Hi all- After much deliberation and an increase of another £1500 in the value of my in the last 6 weeks, I  reckon I am likely to now change my 2018 Edition (diesel 2wd ) for a new sportline. (rather than an SE L as the Edition trim is no longer available)

My mileage has considerably reduced from an expected 18k a year to about 10k a year due to working from home

I like the Diesel engine - but those mileage figures tell me it makes absolute sense to get the Petrol version.  

I'll obviously take the 1.5 petrol for a test drive, but before I do - does anyone have any thoughts that I will be losing too much power, and that I will hate the switch?  I'm prepared to get a diesel in any case if I hate the petrol- but just wondered what peoples thoughts were. 

 

Thanks. 

 

M.
 

I had a similar dilemma having being used to the 2.0 tsi petrol engine in my current Kodiaq I really fancied the Sportline trim but with the 2.0 tsi engine takes it over £40k and I baulked at paying £500 annual road tax, and also the extra maintenance/ repair costs of the 4x4 system that I don’t really need.

Tried specing an  2.0 tsi SEL but by the time I add the bits I wanted it too was over £40k.

In the end I’ve went for the 1.5 tsi Sportline with all the bits I want, and having driven my sons 1.5 Karoq I think 150 hp will be fine, as I sometimes ferry the 4 grandkids around and will never be fully loaded and I don’t tow.

I agree with your thoughts 10k per annum won’t be good for a diesel.

Edited 19 August, 20214 yr by Kenny R

The 1.5 (like my 1.4) will have less torque, and do fewer mpg.  End of downsides.

 

It’s noticeably quieter, quicker to give you some heat on a winter morning, and - my main joy - you can nip to the local shops without worrying about EGR and DPF woes.

 

Just GPF worries for some sometime in the future far away if they are doing lots of short runs from cold starts.

But it will be a few years still before we here more about the earliest cars & GPF's, only a few reports so far of those with issues.

Ultimately only you can decide, but here is my thinking.

 

I have a 1.5 on order, I currently drive a  1.5.   I sometimes carry 4 + gear, but in fairness normally it's only me.    

 

In a previous life I drove (very!) fast cars, and in all honesty even the VRS would be slow in comparison, (especially given it's height, it would appear even slower).

 

What  I am trying to say is the "fun" side of things isn't an issue for me with the Kodiaq, so you'd need to bear that in mind when I give my opinion.

 

If I was doing a lot of towing, I guess a diesel would be worth considering, but I'm not.

 

The car is absolutely fine from a power perspective with the 1.5.  Honestly I can't see why you would need more.  This is an SUV, not a sports car.

 

 

Would agree with some of the comments above - we have a 1.4TSI and, whilst I was wary about it coming down from a higher power diesel I've been pleasantly surprised.  And as others have pointed ut the JKodiaq isn;t about thrashing down back lanes - it's an altogether more relaxed driving machine, something at which it excels very well - even with a lowly 1,4/ 1.5 petrol!

As above, other folks opinion is almost irrelevant.

 

A decent test drive will answer your question.

 

I’ll be considering the same question next time.

 

But I think the answer will pop out when I lay down my “must have” criteria.

 

With 5 growing grandchildren within reach my 7 seats are being used more often.

 

My “essential” extras are clear in my mind.

 

My list of “don’t want” is equally clear.

 

4x4 will not be mission critical.

 

I’ll happily consider petrol. Fuel consumption isn’t my biggest issue, but driving enjoyment is.

 

I won’t be willing to sacrifice comfort, space or decent Grunt for overtaking purposes for example.

 

The £40K cost impact is important. Some cars are getting silly expensive these days.

Edited 19 August, 20214 yr by BoxerBoy

Hi all - Thanks all for taking the time to respond.

 

I guess my priorities are a little different to what they were when I bought my current Kodiaq. 
Fuel efficiency was high on the list then - not such an issue now my mileage has practically halved
I certainly wont be falling into the £40k trap - which rules out the a fair few of my options in any case.  

I think my only realistic engine in my scenario is the 1.5 Petrol .

So it will either be that after a test drive,  or a move away from the Kodiaq to something else - possibly even away from Skoda(which will be a first time in 12 years!)

 

M.

 

 

 

20 hours ago, mantrahalos said:

Hi all- After much deliberation and an increase of another £1500 in the value of my in the last 6 weeks, I  reckon I am likely to now change my 2018 Edition (diesel 2wd ) for a new sportline. (rather than an SE L as the Edition trim is no longer available)

My mileage has considerably reduced from an expected 18k a year to about 10k a year due to working from home

I like the Diesel engine - but those mileage figures tell me it makes absolute sense to get the Petrol version.  

