Hello every one. Alex from Mansfield, originally from Essex!

 

thought id say hi as iv been on this site for a few months lurking while waiting for my new superb to arrive.

it took me a while to decide between a 1.4 and the 2.0 220 tsi. don't want a diesel although most of my driving is motorway's

so my current car is a 05 1.6 ford focus estate, i use it as my run around which is a lot cheaper then my weekend car which is a mk4 golf .:R32! my pride and joy.. any way i eventually decided... 

 

what did i order?

i ordered the superb estate 1.4 TSI SE L EXECUTIVE, manual in corrida red..

with extras like...

-Panoramic sunroof 

-heated windscreen and nozzles 

-hill hold control

-Bluetooth and phone box with wireless charging

-park assist 

-rear view camera 

-colour maxi dot computer

-smart light assist

-canton sound system

-variable boot floor

-led plus pack

-back rest release

-and the bin in the door pocket 

 

i was well chuffed and excited  , the 12 week wait began! the car was due 29 of july...until NCD CANCELED my order!!     

i got an email just as i was boarding a plan in Canada going back to the U.K,  my phone was only able to load a small part of the email which said...

 

"Good Evening Alex

Unfortunately we’ve had some very bad news about"

 

and that was all i could see!! i couldn't believe it!! , so for 9 long hours i could only wonder and hope for the best.... 

i got back on the 9th, a day before my birthday, loaded the email up as soon as we landed to learn the devastating news.. yes i was ****ed, not happy but i got over it, i even had a laugh about the whole situation with the family lol 

 

Now then, i'm ready to reorder a new one but i'm a bit undecided.. i would like the 1.4 in manual, iv been warming up to the idea of dsg because of the horrendous traffic on the m25 on the Fridays.. but i also like the idea of the 2 letre 220 L&K with all the goodies.. my main concern is MPG! i know there are threads about mpg but could any one tell me there mpg doing motor way mileage brim to brim?? or general mpg would help me make up my mind..

not really fussed the tax is 150 a year,

my long term plan for this petrol car ( after the warranty has run out ) is to keep the car and then install an LPG kit to it!    lol  its all good, iv got one on my .:R32! and that still runs smooth, sounds the same and has lost very little bhp.

For any one who's interested il be using a company called prins, they are using a new system where in stead of using the induct manifold for injection, for tsi engines they now use the petrol injector to inject liquid gas which is much more efficient instead of vapor like in old systems and it keeps the injector nozzle's from melting in the cylinder... btw LPG is about half the price of petrol so i like to think that you essentially double your MPG lol.

 

i test drove a 1.4 DSG SEL E today, very smooth, nice gear changes unfortunately the dealer was with me  :(  and i could not relax, i wasn't able to test it out on the motorway (for mpg purpose's lol) as i wanted to, i can say it didn't seem under powered but i didn't see great mpg results probably because it wasn't warm? maybe, any way this made me think if it's like this for the 1.4.. what's it like with the 2.0!! lol 

i have been taking advice from all my family and friends and most are rooting for the 2.0... especially if il be adding lpg in the near future! and only a few are for the 1.4..  im probably 80% 2.0 atm but i just wanted to say hi to you lot and get all your opinion's on the matter..  to which if you could give me some good feed back, it would be much appreciated!    

 

well that's about it from me today, if you have any questions or come backs...good advice lol i would like to hear you opinion!

thanks for reading and all the best.

                 

Alex 

 

 

Hello, and welcome! You'll not be disappointed by either choice to be fair, and it depends a lot on your usage. If it's just munching motorway miles and you're not bothered about getting to speed quickly (because you'll do it once and then spend three hours on cruise control) then the 1.4 won't do you far wrong and will return 50mpg. If you want a nice all rounder, as one of the forum's 220 owners and champions I'd definitely recommend it. Read the 220ps experiences thread (it's not too far down the forum), and ask any questions you have here or there.

