How did you find it ? I love the performance with the 1.8. Would I be disappointed with the 1.4 ? Not interested in diesel.

I'm seriously considering it (also from a Scout 1.8 TSI), after driving 2 Leons recently with the 1.4 TSI 150ps engine.

As the 1.4 TSI front wheel drive cars (Golf, Leon, Octavia) are roughly 180-200kg lighter than the 1.8 TSi Scout, but with the same torque figure (250Nm) they feel a lot more responsive.

 

I quite like the look of the Leon FR estate with the 1.4 TSI ACT engine, that is where I want to go next as the MY16 Octavia doesn't have the ACT (Active cylinder technology) engine.

 

I would recommend driving one as I couldn't believe it was only a 1.4 litre engine.

I did this last October, got the SE model manual hatch. Most surprised, though of course I had road tested it first.

 

I now like it with (only) the throttle in sport mode, others disagree. I find that for all practical purposes it then feels (to me) not a lot different from the 1.8

 

What did surprise me even more, as I mentioned on here a while ago, is when I did a "4 up, with luggage" longish drive it still felt good. I thought the loading would make it lose a lot of its guts, but not a bit of it. Maybe you tend to hold the lower gears a little longer, but no big deal.

 

Also the economy is excellent - the 1.8 was good but the 1.4 is much better, both around town and on a run.

Also the road tax is about half ! (And free the first year from new.)

I prefer the standard "more down-market" 16" wheels with fatter tyres too. The bigger wheel, low profile version felt rougher on the road.

Read somewhere that VW claim the ACT on the 1.4 is worth an extra 5 mpg at 30mph.

If true I would not think the small return is worth the extra complication. The cylinders are deactivated by not allowing the valves to open to reduce pumping losses.

The 1.4 and 1.8 both produce a maximum 250 Nm but the 1.8 produces it torque over a wider rev range.

So if you do not commonly rev beyond 4k rpm during normal driving then you might as well have the cheaper and more economical 1.4

In Australia the 1.8 only comes in the higher grades and has the multi-link rear suspension.

The 1.8 in the new Scout is a different proposition though because it produces 280nm and has the beefed up DSG box.

A chip upgrade could be very interesting in that because the gearbox is more robust and 4WD will put the power down.

But do you get the 1.8 Scout in the UK?

Edited 27 May, 201511 yr by Gerrycan

No petrol Scout in the UK :-( Will they ever do it ? If they did it would probably be my next car...
 

Back to back testing in a Leon of the current engines showed they offer very similar performance indeed below 3,500 revs. Once you get the 1.8 above that, it comes into its own. The mk2 1.8 is very similar to the performance of the current 1.8. Both are great engines and the 1.4 surprised me with its mpg ability on cruise.

If it's any help I went from a Mk2 VRS to a 1.4Tsi and I have not been disappointed.