Petrol or diesel ?

[Matty70]

Evening all,

Just a quick couple of questions I'm looking at getting a used Superb later this year, obviously I'm going to get it in the best spec I can (Elegance). But the real question is Petrol or diesel my annual mileage will be dropping down to normal levels 10-12k, but what engine 1.4,1.8 or the rare 2.0 petrol, or 170 diesel? are the petrol engines smoother better than the diesel one?. My budget will be 10k(ish) any advice and pointers gratefully received.

Thanks in advance.

[littleade]

Unless you paricularly want a diesel the 1.8 petrol would be a good fit, plenty of go, very smooth and you'll get a lower milage/newer car for your money compared to the diesel. Personally I wouldn't consider the 1.4 in the superb if it's the 122ps engine, but that's just me, though it may well be better on the fuel if thats important. Best thing to do is get a decent test drive to see which fits your needs and driving style. Good luck

[Superb170]

Evening all,

Just a quick couple of questions I'm looking at getting a used Superb later this year, obviously I'm going to get it in the best spec I can (Elegance). But the real question is Petrol or diesel my annual mileage will be dropping down to normal levels 10-12k, but what engine 1.4,1.8 or the rare 2.0 petrol, or 170 diesel? are the petrol engines smoother better than the diesel one?. My budget will be 10k(ish) any advice and pointers gratefully received.

Thanks in advance.

The 10-12k (I assume that is miles?) range would, in theory, put you more in the petrol category alright.  What type of driving do you do - urban or motorway etc?  That may be a factor thinking about issues like the DPF on the diesels?  One of the biggest differences of course will be torque, or lack of in parts of the rev range on the petrol models - about 100nm less on the 1.8tsi versus the 170tdi for example. Coming from the VRS diesel that might take a bit of getting used to.  I've had petrol Octavias in the past and would find it difficult to go back to petrol again.  I always find it a little frustrating whenever I get into a petrol now as that extra push just isn't there sometimes when you need it.

 

I've rarely had the opportunity to drive any petrol Superbs (virtually impossible to find one in Ireland) but from reading some of the comments on here from 1.4tdi drivers that engine appears to be just about adequate but slightly underpowered.

 

You might possibly a better chance of getting a lower mileage and newer petrol model though as they would have taken a slightly bigger hit in deprecation and you might more car for your 10k?

[psycholist]

It's not so much the mileage as the type of mileage that decides whether diesel is an option. If the mileage you do is all long trips on open roads, the diesel makes sense even at lower mileage as it'll use less fuel (And diesel fuel is cheaper than petrol to buy in Germany). If you do a lot of city driving and short trips petrol is more suitable as the particulate filter on diesel engines can't clear itself unless you spend a decent amount of your time cruising at 60+ km/h or more with the engine fully warmed up... If you're used to a VRS, anything short of the 1.8TSI or CR170 will feel slow - both will be slower than the VRS as the Superb is heavier but a lot more refined.

[Superb170]

Don't forget the 3.6V6 if any available or the budget allowed

[vrsadz]

diesel 170 cr all the way 

[boobietwops]

I share a similar dilemma to the op, I'm hoping to buy a superb estate in June and was all set for the 2.0 140 Diesel until a chat earlier today with my local mechanic, whose pointing me towards the petrol engines, I mentioned that my working day is a round trip of 30 miles (10 of which is motorway) and the car will be getting a lot of use in summertime ( 4/5 camping trips around the UK)  but during the winter months my driving is more or less limited to the work commute.

 

So really I think I already know the answer to my question lol...  but does anyone here think my annual mileage of 12,000 warrants a diesel engine?

[old newbie2]

I'll admit to being biased, but I do feel that the rare 2.0 TSi is worth looking for.

 7 that managed

Quite nippy, bags of torque anywhere in the rev range & a great match to the 6 speed DSG.

 

It's being serviced today & I've been lent a brand new 1.6 diesel Rapid, & apart from the 60 mpg economy it just don't get this diesel thing.