 

I just posted in Nick's 280 economy thread, winding him up (in a friendly way) after we did a seaside run today for a family day out. Without trying (lots of traffic, jams, and full bore accelerations) our 2.0 TSI 220 gave us 45mpg by the time we were home. In real world driving you can expect that:

 

1) It will run much, much better on 99 RON fuel. Tesco Momentum 99 is only 5ppl dearer than supermarket 95 RON but will pay for itself in better MPG, smoother running, better low down torque and better top end power. 

2) A squirt of Miller's Petrol Power EcoMax to each tank costs pennies, and will add another 2 RON to the fuel and really does help economy (see 45mpg above!).

3) It takes about half a mile to get the water up to temp, and a few miles (3-5) to warm up the oil to full operating temp. That's when the economy really starts to rise. 

 

Edited to add (because it's late and I'm tired so I forgot, but I thought you'd like to know once I remembered):

 

4) It will be worse on fuel (28mpg ish) until it's run in. Don't panic! Make sure you run it in properly, gently and progressively stretching the engine (another thread) and it'll soon climb. I'm at nearly 4k miles and already beyond delighted.

5) The 220ps DSG is geared differently to the 280ps. They're longer/taller, and although the 0-60 dash isn't much different (and mostly accounted for by the 280's 4x4) the revs are very different at speed. At 70mph you'll see about 1,800rpm on the 220, and 80mph isn't actually much more (or much worse on fuel) - about 2,200rpm. 

 

Cold, around town, you'll see anything from 25mpg (city centre, 1 mile shop run) to 35mpg (pottering around town). Warmed up expect mid to late 30s generally, and easily early to mid 40s mpg on the motorway unless you're absolutely caning it and it's only a short journey. If you use the cruise control it really helps keep economy up, and it's really a very clever system. Older cruise tends to eat fuel up hill and down dale, but ACC really does eke out the fuel without losing speed/acceleration. Use it on longer stretches where you can't 'have fun' anyway, for maximum MPG. 

 

My tanks are 90% around town and short journeys until recently, so I was 'only' seeing about 33mpg. Now Mrs Rainmaker has given birth and is no longer uncomfortable in the car, we're back out and about and the current tank is showing 37mpg or so. Pentaxian on here (another 220ps owner) uses his more like you say you will - longer motorway commutes etc. He sees 40mpg from a tank.

 

Hard acceleration (obviously) lowers economy, but if the engine and oil is warm it very quickly recovers. So you might lose a couple of MPG after booting it up a hill in manual/sport mode past some dawdlers, but flick it back to D and you'll be back up to max MPG in a few hundred yards. No sweat. It's a very Jekyll and Hyde engine. You can pootle about at around 1,500rpm and get mega MPG, but a flick of the gearstick (or paddles on the wheel - DO spec these, you'll regret it if you don't) and you're pulling hard all the way to 7,000rpm and leaving absolutely everything in the dust behind you. The amount of cars who've caught me at the next lights with an 'OMGWTF? A Skoda just did that to me?!' look is hilarious.  :clap:

 

So basically, get the 220. I was in the exact same boat as you. I'd spent a decade counting MPGs in diesels and was worried enough switching to the 1.4, just because it was a petrol. Then I got told I'd always regret not having the extra power when I needed it, and decided to take the 'risk'.... Never, ever regretted it. It's a fantastic engine and a strong workhorse. Just do it. 

Edited 15 August, 20169 yr by Rainmaker

PS if you can make your way over to the north west, I'd happily take you out for a run in it so you can see what you're missing. They're hens' teeth in dealerships so you'll be hard pressed to find a demonstrator.

Is that a thread you can locate off hand?  I was thinking of starting a new one asking about this - I searched but didn't find one.  I know it could be opening a can of worms because there's a few different schools of thought on it but I think my view aligns with yours..  I struggle to maintain a disciplined right foot though... Particularly with the 280 motor I think i'll be champing at the bit to flex some of the cars muscle at every opportunity...  

Is that a thread you can locate off hand?  I was thinking of starting a new one asking about this - I searched but didn't find one.  I know it could be opening a can of worms because there's a few different schools of thought on it but I think my view aligns with yours..  I struggle to maintain a disciplined right foot though... Particularly with the 280 motor I think i'll be champing at the bit to flex some of the cars muscle at every opportunity...  

