Hi all thought i would put up a quick post, i owned the mk1 fabia vrs in se format which was a good (but dull) car.

Having owned various quick cars its time to return to a more affordable motor and the fabia is firmly on the radar as is an ibiza, so yesterday i ventured to a dealer to check out an ibiza - on arrival i saw several Monte's which on inspection was a nice car, appears much nicer quality than the mk1.

Sadly i could not drive one , but had a quick drive in a 1.2 tsi 105 ibiza - great little engine, but can someone confirm the lack of power in first - the guy who took me out said its turbo lag is this correct and present in the monte? it was very noticeable....if this is the norm can it be sorted as part of a remap?

The Monte is a great little car and the looks started to get to me after walking around it several times!

I have also owned an A3 with the DSG gearbox which i loathed (wife loved) i know all to well about the slight hesitation on pulling away and this put me off the vrs, however i decided i did need to drive one as the 1.4 tsi appears to be the engine of choice.

I took out a red vrs which has just over 2k miles on it and the condition of the paintwork was awful! true to form the dsg box was horrid - it still has the hesitation on pulling away which is slightly gutting as the 1.4 engine is an amazing unit and for some reason the cupra and fabia with this unit is only available in dsg format! why!!!!!!!

Edited 1 April, 201214 yr by ultramagnetic

What exactly are you looking for the in the car as the Monte and the vRS are very different moulds of the same car?

What exactly are you looking for the in the car as the Monte and the vRS are very different moulds of the same car?

I don't see them as that different, the 1.4 has the power i require, but the 1.2 tsi has the manual...

That's the main differences really, the power and gearbox, really depends how you feel about the DSG and economy. It's obvious you don't really like the DSG gearbox, it is a bit difficult at first but I've grown to really enjoy it. It does take a little driver connection away from the car but works well with the engine.

I'd say if you need something to be a bit economical and you really dislike DSG go for the Monte. It has the looks of a sporty hatch without the higher running cost. I'm not sure if either the 1.2 TSi lump or the 1.6 lump have been cracked for remap yet but I'm sure it's only a matter of time before they do, both have tuning boxes available.

The vRS is a beast of a hatchback, I love the way people always under estimate it and the power is incredible. As said above though if you dislike the DSG then there would be no point punting for it.

Edited 1 April, 201214 yr by VRS-Powered

Don't understand your issues with DSG ?

It's nothing short of amazing. I'm never going back.

I'm with John on this one, I had to put up with a manual 1.4turbo vauxhall meriva for five weeks. Getting back in my own car, which changes gear in the blink of the eye and seams able to call on the power reserve when needed made me remember why I bought the vrs. if your worried about mpg I'd get the monte, looks smart and has the added economy. With the vrs you can get good mpg but 8/10 times you want to drive it how it was intended to be ;-)

I'm with John on this one, I had to put up with a manual 1.4turbo vauxhall meriva for five weeks. Getting back in my own car, which changes gear in the blink of the eye and seams able to call on the power reserve when needed made me remember why I bought the vrs. if your worried about mpg I'd get the monte, looks smart and has the added economy. With the vrs you can get good mpg but 8/10 times you want to drive it how it was intended to be ;-)

Well until you need a new megatronic unit wilko

Well until you need a new megatronic unit wilko

I think you mean mechatronic bud

I think you mean mechatronic bud

Yeah mechatronic doh !

Isn't a megatron a transformer? ;-)

Edited 2 April, 201214 yr by Wilko251088

I've never had the hesitation with the box and once you change your driving style to suit it then it's fantastic. Can't say I'm never going back to manual as I love both.

I had a spin in my friends Clio RS last week and all I could think was...wish it had dsg. Id hate going back to manual again

The DSG is the reason theres not very much that can keep up in a straightline the gear changes are so quick and you dont loose any boost

I don't see the actual dilemma tbh. The difference in power between the 1.2 tsi and the 1.4 twin-charged is that big that either the vRS wins hands down If you look for performance or in a similar way the Monte is a far more sensible choice when you're looking economy in both buying value and running costs. So, which one is it?

