1 hour ago, silver1011 said:

The diesels have higher torque, so as mentioned above make for more leisurely mid range acceleration without down-changing.

 

However, the petrol's are sooo smooth, silky smooth, and almost silent too (at least my 1.4 TSI Kodiaq is) that I can live with a little more forward planning.

 

I am constantly surprised how sprightly our small petrol engined Kodiaq is, and my daily car is a diesel Mercedes-Benz E-Class.

 

The only way I know the stop/start has kicked in is if I notice the rev counter needle dropping to zero 

Thanks 🙂

 

Have you tried towing anything with it ? If so - how was that experience ?

There are a lot of people out there that regurgitate the "there ain't no replacement for displacement" argument for only towing with the largest capacity, highest torque engine available to man, despite only towing a handful of times a year.

 

90% of our use is the school run, with longer trips at the weekend. And for that the 1.4 TSI is brilliant. No diesel clatter, no DPF, cheaper to buy, petrol is cheaper than diesel, it's silent and as mentioned extremely smooth.

 

Sure, when we tow our wobble box, a big 3.0 litre 6-cylinder engine would tow better, but we tow less than 2,000 miles a year.

 

Our little 1.4 TSI has dragged this up many a steep hill that nothing a couple of down changes doesn't overcome...

 

 

You don't need a diesel to tow.

 

You don't need a 2.0 litre engine to tow.

 

Edited 7 October, 20196 yr by silver1011

^ Totally agree.  

 

If you tow (or carry a lot of weight) a LOT then yes a diesel will be more suitable.   If most of the time the car will be light and OCCASIONALLY you need to use it for something else, then it makes sense to spec it as such.

 

I have the same argument for 4x4.  I cannot justify it on the 4 or 5 days a year when it actually may be useful.

1 hour ago, silver1011 said:

There are a lot of people out there that regurgitate the "there ain't no replacement for displacement" argument for only towing with the largest capacity, highest torque engine available to man, despite only towing a handful of times a year.

 

90% of our use is the school run, with longer trips at the weekend. And for that the 1.4 TSI is brilliant. No diesel clatter, no DPF, cheaper to buy, petrol is cheaper than diesel, it's silent and as mentioned extremely smooth.

 

Sure, when we tow our wobble box, a big 3.0 litre 6-cylinder engine would tow better, but we tow less than 2,000 miles a year.

 

Our little 1.4 TSI has dragged this up many a steep hill that nothing a couple of down changes doesn't overcome...

 

 

You don't need a diesel to tow.

 

You don't need a 2.0 litre engine to tow.

 

Exactly the input I was looking for. I won't be towing much - just wanted to make sure, that it wouldn't be hell, the few times I do it 🙂

Just a point worth mentioning. Although the 1.4tsi and newer 1.5tsi are almost the same on paper. The newer 1.5's aren't as sharp as the older 1.4's for some reason, probably to do with latest emissions regs and gasoline particulate filter strangling them a little. 

I don't wish to get into an argument with anyone in regards the pros/cons of 1.5tsi v 2.0tsi or anything like that so I won't go into that comparison as it would mean getting into 4x4 version for you when you are looking at the 2wd variants.

The older 1.4's are well review in the motoring press the 1.5's less so but still not bad. 

You will find as has been said, the tsi is a very smooth and quiet beast and has reasonable fuel economy, just the 1.5 is not quite as lively as the 1.4.

Please don't get me wrong. The 1.5tsi will be more than capable of doing what you require, after all it is certified to tow what it can tow etc. I just felt it was a point worth being aware of. 

Edited 7 October, 20196 yr by Gmac983