 

I assume you mean the 220ps experiences, questions and answers thread. However, for you and the OP here also are the:

 

280ps thread

280 Eco Mode thread

and finally the 1.4 TSI Is it Powerful Enough? thread

 

Enjoy.

I assume you mean the 220ps experiences, questions and answers thread. However, for you and the OP here also are the:

 

280ps thread

280 Eco Mode thread

and finally the 1.4 TSI Is it Powerful Enough? thread

 

Enjoy.

Sorry, I appear to have edited out the most relevant part of your quote! Lol. I am referring to running in practices

Sorry, I appear to have edited out the most relevant part of your quote! Lol. I am referring to running in practices

 

Ah! Well in that case, I don't know as I haven't written it yet. There are lots of threads on here, and all around the internet, about running in engines. Most are diametrically opposed to the rest, and they tend to vary from babying the engine lest it explode and caning the daylights out of it lest it eat oil. Perhaps a new thread is in order with recent experiences of the TSI engines. I'll see how busy my girls keep me today...

Hello, and welcome! You'll not be disappointed by either choice to be fair, and it depends a lot on your usage. If it's just munching motorway miles and you're not bothered about getting to speed quickly (because you'll do it once and then spend three hours on cruise control) then the 1.4 won't do you far wrong and will return 50mpg. If you want a nice all rounder, as one of the forum's 220 owners and champions I'd definitely recommend it. Read the 220ps experiences thread (it's not too far down the forum), and ask any questions you have here or there.

 

I just posted in Nick's 280 economy thread, winding him up (in a friendly way) after we did a seaside run today for a family day out. Without trying (lots of traffic, jams, and full bore accelerations) our 2.0 TSI 220 gave us 45mpg by the time we were home. In real world driving you can expect that:

 

1) It will run much, much better on 99 RON fuel. Tesco Momentum 99 is only 5ppl dearer than supermarket 95 RON but will pay for itself in better MPG, smoother running, better low down torque and better top end power. 

2) A squirt of Miller's Petrol Power EcoMax to each tank costs pennies, and will add another 2 RON to the fuel and really does help economy (see 45mpg above!).

3) It takes about half a mile to get the water up to temp, and a few miles (3-5) to warm up the oil to full operating temp. That's when the economy really starts to rise. 

 

Edited to add (because it's late and I'm tired so I forgot, but I thought you'd like to know once I remembered):

 

4) It will be worse on fuel (28mpg ish) until it's run in. Don't panic! Make sure you run it in properly, gently and progressively stretching the engine (another thread) and it'll soon climb. I'm at nearly 4k miles and already beyond delighted.

5) The 220ps DSG is geared differently to the 280ps. They're longer/taller, and although the 0-60 dash isn't much different (and mostly accounted for by the 280's 4x4) the revs are very different at speed. At 70mph you'll see about 1,800rpm on the 220, and 80mph isn't actually much more (or much worse on fuel) - about 2,200rpm. 

 

Cold, around town, you'll see anything from 25mpg (city centre, 1 mile shop run) to 35mpg (pottering around town). Warmed up expect mid to late 30s generally, and easily early to mid 40s mpg on the motorway unless you're absolutely caning it and it's only a short journey. If you use the cruise control it really helps keep economy up, and it's really a very clever system. Older cruise tends to eat fuel up hill and down dale, but ACC really does eke out the fuel without losing speed/acceleration. Use it on longer stretches where you can't 'have fun' anyway, for maximum MPG. 

 

My tanks are 90% around town and short journeys until recently, so I was 'only' seeing about 33mpg. Now Mrs Rainmaker has given birth and is no longer uncomfortable in the car, we're back out and about and the current tank is showing 37mpg or so. Pentaxian on here (another 220ps owner) uses his more like you say you will - longer motorway commutes etc. He sees 40mpg from a tank.

