1.8Tsi a year on.

[Vectensian]

Well I've had my Anthracite Octy 1.8Tsi a little over a year. Nothing has gone wrong or dropped off and it has run beautifully from day one. It's a really nice comfortable car and spacious, very civilized, but is no slouch by any means and handles pretty well. I did seriously think about a Vrs, I could have afforded it, but in the end I decided that the extra cost and increased running costs ruled it out - but that Race Blue..................What a colour.

I got the Octy brand new from Winters, the IOW Skoda dealer in May 2010. I had the car in elegance spec, manual box, the only extras were a spare wheel kit,(full size steel), a pair of mudflaps to make it mudflaps all round and a set of mats. Price was exactly £15k to the penny on the road.

The only aspects of the car that niggle are that the bonnet could really do with gas struts and after a Fabia that had a good size glove box, with another section underneath, I find the Octy glove box strangely small.

I've got a noise that sometimes briefly crops up driving hard thru the rev range - I now think that it's an exhaust heat shield resonating under certain conditions, but it is very minor and I'm not really bothered by it.

I previously had a Fabia Vrs diesel and that was after quite a few diesels, so you can see that I am a diesel enthusiast. But - I don't do the mileage now being semi retired and I had read a lot of good stuff about the 1.8 Tsi petrol. Believe what you read about this engine and what people tell you about it. All I can say is that in 40 years of driving, this is the best 4 cylinder petrol engine that I have ever had in any vehicle - ever. Apart from the characteristics of the engine, it is also extremely economical.

Would I buy diesel again? - not when there is an engine like this around - and there's no DPF - an important factor if you live somewhere like I do. A lot of people who live here are regretting their decision to buy a diesel engined car. No names, but I know for a fact that some dealers over here are telling potential customers not to buy a diesel at all for use on the Island. Having said that, the road at the bottom of the Island, the Military Road is a good driving road and if the Feds aren't around, the bikers regularly indulge in 100mph stuff.

My Octy is on variable servicing, but I have just had the oil changed at the end of the first year. Obviously I made sure that it was filled up with fully synthetic (Longlife oil) again.

The whole Octavia package is so good, I would buy another one. Shame that the warranty looks a bit thin now, compared with some other mainstream manufacturers.

[Chrispy]

Excellent review there mate. Agreed on the warranty front espceially based on recent experience, they are stingy buggers and are being left behind by many manufacturers still being only 3 years. Hell even Vauxhall are offering more than that now.

I too have thought hard about whether buying a diesel over the petrol was a good idea, and at the time with the older TFSI being the only affordable choice I think I did, but the newer TSI changes all that. Chain cam, better mpg and no need to run it on 97 ron to get the best out of it. And the main thing as you say, no DPF..... Dealers don't have much of a clue when it comes to it, the handbook it pitiful when describing how to handle it and it can so easily go Pete Tong.

Chap at work has the A3 Black with the 1.8 TSI and loves it. Not as fast as the RS4 he traded in for it but he regularly gets silly mpg from it - incredible really and shows how petrol has caught up with diesel which to be frank is not all its cracked up to be. My Fabia VRS only managed early to mid 40's and so does the Octavia (using the brimming method not the silly computer) and with the extra cost of fuel per litre it's making running a diesel seem even less realistic these days. It's only the higher VED and slightly higher insurance on the petrol that goes in the diesels favour but I get the feeling those days are numbered....

[lol-lol]

Done just over 20K miles in 6 months and I am most please with in.

Average just over 40 mpg and that is with some mental full throttle sessions (I do not pay for my petrol as have a company fuel card). I have the DSG box and with the 7th gear at 29 mph/1000 rpm and a 7K red line it is so flexible. Torque plateau starts at 1500 rpm and max power stays on until 6200 rpm. Best range I have seen is 660 miles on the computer which is probably about 5% optimisitic.

Have the GSM 2 phone system, paddle shifts and an extra full size alloy. Also mine has the VRS tail fin and is (L&K) debadged.

Only minus point was the poor original Bridgestone Potenza RE050s. Only traction rating A rather than AA. Still debating whether I should have gone for 18 inch Neptunes rather than the 17 inch ones it came with. We have a TSI VRS as well but I still think the 1.8 TSI is the better all round car due to the more flexible engine at both end of the rev range and the 7 speed box although the softer suspension sometimes catches me out switching between the two.

