Sorry, I can't contribute to the NOT happy line. It's not perfect, but as said recently, in the real world it's about compromises. I did have the diesel as a company car and that with a manual gearbox was not the car for me. I found the power delivery much too peaky: a combination of diesel turbo-lag and a narrow powerband didn't add up in a car with sporty pretensions.

 

The next time I went TFSI and that made sense to me. Plenty of go, a smooth responsive engine with a wide powerband and loads of room. A bit subtle looking in grey as well. The order for the Mk III TSI is in!

 

Incidentally, my opinion of the Mk III was quieter, slightly better riding, but with a bigger than expected torque increase; the BHP seems to get the headlines, but the torque felt like the bigger gain. Looking forward to it 

Edited 11 November, 201411 yr by OverTheHill

I bought diesel for the first time ever, and the compromise isn't as severe as I'd feared.  Yes, petrol will always win the heart of a true petrolhead, but the fuel bill savings are staggering.  I previously had an Alfa Romeo MiTo Cloverleaf (1.4l) and was spending £75 per week on petrol.

 

The vRS completes the same journey for >£50, despite having a higher top speed, being much larger and heavier and only losing a few tenths in the dash to 60.

 

While my commute is over 10,000 miles per year, I cannot see the logic in buying a fast petrol.  You either buy a dullard's car or sporty diesel.  As a petrolhead, it's an easy decision.