 

Hard acceleration (obviously) lowers economy, but if the engine and oil is warm it very quickly recovers. So you might lose a couple of MPG after booting it up a hill in manual/sport mode past some dawdlers, but flick it back to D and you'll be back up to max MPG in a few hundred yards. No sweat. It's a very Jekyll and Hyde engine. You can pootle about at around 1,500rpm and get mega MPG, but a flick of the gearstick (or paddles on the wheel - DO spec these, you'll regret it if you don't) and you're pulling hard all the way to 7,000rpm and leaving absolutely everything in the dust behind you. The amount of cars who've caught me at the next lights with an 'OMGWTF? A Skoda just did that to me?!' look is hilarious.  :clap:

 

So basically, get the 220. I was in the exact same boat as you. I'd spent a decade counting MPGs in diesels and was worried enough switching to the 1.4, just because it was a petrol. Then I got told I'd always regret not having the extra power when I needed it, and decided to take the 'risk'.... Never, ever regretted it. It's a fantastic engine and a strong workhorse. Just do it. 

 

thanks for the welcome mate 

didn't know i was in the presence of a champion  thanks for the detailed reply! more reasons to get the 2.0L lol iv been lurking on this sight for a few months keeping an eye one the 220 thread and the 1.4 is it powerful enough thread's, seen some interesting stuff and had a good few read's glad to hear that your's has loosened up and returning better mpg figures, not as worried about that now   

 

my driving style on the motor way is easy, a steady 70 mph (40 mpg in the ford) or putting the foot down when really bored. sounds good on the gearing, for me at 70 its at 3200 revs lol

as for fuel il probably keep to shell v-power or maybe try bp ultimate which a lot of the .:R32 lads seem to be raving about atm, tho that is for a naturally aspirated engine.. should be good for the 220 or 1.4 tsi engine too.

and cheers for the offer, if im ever about that way il come and give you a shout mate :beer: 

 

any other 2.0L 220 or 1.4L 150 opinions ??

 

cheers guy's

You're welcome. Just a note that BP Ultimate is 'only' 97 RON and VAG cars are generally only programmed to trigger the high octane map at 98 and above. Tesco 99 beats V-Power in many ways including MON and oxygenates, which turbo cars thrive on. Good luck with your decision, I'm sure others will be along in due course.

R32 Alex ! Welcome mate ! The 220 is a fantastic motor. Just think of it as a slightly underpowered 280... You know like the 280's poor relative. I'll try and be more concise... Like a 280 but without the performance.... and you will be fine ....

 

;-)

 

p.s.

 

All friendly banter on this forum is deadly serious ....

R32 Alex ! Welcome mate ! The 220 is a fantastic motor. Just think of it as a slightly underpowered 280... You know like the 280's poor relative. I'll try and be more concise... Like a 280 but without the performance.... and you will be fine ....

 

;-)

 

p.s.

 

All friendly banter on this forum is deadly serious ....

 

Allow me to translate for you Alex. 

 

"The 220 is a fantastic engine. It has all the bottom and mid-range of the 280, while admittedly lacking compared to it at the top end, but you're well into illegal waters by then anyway. In the real world it has none of the 280's extra weight and complexity to slow you down, and returns almost double the MPG".

 

As you may notice, we like to have fun on here, but at the end of the day we're all Briskodans. Unless you drive a diesel, in which case... well it's all a bit embarrassing really.

Nothing wrong with diesel...!     Getting decent MPG out of my oil burner but it helps 95% of my drive is at 70 on dual carriageway.  To be honest, I was wondering about the 1.4 TSi (as I could have afforded a SE rather than an 'S') but the dealer advised me to go for a diesel due to my annual mileage.  Ho hum, maybe next time. :p

 

Nice to see someone who chose a sensible colour - assuming you re-order in the same that is!  Get reordered quick and join us in our luxury - you won't regret it!

Edited 16 August, 20169 yr by MCG1975

Oh - and in answer to your query about range brim to brim - best I've had so far is 813 miles and it wasn't quite down to the bottom.

Allow me to translate for you Alex. 

