Goodbye VRS Hello 1.4TSI SE

[gRoberts]

All this talk only serves to show I made the right decision. So long as I get better than the 41 mpg I get now (PD130 is poorly) I'll be happy.

[MoggyTech]

Told you :)

You sure did, and I am suitably impressed.

 

All this talk only serves to show I made the right decision. So long as I get better than the 41 mpg I get now (PD130 is poorly) I'll be happy.

 

Considering my Octavia VRS dropped from 50.4 MPG to 46 when the colder weather set in, and this 1.4TSI is managing 50+ I'm looking forward to summer already.

Edited 1 December, 2016 by MoggyTech

[gRoberts]

The Fabia seems to have dropped far more than 4-5mpg, more like 15. If I put my foot down, you can see the fuel gauge drop :( 

 

I'm just looking forward to a comfortable ride, with the all the goodies. The Fabia, despite being a VRS has a worse trim level than my wife's Dacia Sandero. 

[MoggyTech]

The Fabia seems to have dropped far more than 4-5mpg, more like 15. If I put my foot down, you can see the fuel gauge drop :(

 

I'm just looking forward to a comfortable ride, with the all the goodies. The Fabia, despite being a VRS has a worse trim level than my wife's Dacia Sandero. 

Yeh I had one of the limited edition Fabia VRS's. Great little car and highly tune-able, but getting long in the tooth now. Traded mine in for the octy VRS back in 2014. If you have dropped that much MPG I would suspect bucket tappets, or possibly worn cam lobes. Mine was dropping MPG by about the same as yours, when I traded it in. It was low mileage so probably all down to my right foot. 

[GBHam]

Look forward to your one month in report. The 1.4TSI DSG is on my wish list for my next car in about 2 years time (unless a really good offer shows up).

[MoggyTech]

Look forward to your one month in report. The 1.4TSI DSG is on my wish list for my next car in about 2 years time (unless a really good offer shows up).

Two years down the road you will get an even better version of the 1.4TSI, downside will be, it will have the new ugly facelift  :p

[Dempsek]

Very pleased to read how much you are liking your 1.4, for me it's the sweet spot of the range.

Try setting the car to sport mode and pull the DSG stick back to set the DSG to normal.

Edited 3 December, 2016 by Dempsek

[themanwithnoaim]

Very pleased to read how much you are liking your 1.4, for me it's the sweet spot of the range.

Try setting the car to sport mode and pull the DSG stick back to set the DSG to normal.

This is fun

[MoggyTech]

I tend to change to sport mode using the 'flick back' function on the stick, much more predictable than using kick down. Only problem I have had with this car so far, is I can't stop driving it  :clap:

[Dempsek]

I tend to have the car set to sport mode engine and DSG and flick back to normal DSG, then as I need it with a flick of the DSG to full sport.

[MoggyTech]

Quick update for those interested. Car has now done 700 miles and there is one major problem that has cropped up, I don't want to stop driving it  :sun:

So far no coolant used, no oil used and oil is still very clean. Car computer says long term MPG 51, actual using same pump and filling to first click works out at 49.7 MPG so happy with that. Those MPG figures are from -3c weather conditions, so I think I may hit 50+ MPG when the warmer weather arrives.

 

Dog with two tails at the moment.

[Wardy]

Sounds good.

 

How do short runs compare, MPG wise?

[MoggyTech]

Sounds good.

 

How do short runs compare, MPG wise?

A one mile there and back returns about 38MPG. That's from stone cold -3C. Takes about 10 miles in this weather to get into the mid 40's MPG.

[ednmra]

A one mile there and back returns about 38MPG. That's from stone cold -3C. Takes about 10 miles in this weather to get into the mid 40's MPG.

Yes, mine nearly all short runs tends to end up at between 38 and 39 mpg. But shoots up on long runs, into at least upper forties.

[Wardy]

Thanks. Just wondered how it compared with diesel, on shorter runs. In this weather is also useful, given a diesel would take longer to warm up.

 

And how efficient the 1.4TSI was, when cold.