Regarding DSG, although it's an endless debate, I'd say it suits the car's character especially in swifty driving as you can focus more on the road and throttle control. What some people seem to forget, or take some time to realise, is that the paddles and manual mode are there for one reason and the Auto mode is there for another. Depending how you feel, you should choose one way or the other and you'll be more than fine. When I'm in a mood of driving quickly, (that's 90% of the time ) 1st thing I do is push the stick to the side, there I feel way more connected with the car (engine braking, keeping revs where I want to) and issues like round-about hesitation are disappearing. If i'm driving lazily I don't care if I won't shoot ahead on the round-about so I leave it to Auto and it's fine. It only takes one movement to switch between the two whereas in a manual box, you almost never stop pushing and pulling the stick so I don't think it is harder to do.

PS:

I had a spin in my friends Clio RS last week and all I could think was...wish it had dsg. Id hate going back to manual again

LOL! I knew I should have read the posts made during me writing my own. Agree 100% as I wrote already....

Edited 2 April, 201214 yr by newbie69

Don't understand your issues with DSG ?

It's nothing short of amazing. I'm never going back.

+1

Edited 2 April, 201214 yr by adam1985

12months with a dsg it still makes little sense to me yes its quick off the line but its doing all the work your just helping stay in a straight line

id imagine the 1.2 tsi would not require much stirring to get it on the boil to me this sounds a bit more fun & a better long term proposition

Edited 2 April, 201214 yr by daydotz

loved the dsg but after a few days back in a manual,sorry to say manual now for me.

Edited 2 April, 201214 yr by curs

Totally different cars the Monte and vRS, do you want a slower but more economical car of a faster more special car with an intersting gearbox?!

Not had any hesitation issues, having said that i've had the car a year and must be used to it lol

The hesitation is due to the engine picking up from 700rpm. If you're trying to jump into the gap on a busy road, maybe try holding the brake with your left foot (Rally style)whilst picking the revs upto 2000rpm with the right foot!

DSG is wonderful, and my next car will have it!

I've never had the hesitation, I have had however the feeling of extra power when that turbo comes in ;-)

The hesitation is due to the engine picking up from 700rpm. If you're trying to jump into the gap on a busy road, maybe try holding the brake with your left foot (Rally style)whilst picking the revs upto 2000rpm with the right foot!

I don't think we are talking about a "launch control" issue here, but about an initial delay in response when suddenly you request a lot of throttle just after you've been rolling slowly (not necessarily braking). If I am rolling at 20 KM/H, applying the brakes as you say won't do any good as it will obviously slow down the car even further while all I want is to shoot forward immediately. It's a lot simpler to just pull the paddles 1-2 gears down, that does the trick every time...

Edited 2 April, 201214 yr by newbie69

DSG is wonderful, and my next car will have it!

Blimey, we’ll get you in a diesel yet

I think the manual TSi has a torque limit mapped in 1st gear, it certainly feels like it. It's well known Ford do this on their turbo petrol and turbo diesel manuals in 1st and 2nd and during remaps you can either remove this or leave it in. VAG have remained tight lipped about a torque limit.

DSG models don't need a limit as the ecu controls the revs and clutch engagement.

Three of our four family cars have DSG, 1x Diesel with 6 speed Wet Clutch, 1x Petrol with 7 speed Dry Clutch, 1x Diesel with 7 speed Dry Clutch. Yep they have slight issues with roundabouts and change down delays which you learn to drive around but the positives massively out weigh the neagatives in my opinion. Only my wifes Fabia has a manual box and she want's a DSG next time.

Cheers

Lee

I don't think we are talking about a "launch control" issue here, but about an initial delay in response when suddenly you request a lot of throttle just after you've been rolling slowly (not necessarily braking). If I am rolling at 20 KM/H, applying the brakes as you say won't do any good as it will obviously slow down the car even further while all I want is to shoot forward immediately. It's a lot simpler to just pull the paddles 1-2 gears down, that does the trick every time...

Yep, just as I described above, you are rolling and along in 2nd, other side of the box is in 3rd, you stamp on the pedal for a quick get away and the other side of the box with need to change from 3rd to 1st, the engine will rev up to match rotational speeds and then the clutches will swap over. All takes less than a second but when you are halfway out of a junction it seems a lot longer. Work round for this is apply power smoothly so the box doesn't try and change down or pre select a lower gear on the paddles on approach.

The above goes for all automated manual boxes without a torque convertor.

Cheers

Lee