SWMBO's Verso 1.8VVTi was supposed to be a nippy little number, but (especially when compared to the PD130) it's flat and gutless.

Would you expect spark plugs to be replaced in an interim service? If not, when? And do plugs still need to be gapped? Or is it a case of ordering plugs for that car and then just fitting them?

The air filter looks fine - any other reasons for it's flat as a f*rt performance?

Trying not to spend money on it though......

Edited 27 August, 201015 yr by 2SkodaFamily

I may be well off the mark with this, but if you're used to driving a diesel, then maybe it's your driving style? I drove a petrol for the first time in a couple of years a little while back. It took me a while to adjust to the fact that the power rahter than the redline was up around 5k rpm.

0-60 in 11 secs and 140hp it aint going to be a ball of fire.lol

0-60 in 11 secs and 140hp it aint going to be a ball of fire.lol

Couldn't have put it better myself.

Couldn't have put it better myself.

Both figures are very close to my car. In fact, my car only has 130hp! Yet still as exciting as celery.

The power delivery of a petrol is very different to Diesel as its more linear in its nature. My old boxster felt slower than the superb I now have, but it was in effect much quicker. You need to use the whole rev range, more or less to the redline to get anywhere with petrol.

its just the VVTI

so you have no lift cam!!

the 1.8 vvtL-i is better variable valve timing with lift intelligence.... basically a lift / high cam that kicks in at 6.2k rpm to 8.2k rpm.... just like vtec, these are rapido....

so you've effectively got a 1.8 flat petrol, no lift cam nothing, its not going to be fast

Edited 28 August, 201015 yr by BigJase88

its just the VVTI

so you have no lift cam!!

Um.. no lift cam however still noticeable over 4k+. OP you need to rev the nuts out of it to get the potential.. thats how jap [edit: Petrol] cars are driven when driven properly one would also need to hang the gears on high rev's for rapid acceleration out of roundabouts etc.

Also if the car hasn't been worked for a long period it may need an Italian tuneup

Edited 28 August, 201015 yr by JLneonhug

As said above, driving a petrol is different driving style from diesel..

Better check on the plugs though.. our last toyota had platinum plugs that were sealed in for 60k

SWMBO's Verso 1.8VVTi was supposed to be a nippy little number, but (especially when compared to the PD130) it's flat and gutless.

It's a Japanese petrol engine. This is what they are like. You have to rev the t!ts off them to get anywhere.

I've driven a Verso 1.8VVTi and nippy it wasn't.

Having said that, I would check the MAF. If that was bad I can only imagine it would be like driving uphill into the wind

It's just a normal car. Expect normal behaviour

its just the way they are, tbh you have to rev every toyota petrol engine to get the performance out of them

You've also got to factor in the difference between a turbo-charged and naturally aspirated engine (though off the top of my head I couldn't say whether the 1.8 vvti your speaking of is naturally aspirated or not- maybe the other's know).

I've been looking at new cars recently as a replacement for the fab vrs and have been toying with the idea of going back to petrol. I've had a look at the civic type-r, the new fabia vrs, and last weekend I test drove a 2 month old clio rs200 cup. The clio was bags of fun in the bends but just lacked the shove lower down! It only came to life after 5000 rpm, so if you're going for a hoon / proper drive somewhere like maybe the Evo triangle in North Wales, it would be right at home in the bends, but I couldn't help feeling that it would become a chore to drive after a few months. Same for the type-r.

I wouldn't mind a new fabia vrs if it didn't look so damn ridiculous - Lummox's cupra looks immense and a vast improvement over the fabia's styling.

Anyhow to bring back on topic, my point is you get used to the torque and power delivery of the pd130 in the fabia and it's pretty tough trying to find anything else of a reasonable price which offers a compromise between economy + shove. But it doesn't surprise that you say what you do about the verso - think it's just a characteristic of the engine.

It does rev a bit better now its had a service. Couldn't afford to get one done before now.

SWMBO has a 2l vvti Rav4 with a 0-60 time of 10.3seconds. It's never had the plugs changed and it is something I plan todo at somepoint having seen how much difference changing the plugs made on my mums 1.8mx5 last week.

Having said that for the size of vehicle it is quite nippy around town and when you push it passed 5,500rpm to the red line its a real screamer and great fun

It's completly different to drive to a diesel and you have to adjust your driving style accordingly, I usually find it harder moving back to my Octavia from the Rav due to the turbo lag as the Rav is so much more responsive from 1,000rpm.

Do plugs still have to be gapped specifically for the car, or do you now buy the plugs specifically so that they come with the correct gap?

Dunno, but with a single electrode plug, I'd check I had the right gap anyway. Not sure you can adjust multi-electrode plugs.

The Celica 1.8VVTi T-Sport I had from work was significantly faster than my Fabia vRS was as standard, but only once you got it revving. About 6200rpm it took off!!

It was the 190 though

Maybe you need to compare top-engine with top-engine...

The Celica 1.8VVTi T-Sport I had from work was significantly faster than my Fabia vRS was as standard, but only once you got it revving. About 6200rpm it took off!!

It was the 190 though

Maybe you need to compare top-engine with top-engine...

The 190's have a second power cam that kicks in when you hit the hi revs, the 1.8 vvti doest so it wont have that extra kick at the top end

Isn't the Verso going to be a heavier car to lug around too?