If you were doing 8-10k miles per year, mix of motorway and round town and occasional holiday runs of 600 - 1000 miles, will be aiming to keep the car 6-7 years. Would really like to hear peoples opinions. As you can see I cannot decide between Diesel and PHEV and then SE L or L&K, Is the cost difference from one fuel choice to another and also one trim level to another worth the uplift in price?

Edited 15 October, 20241 yr by Comicbookguy

I would say the trim choice is yours entirely. I'd suggest the mileage suggests petrol is the engine to go for.

Id go for petrol. Diesels are fine, even for short distances but not for long term. With that amount of mileage over a longer amount of time I reckon you'd have some problems. 

 

Not considered the 190 petrol? Capable of over 30 round town and over 40 on a run. 

 

Although my wifes 1.2 TSI Leon gets 38 around town and 45 on a run and I reckon the 1.4 PHEV will probably get better!

I had a 2016 2.0 TDi 190 L&K until just over a week ago, when I changed it for a 2023 2.0 TSi 190 L&K.  I've covered between 6 and 8 thousand miles each year since I retired at the end of 2017 (lockdown excepted).

 

I've been very happy with both of the cars, but switched to petrol due to my annual mileage and also because a lot of my mileage is in the summer driving to Lithuania every year to visit SWMBO's family and friends, so winter time mileage can be quite low and the car doesn't get a chance to warm up properly.

 

I like the L&K trim and I use just about all of the extras that trim gives me, so I'm happy to pay extra for it.  I know it's not to everyone's taste, but it depends what you want from the car and it's a personal choice.

 

It's early days yet to say much about fuel consumption for the petrol engine, but last week I went from Brecon to Hereford and, due to traffic, I was following others most of the way at 45-50 mph and it was showing just over 50 mpg when I arrived, which seems pretty good.

1.5 tsi. That was my choice but isn’t on your list. 

40+ average mpg, very little maintenance required compared to a diesel.

phev is pointless, you’re just buying an overly complex worst of both worlds vehicle.

 

i have 2016 2.0 tsi 280hp, almost 11 l/100 km [26 mpg], very bad mileage. with e5 ron 100 petrol, as 98 is not sold here and 95 e10 is not recommended.

i dont know/trust PHEV. would consider this only if you can charge it daily at home and will sell it before it breaks.

i would go with 2.0 tdi. pay attention you don't shut down the engine during dpf regen and change oil much sooner than skoda says.

 

regarding trim for sure you want all the parking sensors, camera, radars, heated alcantara

 

I'd go for an SEL PHEV on the basis of fewer computery bits to go wrong and no DPF to go wrong.

Maybe less issues with no DPF or AdBlue (SCR)  but then a PHEV has a petrol engine with a GPF, the DSG and a Small Battery and plenty computery bits that 

have been causing issues.

Then there is a 1.5 TSI ACT with a DQ200 DSG.

 

A 2.0 TSI seems to have the KISS principle. The thing to consider is the DQ381 DSG, simply because VW are not admitting to fundamental design, manufacturing or material faults yet. 

lol DQ200 with dry clutches ? = not a good idea either

 

DQ381 ... frequent mechatronics failures

 

if you don't ruin your DPF in TDI by being ignorant, it lasts long

 

I'm very happy with my 2.0TDI 200. It spends most of it's time on the motorway which is probably it's most natural habitat though and it couldn't be happier on longer runs.

41k miles so far and averaging 50mpg, and that's with a few thousand miles of autobahn driving included. Plus it's the 4x4 which probably hurts efficiency slightly. Can easily get 60+ on the motorway at more moderate speeds.

I would worry about keeping a PHEV in the long term due to the additional complexity. You might be glad of the additional boot space in the non-PHEV versions too, if you are using it for holiday runs.

On 16/10/2024 at 12:36, dilino said:

lol DQ200 with dry clutches ? = not a good idea either

 

DQ381 ... frequent mechatronics failures

 

if you don't ruin your DPF in TDI by being ignorant, it lasts long

 

What exactly is the problem with dq200 dry clutches ?

Edited 21 October, 20241 yr by classic

Not so much in the past 4 years because they are still less than 5 years old.

 

In 2012 on 2009-2012,s a Global Recall to change the Synthetic oil to mineral. Not including the EU / Europe, that was a service recall 2014.

then 2013-2015,s Recall Action on some, Software Update, preventative, pressure / heat issues and accumulator failures, and MCUs.

 

2015-2018 TPI,s, Software and Clutch Updates and Upgrades.

Then 2018 some issues along with the 1.5 TSI ACT, not the kangarooing, the DSG,s software / mapping. 

3 Recalls in total in Australia 2009-2016. 

 

So now just the odd failures more, 1.6 TDI or 1.5 TSI ACT,s, not really with 1.0 TSI,s.

 

How many out of the 2,500 Skoda were or are producing a day we will never know because Skoda / VW never accept there are issues. 

But if it is only 2% of those that are being bought it is a pity that the Manufacturer & Importer make owners p!$$ about and pay up out of a 3 year warranty on an item with no service guidelines, schedule or recommendations for servicing.

I don’t think Skoda/VW are unique in not wanting to pay for things out of warranty, yet we all still buy cars.

But what is the issue with the dry clutches on dq200 gearboxes, I still don’t know ?

Best just try a Search Engine.  

There is so much to cover.  

Nothing new there, I’ve read all the search engine stuff before - the clutches (particularly pre 2018) might wear out or judder just like all clutches on manual cars, and there is a plethora of specialists nationwide who are available to replace them.

I thought from the post I quoted there was some doomsday issue.