Had an Octavia 2.0TDi a few years ago and currently run a 66 plate Passat 2.0 TDi DSG.

I'm about to retire and my mileage will drop significantly, also my journies will be more local (current commute is motorway).

 

I'm looking to change to a petrol model and fancy an Octavia 1.4 petrol. This will be a long term car and my concern relates to the reliability of DSG with the 1.4 engine.

I quite like the auto in modern traffic, and have had no real issues with the one I have other than a software update when it kept hanging on to gears.

 

I'm looking at 66/17 plate models and the question is, manual or DSG on the 1.4 which will be a long term keeper?

 

 

12 hours ago, DaveCH said:

Had an Octavia 2.0TDi a few years ago and currently run a 66 plate Passat 2.0 TDi DSG.

I'm about to retire and my mileage will drop significantly, also my journies will be more local (current commute is motorway).

 

I'm looking to change to a petrol model and fancy an Octavia 1.4 petrol. This will be a long term car and my concern relates to the reliability of DSG with the 1.4 engine.

I quite like the auto in modern traffic, and have had no real issues with the one I have other than a software update when it kept hanging on to gears.

 

I'm looking at 66/17 plate models and the question is, manual or DSG on the 1.4 which will be a long term keeper?

 

 

The 1.4 TSI engine is really good, lots of power and torque for it's size and is really responsive. The DSG  in the 1.4 is not VW's most reliable being a DQ200 so make sure any warranty company will cover the whole thing and not just the Mechatronic unit (the bit that makes it work and goes wrong the most) allot of  them won't cover the clutch unit which can also go wrong, if you do get a DSG it works really well with the 1.4, (love mine) never seems to be in the wrong gear and when needed kick down is effective. Can't comment on a manual as never driven one on the road.

 

Best specs to get is an SE or Elegance or if 2017 on then an SE L as that replaced the Elegance, these all come with cruise control, climate control and a few other pieces of kit. Steer clear of the S as it is very spartan and basic.  

 

Choice between manual and DSG, for me a DSG even though they can have problems.

 

Hope this helps

Thanks for the input.

I guess the DSG problems  are a small % of the total DSG sales, but you just wouldn't want to be the one with the faulty unit.

You would like to think that it has been around long enough for VW to have sorted the issues with it.

I think the 1.4 is a good compromise for me. So many manufacturers have gone to 1.0l power units, which my old brain can't accept is enough for a car the size of the Octavia.

 

On a used car, even a Skoda approved one, I'll not get a warranty to go beyond 12 months.

I had a 1.4 tsi DSG Elegance & it was great.

 

Good power, very comfy only downside was the poor rear suspension, I used a DTUK PEDALBOX on my to remove the throttle lag of the fly by wires system.

 

I tweaked mine to in excess of 200bhp & 300Nm, thrashed it at every opportunity & in 42k miles the DSG never had even a murmur of trouble. Look for 1 of the smaller wheeled versions & tax disc is only thirty quid a year 

If you're about to retire and drop your mileage, why not just get the petrol vRS with the decent DSG and treat yourself?

21 minutes ago, Alex-W said:

If you're about to retire and drop your mileage, why not just get the petrol vRS with the decent DSG and treat yourself?

I second that!! 

5 hours ago, DaveCH said:

Thanks for the input.

I guess the DSG problems  are a small % of the total DSG sales, but you just wouldn't want to be the one with the faulty unit.

You would like to think that it has been around long enough for VW to have sorted the issues with it.

I think the 1.4 is a good compromise for me. So many manufacturers have gone to 1.0l power units, which my old brain can't accept is enough for a car the size of the Octavia.

 

On a used car, even a Skoda approved one, I'll not get a warranty to go beyond 12 months.

All approved Skoda's get 12 months extended warranty, you can always extend this every year until the vehicle is 10 years old or racks 100,000 miles (whatever occurs first) this should cover the whole DSG unit, thankfully mine does, only had mine since September. It's my third Octavia in a row, 2 MK2's and now my MK3, my signitature shows what my last one was. 

 

Believe it or not the 1.0 TSi on the current Octavia is pretty good, has enough power and torque to keep up. think they are rated at 115bhp.

 

I bought a 2017 1.4 SE L manual a year ago and it's great.  Long term average consumption 51mpg and still goes like a stabbed rat when required.  Go for it!

 

VRS would be nice, but you then get into higher insurance and higher road tax year on year, plus, it would probably be an older car.

My 150bhp Passat is fine, so I'm guessing the 150bhp petrol will be enough for every day use and holiday touring.

