My dad is currently driving an almost 3 year old 1.6TDi (SE with a couple of extras) and having spotted a Monte Tech in the showroom he is considering trading in for one. Looking at the 1.2Tsi 105.

 

He is very sceptical of the 1.2, despite it being 15 more bhp than the 1.6 diesel (bad experience of the 60bhp 1.2HTP...). He has a test drive booked in the next few days. Test drive is in a hatch rather than the estate he will be buying, but his main concern is the powertrain. Keep telling him the 1.2 will be more than ample, but he isn't completely sold. Current car is barely 3 years old, and only covered 27k miles in that time.

 

IMO, Monte looks better, petrol more suited to his needs now, but as said, the fact it's a 1.2 is making him apprehensive. So yea, I reckon it's a good swap, but looking for real world experiences to help him decide.

 

Cheers

Iann.

1.2tsi is better for pottering around as it's quiter, smoother and warms up noticably faster.

1.6 diesel is fine, but you live with a noiser engine that's slower to warm up for the economy advantages IMO.

 

I'd rather have the 1.2tsi.

Not sure how enthusiastic your Dad is, but it makes the front end lighter which makes the car better to drive too.

Had the engine in my Rapid and it felt quite nippy, changed direction well and was really quiet.

1.2tsi is better for pottering around as it's quiter, smoother and warms up noticably faster.

1.6 diesel is fine, but you live with a noiser engine that's slower to warm up for the economy advantages IMO.

 

I'd rather have the 1.2tsi.

Not sure how enthusiastic your Dad is, but it makes the front end lighter which makes the car better to drive too.

Had the engine in my Rapid and it felt quite nippy, changed direction well and was really quiet.

 

Sorry, I kind of edited while you posted, but what you're saying sounds similair to what me and the salesmen have been telling him. ("But they are salesmen, they would say that"     ). He doesn't do anywhere close to the mileage we used to do. Put 60k on a golf in 3 years not so many years ago.

I had been driving diesels for a few years but changed to the 1.2TSI and love it.

It's faster than any diesel I've had and quieter too, the only thing you miss out on is fuel consumption but I'm still getting 40 mpg around town so more than happy especially given how well it drives.

Your Dad defo needs a test drive, I had one before I bought my Tech and that's what sold it, it is a cracking engine and he needn't worry, it's got diesel like torque anyway in the lower gears.

I think once he test drives it any preconceptions will be removed.

I've just bought a Monte Carlo Tech estate with the 1.2 TSI engine in. I love it, handles great (better than my last 2 diesel vRS's, Fabia Mk1 and Octavia Mk2!), no slouch either, for a 1.2 you put your foot down it goes fairly well, the turbo definitely helps with that. I'm getting 39mpg with a mix of urban, country road and motorway driving but hopefully that'll improve when the engine is more run in.

I've no experience of the 1.6TDi however I have just changed from a 1.6 Petrol MINI Cooper Clubman (Non-Turbo) to a 1.2 TSI Monte Carlo Tech Black Edition Hatch and not felt it to be wanting apart from some of the toys that the MINI had.

 

I really like the Monte

When he gets a test drive, ,watch he doesn't change gear too early like a diesel, even though it can hold 40mph in 5th gear get him to boot it & change gear just after 4k revs, not exactly a slouch.

It feels like such a nice engine, & like others have said it is so much quieter.

40mpg is a fair average to assume but petrol is cheaper so offsets the difference a little bit.

Yeah it is really quiet, even from the outside which is bizarre for me, coming from old petrols and newer diesels. What type of driving does he do? Mostly short journeys?

Have (in the last month) said goodbye to my 2011 CR90 TDI se+. Performance was excellent. Will not bore everyone for the reasons for going back to petrol BUT, can confirm that the 1.2 TSI is a very strong performer. I think a test drive will be an eye opener for him!!!

I have not regretted the change in any way.

BossFox stated - "it makes the front end lighter which makes the car better to drive too." I would fully subscribe to this as well.

Thanks guys, very helpful. Took him a few days of umming and ahhing to even book the test.

 

I think once he test drives it any preconceptions will be removed.

 

Hope so, cracking looking car.

 

When he gets a test drive, ,watch he doesn't change gear too early like a diesel, even though it can hold 40mph in 5th gear get him to boot it & change gear just after 4k revs, not exactly a slouch.

It feels like such a nice engine, & like others have said it is so much quieter.

40mpg is a fair average to assume but petrol is cheaper so offsets the difference a little bit.

 

Ill pass that on, but I cant be there, sadly. Curious about it as well.

 

Yeah it is really quiet, even from the outside which is bizarre for me, coming from old petrols and newer diesels. What type of driving does he do? Mostly short journeys?

 

Will be mostly short now, no more 60mile a day commute. 

I traded my 2010 CR TDI 90* estate in for a new TSI 86 estate just over two months ago, new car is much nicer to drive, It "feels" nippier and I too noticed the improvement to handling with the lighter engine.

From the moment I first drove a TSI as a courtesy car I regretted choosing my previous CR TDI, that said had I chosen the older 1.9 TDI I dare say I would have happily kept it.

Driven both engines fairly extensively and if your not doing high miles then TSI is the far better motor. We are on our second 1.2 TSI 86, after swapping a Fabia Elegance for a Monte which we took down to Switzerland earlier this year, so more than capable of a long run

 

 

 

TP