Hello all happy owners,

 

Could those of you who own a 1.2 Tsi and a 1.4 Tsi and also a 1.6Tdi tell me how many revs they are pulling in top gear at 70 and 80mph, please? I am scared of a 'busy' engine making a lot of cabin noise on the motorway. As for tyre roar, and wind from the mirrors, that's another issue, I suppose.

 

I hear that the Tsi is super quiet and the Tdi 1.6 is a bit rough. That's only motoring press opinion, though. On the motorway I only cruise between 70 and 80 mph so just wondering what the best engine is for me. I only do about 10,000 a year so it looks like a Tsi, let's be honest.

 

Any feedback much appreciated,

 

Steve

Whether a petrol or diesel is best for you depends on other factors as well as annual mileage.  I do 10-11K miles a year but intend to keep the car for at least 5 years (I had my last car for almost 7 years) so bought a 2.0TDi vRS rather than the 2.0T petrol version.

 

The only 1.6Tdi I have travelled in was on the island of Jersey (max speed limit = 40mph) so couldn't possibly comment on noise level at 70!

I had the opportunity to test drive both 1.4 TSI and 1.6 TDI last week with SWMBO. We could not believe the difference in engine noise especially in the lower rev region.  We were so annoyed with 1.6 TDI at certain revs that I had to change to lower gear just to get rid of the noise. This was after I drove 1.4 TSI which was IMHO very quiet. Maybe the difference was even more pronounce because I drove the TDI after TSI and was also underwhelmed with 1.6 TDI performance at the same time which only 'enhanced the noise' and my disappointment in diesel option. Maybe I should have driven the 2.0 TDI instead but sadly there wasn't any at that time...

I have the 1.4 TSI and it is a very quiet engine - on the motorway at 70 in 6th gear you can barely hear the engine (I can't be sure what the rev is as I have never taken much notice probably no more that 2k)  - in fact it is very easy to find yourself getting well above 70 mph because there is so little engine noise so it all too easy to speed up due to the lack of engine noise feedback.

 

I think is an excellent engine - the performance is brisk (actually quick) without any drama , economy is excellent and all very smooth.

I'm just back from a trip in my 1.6 TDI and can confirm that between 70 and 80 the engine does around 2000-2400 rpm.

 

To be honest I'd say that there's considerably more wind and road noise than there is engine noise at that speed.

 

I find the wind noise is much more noticeable than it was on my Octy II 1.9 TDI, although that may be due to the engine being quieter.

 

I'd also say that the road noise is more noticeable, but that may be due to the 17" Denom alloys and lower profile tyres on my car, rather than the standard 16" wheels and associated tyres.