1.6CR or 2.0CR?

[Yeti_Man]

Jeepers. 2.0 TDI Elegance DSG (no other extras) 10k pa on 3+35 is £241 a month direct from Skoda (and that includes servicing): http://www.skoda.co..../octavia-offers

Business users only though. :(

[Marcus153]

I am in a similar position - so interesting read above..... I currently have a 1.6tdi in my golf and to be honest had no problems with power both on motorways and A roads.

I may go for the OCT III 1.6 DSG in my new company car but am sure to change my mind a few times before that!!

My current fuel economy is well into the 60mpg from the onboard computer

[matt-k918]

Just watched a whatcar video review of the octavia and they thought the 1.6 more refined than the 2.0. I can't comment having only driven the 1.6 in the new octavia. I figured if I drove the 2.0 I might end up convincing myself I had to have one!

[wantaskoda]

Just picked mine up (1.6). you can tell there is a lot less 'power' however it seemed to do fine on the motorway (just a short 5 mile run)

truth will be told next week when I start doing my usage weekly high mileage.

[Stuarted]

Just picked mine up (1.6). you can tell there is a lot less 'power' however it seemed to do fine on the motorway (just a short 5 mile run) ...

Just as a general observation: I find that low power is never a problem on a motorway. There are no real hills on a motorway and no car around today has insuffcient power to reach at least 70 or even 80mph easily, and you don't need lot of power or good high-speed acceleration to overtake on a motorway.

It's on single-carriageway A or B roads with few straights where you may struggle to overtake slow moving vehicles safely, or where you may enconunter long or steep hills.

Edited 22 June, 2013 by Stuarted

[xreyuk]

There's a small weight penalty, but at motorway speeds, 6th gear will have the engine at lower RPM saving fuel.

The other ratios have changed slightly so you might find that you can happily drive at 30ish mph in 4th with a 2.0 and the 6 speed gearbox as opposed to 3rd in the 1.6, again saving a little fuel.

Just in case people read this, it's technically not true about gear ratios. I have the 'Greenline' version of the car, which is a 1.6TDI with extended gear ratios. At 70mph on the motorway it's 1,900RPM. From what I understand about the 2.0TDI with 6 gears, it's around 2,500RPM on the motorway.

[Kiwibacon]

Just in case people read this, it's technically not true about gear ratios. I have the 'Greenline' version of the car, which is a 1.6TDI with extended gear ratios. At 70mph on the motorway it's 1,900RPM. From what I understand about the 2.0TDI with 6 gears, it's around 2,500RPM on the motorway.

In the Octy 2 the 2wd ones were around 1600rpm at 100km/h. The 4wd Scout is 1750rpm. Both 2.0 diesels.

[Timoctav]

If you can afford / cost justify the 2.0 it is the one to go for. The 1.6 / 5 gear power train is acknowledged in Autocar and What Car as the weak point in the range. As I said in an earlier post here the critical thing about diesels is the comparatively narrow torque band, you need close ratios to overcome that - and that isn't what you get with the 5 speed box. vW need to wake up and provide a 6 speed box for the 1.6, even my little Toyota Yaris 1.4 D which I had prior to the Octavia had a 6 speed 'box!

This is crucial if you plan to carry your family / luggage and any amount of weight around.

[Matt Pez]

Just in case people read this, it's technically not true about gear ratios. I have the 'Greenline' version of the car, which is a 1.6TDI with extended gear ratios. At 70mph on the motorway it's 1,900RPM. From what I understand about the 2.0TDI with 6 gears, it's around 2,500RPM on the motorway.

The Octy III 150CR Manual is doing about 1850 rpm at 70 mph, and only rises to 2350 rpm at 90 mph, so that is the same or lower than the 105CR. There is definitely a noticable reduction in cruising revs compared to the 170CR in the 2009 Berb I just came from.

[wantaskoda]

Only just realised that the manual 1.6 is 5 speed. Would never have chosen the manual, but the DSG is 7.

Driving in Eco mode at the moment and it doesn't always go as far as 7th (if that makes sense).

Still feel the lower power, and last night I noticed some gear changes on steep hills that my old 2.0 would have laughed at, however as it is a DSG I don't have to do any work so it doesn't really bother me (only just notice it when I loo at the dash to see what gear I am in.)

True test will be tomorow on a short (for me) motorways journey.

Also finding stop start in a DSG a little strange as it will switch off when you are in drive, and you can't 'slip' your foot from brake to accelerator quickly as you do need it to wake up a bit - just a second or so.

[Juniperz]

Also finding stop start in a DSG a little strange as it will switch off when you are in drive, and you can't 'slip' your foot from brake to accelerator quickly as you do need it to wake up a bit - just a second or so.

I have a colleague with a Golf 1.6D DSG with Stop / Start, and I think it would drive me scatty. Just when he is about to pull on to a roundabout, the engine stops! At least with a manual, the engine keeps running while in gear.

