Is there info on Briskoda somewhere with gear ratio details? I had a look but must have missed it - just curiosity, it's taking it a bit far to look for a 130 (rare - only five estates in the whole country on autotrader.co.uk) with the particular desirable gearbox (impossible!).

Archie

Nope ... ETKA and Excel are your friends. A lot of the 5 speed gearbox's have the same gear ratios just different codes.

The 6 speed box is different in that it has 2 final drives - one for 1st to 3rd then the second for 4th to 6th and reverse. It means that 3rd and 4th have almost the same gearing but since the final drive is different you get different final ratios

Barney

You may consider a Pug 406 as well. I've got a 90 horse, with a remap to about 130, and it's very good for towing. It's a big heavy car, so a bouncy trailer is not a problem - and I got about 38mpg towing about a tonne.

The Peugeot 406 was on my towcar shortlist - narrowed down finally to either a 406 or a Passat/Superb (diesels of course).

One test drive of each made the decision easy - the PD 130 engine trounces the HDi 2.2 despite its extra capacity. The VAG chassis is also more up to the job and is much more heavily built - 5 stud 16" wheels for instance.

Looking around, for my budget, the Passats were high mileage dogs but a reasonable Superb which is better equipped and has a longer wheelbase (gives better stability with a heavy non-aerodynamic trailer) was a runner.

The 6 speed box is a waste of time - top gear is insignificantly higher (120 rpm engine speed drop at 70 mph) and engine flexibility is not a problem. The 6 speed unit has proved to be unreliable on the Passat with premature pinion bearing failures.

I'm pleased with it - it's been reliable and the engine is a winner (if you turn the radio up). I'm under no illusions as to what it will fetch - but I'll get my money's worth out of it first.

rotodiesel.

I asked a similar question a while ago, I was trying to get the parents to buy the 1.8t l&K but in the end they found a 51 plate octy elegance with 70k for £2700 in a rather nice green (metallic eucalyptus?)

its a 110 tdi but theyre gonna book a remap at jbs for £249 which up its by 30/40 ish hp but its fine for towing as it is

We would have been a 2 octavia family but i crashed my vrs the other week and wrote it off- but thats another thread.

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The Superb didn't get towcar of the year for nothing ....pd130 best towcar I have ever had and with a mild map =caravan....... what caravan don't even know it's on the back...it is really stable and can sit at the maximum speed all day without changing down

Just a thought but didn't some of the last of the line Octavia 1 L & Ks come with the TDI 130 PD engine? If you can find one of those it would be perfect.

Just a thought but didn't some of the last of the line Octavia 1 L & Ks come with the TDI 130 PD engine? If you can find one of those it would be perfect.

They do/did, but iirc, a 6 speed box was fitted to all the Octy PD130s I believe, and as suggested above the 6th gear would be of little benefit. The 110 non-PD seems to give the best of both worlds when it comes to economy and towing ability,

Is sixth on the 130 a higher top right enough, or are the intermediates closer-spaced with the same top ratio?

My 2005 Fabia vRS was a 130PD 6-speed, it replaced an A3 TDI 110 5 speed.

The 130 pulls harder, but has a little more lag at very very low revs. The overall gearing was slightly higher in 6th, but 5th was lower than the A3's 5th- so the intermediate ratios were spread a little and top was raised a little.

The 110 non-PD was slightly better on fuel, but as expected a little slower. The PD130 has a very noticeable torque peak, and also revs a little better.

I'd go for the 130 if one comes up, but the 110 is a good engine too.

I have the standard 110 TDi y2000 and it pulls my fleetwood colcester brill, I am looking at changing for the Scout but with the common rail engine, have you had a look at the normal 4x4 TDi for that extra bit of grip on wet grass ? cheers - Stuart.