Dangerously slow, no "go" until 1500 rpm, noisy & unrefined. I've been lent a 1.2TSi Rapid before from this dealer & that managed 50 mpg, but with

much less fuss too.

 

We did manage a back-to-back comparison with a 170 TDi & a 200 TSi before we bought our Superb, & the petrol won hands down for us, quieter & quicker, especially in "S" mode,

It's also (possibly) quite responsive to remapping. Allegedly 248 bhp & 265 ft/lbs  torque might be possible, along with better economy too, maybe 35 mpg or so....

 

Your budget, therefore your choice but since we are low mileage senior citizens, fuel economy isn't as important as it used to be, but refinement is.

 

 

HTH, DC..

[Supurbia]

Rapid 60mpg?

 

True, I've seen it,

 

But can someone explain to me how some Superb Greenline owners are getting 20-30% more mpgs out of a car half as heavy again as the Rapid is,

 

Those small petrols are quite punchy, I used a Golf 1.4TSi DSG a few years ago, gave around 32mpg urban cycle which was as good as my Passat 2.0TDi PD could get.

 

The 1.8TSi in the Superb is a nice engine, plenty of go and lovely and quiet.

Edited 11 February, 2015 by Supurbia

[numskull]

We do very low mileage of less than 3000 pa, but I love the huge effortless torque the CR170 offers and, with a chip express box fitted which is fantastic and removes almost all turbo lag, a real 63mpg at 70mph. It really is a personal choice at the end of the day; try both petrol and diesels and see which best suits you...

[Supurbia]

We do very low mileage of less than 3000 pa, but I love the huge effortless torque the CR170 offers and, with a chip express box fitted which is fantastic and removes almost all turbo lag, a real 63mpg at 70mph. It really is a personal choice at the end of the day; try both petrol and diesels and see which best suits you...

 

 

Very well put, when I was switching between petrol and derv and back again I found I liked the power lifter feel of the derv engine better, moving away from it now and maturity is tempting me back to the silent running petrol mills.

[Alvarado]

I just went through the same decision making process as the OP.  We do about 11k miles a year; but most of them are short (2 miles), probably with only 20% more than about 7 miles, and a few a year of 250 miles.

 

I thought about diesel (fuel economy) but reasoned I wouldn't get the advertised mpg anyway as it takes longer for diesels to warm up and get to their peak performance.  Diesel cars are more expensive to buy and in the UK diesel itself is more expensive to buy (and for short or hilly journeys you are not going to get the best economy out of any engine - my journeys are both these things).  The DPF issue would also be a real one for me - without the 'burn off' you start getting clogged up with diesel engines and our usage patterns would not provide those opportunities; there are plenty of examples of diesel owners getting clobbered with £2k bills to fix the DPF (the ones I am quoting are for beamers, I don't know the repair cost for Skodas).  Petrol car engines heat up more quickly which means the interior heats more quickly (good for cold winter morning school runs when we can't be bothered to walk) and as I was in the second hand market, I was also swayed by Honest John's opinions on used diesels (worth checking his articles out on the subject) but it's basically that the DPF problems don't tend to surface until 40k plus (ie the first owner will be long gone by then).  I am generally predisposed against 'soot chuckers' anyway and as the short trips I do are not going to be particularly economical I fancied the 1.8 170bhp which gets me up the local hills and gives me a bit of oomph (0-60 in about 8.5 secs I think which is pretty good for a big car).  I didn't even know there was a 2.0 petrol, bearing in mind how rare the 1.8 petrols are in Elegance (at least in the UK) I suggest you will need to be patient to find a 2.0 in petrol so don't cut your market down too much.

 

Of course it's horses for courses - a friend of mine has a diesel Audi A6 but with his usage patterns he'd be nuts not to.  But remember the reason why there are tonnes of diesels out there is not because they are the best overall (each has its advantages) but because many first buyers of a large car like the Superb are presumably fleet/company buyers who might have different needs to you - intensive use, motorway driving, that kind of thing.  Obviously you should test drive for performance (I imagine the 1.4 will feel sluggish compared to a VRS), but punch wise I am more than happy with the 1.8 petrol.