[Timoctav]

Can you not disable the start stop in DSG in the same way you can in the manual? I agree with the manual if you are stopped only momentarily you can leave it in gear but it is very useful when all around you are wasting fuel with engines running for minutes on end waiting for lights to change.

Edited 23 June, 2013 by Timoctav

[Juniperz]

Oh don't get me wrong - I love Stop / Start in my manual Audi. Hate it when the ambient temperature is too low and it won't stop (many other rules exist!), or in my wife's or other people's cars that don't have it. You can disable it in a DSG, but if you have a journey with a mixture of traffic lights and roundabouts (like when I travel with my colleague), do you leave it switched on or off? Manual gearboxes just make Stop / Start much easier to control.

Edited 23 June, 2013 by Juniperz

[Timoctav]

Yes I can imagine it could be a PITA in a DSG! As you say, great in a manual, had it five years ago in a BMW 123d, and missed it when I sold that car and went to my little Clockwork Rat ( went so far down market as I changed jobs and started doing an awful lot more commuting miles, the BMW cost me a fortune in maintenance. - £250 per run flat tyre for instance). Great to have it back!

[Igdos]

Does anyone know if stop/start can be turned off completely as a defaul

Yes I can imagine it could be a PITA in a DSG!

Yes it sure is!

It can be disabled by pressing the centre console button but it is on each time the car is started.

Does anyone know if start/stop can be turned off completely as default?

[Harkonnen]

With the VAG tester... Reverse the standard for the start stop system.

[wantaskoda]

just a bit of an update.

done a bit of motorway driving today, and the car has more power than a first thought, this may be becuase I am in eco mode, and I have been tentatively using the accelaroator, but being a bit heavier opens the power.

just filled up for the first time so that I can try and get a handle on the economy as i think the valeters at the dealership had the car running whilst they cleaned it before I collected it.

[DJD66]

I was disappointed Sunday, went to Sevenoaks Kent, car great on way there (eco mode), on way back Had to drop down to 4th several times when I asked the car to accelerate on inclines in 5th, caught up with slower traffic, outside lane busy, slowed, got gap had to change down!! (sports mode)

But last 1.6tdi I had was dsg, that just used to drop 2-3 cogs & it was gone, got to do it myself now!!

Edited 25 June, 2013 by DJD66

[Matt Pez]

I was disappointed Sunday, went to Sevenoaks Kent, car great on way there (eco mode), on way back Had to drop down to 4th several times when I asked the car to accelerate on inclines in 5th, caught up with slower traffic, outside lane busy, slowed, got gap had to change down!! (sports mode)

But last 1.6tdi I had was dsg, that just used to drop 2-3 cogs & it was gone, got to do it myself now!!

I've even noticed that the 150CR needs a change down from 6th to 5th if you drop much below 50mph, they are so high geared compared to the previous generation!

[DJD66]

Thanks for the info, happier now!!

[littleade]

+1 ^^^^. I've got a mk II CR, and even my 170 with 350 Nm of torque doesn't start to get a wiggle on until over 1700 rpm. The CRs perform very differently to the earlier PDs and coupled with the high gearing (especially if you've had something with 5 gears before) they won't pull very well below 60 in 6th.

[wantaskoda]

Done some more motorway in my 1.6 and it defo has enough power.

will be driving my 2.0 cr for the last time tomorrow, and hope it does not make me realise again the loss in power.

however, the III is so much nicer to drive than the II.

my biggest run will be a 400 mile round trip on friday and that will give me the best idea of economy and power.

will update at the weekend - for those interested.....

[DavidF3911]

yes please mpg..

[Matt Pez]

+1 ^^^^. I've got a mk II CR, and even my 170 with 350 Nm of torque doesn't start to get a wiggle on until over 1700 rpm. The CRs perform very differently to the earlier PDs and coupled with the high gearing (especially if you've had something with 5 gears before) they won't pull very well below 60 in 6th.

I had the 170CR in the Berb before the 150CR Octy III and was referring to a noticable difference in gearing between those. Prior to the Berb, I also had a 140PD Passat and from memory, the gearing was similar to the 170CR, maybe slightly lower geared but the torque band of the PD was definitely much narrower, but I am sure that is well documented. I think the torque band in the new Octy is fine, it's just that the gearing is now so low that 6th gear is not really suited for speeds below 50mph, especially on the undulating A roads between Notts and Sheff which I use on a Friday afternoon to avoid the road to hell, M1 Northbound! The Berb however, was quite happy plodding up the A614 at the ridiculous new 50 mph limit!

Edited 26 June, 2013 by Matt Pez

[littleade]

Do you think 6th on the mk III is aimed purely at high speed economy then? I wasn't aware it was different to the mk II, which could be due in part to the mk III being lighter I guess. I certainly noticed a difference changing from the 1.4tsi which would bumble along at 40ish in 6th which was due to it's greater rev range and spread of torque. Guess the modern cr just takes a bit of getting used to no matter which one it is. Mine seems to like 40 in 4th, 50 in 5th etc and doesn't seem to be any worse off economy wise either than trying to be in 6th as soon as posible. Is that how the mk III drives too?