0-62 in 7.8 seconds, 0-100 mph in less than 20 seconds compared to TSI VRS's 18 seconds and CR VRS's 22 seconds yet 43 mpg combined giving over 500 mile range, as Hanah Montana says the best of both worlds.

Edited 11 June, 2011 by lol

[chris j]

I've done 10k in 10 months in my Anthracite L&K Estate. Negatives first, my hard suspension issue that the dealer (SMC Exeter) & Skoda UK washed their hands of saying yes my car had a slightly(!) hard ride, but I shouldn't expect my car to drive like another one of the same spec! So to fix that I will be going down the Eibach/Koni FSD route and not spending another penny at the Exeter dealer (Newton Abbot is almost as convenient for me). Apparently I have the dreaded rear sawtooth problem as well so I shall be changing tyres from the Bridgestones and getting the geometry checked.

Mpg - 35 to 37 on fairly spirited driving on mixed roads, up to 42 on a long motorway run (this is taken off the computer), not bad for a petrol but slightly worse than I'd hoped.

Otherwise, the car is great, loving the electric alcantara/leather seats, adjustable in every direction I can think of. The boot takes everything I need to throw in it. Liking the Bolero stereo with the SD card and touchscreen, simple but very effective and great sound quality. Just wish someone had mentioned it before I chose the media socket and Ipod lead options.

The engine is a little gem, though slow to pick up, not really getting going until 3500 revs which took me a little getting used to coming from a Focus 1.8TDCi with the punch at 2000rpm. But when it kicks in and keeps going all the way round to 6500 it is fantastic. I did however, recently have it remapped (Revo remap by Matt at Volkscraft) and that has transformed it, feeling the power start to kick in at 2500 and growing all the way up the range. No more going for a snap overtake and being in too low a gear...

[g_tee]

I have looked at the 1.8TSI and the stats are quite impressive

Even the 0-60 is only 0.8s (officially - i.e. book numbers) off the 1.4TSI in my Fabia, so a 1.8 based car will be something I look forward to later on.

[juan27]

shows how petrol has caught up with diesel which to be frank is not all its cracked up to be.

I still reckon diesels are at least 25% more economical on a real world power/torque equivalence.

I have no reason to say this other than experience having bought a petrol after 10 years of driving diesels.

You really have to drive very very gently to get 40mpg out of a VRS TSI, whereas I reckon you can hammer most 2 litre diesels and get that.

To put it in perspective in my experience you have to upshift at 2000rpm to get 35mpg+ out of the VRS TSI and if you do that you may as well have a diesel.

What amazes me about the TSI is the way you can pussyfoot the average mpg up to 38 or something over a few miles and then destroy it all and return it to <30 by accelerating as hard as it will go up one motorway on ramp.

If you really cane it it must drop into the teens if not single figures.

Edited 13 June, 2011 by juan27

[Vectensian]

Juan 27 is of course absolutely correct when it comes to fuel consumption characteristics. Fact is, I know from having several diesels, it doesn't make much difference however hard you drive them, the consumption remains pretty consistent. Petrols on the other hand - well drive them hard, good fun, but the consumption plummets.

What I think is relevant nowadays and certainly influenced me, although I am a fan of diesels from many aspects, is the following:-

A new diesel engined car costs considerably more than the equivalent petrol. OK - you'll get more come trade in - but then you've paid more in the first place.

DPF's so much has been said about these and diesels, that I won't say any more.

Next, nearly half the new cars on UK roads are diesels now apparently. I read very recently, that this factor is causing another problem - there is insufficient refining capacity now in the UK and diesel is going to be have to be bought into the country in increasing amounts. This will have an immediate effect on prices - the article talked about a 15% increase in disel prices coming up. This might not be that far fetched - remember the tanker driver strikes? - I seem to remember the garages all ran out of diesel first, because there are so many diesel engined vehicles now.

Add on the tax and if this happened, it would make running a diesel pretty unattractive and probably depress used diesel car prices. It's bad enough already, diesel which was cheaper than petrol a few years ago, is now somewhat more expensive - about 5p more a litre in a lot of places. On an average car tank of 50 litres, that's £2.50 a tank more to fill up with diesel - or to put it another way, you would get another 2 litres of petrol for the same money. That's gonna add up over time.

