I've had my my 61 plate VRS Petrol now for a couple of months and so far I'm averaging 32-34mpg (Assuming the dash display info is accurate) and that's with a 9 mile commute each day along fairly busy B roads.

The only longish motorway trip I've done so far returned just under 37mpg (mainly @ 80mph all the way) so I'm quite happy with the figures........ especially after coming from a fairly well tuned Suburu STI which did 21-22mpg if you were good and down to under 9mpg if you wasn't.............

I used Tesco's Super Unleaded in the Scoob and still use the same in my Petrol VRS - never caused a problem in the Scoob and so far, not a problem in the VRS......... personally I wouldn't put "standard" unleaded into my VRS unless I had no alternative.......

Never been a big Diesel fan - was forced to have them at work and after 200k +++ of driving diesels over 4 years, I am totally "dieseled out" and will never have another one till I die......... fortunately I don't do enough miles now to even think about one (10k PA now) so for me it's no contest - petrol all the way for me..........

tbh im very shocked reading the mpg figures you are getting from the petrol. Its no better than my Civic (170bhp 1.8 n/a petrol). Quite shocking really

TBH 36mpg on a combined cycle for a petrol car as big as the Octy is very good. If my petrol VRS had been capable of getting anywhere near that I might have kept it. Unfortunately these types of return are in the minority (if you look on fuelly etc) and a figure about ten below that is more common. The TSi is supposed to be a little more economical though.......

this is exactly why im glad i went for the diesel, even if it was a TINY bit more to buy. I mean tiny too as the price difference when i was looking was tiny

Seb you've generated some debate.

Depends on what mileage you are doing. Low annual mileage go for petrol high mileage annual mileage go for diesel

Also there are two 2.0TDI variants a 140bhp (like mine) and a 170 in the VRS. Which have you seen?

As ever check the service history on both. The diesel should have had a cam belt change.

Your going to get many people on here who prefer one fuel to the other. I've got a 170PD vRS and I love it. It's had it's DPF removed and been remapped so now worries with it clogging up. The trip computer reads that it's doing about 51-52 to the gallon as well. I do about 18k a year so the running costs are great for me. Before that I used to have a Leon FR TFSI so the same engine as the Octavia vRS petrol, same car really. Out of the two I much prefer the diesel myself, I just like the torque and the low down grunt you get, yes the petrol was more refined and quieter but for me I just missed the diesel shove. Either car you buy, you'll love it, the Octavia is a great car.

IMO it's not the distance per year that determines whether diesel or petrol is better. It's the distance per trip.

As I have said previously I had a TSI Vrs estate for a year and 22k and from new I was getting 34-36 MPG but my commute each day is a minimum of 45 miles each way down motorway and dual carriageway at rush hour speeds of 55-70 MPH depending of traffic.

In periods where I was annual leave just doing town and country road driving the economy dived to 25-28 MPG

My CR Vrs now does the same trips and mileage and gets an average of 50-54 MPG commuting to work and only falls to 45 ish MPG when bimbling around town or in the countryside.

I would have my petrol car back in a shot but the diesel is the next best thing if you need economy.

PD Vs CR- I have not driven a PD so can't comment but from reading these forums I think the PD had/has more issues.