ordered from stock. I think the Skoda and VW supply times are different anyway as aren't the two engines different (ie turbo and supercharged VW vs turbocharged only for the Skoda?).

It took 10 weeks, but it was an existing dealer order. Had to take what colour they had - satin grey - which looks ok[

quote name=dilly' date='28 April 2010 - 17:27' timestamp='1272472063' post='1968729]

Jeffs

How long did it take to get your 1.4 Elegance? I ordered mine earlier this month but there's still no build date. Skoda GB says there probably won't be until June, there's a delay on the Octavia and the works go on holiday for three weeks in the Summer......

I asked (semi-jokingly) if I'd get it by Christmas. Oh yes they said. You should do...

And yet mine arrived in 7 weeks when ordered just before Christmas and wasn't ordered from stock. I think the Skoda and VW supply times are different anyway as aren't the two engines different (ie turbo and supercharged VW vs turbocharged only for the Skoda?).

It's the 160 bhp one that's both supercharged and turbocharged...

Don't know what mileage you do, but the diesel will be cheaper on fuel - I've had the dilemma of 1.4 tsi or 1.6 tdi myself, coming from a 1.9 pd. I do 7500 miles per year, mostly short journeys - I would save around £250 a year with the diesel in fuel, so this would be around £400 for 12000 per year. I went with the 1.4 tsi because I didn't want the potential hassle of the dpf (my short journeys would probably clog it quite often). If you do mostly long runs, the dpf won't be a problem. Mine's a company car, so the 1.4 saves me £70 a year BIK.

I'm heartened by all the positive comments in this thread (and others!) about the 1.4 - I'm looking forward to getting it. Ordered last week, need it for 10th August, getting worried this might not be achieved.

It's the 160 bhp one that's both supercharged and turbocharged...

Ahhh - yes that makes sense...

I worked out the difference in fuel costs over 3 years to be £1074 in favour of the diesel

Cost difference of the 1.4TSi vs 1.6 CR = £1509.04

Cost difference of the 1.4 TSi DSG vs 1.6 Cr = £546.84

So if I bought the manual TSi I'd save cash to the tune of £435.04

And if I bought the DSG TSi I'd lose cash to the tune of £527.16

but I really like DSG gearbox

I worked out the difference in fuel costs over 3 years to be £1074 in favour of the diesel

Cost difference of the 1.4TSi vs 1.6 CR = £1509.04

Cost difference of the 1.4 TSi DSG vs 1.6 Cr = £546.84

So if I bought the manual TSi I'd save cash to the tune of £435.04

And if I bought the DSG TSi I'd lose cash to the tune of £527.16

but I really like DSG gearbox

what about resale?

I worked out the difference in fuel costs over 3 years to be £1074 in favour of the diesel

Cost difference of the 1.4TSi vs 1.6 CR = £1509.04

Cost difference of the 1.4 TSi DSG vs 1.6 Cr = £546.84

So if I bought the manual TSi I'd save cash to the tune of £435.04

And if I bought the DSG TSi I'd lose cash to the tune of £527.16

but I really like DSG gearbox

And the price difference if you put DSG on the 1.6CR? I had assumed from your first post you'd be going for the DSG whichever car you went for....

Difference between the 1.4 and 1.6 dsgs is the same as the manual, so overall the 1.4 tsi dsg would save £435 ish over the 1.6 dsg (dsg 1.6 slightly more economical on paper than manual, so would be a bit less than £435).

Is it the initial purchase price of the 1.6 dsg that's the problem?

Edited 29 April, 201016 yr by themacster

When I had a test drive in an Octavia - the local dealer only had a 1.6 diesel and although I have ordered a 1.8TSI petrol, I can certainly pass on some comments re the 1.6 diesel. I have had quite a few diesels over the years, (last was a Fabia Vrs), so I think I have a reasonably balanced view.

The I.6 sounds small and the Octavia isn't the lightest car in the world, but this diesel has got a good 180ft lb of torque, (sorry I don't think in metric). Torque is what translates into pulling power and in all honesty, I thought that this was quite a reasonable engine, with nice characteristics. It certainly seemed to pull pretty well up hills. I can't comment on what it would be like on the motorway, because we haven't got any on the Isle of Wight. I would prefer something with more 'oomph', but it wasn't embarrassing. I failed to look and see how many miles the car I drove had done - but it was only weeks old.

