Superb TSi 1.8 4x4 - any reason why not?

[Mondo]

Hi folks.

Looking to order a new car to replace the wife's very dead Pug in next few days and thought the 1.8 TSi 4x4 made sense. It'll only do 8-10k miles per year so didn't think diesel made sense but given the frequent iffy weather up in Aberdeenshire I thought 4x4 did. I have snow tyres on my Octy II vRS which make a massive difference so I figured throwing snow tyres on the 4x4 would make it even better in the snow and would help prevent getting standed so often.

My query however is this: Why does it appear that I am in a vast minority? There seems to be not a lot of these going about (no used ones for sale that I could find) and very little mention of them here. The register only features 2 owners and I'm keen to know what experience people have of the 1.8 TSi in general and the 4x4 side of things too. Are there any thoughts on how my needs could be served in a different way?

[Noddy90]

I have no knowledge of the 4x4, but the 1.8TSi is an absolute peach of an engine. Very heavy on fuel, though - I drive it with tiny little kittens strapped to my throttle foot and still struggle to average over 35mpg on mostly A-roads.

[Mondo]

I find I get around 32mpg from my Octy 2.0 TFSi vRS (which I will be keeping) and am hoping to get the same or no less than 30 at least from the 1.8 4x4.

[Yeti_Man]

Great engine, fantastic drivetrain and Superb car!! ;-)

That's a great combination IMO. :-)

[artichoke273]

Yes, fantastic engine and I think your mileage maths will add up. I went from a Golf GTI 2.0 TFSi averaging 30 mpg after 30k miles and now get 33 mpg in the Superb's first 6k (both from the MFD not calibrated) doing similar journeys The Superb encourages a slightly more relaxed driving style, but can handle itself well given the physics involved.

[dobbey]

I think the reason no one bought/buys the 1.8 is because most buy the 170 diesel because it makes more sense for them. Or you get the people who see the V6 and can't say no seriously though, with the no VAT offer, it worked out cheaper over 3 years than the diesel for me. Happy daysssssss

[JamKart]

Great engine & great car - my real life mpg is available on fuelly...

https://www.fuelly.c...uperb/fuelchart

and averages about 31.8mpg. About the same as my old 1.8L Mondeo!

Don't really do enough miles to justify diesel so I'm prepared to take the hit on the poor mpg

Edited 27 December, 2012 by JamKart

[Andy74]

I'll echo the comments above - great engine but very heavy on the fuel, I think I average in the mid to late 20s.

I also got the 4x4 following the last couple of winters here though didn't get much chance to see how it performed with little snow last year. It does just feel a bit more smooth on things like road bumps and some of the cobbled steets in Edinburgh amd also a bit more sure in the rain. Flooding is one thing we had a lot of on the back roads I take into work and it has sailed through some pretty deep stretches.

The problem with a little heavier 'off road' type surfaces with it is that it's still a pretty low car and you can be tempted to do a bit more with having the 4x4 when really you'd need a bit more clearance and a bit more prtoection around the place to make proper use of it. I'm quite tempted to go for the Outdoor or whatever it's called next time, althugh i'm used to the luxury and extra toys with my Elegance trim and a few extras on top and I think the Outdoor is based on a lower trim.

[andrehj]

Get the 1.8 TSI DSG instead of 4x4:

• The DSG version is lighter
  
• The DSG version is faster
  
• Not having to shift makes driving much more comfortable.
  
• The DSG version uses a lot less fuel.
  

[mandp]

Yeah, great engine.

Mines an Auto, 5 months old, A and B roads (no motorways/dual carriageways around here) and I'm getting 39.9 MPG (MFD) constantly. Not bad eh.

[DGW]

I have an Octavia 1.8TSI 4X4 Estate. It has a very impressive engine and the Haldex 4 system is noticeably better than that in my previous Mk 1 Octavia 1.8T 4X4 Estate. I drive like a grandad on mainly longish trips and am struggling to improve on the current 32.38mpg.

[Yeti_Man]

Get the 1.8 TSI DSG instead of 4x4:

• The DSG version is lighter - by very little though and the DSG version is heavier than the manual.
  
• The DSG version is faster - in the damp or wet wether also?!
  
• Not having to shift makes driving much more comfortable. - some wod also say it disconnects you from the driving experience also.
  
• The DSG version uses a lot less fuel. - do you know the actual difference?
  

[ukcruiser]

i went for the 170 TDi and 4x4 - i have 18" Vredestine WintracXtreme's on, and it's unstoppable in the white stuff - ride height of course, will impact at some point in time!

I do too many miles for the TSi, and the 140 DSG 4x4 was not available when i bought mine (to be honest tho, would still have went for the extra BHP!)

Al.

[mandp]

I dont think I'd like a car...any car...that was unstoppable in the snow!