 

I've seen a couple of 1.4 SE L's with manual box. I'm tempted to go and have a look. We have a couple of cars at work with LED headlights and they are mega impressive, far better than HID, so that would be a bonus with the SE L.

My last Octavia diesel was mapped by Shark and was amazing. A re-map is always an option if the 1.4 falls short.

2 hours ago, Griffter said:

 

I bought a 2017 1.4 SE L manual a year ago and it's great.  Long term average consumption 51mpg and still goes like a stabbed rat when required.  Go for it!

 

That's exactly what I was hoping to hear!

I'd be happy with 50+ mpg (I generally do pretty well with fuel economy. 60mpg plus with the Passat)

Not sure a 1.4tsi is the way to go if you like your driving due to the dodgy rear suspension plus you have the dodgy dsg gearbox in that model too. I'd at least be trying to get into one of the higher powered petrols and truth be told the vrs is the only one I'd buy but I'm biased. 

What he said^^^

 

When I was looking at them, I couldn't quite figure out the point of the non vrs models as the vrs is pretty economical really, just as practical, good spec, decent price to buy etc.

The 1.4tsi engine is a pearler.

Performance is good enough for the road and efficient.

I find Consumption is average if you do alot of short sub 5 km journeys (about 40 mpg) but I will better 50 mpg for 10 km or more journeys.

 

I bought a low spec version with 17 inch wheels and I find the ride good on tarmac but less so on Aussie dirt roads.

The dq200 box has a poor reputation for reliability here. The original problems associated with incorrect lubricant in a hot climate have been fixed but there are quite a few local reports of clutch packs needing premature replacement. My theory for the latter is that Aussies are used to torque converter autos so tend 'slip' the clutches excessively in heavy traffic. Drive it like the automated manual it is and there should be fewer problems.

My wife and I  prefer manuals and have had no problems so far. Very easy to drive with the very flexible and smooth engine.

 

I have driven quite few dsq boxes lately and there is a lot individual variation. They have represented both the very best and worst to drive imo.

 

You will have to arrange some test drives to see what suites you though.

 

Edited 14 January, 20206 yr by Gerrycan

My 2014 63 plate Octy 1.4TSi Elegance DSG has 54K miles on it now (I've done more than 30K of those in nearly 3 years). The DSG so far has been fine. Economy is excellent considering the size of the vehicle and the performance is superb, lots of torque everywhere. The £30 tax a year means that it's a keeper for me. Has enough toys (though heated seats and Android Auto would have be nice to have). Long runs I see 50+MPG. Round town - 35+MPG. Knocks the socks off my previous car which was a 2 litre normally aspirated BMW 320i, though the interior of my old E90 was bulletproof and it was a quieter motorway cruiser.

Love my Octy. As Nike say, "Just do it..."

Good luck with your car hunting.

If it helps, we have the DQ200 in a '65 plate Polo GTI and it's been faultless in the last three years.  On my experience I wouldn't hesitate to buy another.

 

Gaz

Well, the Passat has gone and I now have a 67 plate 1.4 SE L manual.

 

Only driven 45 miles home, in the dark, but I'm liking it.

 1.4 engine is really smooth and quiet, pulls quite well without revving the nuts off it.

 

Just got to spend hours learning what all the technology does and what Skoda Connect, Android Auto and the myriad of other functions are.

PS: Only stalled once when I pulled up to a roundabout and forgot to dip the clutch.!!

9 minutes ago, DaveCH said:

Well, the Passat has gone and I now have a 67 plate 1.4 SE L manual.

 

Only driven 45 miles home, in the dark, but I'm liking it.

 1.4 engine is really smooth and quiet, pulls quite well without revving the nuts off it.

 

Just got to spend hours learning what all the technology does and what Skoda Connect, Android Auto and the myriad of other functions are.

PS: Only stalled once when I pulled up to a roundabout and forgot to dip the clutch.!!

Congratulations. Don't forget to update your profile with the new car  

Tell us your impressions when you get a few more miles under your belt.

 

On 14/01/2020 at 19:59, DaveCH said:

VRS would be nice, but you then get into higher insurance and higher road tax year on year,

 

I know you're not going this route, however they're actually pretty cheap.

I pay £250 a year to insure mine, with business cover, which considering it's a 3yr old car I think it really cheap.  

Tax is £160 a year I think, which is also pretty negligable.

I don't really buy into the whole 'this car is amazing, it's only £30 a year to tax' thing.  In the grand scheme of things, with depreciation, servicing and fuel, £130 a year saving a year on tax isn't even worth thinking factoring in.  It never makes sense when people are buying new cars which are losing £3-£4k a year in value.