Hi everyone.looking to buy my first yeti in about a months time.looking to buy nearly new but can't decide between petrol or diesel?.the vehicle will mainly be used for short trips to work but longer trips at weekends.during weekend the vehicle will be loaded with 2 adults,1 child,2dogs,and on occasions 2 mountain bikes on tow bar rack.is the 1.2 tsi engine powerful enough to cope with that load? Or am I better off getting the 140bhp turbo diesel engine? Any advice would be most helpful

Hi Bigmax,  have you had petrol & diesel cars before?

A lot of owners say the 1.2tsi is a great engine but, a lot of diesel owners say they the 140bhp is as well.

If you never tow a trailer or van, then the 1.2 would probably suit.

Mine is the 140 diesel and for me it's perfect.  It pulls great but, I used to drive trucks so prefer the pulling power.

And of course it depends on your driving habits, whether it's foot down or just a gentle press of the throttle. 

My average mpg is just on 41, over 36000 miles (heavy right foot).

But of course, you need to have a test drive in both types for the personal experience.

Good luck in your choice. And, what extras you wish to aim for.

40,000 miles in 26 months in my 1.2Tsi. Over 40 mpg, plenty powerful. Diesels + short journeys = possible DPF regeneration problems.

Does current VW diesel engine scandal apply to latest Yetis?

Rule of thumb, petrol up to 15,000 miles per annum, diesel if higher. You do get low down grunt in a diesel whereas a petrol needs a bit more revving.

Initial extra cost of Diesel needs to be factored in against better mpg benefit.

I'm sure others will be on to add their advice, maybe give a link to previous similar questions.

Hi thanks for replying thingy,I have had a couple of diesel cars before and got on fine with them.of course we will be test driving both petrol and diesel.I am slightly swaying towards the 140 diesel at the moment,as I intend to keep the vehicle for a long time.

They are both good engines.  If you aren't planning to tow and won't be doing huge milage I expect the petrol would be a better bet.

 

Certainly test both.

It would be good, and sensible I think, if Skoda UK were to offer the 1.4 litre petrol engine in more Yetis. I think it is only found in the L & K 4x4 at present. If I was ordering soon I would appreciate the choice of the 1.4 petrol for SE and SEL specs as well. I think people will be wary of diesels for the foreseeable future and Skoda need to offer more petrol options.

Conventional wisdom points toward petrol if many short trips and relatively low annual mileage. I have a 170 HP diesel from 2009 with 150,000 km on the odometer. My driving need was originally some business trips and an annual 10,000 km road trip to southern Spain. After retiring, this has changed to mainly short trips into town and twice weekly to a larger town, about 25 km each way, plus monthly longer stints. I never pull anything larger than a utility trailer.

 

So far, not a single problem related to the relatively large diesel. It regenerates the DPF on occasion, but the regen light has never come on. 

 

The 4X4 Haldex drive has performed perfectly. You do not notice it much in normal driving, but recent trips in front wheel drive cars, which spin the front wheel during acceleration on slippery, wet surfaces point towards how effective the Haldex is.

I'm wondering why you are saying 1.2 Tsi (so 2 x 4) or 140 Tdi (so 4 x 4). Why have you discounted a 110 Tdi 2x2? If you want a bit more grunt to pull weight, this is probably the best compromise unless 4x4 is also a consideration.

The DPF won't be an issue if you are taking long trips at weekends. Also, to correct an earlier post, diesel costs the same as (indeed in some cases less than) petrol these days (since the Saudi's opened a new refinery to address worldwide production).

So, try both and go with what you prefer, but when you test drive, remember that the diesel will pull better fully loaded.

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Edited 11 October, 201510 yr by Falmouthboy

My 1.2 was fine fully loaded with roof box on a camping trip in North Yorkshire. It was reving a bit more on the 25% hills but hardly struggling. When I bought mine I probably would have got a diesel however if it was available with the dsg gearbox in SE spec. That was before dieselgate however!

Your description of how you use your car is similar to how I use mine, a 1.2 Elegance (manual) now two and a half years old. Much of my mileage is local when it is often just two adults and one large and two small dogs. But for the last few years my wife and I have holidayed with her parents and then it's been four adults, three dogs and all the luggage including an assortment of dog beds so the roof rails have had both one of the small Halfords top boxes and a couple of large suitcase strapped on top, hardly helping with the aerodynamics! Well laden down like I had no problems driving the car from the Portsmouth area down to Dartmoor and North Devon even on some of the long and steep hills . Yes there was a sometimes bit more gear changing and I didn't push the speed (which probably helped with economy anyway) but I never felt seriously short of power and, nothing to do with the engine but perhaps useful to know, even with a lot of weight above the roof line the Yeti still felt really stable. (I did similar journeys in my previous 2 litre Volvo V50 diesel and to the best of my recollections I don't think there really was much difference under real life conditions, despite the extra 30bhp I supposedly had with the Volvo).

 

Couple of other things to think about would be how long it takes for the engine to reach operating temperature (I believe diesels are slower than petrol engines and if you do a lot of shorter trips during the week this might have implications for servicing intervals - those with more technical knowledge than me might be able to help but if a diesel means shorter service intervals it could cancel out the saving in fuel cost) and whether this also means the cabin stays colder longer on frosty mornings so there could be comfort consideration.

 

There are pros and cons to either choice so you really need to drive both, preferably back to back, and see which you prefer. 

What paul52 said   ^^^^.

If you're coming from a Ford Fusion I'm sure you'll find the 1.2 more than adequate.

The 1.2TSI 105 is a good engine which I have in the Spaceback and for short trips this would be the one to naturally recommend. However I find loaded and in hilly terrain like I have round here, it can run out of torque compared to a diesel; our last Yeti a TDI 110 4x4 was far better with a full load.

 

We now have a V40 X Country D2 115PS and likewise I much prefer using this car on a longer run, purely for the extra pull of the oil burner.

 

 

Would therefore recommend you try both to see which you feel most at home with.

 

 

TP

I have heard that the issues with dpf's were on the older PD engines not the newer CR engines that Skoda/VW etc have used for some years now.

 

To add to that, we have two CR engines in the family, a 1.6 DSG in a Seat Altea and the 2.0 in a 4WD Yeti. The Seat is used for around the town journeys and although we can hear/feel the regen been done, have never had the light come on or other issues surrounding the dpf (touch wood) with either vehicle.

 

When I had a Octavia vRS with the 2.0 170 PD engine, the regen now light came on several times - even though the car was driven hard and for long journeys. Once, I drove from Scotland to Canary Wharf on a Monday morning, obviously a long journey with good speed and engine temperature. Got a mile away from canary wharf and the DPF light came on!!!! 

Also remember that one of the main reasons this annual mileage factor comes up is to offset the cost of MPG vs initial purchase cost, diesel's doing better MPG but costing more to buy - however, depending on current deals that may well not be true, shop around and you may get a diesel version cheaper than the petrol equivalent.