I'll obviously take the 1.5 petrol for a test drive, but before I do - does anyone have any thoughts that I will be losing too much power, and that I will hate the switch?  I'm prepared to get a diesel in any case if I hate the petrol- but just wondered what peoples thoughts were. 

 

Thanks. 

 

M.
 

I swapped from diesel to petrol, and I discounted the 1.5 (without driving it, which was probably a little foolish) because I didn't think it would have the lazy grunt that I was used to with my old diesel. As it is, I can happily potter around at low revs in my 2.0TSI, much the same as I did in my old diesel, though without the exceptional economy.

If you can live without the low-revs power, and are happier to drive a little further up the rev range (and in a smooth 1.5 engine, that's hardly a problem, especially with a DSG) then the 1.5 seems like a good choice.

I think BoxerBoy nailed it: When it comes to choosing your car, other people's opinions really are largely irrelevant. Try before you buy and buy what you like best.

1 hour ago, EnterName said:

I think BoxerBoy nailed it: When it comes to choosing your car, other people's opinions really are largely irrelevant. Try before you buy and buy what you like best.

.

 

That makes a ton of sense to me. Whenever I've been deciding what car to get, I've always plumped for the biggest and most powerful engine I can afford to run.

 

I can't think of many occasions - none, really - when I've wished I'd got something with a smaller and less powerful one.

 

On the other hand, there have been several when I wish I'd had the courage of my convictions and bought something with more beans. You could argue with some justification that you shouldn't ever get yourself into a situation where you needed it, but having a little bit to spare is always a good thing.

 

.

21 minutes ago, Phutters said:

I can't think of many occasions - none, really - when I've wished I'd got something with a smaller and less powerful one.

I must echo this.

While I have occasionally wished for something a little more fuel-efficient, I've never thought "Huh! I don't really need all this power."

My suggestion is if you are going to take a 1.5tsi for test drive, then why not arrange to also do a back to back drive in an Enyaq

 

You will be driving your diesel version there, so effectively will be able to compare diesel vs petrol vs electric in quick succession 

 

If you are going to be spending £30,000 - 39,999 at least you will be informed about your preference.

 

 

Quote

 When it comes to choosing your car, other people's opinions really are largely irrelevant. Try before you buy and buy what you like best.

I'm firmly in this camp too. Go to your test drives with a open mind and drive as many variants as you can.

Forums are good for collecting data, but it's down to you to sift through that data and decide what's best for you.

On 19/08/2021 at 11:24, Kenny R said:

I had a similar dilemma having being used to the 2.0 tsi petrol engine in my current Kodiaq I really fancied the Sportline trim but with the 2.0 tsi engine takes it over £40k and I baulked at paying £500 annual road tax, and also the extra maintenance/ repair costs of the 4x4 system that I don’t really need.

Tried specing an  2.0 tsi SEL but by the time I add the bits I wanted it too was over £40k.

In the end I’ve went for the 1.5 tsi Sportline with all the bits I want, and having driven my sons 1.5 Karoq I think 150 hp will be fine, as I sometimes ferry the 4 grandkids around and will never be fully loaded and I don’t tow.

I agree with your thoughts 10k per annum won’t be good for a diesel.

 

It isn't really the annual mileage which isn't good for a diesel engine, its lots of very shot trips. So 200 miles one a week, for instance, should be no issue, with a few shorter trips thrown in.

Not just the same, but I changed at the start of July from a 2.0T 220BHP Superb sportline to the 1.5Tsi 150 bhp Kodiaq.. Due to lockdown I had never actually driven a kodiaq or a 1.5l engine.. I was worried about the loss of power and moving to a bigger car.  But I can say after 2k miles it's been great.. it has enough power driving about and tows our caravan with no issues.. 

My opinion, after switching from a 2.0 diesel Yeti to a 1.5 Kodiaq…

You’ll miss the low down and mid range torque but it doesn’t take too long to adapt.

I think I responded somewhere else on this a while ago .. so apologies if repeating myself. I looked long and hard at diesels across Skoda and other brands - live in London (ULEZ nightmare) - finally decided on a petrol and wanted 7 seats. Looked at 2.0 Litre and thought mmmm....18 stone extra weight of 4 x 4 and more potential problems down the line. Do I really need 4 x 4. So only way to decide is to test drive.

 

Spent about 3 minutes in a automatic 1.5 petrol and ... no brainer, so surprised with the power, cylinder shut off, economy, etc. Have come from grunty high litre diesel and this does not disappoint - best car I have owned. Last week I had 5 x adults (all over 6 foot - yes we are a tall family!!) and 2 x kids in the boot - no problem whatsoever. 

 

I'm still being ribbed about having a Polo sized engine in my car ... but test drive it and you'll be somewhat surprised like me.

Having come from a 2.2L TD 4x4 (Freelander2) I find my 1.5TSI in most ways quite adequate, but it does have flat spots and I miss the extra grunt at times, often switching to Sport mode in anticipation. Where I am struggling is throttle control from a standing start, especially turning from a junction. I am finding it's often all or nothing, and regularly wheel spin after having applied too much throttle because I didn't feel like there was enough power. I suspect that it is a question of just adapting and learning, but I am wondering if I have been spoilt by 4x4 traction, and am now quite cautious about pulling out.

 

Would I prefer the 2.0 TSI 4x4? I think yes, definitely, but was not prepared to pay the extra, and in what I call mid speed driving 40-60 the car is really a very pleasant drive, quiet and quite refined. and handles significantly better than the FL2.

 

Definitely recommend a test drive. My dealer hired a 1.5TSI for me because they didn't have the right demonstrator and spent a whole morning on my own doing my most regular routes to see if I would be happy with it.

Edited 6 September, 20214 yr by SimonB68
Typo

3 hours ago, SimonB68 said:

Having come from a 2.2L TD 4x4 (Freelander2) I find my 1.5TSI in most ways quite adequate, but it does have flat spots and I miss the extra grunt at times, often switching to Sport mode in anticipation. Where I am struggling is throttle control from a standing start, especially turning from a junction. I am finding it's often all or nothing, and regularly wheel spin after having applied too much throttle because I didn't feel like there was enough power. I suspect that it is a question of just adapting and learning, but I am wondering if I have been spoilt by 4x4 traction, and am now quite cautious about pulling out.

 

Would I prefer the 2.0 TSI 4x4? I think yes, definitely, but was not prepared to pay the extra, and in what I call mid speed driving 40-60 the car is really a very pleasant drive, quiet and quite refined. and handles significantly better than the FL2.

 

Definitely recommend a test drive. My dealer hired a 1.5TSI for me because they didn't have the right demonstrator and spent a whole morning on my own doing my most regular routes to see if I would be happy with it.

 

Throttle control is a little interesting sometimes - I struggled a bit, but now seem to have got used to it. Are you automatic or manual? There is a lag sometimes but it's not as bad as some people made out previously. 

Having test-drive both DSG and manual, before buying a 1.4 manual, I thought the throttle control seemed much easier on the manual, as did my wife...

 

You could always try the 'linear' throttle response change in VCDS to see if that helps??

The question of the 1.5 or 2.0 tsi petrol often gets muddled with the need for 4x4

 

The truth is those that rarely venture off tarmac don’t really gain anything from carrying all the deadweight of the 4x4 system (which weighs same as carrying multiple extra people according to technical section in brochure).  Not carrying all this extra weight will save fuel

 

It appears the 2.0tsi 4x4 is 164-166kg heavier and £2908 more expensive than 1.5 tsi (try picking up 6-7 bags of cement at 25kg if you can’t imagine 164kg)

 

For considerably less money than adding 4x4 can buy a set of winter wheels with premium winter tyres, and put money in a pot for getting many seasonal wheel swaps.   Having the right tyres for temperature should stop most wheel spins when pulling away.

 

Of course buying winter set means tyres last twice as long as only on for half a year, so if you expected to buy 4 new tyres at some stage, it is not costing more, just changing purchase date.   
 

I have been advised that euro6d emission rated engines are programmed to be optimised with DSG transmission, don’t know if this is true, but might explain why some have suggested the manual gearbox is on cusp of two gears when at certain UK speed limits.

 

Edited 6 September, 20214 yr by SurreyJohn

1 hour ago, SurreyJohn said:

The question of the 1.5 or 2.0 tsi petrol often gets muddled with the need for 4x4

 

The truth is those that rarely venture off tarmac don’t really gain anything from carrying all the deadweight of the 4x4 system (which weighs same as carrying multiple extra people according to technical section in brochure).  Not carrying all this extra weight will save fuel

 

 

Not quite true...   some of us live on hills in higher areas (eg the Pennines in my case) and often get bad weather / snow / slush and torrential rain - so whilst I very rarely venture off-tarmac, 4x4, combined with all season or winter tyres, is effectively a 'must' for us to be able to get out and about during winter.  Having drive FWD and 4x4's regularly the 4x4 also brings with it a huge amount of additional stability in bad weather.