However, there is one other big advantage in running a diesel and hardly anyone seems to mention it and that is the fact that diesel fuel is not explosive. I always thought that was a big safety factor.

[ednmra]

What amazes me about the TSI is the way you can pussyfoot the average mpg up to 38 or something over a few miles and then destroy it all and return it to <30 by accelerating as hard as it will go up one motorway on ramp.

If you really cane it it must drop into the teens if not single figures.

But is this not because the computer is telling you what to expect if you continue doing most of your driving like that? I too have found by careful motorway driving, admittedly keeping between 60 and 70, the mpg appears to get into the very high 40s, I couldn't quite get it to 50 !!

But at ordinary driving about without any regard to the computer, I still find it has no trouble registering between 38 and 42 on any kind of longish run, whether motorway or not. Around town it is not that great but then again you aren't going anywhere!

[Raglits]

But is this not because the computer is telling you what to expect if you continue doing most of your driving like that? I too have found by careful motorway driving, admittedly keeping between 60 and 70, the mpg appears to get into the very high 40s, I couldn't quite get it to 50 !!

But at ordinary driving about without any regard to the computer, I still find it has no trouble registering between 38 and 42 on any kind of longish run, whether motorway or not. Around town it is not that great but then again you aren't going anywhere!

No, the average fuel figure is just that, the average for that journey (fuel used/distance)

The Range (or distance to empty) is based on the last few miles of driving and goes up or down accordingly

[speedy_gonzales]

What amazes me about the TSI is the way you can pussyfoot the average mpg up to 38 or something over a few miles and then destroy it all and return it to <30 by accelerating as hard as it will go up one motorway on ramp.

If you really cane it it must drop into the teens if not single figures.

But is this not because the computer is telling you what to expect if you continue doing most of your driving like that?

No, the average fuel figure is just that, the average for that journey (fuel used/distance)

Then surely the average is just that, fuel used by distance?

juan27 might be correct that the MPG may drop to teens or single figures when 'caned' or accelerating on a motorway on ramp but this figure is an instantaneous figure, not an average over a journey. I'm pretty sure if my employers diesel van had such fancy trip computers I could get the instantaneous MPG to dip quite low but I certainly couldn't maintain it and it would be quite disingenuous to post that figure as a true average?!? I can't see how an average of 38MPG can be wiped out to 30MPG by a few short period blasts whilst joining a motorway, unless you were coming off and rejoining at every junction.

[Raglits]

Then surely the average is just that, fuel used by distance?

juan27 might be correct that the MPG may drop to teens or single figures when 'caned' or accelerating on a motorway on ramp but this figure is an instantaneous figure, not an average over a journey. I'm pretty sure if my employers diesel van had such fancy trip computers I could get the instantaneous MPG to dip quite low but I certainly couldn't maintain it and it would be quite disingenuous to post that figure as a true average?!? I can't see how an average of 38MPG can be wiped out to 30MPG by a few short period blasts whilst joining a motorway, unless you were coming off and rejoining at every junction.

If you have been taking it easy for a few miles and then cane it, the average will drop... So it's still an average figure that has significantly dropped. Once on the motorway the average will probably creep back up as time goes on (unless you're hooning it along at a ton plus)

The instantaneous figure may be in the low teens whilst the average is in the low 30s... Don't forget, the average figure changes as the journey continues as it is the average from start of journey to the present time

[eccleshill]

- remember the tanker driver strikes? - I seem to remember the garages all ran out of diesel first, because there are so many diesel engined vehicles now.

That is not what happened around Yorkshire - I was filling up with diesel long after unleaded had run out. Also remember filling up at M1 services around Nottingham/Leicester at the height of the strike when they had diesel only.

I remember specifically because I had just bought my 1st diesel and was SO glad I hadand was SO smug with my petrol owning friends and rellies.

[juan27]

I can't see how an average of 38MPG can be wiped out to 30MPG by a few short period blasts whilst joining a motorway, unless you were coming off and rejoining at every junction.

Just to qualify I'm talking about an average of 38mpg built up over a few miles, certainly less than 10.

I also experienced an average of 52mpg once very very gently following a caravan at 40mph for 3-4 miles and saw that average dip into the the 30s simply by overtaking it.

In both cases I'd reset the average (2) to try and gauge what the car does over a certain kind of short journey.

When I talk about low teens or even single figures I was meaning instantaneously (or really the true short term average) for hard sustained acceleration over say half a mile.

