Hey folks.

 

I’m a long time VAG owner and currently own a 14 Seat Alhambra, 02 Bora, 02 4Motion VR6 Golf, and 2010 A6 Lemans with it being my daily driver and herein lies the problem.

 

I’ve just stated a different role at work and the A6 is far from suitable given is size and it’s not the right car for the role. I also require a tow bar for a small trailer that work will foot the bill for. 
 

Having an admirer of Skoda cars for a long time I’m now selling the Audi to but a 2017 or newer Octavia.

 

I’ve made my mind up on the SEL trim. I like the sport in the 2016 models but have found to many good deals of the facelifted ones.

 

Given I’ve a trailer to tow at least twice a week (albeit not that far) and my commute inc business miles is 300 or so every week, which engine and gear box would you got for? It’s all good quality A & B roads. 
 

I’ve seen the 1.4 TSI 6 speed, 2.0 TDI 6 speed, and 1.6 TDI 5 speed. Having not much experience with the newer VAG cars what are your folks honest thoughts going forward as I’m in a bit of a rush to get a deal done. 
 

I have seen these three all at similar money from a Skoda dealer.

 

1.6 SEL 13k miles Manual 

2.0 SEL 30k miles Manual 

2.0 SEL 37k miles DSG

1.4  SEL 18k miles Manual 

 

For me it’d be DSG all the way so that’s the one. The 1.4 would be great but your use looks fine for a diesel so I wouldn’t avoid one but I wouldn’t bother with the 1.6 as it’s a bit lethargic and the 5 speed box has badly chosen ratios and it’s 1 down from what it needs. I’d be drilling down to the exact spec and option combo first as if you are after heated seats/screen, other options etc that can make a huge difference.

I found a local to me SEL 1.6 TDI DSG. It’s June 2017 and has only 20k on it. The SE L box ticks everything I require although I will will some of the A6’s interior niceties. 
 

I’ll have people in the car from time to time who might not treat it fairly so what I’ve found will suffice. I fully intend on a remap for the 1.6 so the power will be more than enough I feel given the miles and towing I’ll end up doing. 

Well on I’ve sold the Audi and bought a 2017 SEL 2.0TDI in manual with 16k on the clock. It’s being delivered tomorrow while I’m away for work so it’ll be a nice surprise when I get home tomorrow night. 

On 30/08/2020 at 23:18, SashaGrace said:

For me it’d be DSG all the way so that’s the one. The 1.4 would be great but your use looks fine for a diesel so I wouldn’t avoid one but I wouldn’t bother with the 1.6 as it’s a bit lethargic and the 5 speed box has badly chosen ratios and it’s 1 down from what it needs. I’d be drilling down to the exact spec and option combo first as if you are after heated seats/screen, other options etc that can make a huge difference.

I understand what you mean by the gear box in the 1.6TDi but I certainly wouldn't call it lethargic. I always cry out for a 6th gear in my 1.6, it certainly feels heavy in 1st and 2nd gear but in sport mode still gets through them enough. I think it would have been worth mentioning how economical the 1.6TDi is at long journeys getting up to 88MPG. 

 

2 hours ago, MrWJG said:

Well on I’ve sold the Audi and bought a 2017 SEL 2.0TDI in manual with 16k on the clock. It’s being delivered tomorrow while I’m away for work so it’ll be a nice surprise when I get home tomorrow night. 

Congratulations, you'll have to give us an update on your thoughts and a picture of it . 

The 2.0l is excellant to drive, lots of low down torque and my dsg returns 500+ miles per tank so it's quite econmical. I wise choice. Now hit superskoda.com for some tweaks to make it even better..boot lights are a must and check the bonet strut mod for the added grin factor. 

 

Enjoy. 

48 minutes ago, paulski said:

The 2.0l is excellant to drive, lots of low down torque and my dsg returns 500+ miles per tank so it's quite econmical. I wise choice. Now hit superskoda.com for some tweaks to make it even better..boot lights are a must and check the bonet strut mod for the added grin factor. 

 

Enjoy. 

I have the struts ordered as it was the first thing I noticed that annoyed me, and also have loads of interior leds in my garage from older cars that I got from imperial automotive lighting. 
 

I’ve door sills and front mud flaps ordered along with rubber mats and the boot box thing from TPS. I’ll order the small lip spoiler too but only after I get a chance to ceramic coat it. 

10 hours ago, GlitchGolder said:

I understand what you mean by the gear box in the 1.6TDi but I certainly wouldn't call it lethargic.

Depends on perspective I suppose but 115 bhp, 250nm torque and over 10 seconds to 62 mph is definitely on the leisurely side. I’ve driven enough of them to know what they are like. The 2.0 has a lot more muscle, the improvement in torque is most noticeable, a consequence of VAG cheaping out on the 1.6’s gearboxes as the engine is capable of putting out more torque than that.

30 minutes ago, SashaGrace said:

Depends on perspective I suppose but 115 bhp, 250nm torque and over 10 seconds to 62 mph is definitely on the leisurely side. 

Yeah I agree from the perspective point of VIEW. I've gone from a Honda Civic TypeR to the Octavia 1.6TDi and if I bought the 1.6TDi thinking it was going to be "fun" I'd of been a fool. For practicality and cheap running cost it's a sure fire choice. I've had my fun days with hot hatches for now, with me now having a little baby boy I wanted the "ideal family car". When I am in a position to have a "fun" car again I'm entertaining the VRS. 

Great choice! I bought the same car a 2017 FL SE L 2.0TDi DSG last year, it is a fantastic utility car, easy to drive, large enough for large loads and the engine pulls very well. Not exactly sporty and the box can get caught out at times but for general use its a cracking car. Easy to get high 50's mpg on long runs and not bad around town. Enjoy it.

35 minutes ago, matrix2020 said:

Great choice! I bought the same car a 2017 FL SE L 2.0TDi DSG last year, it is a fantastic utility car, easy to drive, large enough for large loads and the engine pulls very well. Not exactly sporty and the box can get caught out at times but for general use its a cracking car. Easy to get high 50's mpg on long runs and not bad around town. Enjoy it.

Thanks, it’s being delivered today all being well so. I couldn’t pass on a 3 year old car with only 16k and in the spec I wanted. I really wanted the DSG but needed this in a rush.

 

its actually a lot roomier inside than my old A6 and will be a lot easier run, however it’s just not as refined etc but for my role the A6 was overkill anyway. It’s very lively compared to the A6 and reminds me a lot of the old 130pd fitted to the likes of a Ibiza or Polo with the power delivery