Hi guys,

We're currently waiting for our new L&K to be built (week 15) and at the time of ordering there was only one choice for us - diesel 4x4 DSG.

Since then, I've been going over again and again whether I should've ordered the diesel 170 manual instead for a number of reasons:

The 170 manual is cheaper than the 140 DSG combo

It's cheaper to run in both mpg and tax than the 140 DSG combo yet it's noticeably quicker

The car we're trading it in for (Octavia vRS) has the 170 PD manual and I'm worried it'll be a step down

Having said all the above, I have DSG in my Fabia vRS and think it's wonderful, hence the decision to buy DSG for the Yeti. As it's to be my wife's car, primarily, the DSG would be preferable to her as she does spend a lot of time in traffic. Going back to a manual after driving with DSG just feels, shall we say, agricultural.

Most people (on this forum at least) seem to go for the 170 manual when ordering anything like a high spec Yeti but not many go for the 140 DSG?

I should point out here that I have test driven the 140 manual before ordering (no DSG test cars available) and I was pleasantly surprised. I would, however, have ordered the 170 DSG had it been available, like so many others.

Will someone PLEASE put me out of my misery and stop this conundrum spinning around in my head? Will I regret my decision? Should I change to the 170 manual while I still can? Aarrrrgghhh!

Remap the 140 - simples

Remap the 140 - simples

Not an option for the first 3 years at least - warranty!

Only you can decide, but my thoughts would be:

1) Cost difference is minimal when you look at the overall cost of motoring. My philosophy is, have what you want & be prepared to pay for it. You can't take it with you!

2) DSG you will enjoy every day (or miss it every day if you don't have it)

3) Extra horses will only be enjoyed (or missed) during blue moons

Have fun with your decision :coffee:

Depends in part at least on what most of your driving is like. Living where I do, I seldom encounter stop/start driving - when I do, I wish I had DSG; but all the rest of the time, I actually enjoy changing gear! I love(d) my 170 diesel manual, but the L&K on order is a 1.8 petrol as I now do only about 8000 miles per annum and the economics point firmly towards going back to petrol (after about 25 years of diesel ownership: I shall have to concentrate at the pumps!)

Interested, by the way, that you have a build week, albeit not confirmed. I ordered my L&K on 30 January and the dealer says he expects to hand it over late April/early May, but won't give me a build week as he says it's meaningless until confirmed (which is only about 3 weeks before it actually happens - so he hopes to confirm probable dates with me mid/late March).

The build week isn't confirm I don't think as the dealer said this could move forward or back at any time up until it's built. We ordered ours on 27th January.

It's not that I dislike manuals, I wouldn't have anything else when fancying some spirited driving or at the track but for the rest of the time, DSG is a godsend.

For the mileage we do these days, a petrol would probably make more sense but I much prefer the way a diesel delivers power amongst other reasons. DSG wasn't an option on the 1.8 in any case so it wouldn't have been a consideration at the time of ordering.

To be honest, it's not really the cost difference that grates me. As Al Coda has said, there's no pockets in shrouds and so it doesn't bother me (I just listed it as a pro vs the 140 DSG.) What does bother me though is that ideally I wanted the 170 with DSG and would gladly have paid for it but instead we had to make a decision - 140 DSG or 170 manual.

I always go for the best if I can afford it but when the best isn't available, even though I'm willing to pay for it, I get a bit upset!

Depends in part at least on what most of your driving is like...

Completely agree: A lot of start-stop commuter driving and you'll totally regret not having DSG. (Wife has a DSG Golf GT and wouldn't ever have consider having a non-DSG now, at least not for as long as her current working commute lasts.)

But you will notice the difference of 170 over 140. The manual gearbox is reasonably slick and provided there's not too much gear changing in day-to-day driving then the CR170 is definitely a more fun option.

Actually, it sounds like th options are fairly evenly balanced for you, so there will be pros and cons to either and probably not worth agonising too long over.

I'm coming from a 140 manual and would have bought a 170 dsg if it had been available but in the end the dsg is what tipped in favour of the 140 dsg. Not much help really but I went through just the same calculations as you are doing.

I think you need to visit a dealer who has a 170 you can have a drive in (you don't say your own location.)

There's usually a few about.Just check on the Autotrader website to find out where they are for sale near you.

( 140 dsg edited out and replaced with 170...Oops.)

I think you have made the perfect choice.....well that is what I would buy anyway. At least you have the option of having it remapped in three years time if its not 'nippy' enough for you and still have the DSG. Win, Win !!!

If you plan to sell it before then, well that is a different matter ! Not win, win. Now it becomes a bug*er of a choice.

I really want an L&K

There are 23 DSG 4x4 on the approved used site from Cornwall to Scotland, so you should be in range of one of them :wonder:

Oh cannot see why everyone hankers after a 170, quite happy with the 110; never gave a thought to getting anything more than the 140 but as it's turned out there's little to choose between the two tunes of the same engine

TP

Edited 24 February, 201313 yr by The Plumber

The Tiguan has had the 177 dsg option since January.......

I am biased towards the Manual 170 as that is my choice and the pick of the range IMO. It's not so much the extra performance it's also the effortless drive which makes the 170 feel like a bigger and more balanced car. If you do want to drive it harder it is a great package and I found the 140 we owned never had this extra option and was dull in comparison. I owned a Boxster 2.7 and the chassis was always better than the car where the 3.2 S model was the right balance for the car and the same is true in the Yeti.

