Hi hoping to go car hunting this weekend.. elegance est .. last question what's best 1.6deals or 2.0d .. do about 15k a year .. please don't say 1.4 as that will put spanner in works as did think 1.4 ..

Hi DD

15k would suggest a diesel would be more suitable.

The 2.0 pull really well regardless of power output, can't comment on a 1.6

A 1.6 might well be ok, a lot depends on what you would typically carry and the sort of journeys that make up your annual mileage.

As many would say, test drive both across a mixture of roads including gradients as sometimes it's things like that which highlight a potential downside in smaller engines.

Best of luck.

Edited 10 December, 20169 yr by Mence

I would recommend 2.0,really suits the Octavia well.

Monitoring the VAG 1.6 had more problems technically in 1.6, have a friend with 1.6 100k km and we invested hours searching for proper fixes for a common issue they have. Not sure it's fixed.

However the fuel consumption is very similar but power of 2.0 is far away. Specially outside the city I will recommend it every time.

Can you elaborate for 1.4 TSI more?

For that kind of mileage either one would be absolutely fine, yes the larger engine will have more power available all the time but the 1.6 diesel is no slouch either when driven at motorway speeds. My last car was a Mondeo 2.2 TD which had huge amounts of power, almost too much at times and originally I had wanted the 2 litre diesel but at that time there were none available without long waits, so ended up with the 1.6 diesel instead. Compared to the Mondeo I can certainly feel a difference in town driving conditions, where I have to leave the car in third gear in 30 mph speed limits as fourth is very highly geared with that engine, yet take it out on the motorway and the turbo really kicks in and it has loads of power.

 

Should come down to which car you can find in the best condition and at the best price, there should be quite a few coming back from PCP deals from now onwards, whether being sold privately or via main dealers.

When I had my 2.0 VRS I got a 1.6 as a courtesy car while the VRS was being serviced. Obviously I noticed the reduced power, but the 1.6 felt more refined and the clutch was lighter and smoother. It also returned much better MPG.

You are on the border line for TSI/TDI, best thing would be to test drive them and don't test the 1.4TSI or you'll have a problem.

To be fair I have driven a 1.4 Tsi albeit briefly and was really surprised how well it went.

Get the 2l d, the 1.6 is ok but its a bit underpowered with 4 people and a boot full of kit. Its still not slow, but the 2l gearing means less revs at motorway speeds, a little more relaxing. I have driven both and come to the conclusion there both good cars but the 2l is just that but more reserved.

Obviously the 2 litre engine is going to have more power than the 1.6 version, just depends how you normally use it and what kind of loads you carry. I've driven my car on the motorway with rear seats folded down and car loaded up to the roof with boxes of heavy stuff plus one front seat passenger and you know what, the car can still sit at 70mph without any effort whatsoever and faster than that if you want to push your luck. The thing of it is, it doesn't feel underpowered even driven like this, no worse than my old Mondeo which had a much bigger engine, only place I can really feel the difference is in town driving, where fourth gear is often out of the question because of the cars gearing. I'd still say just try to find the best example you can for your money and not get too hung up on which engine, just so long as the deal is right. I didn't particularly want the 1.6 engine if I'm completely honest but saying that after having the car just over three years, I think it is actually a very good engine once you get used to how it performs, good fuel economy, light clutch and gearbox plus zero road tax too. I'll be sad to see it go next month when my new car turns up, somebody will be getting a very good car.

If it has to be diesel I'd say 2.0.  As well as the extra poke it has a 6-speed box, which the 1.6 didn't when I was looking albeit nearly 3 years ago. My experience of this combo with Ford is that at motorway speeds there's not much difference in fuel economy, so you might as well have the faster one.

 

All that said....I'd actually go for the 1.4TSi (was expecting to do 16k-18k miles per year when I got mine, actually doing more like 13-14k and not regretting getting the petrol).

 

EDIT: Sorry, meant to second the suggestion that you take a test drive. Ultimately it's what you want that matters so 'suck it and see' as a friend of mine used to say.

Edited 13 December, 20169 yr by Geek42

15k miles per year is slight petrol side of the TSI/TDI border believe it or not, how much cheaper will the 1.4TSI be to buy than either of the diesels ? and how long will it take to save that difference in fuel ?

Gotta think diesel is gonna get hammered as the Green lobby give the government an excuse to raise more in taxes.

You'll also get warmer sooner in the petrol

Does the 1.6 have a 6 speed box yet, as it used to be 5 speed, except in the Audi.

 

The 1.6 requires a lot more revving and work to get things going than the 2.0, but frankly both are perfectly fine engines and I'd drive both around town and on a DC and see which you like.

There is some real world testing that shows the larger engines get closer to the figures than small ones, but again you have to judge how important economy/pollution is to you.

Both diesels are very refined, but I would reach for the spanner. The little petrol comes close to diesel-economy, is more-refined, warms up quicker in the winter, handles slightly better due to lighter-weight nose, and costs less to purchase new.

Edited 13 December, 20169 yr by Orville

If you're going nearly new i'd say the 1.6 (because there are loads to choose from and the price reflects it).

The 1.4 petrol nearly new is rarer and actually holds price better (so is harder to haggle on and less of a bargain).

 

If new then i'd go for the 1.4 petrol.

The reverse of the above applies to the 1.6d (price loss after 1 year is catastrophic).

 

I personally didn't see the massive benefit of the 2.0d unless you intend to haul a lot of heavy stuff around all the time as the other engine choices are punchy enough, cheaper to buy, insure, tax and also do equivalent or better mpg.

Edited 13 December, 20169 yr by AlleyCat`

I am driving the 1.6 with a 6 speed manual. The car has sufficient power for most usage as the turbo kicks in easily. I have managed to cruise at 2500rpm at around 95mph on 6th gear. The road noise and howling wind is more of an issue then power of the car at those speed.

1.6 TDI with DSG is fine but if you have a nice budget go for 2.0! And I totally recommend DSG!

Been driving the 1.6 D in our present car and in the previous one. Almost went for the 2.0 D last time but no regrets getting a 1.6 again. It's quick enough but does lack the punch of the 2.0 D. Used to have a golf which had the older 130 D engine. So that little punch I sometimes miss. But the oveall 55 mpg makes up for it.

 

However next one will be the 1.4 tsi in a Skoda or Seat Leon.

 

I do about 10k miles a year but second car is going in 15 months so will be doing about 13k to 14k. Also the number of short journeys will increase. Hence the 1.4tsi next time. Plus the 1.6 D takes ages to warm up in the winter !

Nowt wrong with the 1.6.

 

I test drove both the 2.0 and 1.6 and the main reason to go for the 2.0 would be driving fully loaded or towing frequently. There's ample oomph in the 1.6, you may have to work the gearbox a bit more, but it's not under powered.

 

I've got the 1.6 SE with 4x4 so have the 6 speed manual box. You can just get away with slipping it in 5th at 30mph and 6th around 38mph = 46-48mpg through town. Even with 4x4 I'm still getting +50mpg on a combined run with bikes on the roof, take them off and 55mpg is easily manageable.

 

1.6 is a lower insurance group too.

i take it that the gearbox in the 4x4 version has completely different gear ratios from the fwd version that I have? Because with my car it can barely cope with 4th gear at 30mph as the engine revs are so low, on flat roads 4th gear just possible, any slight incline and the engine would be labouring a bit which is why I usually leave it in third gear which I reckon is nearer a standard 4th gear ratio with the five speed gear box. Reckon you'd need to be 40mph or more to use fifth gear as it is so highly geared, which probably is the same gearing as the sixth gear in the 4x4 version.