Afternoon all.

 

So, I've a 56 plate Octavia, 1.9TDi manual. It's hit 91k miles without any massive issues, and has served me well. It is, however, starting to cost me a fair bit of money each year in servicing and maintenance.

 

I'm changing jobs and will no longer be commuting by car. As my average mileage will drop below 10k miles per year, and there seem to be some good deals on at the moment (£1k deposit contribution for a new car, 0% PCP), I'm thinking of changing to a petrol.

 

The 1.4 TSi looks good to me, and I'd appreciate comments and opinions on it, especially on real world MPG. I appreciate it's not been available for long, but is there a big benefit going for the newer 150ps as opposed to the 140?

 

I'm thinking manual rather than DSG, but the DSG version does seem to be extremely efficient these days. 

 

In terms of driving, I'll mostly be taking short journeys on country and sometimes town roads, with the occasional long distance motorway trip.

 

Thanks in advance

 

I got high 40's mpg without trying in the short time I had mine - DSG.  That was the 140PS - I don't expect any difference with the 150PS though.

Mine is an MY 2016 estate (150 PS) with DSG and does 44-46 mpg for the moment (not so many miles yet). This is with roughly the same driving pattern as you describe. 

I have the 1.4 TSI DSG Combi.

 

I get around 41-42 mpg uk. My driving is mostly city and motorway (@70-90mph). It's a company car with fuel card, so I might not be driving as economically as possible

 

I like the car very much. The engine is very quiet and cultivated. Compared to a diesel you may have to change gears more often, but with the DSG I really don't notice at all. 

It's great on fuel but, it'll drink a bit if you rag it!

Mine (140ps) is showing overall nearly 40 mpg from new, and that is almost all short trips around town.

I'm the last person to "rag it"

 

I think, by the sounds of it, I'd be looking at 40s for short trips and local driving, and 50s for long distance trips, if driven economically. Does that sound likely?

 

Thanks for the replies so far

Also consider the new Astra, on 0% and they are running a £2k scrappage scheme.

If you keep your cars a long time DSG might not be totally reliable, manual is less risky.

Also consider the 1.2 TSi 110, it goes well and I can get up to 50mpg average.

I have a 4 week old 1.4 TSI SE L DSG with Adaptive Cruise Control. I always stick to speed limits and don't drive in an aggressive manner whilst keeping up with the general traffic flow. I spend most of my time driving in urban areas but have done a couple of drives over 100 miles since I got it. My experience so far has been nothing short of exceptional so far - achieving 42mpg around town and 57mpg on the longer journeys. I find the 7-speed DSG gearbox delightfully smooth and the engine has surprisingly nippy performance while remaining extremely quiet and refined. The START/STOP system is almost undetectable in operation and the Adaptive Cruise Control is brilliant on a longer journey. Boot is enormous too. Only slight reservation so far is that the brakes are a wee bit on the sharp side compared to my Honda CRV. Dare say I'll grow into them. Overall I love driving the Octavia and will be interested to see how it fares as it "runs in."

Same as you I went from a 1.9d manual to a 1.4tsi manual combi.

Totally different cars to drive and the mk3 feels like a sports car by comparison and will get to 100 kph about 4 seconds faster and especially eager away from the lights.

Despite being noticeably bigger/roomier it is about 150kg lighter with similar torque available from about 1500 revs to about 4000 but there is little point in revving higher.

There is very little engine braking so to get good fuel consumption I find that you do have to anticipate traffic more than the diesel.

The lightr weight and torsion bar rear mean it is less settled when cruising in strong cross winds and faster bumpy curves but I think it changes direction quicker and definitely feels more nimble.

You won't get the same sense of solidity but overall the mk3 is the better car once you acclimatise.

Petrol is much quieter and you will get warm air from the heater within a km of starting which is not to be sniffed at on a cold morning.

I miss certain aspects of the old car but overall do not regret the change.

My 1.4 manual is going well. I've managed as much as 60mpg in the city (light traffic). It is also surprisingly quick from 2000-4000 rpm.

This is all really useful stuff, thank you!

Confession time: I'm about as far from a petrol head as you can get I just like having a comfortable (I'm 6'3" with long legs) and efficient car that doesn't break the bank, either on purchase or servicing.

