we got our 1.4 tdi Level 1 on wednesday. It's that bluey/grey colour, and is absolutely immaculate with 14,000 miles on the clock. I have to say, i like driving it more than the 1.9tdi octy it replaced. The engine is very torquey, with plenty of pull even before the turbo spools up. I agree, that the engine makes quite a racket but this dulls down when the little car gets moving. i have already chucked it down a twisty country road, and altho the suspension is a bit softer, it handles well and steers very precisely .... much more so than the outgoing octavia.

only down side to it so far ...... no glove box doors, and i dont think any easy way of fitting one :(

My Daughter has a '05' VW Polo with the 1.4 TDI engine . She's done 65,000 in the last 4 years without a problem and it's fast enough to get speeding tickets ! Economy is amazing , 70 mpg is fairly easily achievable over a long run and 55 mpg around town ( non-peak traffic ).

Well I finally managed to get a wee run out in the car on saturday evening and managed a nice 62MPG down to the coast, which I thought was quite impressive, and it's a real fun car to drive, the engine is torquey alright and even surprised me going from a 30 zone to a national speed limit area the car wants to keep going, a lot of fun driving and even taking it steady it does not fail to impress.