[Noddy90]

Yeah, great engine.

Mines an Auto, 5 months old, A and B roads (no motorways/dual carriageways around here) and I'm getting 39.9 MPG (MFD) constantly. Not bad eh.

That means you're probably getting around 37mpg actual, taking into account a typical MFD over-reading of 7%. Still good, mind.

[sharkrider]

gilly has a 170 CR 4x4, and he loves it, really rates the 4WD, even for simple stuff ,like pulling out of a junction quick in the rain

[ruffday]

Well I cant comment on the Superb 4x4 but I had a 1.8TSi Octavia before I got my Greenline Superb.

I found the Octavia to be a cracking motor and I would have had another had it been allowed.;

I ran it for just under 2 years and did 98,000 miles. A lot of motorway and A - B roads and town use.

On average it was doing 36-38 mpg.

On a good steady run upto 48 mpg.

The best I got was on a run from The Isle of Skye to Sheffield in poor weather.

The run from Skye to Glasgow was steady due to heavy rain and fog so I checked the trip computer and it read 48.4 mpg which I was very inpressed with.

I managed to do the full trip of 470 miles on 1 tank of full which was very good for the Octavia

[Handy Andy]

The 4x4 1.8tsi variant is a great car, and a ideal choice for you based on your projected annual mileage.

I've done less than 8000 miles in mine in 18 months, so I knew diesel wasn't a option. Most of these miles are over a short distance, a 2 mile round trip to work, this type of use would have been a dpf problem waiting to happen.

Despite the short trips, my average fuel consumption stands at 29.5 mpg, when I do larger trips my consumption will rise to 36-37 mpg for that journey. So I'm relatively pleased with that.

I also put winter tyres on and the car now feels like its stuck to the road, I think this would be a ideal combination for the Aberdeen winter conditions.

I picked pacific blue for mine, initially I wanted storm blue but it wasn't available, I know pacific isn't a loved colour but in my opinion it really suits the car.

Good luck with your choice.

[Mondo]

Thanks with all the feedback guys it has convinced me that I'm doing the right thing. All going well the order will be in before the end of the year.

[BOBW]

I had the Octy 2 Scout 1.8 tsi for 2 years and it was fantastic the engine was smooth and responsive and the Haldex 4x4 system never let me down in both very bad winters (2010-2011) and I live near SLOCHT. Invernrs-shire.

Because the Scout was no longer available in the Uk, I had to go for the Superb Estate SE 1.8tsi 4x4..I have not been dissapointed .It is as good if not better than the Scout, and the MPG is only down a lttle because of the extra weight .I get around 33 MPG on average ,and like you I only do around 8k per year .With the VAT free which is not no the deisel, it is a no brainer. Go for it!!!

[Mondo]

Well all I have to do now is wait!

Elegance model with and a few extra toys on it ordered today :-)

Much to my surprise Specialist Cars in Aberdeen came within £100 of Drive the Deal's price so ordered from there. The 2yrs Interest Free and the VAT equivalent discount made it an easy choice in the end.

[artichoke273]

Good news to get a competitive deal locally, it worked out that way for me too. Specialist Cars were (are?) the DtD supplying dealer for VW, so they are probably used to a high volume, big manufacturer bonus financial model.

[Handy Andy]

Congratulations!!! Now the wait begins.

What colour did you choose?

[lmb]

I have no knowledge of the 4x4, but the 1.8TSi is an absolute peach of an engine. Very heavy on fuel, though - I drive it with tiny little kittens strapped to my throttle foot and still struggle to average over 35mpg on mostly A-roads.

My is not 4x4 but I get 17-20mpg on short morning runs (1 mile); motorway ~75-80mph I get 36-38mpg; local driving 5-10 miles - 35-38mpg. The best mpg I've seen was 41mpg on the way from Preston to Whitehaven, and can easily repeat it however need to keep 70mph on motorway. It's not as good economy as my Vectra one but I'm hoping to see better mpg as car has only 6k miles

[JustinCombi]

As you're only looking at doing a low annual mileage, I think the petrol makes a lot of sense. It is a lovely engine, quiet, smooth and has plenty of performance for most drivers/conditions.

As has been mentioned they can be a bit heavy on fuel. I have done just over 70,000 miles in mine with a lifetime average of 27.9 mpg. Whilst I do drive enthusiastically, a lot of those miles are on motorways and dual carriageways driving at the speed of the traffic.

The only other comments I would make is that mine does use a fair amount of oil now - around 1 litre per 1000 miles or so. Also, my car did suffer from a DMF failure at 61,000 miles which was replaced by the dealer FOC. The gear change is a bit "notchier" than it used to be; given a choice I'd go for DSG, which we have on our Scirocco and is lovely.

Justin.