 

By the sounds of it, I won't lose anything from going for the 140ps as opposed to the 150, and it's really just a matter of whether I prefer manual to auto.

 

One more thing, though: is the Skoda Rapid hatch a good alternative? It looks only a little smaller, with a significantly lower price tag.

By the sounds of it, I won't lose anything from going for the 140ps as opposed to the 150

The torque figures are the same (250/1,500-3,500) and the difference in power is only at the top end (140/4,500-6,000 compared with 150/5,000-6,000), so unless you're revving it over 5000 rpm you're unlikely to notice the difference.

According to the brochures, the 150PS TSI is slightly more efficient than the 140PS, which is enough to tip the manual from VED band D (£110) to band C (£30)*. The DSG is band C anyway. There have been reports here of the emissions on the V5 not being exactly the same as the brochure and the VED band changing as a result. I don't know which cars that applies to.

* Except for 18" wheels on a manual 150PS TSI estate, which is still band D.

Ah, now that is a consideration re. the VED. Thanks for flagging that up!

I have the 140ps in a MK7 Golf estate. Very good & very quick, way better than the written figures let you think................ I have it in sport & get an accurate brim to brim of over 43mpg minimum on Shell Nitro..................& heavy right foot............

 

The only difference between the 150 & 140 is the ACT tech on the cams to enable Active Cylinder shut off..................not worth it IMHO.............more to go wrong

 

as for VED the government can change the banding as & when they want more money................& 17" wheels push it up.............

Edited 27 October, 201510 yr by fabdavrav

Again, really appreciate the help

 

Took one for a test drive today: 1.4 manual estate (I'm thinking of a hatchback). In ECO mode on a nice round trip taking in a good variety of roads, I got 48mpg on the trip counter. I'd have expected 56-58mpg reported on my car for that trip, so I'm pretty impressed (especially as it only had 2k on the clock).

 

I've a lot to think about. Currently, with the 0% PCP and £1k deposit contribution, a new car is looking like quite an attractive option. Then again, the depreciation would be significant, and I'd still have to buy the car outright at the end.

 

My dealer can get nearly new ex-demos directly from Skoda UK at very reasonable prices (around £15k for an Elegance/SE L), but then you don't get the 0% PCP or deposit contribution.

 

Then again, I could just drive my car until it falls apart. They've offered a £1.7k trade in value as their opening gambit, which I think is a little low.

 

Decisions, decisions!

Edited 27 October, 201510 yr by JohnK

Dont look at the Rapid, its a budget car and feels it. The Octavia is much more refined.

Also get a discount price off carwow and ask the dealer to match. Also get a We buy any car quote on your trade in, to compare prices.

Do drive the 1.2 110, lots of people ignore it, but its really good.

Also consider the new Astra, on 0% and they are running a £2k scrappage scheme.

If you keep your cars a long time DSG might not be totally reliable, manual is less risky.

Also consider the 1.2 TSi 110, it goes well and I can get up to 50mpg average.

What mpg do you generally get ? When you say you can get up to 50 mpg from your 1.2, is that driving slowly to eek out every last drop ?

What mpg do you generally get ? When you say you can get up to 50 mpg from your 1.2, is that driving slowly to eek out every last drop ?

No thats driving normally. Did a 10 mile A road trip today, 60mph most of the way, averaged 51mpg. Few blasts from the lights also, not even run in yet, only 800 miles.

Sounds good, I originally went with the intention of getting a 1.2 tsi, but eventually bought a 1.6tdi as I do about 20k miles a year. Was looking at keeping the 1.6 long term but with all this diesel controversy I may just bin it for a petrol when the pcp ends. Been reading these 1.4 topics with interest as there don't seem to be many 1.2's about.

I have the 140ps in a MK7 Golf estate. Very good & very quick, way better than the written figures let you think................ I have it in sport & get an accurate brim to brim of over 43mpg minimum on Shell Nitro..................& heavy right foot............

The only difference between the 150 & 140 is the ACT tech on the cams to enable Active Cylinder shut off..................not worth it IMHO.............more to go wrong

Sorry, just to be clear, the ACT is on the Golf, not the Octavia. The claimed efficiency savings are impressive though, they make the 150PS 1.4 more efficient than the 110PS 1.2.

as for VED the government can change the banding as & when they want more money................& 17" wheels push it up.............

