vRS - Diesel or Petrol

[TheWanderer]

I like diesel & petrol engined cars, however I only do around about the 7½-8k miles per year and most of my trips are 7 miles or less (town or local station) to get to work, so I think it would be somewhat detrimental to the DPF if I had a diesel.

 

I went for the petrol this time when I had to make the choice between the two and now 22 months later, I still wonder if I made the right choice at times as I find it (TSi) can drink fuel, yet there are times when you get on the dual carriageway/motorway sections of the journey to Somerset that the TSi just sips the petrol, it's the slower sections (Surrey A-Roads aka cart tracks & A358/A39) which are the gas guzzling ones.

 

What concerns me is the resale values, with diesel becoming the villain with its pollution & health issues, will their better residuals go through the floor or will those pollution & health claims be disproven?

 

I'll have to make the choice between petrol & diesel again about July/August time next year for delivery in October/November, in the meantime I'm quite pleased with the TSi that I have.

[Richf]

Mine drinks fuel on b roads , thats because I flick it into sports mode and manual and spank it down the lanes

[Gaz]

I surprise myself and have gone back to petrol from three diesels.  Mileage doesn't really justify needing a diesel and while I really like the leisurely torque of a diesel, I really really like the vRS TSi and the way it drives.  I'm at 700 miles and haven't driven it in anger yet, but spirited driving seems to be getting me mid 20's and sensible early 30's.  I've just filled up and this tank I'll be trying to drive economically.  Trying, because it doesn't feel like a car that wants to be treated economically, and I think I'm on the slippery slope to joining Richf's style^^^ :yes: 

 

Gaz 

[TheWanderer]

If I drive carefully I can get about 35 to the gallon quite readily, however it usually around 28-30 mark on the 7 mile trip into town.

[Auchinclossvrs]

I have a 2013 petrol vrs estate dsg. I drive on mixed roads with around 300 motorway miles per week. I average 39 mpg and get 44 between Edinburgh and Glasgow. I have it in eco mode for that.

I love the car, it is the perfect all rounder. I test drove the diesel and would say you get 90% of the experience in that. But boy, that last 10% is well worth the additional fuel costs!

[CumbrianYeti]

I think it all depends on how you plan on using the car and your preferences.

 

My initial preference would have been the TSI but given the type of driving I do I went for the TDI. Although my commute is only about 15 miles each way, I am a football season ticket holder and as such I travel the 150 miles each way journey often for 9 months of the year. Also I love the idea of being able to go for days out with the family without having to consider fuel costs as the TDI is so frugal.

 

We are currently in Somerset after traveling fully loaded from West Cumbria via Hinckley, Leicestershire and so far I have used little over half a tank (I expect the 2nd half to drop much quicker) and lets just say we made decent time. We are off to Dorset tomorrow and then we will likely need to fill up, the only down side is diesel is more expensive down here lol, it was only 105.7 at home when we left and seems to be between 108.9 & 112.9 here.

 

Overall not bad going for such a small tank, which was another downside for the TSI when I made the choice. This car could do with at least a 60 litre tank in both guises but it would make the TSI much closer to the range it should have had.

 

Either car will be a great car but the TSI will most definitely be the better 'drivers' car and the TDI perhaps the more practicable car but its just a personal preference thing. There are times I wish my TDI was more fun but I have never once wished I had to fill it up more often so overall I am happy with MY compromise.

[Skodev]

Dean, I've just come from a MK4 petrol Golf GTI to MY16 VRS TDi. It's no noisier, than my golf inside. It's simply effortless to drive with bags of torque under the right foot, and in "real world" driving I'd say you'll get hardly any benefit from the extra 36 horses of the petrol. But you're doing the right thing, get test drives of each, preferably back to back, that way you can decide how each one drives within minutes of each other. But In all honesty, my VRS TDi is just an awesome machine. LOVE driving it, and it puts a grin on my face every day.

[god323]

Av got the Mk3 Vrs TDi and love it to bits!but pulling almost 20k a year mileage wise it's a great car to munch the motorway miles but as previously stated enuff fun to use Sensible on B road Blasts,how fast do you need it to be?

But as also mentioned the extra costs involved in buying a diesel could buy a lot of petrol and short journeys ain't good on the DPF!

Am so happy with mine we have just swapped the wife's mk2 FL Octy Scout in for a Leon FR with the same 184 diesel drivetrain she loves my Vrs but wanted something smaller, Fabia was top of list but Mk3 Fabia just ain't being equipped with a decent output engine!

[Richf]

I surprise myself and have gone back to petrol from three diesels.  Mileage doesn't really justify needing a diesel and while I really like the leisurely torque of a diesel, I really really like the vRS TSi and the way it drives.  I'm at 700 miles and haven't driven it in anger yet, but spirited driving seems to be getting me mid 20's and sensible early 30's.  I've just filled up and this tank I'll be trying to drive economically.  Trying, because it doesn't feel like a car that wants to be treated economically, and I think I'm on the slippery slope to joining Richf's style^^^ :yes:

 

Gaz 

only when the mood takes me

 

I got 41.9 average on the continent last month and that was with three adults and a car full of stuff so not bad and that wasnt in eco mode

 

FWIW the diesel makes less than 10% more torque than the petrol and even then its for a much narrower range, bit like the power , sure they make 184hp but for about 500rpm as opposed to much broader spread of the petrol.

 

As I said I'd need to be doing a lot more miles to even consider one, not saying the diesel is bad but just that the petrol is much better , the diesel is a must for those doing big mileages of course