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Auto Express test:- Altea FR TDI vs vRS

Johnnyc
in Skoda Octavia Mk2 (2004 - 2013)

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Anyone read Autoexpress?.

Apologies if something about this has already been posted.

Last weeks Autoexpress had a test between the OctyII Petrol vRS and a Seat Altea FR 2.0 TDI 170 and I really expected the diesel to keep up with the petrol car 'in gear' whilst yielding much better fuel economy but the performance of the Altea was dissapointing IMO.

Obviously the vRS was quicker 0-60 but it's also 20% quicker 30-70 through the gears than the diesel :eek: . The vRS averaged a respectable 30.8 mpg during the tests but the diesel only acheived 34.4 mpg :thumbdwn:.

What I don't understand is that I can keep up with a 180bhp mk1 Octy vRS (in gear) in my 2.0 TDI 140 so why is the 170 bhp MkII vRS version of my car so much slower than the MkII Petrol vRS . I've heard all along that the in gear performance of the 170 TDI is only marginally better than the 140 but in reality I would have expected a bit better than this especially on the fuel economy front.

I thought I would never say this but since the vRS TDI likely to cost more than the petrol version, is paying the extra money worth it for a 10% increase in fuel economy but a 20% drop in performance?

I've read a few reviews on the PD170 which are saying it's not as good as expected.

One possibility is that they weren't driving it like a diesel, although that is probably clutching at straws :rofl:

As you say, the only reason for going for a diesel is economy and if it doesn't have that then you may as well buy the cheaper, faster petrol version :D

Chris

in gear performance in the mk2 vRS is also a lot better than in the mk1

its a lot more responsive right through the rev range with no lag at all

As you say' date=' the only reason for going for a diesel is economy and if it doesn't have that then you may as well buy the cheaper, faster petrol version :D

Chris[/quote']

Couldn't agree with you more Chris.

Also worth noting that the 2.0TFSI is a far superior unit to the old 1.8 20vT. The torque is just immense, no lag whatsoever... sublime.

I know where my money would be spent. :)

And the altea is a bigger, hevier car...

On a different note i had a shot in a toledo tdi140 sport.. nice on the outside, but the interior was shocking... hard dull plastic everywhere, and really narrow seats!

It's in Auto Express too - so they probably havent even driven the cars, just read the press release and made up some drivel.

I once read a review in EVO magazine about some car or other, which can back to me whilst read an Auto Express review on a plane some weeks later. I got back and compared the two and they were almost identical, yet both claimed to be written by different people - the locations of th ephotos seemd pretty similar too.

So either they were both written from a press release, the sam efreelance journo wrote both and uses different names or Auto Express copied the EVO article and bought the photos from them.

Generally Auto Expres sis full of speculation and hear say, very little is based on the facts - you'd get more accurate information from a car forum on the web..... actually I wouldnt be suprised if thats where they get their stories from.

Both autoexpress and evo are the same company... same journos just aimed at different target-groups

Ahhh well that would explain it ;)

Still think its full of tosh.

  • Author
It's in Auto Express too - so they probably havent even driven the cars' date=' just read the press release and made up some drivel.

[/quote']

Quite possibly but someone did run the test and write the review.

  • Author
One of the quotes in there says 0 to 100 kmh in 8.5 seconds.........my superb is a second quicker than that :eek: :rofl:

:rofl:

  • Author
have you not seen the video ? :D

Click here for video

Yes I think everyone has seen the video. 0-60 in around 8 secs I think. Nice. I'd love a 1 click myself.

A diesel isn´t so fast 0-62 but how often are you standing still beside another car for a race. It´s more common that you meet him while your car is moving. My Fabia with a tunebox is faster than a tuned Octavia RS 1.8T and a RS TSFI isn´t faster. I don´t mean 0-62 or att top speed but on the road. A member on Skodaklubben wondered how a tuned Fabia was so he borrow mine and I his Octavia RS 215hp. On the highway at 112mph he left me behind. He is now selling his petrol car and looking for a Fabia RS.

Try this on highest gear.

80-170km/h (50-106mph) in 17seconds.

http://s26.photobucket.com/albums/c117/FabiaBenke/?action=view&current=80-170.flv

Are you sure about that?? "Had" an 06 BMW 330d yesterday - I don't think he was very happy.

A19 towards A1, he was tailgating EVERYBODY in the outside lane, so he gets to me and does the same thing, so I pull over to let him pass and he continues to do the same thing to everyone in front. Naughtily, I decide to have a go, so I catch up to him, but he won't pull over to let me past, so I (ahem) go to undertake him so he accelerates. I accelerate past him, look in to a furious looking face. Pull past him slightly to "show him", then drop back to let him get on with it.

Fun.

Anyway, the point of this was, if a 330d can't beat me in-gear, would a Fabia???

i agree, not a chance one could keep up with the new RS.......

Maybe up a very steep gradient when the more torque comes in........

unless he could gear change faster than superman on lsd

what an absolutely pointless test, typical of a diesel lover.

why on earth would i leave my car in 5th to accelerate as fast as possible from 50 - 100 when i can pretty much do it in 3rd??

and a fabia vRS with a tuning box is not faster than a remapped octavia vRS as i and others have had little plays with a few others on here and they have never won.

and when you drove the octavia did you drive it like a diesel or how a real drives and change gear at 6500rpm like it wants to be driven?

And the altea is a bigger' date=' hevier car...

[/quote']

Altea 1510Kg

octavia 1400Kg

:)

not that great a difference, only 1 passenger or was it the wind was blowing in the wrong direction? ;)

just out of curiosity and for the scientific purposes of this thread i have produced some material for the defence :)

i had to zip them as the forum doesn't recognise the file format, they are in 3gp(what nokia phones record video in) and can be played with the free nokia player. i did convert them to mp4 but they lost quality and when they are this small/poor quality every bit counts :)

basically 50-95 in 3rd was 9 seconds and 50 - 105 in 5th was about 15 seconds :)

this is in an octavia 4x4(more more weight and loses than a vRS ;) ) with remap/fmic/exhaust and a poorly turbo :) will improve hopefully tuesday :D

when it gets fixed i would be very inerested in a video of stuarts car doing 50-105 in 3rd :D

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