Thinking about it perhaps the apparent imbalance is because the periods when I try to drive for economy actually seem much longer than they actually are?

(No offence intended of course to anyone who wants to or needs to get the last possible mpg)

Edited 14 June, 2011 by juan27

[ednmra]

Perhaps the simplest thing is to fill the tank a few times, noting the volumne put in, and the mileage done from beginning to end of the trial!

[Lab_man]

Hi all,

Interested to read your comments ...having a diesel vsr 11 plate, going to work.... 7 miles I average approx between late 40s - late 50s mpg depending on traffic conditions. Recentely went from West yorkshire to Amleside in the Lake District for a charity row the wife was doing for Her local hospice St Gemmas in Leeds. Took it easy & tried to observe the speed limits ....with a few indescressions. Going I got 59mpg & coming back via Penrith, bearing in mind queing traffic for the gypys event in Appleby In Westmorland managed 56mpg on the way back.

Dont forget the pulling power of the Cr deisel 30-50 mph seriously makes the petrol equivelent look very slow in comparison.

Just a thought.

[Lab_man]

Sorry should have added managed 56mpg.

[chr1staylor]

Dont forget the pulling power of the Cr deisel 30-50 mph seriously makes the petrol equivelent look very slow in comparison.

Just a thought.

Is that taken from doing them both in 4th gear? Which you obv wouldn't do if you were using the petrol properly.

[ruffday]

I must say that after 8 months with my 1.8 TSi im still loving it. Im getting between 36-40 mpg which I think is very good as i do drive it hard 99% of the time.

Ive done a trouble free 36,000 in it so far and its due its second variable service in anothe 2,000 miles.

Running costs between petrol and Diesel is minimal due to the cheaper price of petrol cars, fuel and service costs.

I know this as I have been running company cars for the last 9 years and if you check the fleet sites the cost pence per mile based on 80k over 4 years is not much.

If you do les than 15k a year then petrol is probably cheaper.

[juan27]

Perhaps the simplest thing is to fill the tank a few times, noting the volumne put in, and the mileage done from beginning to end of the trial!

Fair point but I only expected 30ish mpg and have not been disappointed and can't really be bothered beyond checking the Maxidot. I can honestly say if I was that fussed about mpg I'd have a 140bhp CR diesel (or even a 1.6)

I've only bothered about checking the possible mpg after hearing some outlandish claims on here. When people (ie lol) tell you they're getting 50mpg at 70mph average in a petrol VRS you've really got to check it out.

I drove 50 miles after warming up with the cruise set at 70 on really empty roads early morning a while back and the result average was 40.1mpg. Even allowing for the fact that I've got an estate and the route was a bit uphill (M3/A34 from the South coast to Oxford) I can't accept anyone getting more then low 40s at 70 mph average in a VRS at least. (Please note 70 average is not the same as driving at 70 max when traffic allows).

The TSI does good mpg if treated gently. In fact it does good mph if you hammer it, but you've got to be realistic about what you then expect.

To put things in perspective many years ago I used to have a Citroen Dyane (simliar to 2CV). 603cc and about 32bhp IIRC and flat out at 75mph. It used to average about 32mpg driven hard.

As long as you keep a petrol VRS below an indicated 90 (on the Autobahn obviously) I reckon it will beat that, and it weighs at least twice as much!

Edited 14 June, 2011 by juan27

[colsay]

Well I've had my Anthracite Octy 1.8Tsi a little over a year. Nothing has gone wrong or dropped off and it has run beautifully from day one. It's a really nice comfortable car and spacious, very civilized, but is no slouch by any means and handles pretty well. I did seriously think about a Vrs, I could have afforded it, but in the end I decided that the extra cost and increased running costs ruled it out - but that Race Blue..................What a colour.

I got the Octy brand new from Winters, the IOW Skoda dealer in May 2010. I had the car in elegance spec, manual box, the only extras were a spare wheel kit,(full size steel), a pair of mudflaps to make it mudflaps all round and a set of mats. Price was exactly £15k to the penny on the road.

The only aspects of the car that niggle are that the bonnet could really do with gas struts and after a Fabia that had a good size glove box, with another section underneath, I find the Octy glove box strangely small.

I've got a noise that sometimes briefly crops up driving hard thru the rev range - I now think that it's an exhaust heat shield resonating under certain conditions, but it is very minor and I'm not really bothered by it.