 

"The 220 is a fantastic engine. It has all the bottom and mid-range of the 280, while admittedly lacking compared to it at the top end, but you're well into illegal waters by then anyway. In the real world it has none of the 280's extra weight and complexity to slow you down, and returns almost double the MPG".

 

As you may notice, we like to have fun on here, but at the end of the day we're all Briskodans. Unless you drive a diesel, in which case... well it's all a bit embarrassing really.

:p

Hi R32Alex

 

Rainmaker has given you pretty much what I would say including the "buy it you will not be disappointed".  Make sure you get the paddles as they add a lot to the drive and you will regret not getting them.

 

I have the 220PS DSG L&K Hatch and have just come back from a 1800 mile holiday in Austria, the cost for fuel was 16 cents per mile and when you consider that 1400 of that mileage was the car fully loaded to pretty much its load limit and it cruised on the motorways as if it was empty, there were a few looks as the car took off in front of them .  Revs wise it was barely above what it is when empty.    I am not one to let it get too low when cruising the motorways as fuel stops were a little spaced out as we were not on the main tourist route.

 

In the UK my main commute is 14 miles of country roads and I pass 38mpg and that is using 97 RON Esso fuel, I have now moved over to Tesco 99 without the additive that Rainmaker was mentioning and it has risen a little but am waiting to see what it is like as the Tesco I have had problems with before for 95RON on a previous car.  Normally from full to pretty much the top of the red is 500+ miles, in the early days when running in yes it was lower but suddenly jumped after around 2500 miles.  Yes it is easy to use the fuel but to be honest the little extra makes for a very enjoyable drive, I have enjoyed the occasions when various "drivers" have been tailgating and a small tweak of the accelerator and they are then lost in dust, probably enjoying it more as my last car had the power capability of a asthmatic snail.

 

The ACC is a godsend with the DSG box it simply makes you relax, I have yet to trust in the fully stopping and starting but in motorway traffic and queuing traffic it really comes into its own.  Have only just put half a litre of oil in mine.

 

I would recommend Dennis Hortons in Lincoln if you can get over, especially Richard Lunn.  They did not have a 220PS Superb in when I ordered last year but got their hands on a 230PS Octavia for me to test drive so might be worth an ask, they do operate on CARWOW and gave me a good deal.

Ah! Well in that case, I don't know as I haven't written it yet. There are lots of threads on here, and all around the internet, about running in engines. Most are diametrically opposed to the rest, and they tend to vary from babying the engine lest it explode and caning the daylights out of it lest it eat oil. Perhaps a new thread is in order with recent experiences of the TSI engines. I'll see how busy my girls keep me today...

 

I would love to read this when you write it. As somebody planning on buying a 280 petrol I would love to know how to run it in correctly.

Pentaxian:

My MPG rose steadily over the course of three tanks of M99 mate, so don't give up too early. I find the car even prefers it to V-Power (which, with higher MON and more alcohols, makes sense). Let me know how you get on with it. I can definitely also endorse Miller's Petrol Power EcoMax, it bumps the octane up even more and definitely aids low down torque and MPG. You only need 1ml to each 1 litre of fuel, it lasts ages.

Edited 16 August, 20169 yr by Rainmaker

I would love to read this when you write it. As somebody planning on buying a 280 petrol I would love to know how to run it in correctly.

 

I'm no mechanical engineer mate, but I would certainly be happy to start a thread with my own experiences and for others to chime in. 

I would love to read this when you write it. As somebody planning on buying a 280 petrol I would love to know how to run it in correctly.

I pretty much followed what it said in the manual with the odd blast into redline territory. On long motorway runs I set the cruise but changed gear every 10 minutes.

Ie cruise set at 65. 10 mins in 6th, 10 in 5th, 10 in 4th then back to 6th... Repeat.

Just over 6k and not used a drop of oil yet.

Doesn't go above 3k of course until oil up to temp.