Been out on A and B roads this morning in the Yeti, put it on 6th from about 50 mph and you hardly have to change gear unless you go below 40. The box is short throw and precise, a joy to use - it does 45mpg what's not to like.

If your wife is the main driver then I guess it should be her choice or a key decision maker. Why don't you give her the Fabia vRS with the auto and order the Yeti in manual and you drive it. That way she gets the auto and you have the car ou want and swap between them as necessary.

Ultimately it's personal choice if in doubt go and drive them one final time. I think you should have most of the knowledge of the car you own a dsg and have had the 170 engine in the Octavia so maybe this is why the decision is so difficult.

Edited 24 February, 201313 yr by gbpxg01

Whichever version you plumped for there will undoubtedly be times when you will wish that you had bought the other!

The thing to get your head around is that for the vast majority of your driving the car you own will give you pleasure, stimulate you, and most importantly get you from A to B in great comfort and style.

It'll either be a win-win situation, or it'll be a source of permanent disgruntlement whatever you've decided - and THAT choice is totally yours depending on your mindset!!

You'll be fine. Now - go and have a lie down!

I chose the 170 because, bizarely, it has the lowest emission and best fuel consumption figures of the three 2 litre diesel models I have also driven the 140 4x4 manual and found it underpowered up and down the very hilly roads I have to negotiate for work; as for the Greenline version All in my humble opinion of course - as has been said many times before on here: it takes all sorts

As your wife is going to be main driver shouldn't you ask her what she prefers?

My wife loves the DSG because it is so easy and convenient, I don't think she bothers about "power" as long as it gets her where she wants to go in comfort and reasonable speed.

I have also driven the 140 4x4 manual and found it underpowered up and down the very hilly roads I have to negotiate for work;

you are right, sometimes I have to get out of my under powered 140 4x4 and push it up hills myself. Really frustrating !!!

n'importe quoi !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Edited 24 February, 201313 yr by MCAMRA

I have a 170 manual, I have also driven a 140 dsg at the Mitchell open evening, I think you will be ok.

As the 140 is auto you will not notice the 30 bhp, quicker smoother gear changes and the box will select the right gear to keep you going well, I am considering the 140 dsg when I swap the Yeti in August 2014.

I did notice the auto box on the Yeti isn't like that of the Fabia.

Either way I don't think you will be disappointed.

It's a personal choice.

If I'm asked about the performance of the DSG, I usually recommend a look at

(not a Yeti, I know, but I believe it's the same box) - and remember the S alternative to the everyday D shift .

Excellent post, Brijo. It's ridiculous that we can't get 170 DSGs, but as long as we have to make the choice I would pick DSG every time.

you are right, sometimes I have to get out my under powered 140 4x4 and push it hills myself. Really frustrating !!!

n'importe quoi !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes quite exhausting pushing mine up those Alpine mountain roads with 3 other POB, plus roof softbox and a boot full of stuff

TP

Shame I haven't got a picture of my (so called) underpowered 140 4x4 towing a 1300kg caravan around the hills of Mid Wales whilst keeping to the speed limits and not holding anyone up.

:giggle:

As your wife is going to be main driver shouldn't you ask her what she prefers?

That's a slippery downward slope in any marriage !

Best just cut out the colour chart and let her make that decision, else you'll be waiting until the Yeti 3 is out

As for 170 vs 140dsg: power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely! Who wouldn't want to be corrupted absolutely??

We're going from 170 to 245dsg in April!

I went from Octavia L&K 1.8TSI DSG and like you did not know what to do when making an identical decision to you. I loved the DSG, though my wife found it complicated in some respects. I opted for the 170 because it was cheaper than the 140 DSG and more economical even than the manual 140 (theoretically). I still miss the DSG and wish the 170 had one, especially after that 7speed version on that powerful 1.8TSI.

Thanks for all the replies so far, some are helpful but others just make the agonising worse!

For those that say I should ask my wife, that's a futile exercise. It really doesn't bother her either way but has said that DSG would be nice for the morning school run. She has driven the Fabia once but it's just something she'd get used to or so she says. When it comes to cars, she just trusts my judgement and as I do drive her car on a regular basis with the family on board, my preferences are equally as important. As with many of our better halves, the car is just a way of getting from A to B!

I can't give the Fabia vRS to my wife as she always gets the hand-me-downs and it's her turn for a new car. She also needs a bigger car than me for the kids and this is why we chose the Yeti for its practicality.

Somebody said here that absolute power corrupts and this is so very true. Every car I've had up to the present has been a better more powerful version than the last and this is the first time I'd be taking a step backwards where power is concerned. Having been used to the 170 PD of the Octavia and the 180 TSi of the Fabia, 140 CR is, at least mentally, a step down from what I'm used to. Throw in the acceleration and mpg penalty of the DSG and it looks on paper like a bad choice.

If we're talking about what things look like on paper then the 170 manual wins hands down against the 140 DSG but we all know it's never as simple as that!

I know it sounds like I'm gravitating more towards changing the order to a 170 manual, and I probably am, but I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place at the moment. I'd miss the DSG if I went manual but I'd miss the power of the 170 if I went for the 140. Question is which I'd miss out on most.