According to the current Octavia brochure, the 17" wheels push the 1.6TDI estate and DSG hatch up one VED band compared with 16", but they don't affect the band of any other model.

At the moment it looks like the current government is leaving the VED banding of existing cars alone and only messing about with the banding new cars registered from April 2017. But of course you're right, they could change that at any time.

If you are doing significantly less mileage does the fuel economy really matter that much?

 

I'm in similar circumstance to you with my company about to offer a fully maintained company car for use Mon-Fri so I still need a private car for weekends / annual leave.  Financially, the best economics are to keep my 2007 1.8tsi until the wheels fall off but I'm very tempted to have a last hurrah and search out something with a ridiculously powerful motor  that's already amortised the bulk of depreciation (about 3 years old).

 

But if you think you deserve a new car, go for it.

In very general terms re acceleration the old 1.9pd, the current  1.6 tdi and the 1.2tsi seem to offer similar performance, albeit the delivery characteristics are entirely different.

The same generalisation suggests the 1.4tsi is pretty close to the 2.0tdi in performance which is sub 9sec 0-60mph.

Diesel trumps petrol for consumption/performance especially where any 'hard work' is involved (towing, sustained high speeds, hilly conditions).

Driven in similar conditions  I get 40 to 45 mpg for the mk3 1.4tsi and got 45 to 50  mpg for my 1.9pd mk2.

 

Mk 3, in perfect conditions, no wind, about 20 deg C ambient temperature and dead flat roads and no other traffic at a steady GPS indicated 110 kph (speed limit) I get a true 5.7l/100 (49mpg).

My mk 2 in the same conditions got a true 5.2 l/100. The Mk2 consumption indicator was 0.3 l/100 optimistic but I have allowed for that.

 

Both my cars were manuals which is my preference, and I always confirm the accuracy of my odometer and speedometer and record all fuel fills (one has to trust the accuracy of pumps unfortunately).

Not everybody does this and so some claims can be quite impressive if only going by the display. For instance the speedo on my Mk2 was a massive 8% out so traveling at an indicated 110kph was actually 102kph which combined with the optimistic fuel display meant I seemed to be getting about 4 l/100 at 110kph, which I patently was not.

 

The diesel was definitely an easier  drive than the petrol to achieve the economy figures but for the lower tsi purchase price and the low annual mileage I do the petrol was the better buy for me.

I have not driven a 1.2tsi Octavia (not available in Australia) but the Mk3 is not a small car so it is possible to load up with 450kg of passengers and luggage and I would then prefer to have the extra 75Nm of the 1.4.

Edited 28 October, 201510 yr by Gerrycan

John, the 1.4TSi Octavia is a seriously impressive piece of kit. No, it ain't stand-out stylish, yes it's interior is get-the-job-done rather than all tints and texture, and if we're honest the rear suspension is pretty basic.

But...it is very good value: remarkably roomy, very big boot even in the hatch, decent kit list with toys straight from Audi/VW, and pretty solid build. I could have gone for an up spec model but decided I was better off in an SE on the taller tyres because it softens the ride and spent the extra on the DSG auto gearbox - a seriously impressive piece of kit. I'm one of life's trundlers and I get 45-47mpg (real world - the fuel computer is very optimistic).

I went for a 3 year PCP because it was, frankly, cheap.

Unless you're a petrolhead or kerb appeal is important don't bother with bells-and-whistles versions. SEs in metallic grey look great.

I'm very happy with my 1.4 TSI 140 estate (manual), having come from a Mk1 1.9 TDI 110 hatch.

 

The car is *much* faster and *much* quieter.  The only place the powertrain looses is that it is not quite as good at trundling along in 2nd in heavy traffic and then pulling smoothly away.  It often needs to be downshifted to 1st where my old diesel would have been perfectly happy in 2nd.  If you're going DSG that obviously won't be an issue.

 

In terms of real-world, measured fuel economy (not what the computer says), I'm getting 45-50mpg on the same commute that my 1.9 TDI 110 got 50-55mpg on.  Driven reasonably gently, it can get close to the diesel economy.  Drive "enthusiastically" and you'll see the economy tumble at a rate that seems much faster to me than my diesel - but then it is a lot quicker.

Edited 28 October, 201510 yr by iriches