If this engine was put unto the Fabia, it would be really excellent considering the lighter weight of that car. However, the big downside in my view is the fact it's got a dpf. The technology is quite frankly insane and whilst I am not going to write a treatise on dpf's, let me just say, do some research if you are going down that route or wait another couple of years, because the problems are so dire that the motor trade are tearing their hair out over dpf's, although they won't admit it. Honest John (Telegraph & web site), reports that taxi drivers are going back to buying petrol engines, so bad is the problem.

Wait for a complete rethink on the particulate problem using something like Dyson technology.......................................................

I have the the 1.4tsi in the estate and can confirm that it's a fantastic engine. Quiet, sweet to rev and happy to cruise at 80-85 in 6th on the motorway. On a long 500 mile run to Norfolk I was getting 48mpg so I'm happy with that!

There is plenty of power for day to driving and even enough for a cheeky overtake when your in the sweet spot of 3rd / 4th gear.

Yes you have to work the gearbox if you want spirited progression but that just adds to the enjoyment.

If your not doing mega miles then I think it's the best choice. I do less than 10k a year so the additional cost of the diesel far outweighs perceived savings at the pump.

It's superb.

This weeks Autocar is saying farewell to their 1.4TSi DSG SE. It struggled to hit 40mpg and averaged 35.4mpg. Despite that a very positive report.

Well I do about 22000 mile a year and i'm seeing 52mpg (*) from my 1.6 diesel, and it may be sluggish in comparison with a VRS, but it holds it's own with everything else.

(*) and thats with a bike rack on the roof

Perhaps I ought to put my push bikes on the roof to improve mpg?

My experience is that up to 10 mpg is lost when carrying push bikes. As I am getting 48mpg at present I'm not looking forward to my summer trip to France. At least gazoil is cheaper over there.

Hi guys

Enjoying reading the comments, but I might be doing a u-turn on this.

Basically, I tried to get my insurers to guestimate what my premiums might be following the prang. They wouldnt.

So, what I have done, to get a wider range of returns on quote websites, is to fake a name, but keep all the other details the same, so that I can get quotes from everyone.

Suprisingly, my insurance for my current 58 plate vRS comes out at about £400 more, which makes sense (no claims lost, bit of increase for accident) which I can deal with. So it was about £1700 up from £1300.

When I put the 1.4 TSi through, it went down to a £1070, which is quite nice. I know its not nice nice but for me, its ok.

However, this is the real clincher!! putting through a brand new 2010 vRS, the premium sits in the middle at £1500, pretty much what it was when I originally bought my vRS

SOOO a big part of me is thinking, just get a new PCP deal on a brand new vRS ?!

This wouldnt make me save any money, which was part of my original raiotnale.

Before I was "fudging" the insurance quotes, all I could get back in my name was £4000+. This is because lots of the insurers including my current one returned "could not provide quote".

Hence my panic on thinking I need to ditch my vRS.

Now, if the quotes arent that bad, and the cost to change my car would be £0, I could get an brand new car (whatever, vRS, TSi etc).

Im going to speak to the dealers in detail about this.

Currently I owe £11k ish on my PCP and my car is worth about £13,500, so essentially if I chop it in, Ive got £2500 deposit on the new car, so nothing to change.

Im thinking either way, Id be mad NOT to do this!? if I keep my current car, im worse off than getting a NEW vRS which sounds crazy, and too good to be true, but Im sure its not.

Alternatively, I could get a NEW lower performance car, and pocket the difference monthly on the PCP and the insturance. .

Wow, Im kinda giddy now. I love the facelift vRS

Difference between the 1.4 and 1.6 dsgs is the same as the manual, so overall the 1.4 tsi dsg would save £435 ish over the 1.6 dsg (dsg 1.6 slightly more economical on paper than manual, so would be a bit less than £435).

Is it the initial purchase price of the 1.6 dsg that's the problem?

Hi

Sorry I made a mistake at first, I didnt know the 1.6CR was available with DSG. But the point you made remains, price difference is the same.

Initial purchase prices arent a problem really.

As long as the "cash price" of the car is less than my vRS (£18,350 at the time I think), the PCP deals are the same, so monthly payments would be the same or less.

sorry for the indulgent posting

RE: Autocars 34mpg, thats worrying and somethnig I dont like, Id want to see a minmum long term of 40mpg+ to live with the TSi 1.4

RE: DPFs, Ive got one in my current vRS and never had a problem with it.