I previously had a Fabia Vrs diesel and that was after quite a few diesels, so you can see that I am a diesel enthusiast. But - I don't do the mileage now being semi retired and I had read a lot of good stuff about the 1.8 Tsi petrol. Believe what you read about this engine and what people tell you about it. All I can say is that in 40 years of driving, this is the best 4 cylinder petrol engine that I have ever had in any vehicle - ever. Apart from the characteristics of the engine, it is also extremely economical.

Would I buy diesel again? - not when there is an engine like this around - and there's no DPF - an important factor if you live somewhere like I do. A lot of people who live here are regretting their decision to buy a diesel engined car. No names, but I know for a fact that some dealers over here are telling potential customers not to buy a diesel at all for use on the Island. Having said that, the road at the bottom of the Island, the Military Road is a good driving road and if the Feds aren't around, the bikers regularly indulge in 100mph stuff.

My Octy is on variable servicing, but I have just had the oil changed at the end of the first year. Obviously I made sure that it was filled up with fully synthetic (Longlife oil) again.

The whole Octavia package is so good, I would buy another one. Shame that the warranty looks a bit thin now, compared with some other mainstream manufacturers.

I am a bit late picking up on this post but would like to second your comments above. My 1.4 TSI has been excellent, now 13 months old. I sometimes wonder if I should have spent a bit more and got the 1.8 engine, but I have never regretted going petrol and not diesel. Like you, I have previously owned premium brands with diesel engines but I currently do sub 10K miles pa and a lot of short runs. The car I had before my Skoda was a diesel Mercedes A Class and the DMF failed at 15000 miles (lots of short journeys). It was replaced under warranty but if it had been out of warranty then £2K would have been the charge for DMF and clutch replacement. For me that was enough of diesel engines on short journeys!

The Skoda has been one of the best cars I have owned and represents excellent value for money. I continue to enjoy it and get 40 mpg plus and the under 10 second 0 to 60 mph time is sufficiently quick for most driving situations; the torque of the engine makes it so easy to drive. Great car.

[lol-lol]

I have looked at the 1.8TSI and the stats are quite impressive

Even the 0-60 is only 0.8s (officially - i.e. book numbers) off the 1.4TSI in my Fabia, so a 1.8 based car will be something I look forward to later on.

Is it not only 0.5 seconds different between Fabia VRS and 1.8 TSI for the 0-62 mph time ie 7.3 and 7.8?

Top speeds are the same at 140 mph.

Three reason I did not go for the Fabia VRS or another Octavia TSI VRS, (we already have one) was the range is less than the 1.8 TSI, the Fabia VRS should use high octane fuel to get full performance and most of all the Fabia VRS is on 10K servicing I understand and since I do 10K in ten weeks that would be a pain for me.

I suspect the 1.4 TSI with 160 hp will come to the Octavia sometime and have slightly better fuel consumption.

Will change the 1.8 TSI Spetember next year when it hits 60K miles so hopefully the Octy 3 with some peach engines will be around maybe.

[Ultima]

Is that taken from doing them both in 4th gear? Which you obv wouldn't do if you were using the petrol properly.

Performance comparison here between 1.8TSI and VRS CR (in french though):

http://www.zeperfs.com/duel2671-2674.htm

Doesn't show acceleration through gears though, like 30-70mph. Ingear times should be done in the right gear to get the right amount of revs to suit power/torque of engine, so that you get maximum acceleration. Therefore, it's not a fair comparison to show petrol and diesel acceleration in the same gear.

Edited 18 June, 2011 by Ultima

[lol-lol]

Performance comparison here between 1.8TSI and VRS CR (in french though):

http://www.zeperfs.com/duel2671-2674.htm

Doesn't show acceleration through gears though, like 30-70mph. Ingear times should be done in the right gear to get the right amount of revs to suit power/torque of engine, so that you get maximum acceleration. Therefore, it's not a fair comparison to show petrol and diesel acceleration in the same gear.

1.Have a DSG.

2.Have it in Sports mode and just press the go pedal!

3.Watch 0-100 mph disappear in less than 20 seconds (in TSI)

The figures are actually for the older engine as max power is reached at 4500 rpm now and not 5000 rpm as with older engine but stil goes on to 6200 rpm.

Edited 18 June, 2011 by lol