Edited 16 August, 20169 yr by Nick_H

Pentaxian:

My MPG rose steadily over the course of three tanks of M99 mate, so don't give up too early. I find the car even prefers it to V-Power (which, with higher MON and more alcohols, makes sense). Let me know how you get on with it. I can definitely also endorse Miller's Petrol Power EcoMax, it bumps the octane up even more and definitely aids low down torque and MPG. You only need 1ml to each 1 litre of fuel, it lasts ages.

 

I will look around for it, I had read in the manual that no additives should be used so had not looked for anything.

 

Will give the 99 a few tanks, the latest fill up was only just under half a tank.  Had to top up after the holiday so that everyone could contribute, I would guess at the moment it is well mixed with Shell v-Racing 100 that I put in before leaving Germany which I was pleased at as the cost for that was the same as the normal 95 in Holland.

I will look around for it, I had read in the manual that no additives should be used so had not looked for anything.

 

Will give the 99 a few tanks, the latest fill up was only just under half a tank.  Had to top up after the holiday so that everyone could contribute, I would guess at the moment it is well mixed with Shell v-Racing 100 that I put in before leaving Germany which I was pleased at as the cost for that was the same as the normal 95 in Holland.

 

What I wouldn't do for a try of some of the 100+ RON continental stuff.  The manuals do say that, but tbf it's more aimed at making sure Joe Idiot doesn't put something highly inappropriate into his shiny new, high pressure, fine tolerance fuel system (especially something containing metals!). Miller's are a long-standing British oil company who have made many additives and engine oils for donkeys years. Their petrol additive is metal free, and perfectly safe (it actually is just a good strong dose of the 'additive pack' high end fuel companies use, along with a petroleum based heavy aromatic octane booster). You can't do any harm with it and it's been independently tested - and certified - over and over through the years. It's always the owner's call, but I have never had a single issue in a decade of using it.

 

For those who asked, I've started an engine running-in thread for any interested party to contribute to. You may need to grab a brew before you dive in...

cheers mcg and pentaxian.   nick cheers for the heads up mate! im liking all this 280 and 220 banter haha

wouldn't think it's really appropriate for me to comment on the subject.. tho i wouldn't like to think about all that drive train loss on them rear diff's either tbh 

 

mcg yep still going with red, almost went with the petrol blue, my test drive was in a red one and i quite liked it! 

glad yours is treating u well, i got nothing against the oil burners mate, 1 reason for wanting a petrol for my daily is the lpg install later on as you can't put it on a diesel. tho that must feel good to get over 800 miles on a single tank!!  only get 475 on the old ford lol

 

pentaxian cheers for your opinion, flappy paddles will be on the order list for sure! agree with the poor mpg with a new engine, i did see a while back at the start of the mpg thread with peoples low mpg figures with there motor's, did make me wonder! as there wasn't much on the 2.0 or the 1.4

the dsg will be on what ever car i get, i thought it was quite smooth on the test drive!  will be a lot easier in the traffic jams of the m25! il keep the manual for my .:R32    

 

right, about to go and read the running in thread with brew in hand!  :beer: 

lad's.. it's done.. i made the order today...   went for the 2.0L!

 

quite relieved after all that time trying to decide, tackling one choice after the other, a lot of stress has been lifted  , what tipped it for the 2.0L was that i will be putting LPG on it in the future( which i kept forgetting while trying to decide.. )and from what other people are reporting, it's not too bad on fuel, mpg ect which is what i was most concerned about!, and it will be on par or better than my 1.6 ford. cheaper on tax as well  :$$$: 

 

so i went for the 2.0L  L&K estate in red,

with a few extras like 

-pano sunroof

-media command

-phone box, wirless charging 

-rear view camera

-smart gate

-smart light assist

-gear shiift paddles 

-net partition 

-Variable boot floor

-space saver 

 

so the long wait begins, il be asking for an eta in a week or so.  really hope iv made the right choice here, hopefully i have! 

and thank's to tho's who gave advice, much appreciated! 

 

any questions send me a message.

 

cheers

Red estate ? Best colour choice .... ;-)

Red estate ? Best colour choice .... ;-)

 

I agree red for estate but white with sunroof and black wrap roof on the hatch.