[numskull]

I just went through the same decision making process as the OP.  We do about 11k miles a year; but most of them are short (2 miles), probably with only 20% more than about 7 miles, and a few a year of 250 miles.

 

I thought about diesel (fuel economy) but reasoned I wouldn't get the advertised mpg anyway as it takes longer for diesels to warm up and get to their peak performance.  Diesel cars are more expensive to buy and in the UK diesel itself is more expensive to buy (and for short or hilly journeys you are not going to get the best economy out of any engine - my journeys are both these things).  The DPF issue would also be a real one for me - without the 'burn off' you start getting clogged up with diesel engines and our usage patterns would not provide those opportunities; there are plenty of examples of diesel owners getting clobbered with £2k bills to fix the DPF (the ones I am quoting are for beamers, I don't know the repair cost for Skodas).  Petrol car engines heat up more quickly which means the interior heats more quickly (good for cold winter morning school runs when we can't be bothered to walk) and as I was in the second hand market, I was also swayed by Honest John's opinions on used diesels (worth checking his articles out on the subject) but it's basically that the DPF problems don't tend to surface until 40k plus (ie the first owner will be long gone by then).  I am generally predisposed against 'soot chuckers' anyway and as the short trips I do are not going to be particularly economical I fancied the 1.8 170bhp which gets me up the local hills and gives me a bit of oomph (0-60 in about 8.5 secs I think which is pretty good for a big car).  I didn't even know there was a 2.0 petrol, bearing in mind how rare the 1.8 petrols are in Elegance (at least in the UK) I suggest you will need to be patient to find a 2.0 in petrol so don't cut your market down too much.

 

Of course it's horses for courses - a friend of mine has a diesel Audi A6 but with his usage patterns he'd be nuts not to.  But remember the reason why there are tonnes of diesels out there is not because they are the best overall (each has its advantages) but because many first buyers of a large car like the Superb are presumably fleet/company buyers who might have different needs to you - intensive use, motorway driving, that kind of thing.  Obviously you should test drive for performance (I imagine the 1.4 will feel sluggish compared to a VRS), but punch wise I am more than happy with the 1.8 petrol.

 

Well, when we were in the market last year, I was originally looking for a 2.0TSI to test, but they're like hens teeth and just couldn't find one. When I did test a 1.8TSI, having got used to the grunt of a diesel, I found it a little bit lacking in torque - no disrespect here, just saying as I found it. When I tried the CR170, I was sold... more low-down torque than the PD140, quieter and more refined too. But I can understand the positives of a petrol models, especially the quietness and that smoothness too...

[Supurbia]

There is another consideration here, I watched something the other week that suggests Diesel cars are about to get the blame for all disaters in history and get taxed for it accordingly, this if it happens will make the petrol more desirable and drive derv values low and short on the ground petrols through the roof.

Edited 12 February, 2015 by Supurbia

[numskull]

There is another consideration here, I watched something the other week that suggests Diesel cars are about to get the blame for all disaters in history and get taxed for it accordingly, this if it happens will make the petrol more desirable and drive derv values low and short on the ground petrols through the roof.

...and quite right too; those diesels they are the work of Beelzebub himself....

[Matty70]

Thanks guys for your responses, as I will be back in Blighty later this year and no longer part of her Majesty's armed forces,( I will be working for a living !!).

I will be joining the daily commute crew I would hazard a guess that my commute will be covering Aand B roads perhaps with a bit of motorway driving.distance as yet unknown need to get a job.

The VRS is going at Easter part ex against a fully loaded Superb Elegance 170 estate (tax free... Nice) SWMBO's choice as she misses the comfort of our old 170 superb. She cannot wait.

I have pretty much made my mind up its going to be either the 2.0 petrol a rare car you don't see many for sale must be a good car, or if I can get one in my budget sensible miles etc the 3.6 V6, be a chuckle cruising in one of those.

Thanks again guys, have a great weekend.

[100andthirty]

I have a 1.8 TSi and it's great, smooth and nippy, but not wonderful on fuel consumption. Note 1.4 only available with S specification.