[Suuntobob]

Final day before I say goodbye to my 64 plate 2.0 Tdi VRS. My annual mileage means a diesel just doesn't make sense, and an injury to my left wrist that will take time to heal, means a DSG made a lot of sense.

 

So I was lucky to find an Octavia 1.4TSI SE on a 16 plate, with just 700 miles on the clock, dealer show car. So it was off for a test drive. First impression, the 1.4TSI is a very quiet engine, coupled with higher profile tyres = less noise in general. Back to that engine, it felt every bit as quick as the VRS diesel lump, a real joy to drive in fact. Switch to sport mode, all the fun without the noise.

 

My VRS was an ex dealer company car that I picked up for 19K in September 2014 2,800 miles on the clock. I've done another 8K miles and it's been trouble free, although it's developed a clutch vibration if you give it the beans. The 1.4 TSI SE was going for 15.5K sterling, and as we know, VRS residuals are a proverbial bag of bricks. So when I saw I was only going to have to pay 1.4K for a car that is two years newer, and for me anyway, much nicer to drive, I was sold.

 

So tomorrow I pick up the Silver machine and must remember two things. There is no clutch pedal, and it drinks petrol not diesel.

 

Cheers guys. 

I don't want to be picky, but it sips petrol NOT drinks

[MoggyTech]

I don't want to be picky, but it sips petrol NOT drinks

My bad, still thinking back to the days when I had a Mustang, that didn't even drink petrol, it ate the fuel tank. 

[SkodaVRS1963]

Most of the time you won't believe you're only driving a 1.4

 

Yes, there was a time when I swore I'd never go back to petrol.

 

I used to think my VRS 184bhp diesel was nippy.  Now I have my Focus ST 250bhp petrol, I realise how deluded I was.

 

43mpg out my Skoda, 39mpg out of my ST, both driven in exactly the same way - no-brainer given the performance increase.

[MoggyTech]

Well I was going to do a one month on review, but seeing as I've done 1,000 miles in a week, here's the review.

 

Quite simply, this is the most fun car I have ever owned. Would have preferred it to have multilink rear suspension, but to be honest, unless you drive like a total idiot, the back end is predictable. 1,000 mile average MPG 48.4 with about 60% motorway cruising, 30% A roads and 10% B roads. The engine is very refined and almost silent, cabin noise is much better than my old VRS, in fact coupled with the smooth almost seamless DSG gear changes, it's just a joy to drive.

 

It hasn't used any water or oil and nothing has come loose or started to rattle. I can't see me ever going back to a manual car, and definitely will never go back to a diesel.

 

General Rating

1: Engine 10/10

2: Gearbox 9/10

3: Handling 8/10

4: Economy 9/10

5: Fun factor 11/10   

[Dempsek]

Really pleased you are enjoying your car so much DSG is a bit like marmite, fortunately I like marmite.

I've said a few times how I think the 1.4 is pretty much as quick as a TDI VRS and for me it is the sweet spot of the engines -frugel if driven right and a big smile if you put your foot down. If a standard Octy had multi link at the back why buy a Golf.

My MPG is quite a bit lower than yours as I drive 90% of the time around town with 2 or 4 up and smile when I am not.

[gRoberts]

I've had my 1.4 TSI (Manual) for a few days now and so far, 36 mpg is what I'm getting when driving on Eco but to be fair, the furthest I've driven so far, is about 12 miles.

 

It's deceptively quite! I have had problems with my ears for years now and normally ambient sounds help, however as the car is so bloody quite, my ears are starting to ring. Nice that at higher speeds, it's still really quiet!

[MoggyTech]

Well yesterday evening I was on the M9 to M8 section of motorway which is a 50MPH section. Loads of trucks in the inside lane, so I'm pootling along at 50 slowly passing the line of trucks. Now there's a guy in a BMW behind me so close I couldn't even see his number plate, and he's giving it the flashy headlight routine. We get to the 70 MPH section, I drop it into sport mode and floor it  That opened up a nice gap, as in about a quarter mile.  :clap: