I've always had VAGs my last being a 1.9 tdi 2010 Octavia. However cant get that brilliant engine anymore. So looking at a mk4 Octavia to do trips of 180 miles each way once a week South Wales to Midlands. I dont know if to go for a 1.6 or 2.0. I have other fun cars so this is purely cheapish commuting tool. Also DSG or Manual? If your sat 70mph is the 2.0 150bhp actually better on fuel? 

 

Cheers

There isn’t a 1.6 diesel option any longer, just a lower powered 2 litre diesel instead. 

The 1.6 is no longer offered, but you can still find a used one on Octavia 4.
AFAIK the 1.6 had several technical issues (not sure if those were all addressed) - probably one of the reasons it's been discontinued.
As owner of a 2.0 TDI (150hp) DSG, I can only: say go for it!!! Especially since you mentioned longer non-urban trips.

Edited 3 June, 20233 yr by SkOmk4

The Octavia SE is no longer offered with a diesel,

Have to upgrade to SE-L spec, and cheapest diesel is now £32,200

There are no manual diesel Octavia on sale in UK anymore

 

Not sure how many passengers or luggage you are proposing to carry, but if not too much then should probably be looking at the tsi now.  
 

Wouldn't recommended the 1.0 tsi manual (needs lots of gear changing to get best from it) but 1.0 tsi DSG is brilliant (list price from £26,580) and 1.5 tsi DSG is better (but will cost you extra £4k).   

 

You will never recover £5600 premium for buying a diesel doing 180 miles a week, as only going to be saving about 3 litres of fuel (about £5 per week, or about £250 per year).  Strictly you would save with the diesel after about 23 years, but I presume you wouldn't keep it that long.

 

There is a lot of merit in what @SurreyJohn says about going petrol. I have a 1.5tsi manual and on motorway runs at the legal limit where practical/safe I’m getting 60+ mpg. I couldn’t justify the cost of a diesel.

Edited 3 June, 20233 yr by SteveTheElder

Easy for us in AU since Skoda has no diesel offering in this country, all models are tsi of varying sizes from 1.4 litre up. I agree with others above re. the tsi. Having had diesel in other makes, personally I wouldn't go back to it due to common DPF issues, in addition to insignificant (if any) gains in fuel economy.  

There are a few things to consider as to what you want, personally I love the DSG and the 2.0D engine they go brilliantly together and make for really easy and relaxing cruising. Price is not as clear as described above, for like for like petrol v diesel you would get the SE-L DSG then there is only £1500 between them, diesel is now pretty much the same as petrol in cost and I get 70mpg regularly on reasonable runs. Also it will depend on what you are looking at Hatch or Estate, Diesel Estates tend to hold much more value than petrol but not necessarily so for hatch. Personally I think the SE-L is the sweet spot spec wise to go for (unless you want the vRS). 

I have not driven the 1.5 petrol but I am sure its a good engine, tbh its not the engines / DSG that is the problem with the car!! The electronic issues kill it and may well kill future values as its pretty common knowledge they exist. I rarely get a day without some erroneous warning coming on. even with the 'latest' software.. in fact I often find the newer software causes new faults as quickly as it fixes old ones. Today's was 'Front Assist Not Available' who knows what I will get tomorrow.... Good luck though with whatever you decide. Overall I still like my car, even though it drives me mad!! 

The 2.0 engine is more efficient than the 1.6 that is maybe why they've dropped it. Optimal size for cylinders is nowadays considered to be 500cc so for a 4 cylinder engine 2.0l is best.

Edited 9 June, 20232 yr by mccririck

They dropped them because as Euro 5's they cheated with defeat devices and the Euro 6 were not going to get the WLTP results required without a cheat so they had to make them 1.6 TDI SCR (Adblue). So 2.0 TDI with less power made sense.   A 2.0 TDI 115 ps Golf 7 speed DSG i drove for a week was amazing for fuel consumption, but needed to be put in S at junctions as 1st to 2nd in D was dire.

High 70,s MPG was easy and even into the 80,s MPG.

I have 2022 vrs 2.00 litre tdi 4x4 estate.last week I covered 630 miles on a trip the car still had 2 bars showing on fuel gauge. I filled up next day  cost was £61 pounds.2 me that show a very good mpg.

Just one point my engine is 197 bhp

Yeah but what is the actual mpg?

I never checked it,i would of thought over 60 mpg Just one point my engine is 197 bhp.

630 miles and 60 mpg and we are at 10.5 gallons. 

so 47.7 litres, and if 143 pence a litre, £68 ish.  

So about that 60 mpg.  The litre price being the number needed. 

 

£61 could be cheaper diesel or better mpg...

Edited 29 June, 20232 yr by toot

As I said before I filled it up next day and cost was £61

I don't bother looking at fuel price if fuel is needed you just put it in.

Perfect, i agree. 

 But 'Mony a mickle maks a muckle',  i would rather give a £1 to a begger than Supermarkets that are greedy barstewards.

 

Now i use Gulf because i went there when it was 1 pence a litre cheaper than Asda 100 yards away and now i buy their Super Diesel that costs more because my van stinks less and loves the more expensive stuff.  But then i don't even get 30 mpg even on the dear stuff.  (90 litre tank.)

Never had that improvement over regular diesel with TDI,s though or any diesel in the past, even performance ones. 

 

My Alhambra 2.0 TDI SCR DSG 150 ps could do with 'coasting function.' 830 + miles from a tank without going on reserve wit regular derv.

But then that was a 70 litre tank.

It could also drink a gallon in 25 miles if doing only 5 miles a day or so for 5 days.

 

Ooomph! card gives 2 pence a litre off.

 

Edited 29 June, 20232 yr by toot

I drove the 1.6 TDI in my Octavia 2 and don't misss that engine at all. Shortly after the diesel-gate update I had a faulty AGR and some time later an injektor broke. I think the AGR was covered by Skoda but the Injector was kind of prices. Car only had ~80000km on the clock.

 

Now I have the 2.0 115PS engine with manual gearbox and I like how it behaves and run with a lot of torque in low RPM conditions.

Edited 10 July, 20232 yr by UrgyMcKnispel

my trip in past we
octavia 2.0 td 116 CV

when I refueled kms were 1001, 45.14 lt

HTH