1.4 Tdi/1.6 Fsi

I'm planning to buy an A2 in the next few weeks. I'm inclined to go for the diesel but the extra cost even compared to the 1.6 FSI is a bit off-putting - sometimes up to a grand on like-for-like-ish.

Do users find the pump+insurance+tax savings make the TDI worthwhile?

(I'm sure this is a terrible bore to site regulars so I apologise in advance)
 
I have my A2 tdi sport up for grabs at the moment, see for sale forum. 2003 on a 53 plate plenty of extras!
 
I know that I am biased, owning an TDi 90, but it was bought from new with my own money, so I guess that counts for something.

Generally, the Tdi will return 50mpg easily, or about 12mpg more than the petrol. The performance is easily on a par with the FSi, outclassing it in mid-gear performance, due to the better torque. Also, it is band A VED (£50) and will soon be exempt from the congestion charge in London, if that is important to you.

Case proven m'lud!

Cheers,

Mike
 
tdiman said:
I have my A2 tdi sport up for grabs at the moment, see for sale forum. 2003 on a 53 plate plenty of extras!


Just read it, suspect it may be a little fancy for my budget. Thanks for the reply.
 
Skipton01 said:
I know that I am biased, owning an TDi 90, but it was bought from new with my own money, so I guess that counts for something.

Generally, the Tdi will return 50mpg easily, or about 12mpg more than the petrol. The performance is easily on a par with the FSi, outclassing it in mid-gear performance, due to the better torque. Also, it is band A VED (£50) and will soon be exempt from the congestion charge in London, if that is important to you.

Case proven m'lud!

Cheers,

Mike


Thanks Mike. That's what I suspected from reading around - just feels hard parting with the extra cash up front even though you know you'll see it again in the long term.
 
Just re-read your original post and I forgot to mention the insurance factor - the TDi is insurance group 5 or 6, depending on trim level (mine is a 6 for instance). The FSi is group 9 or 10, so you'll see a £100 or so a year saving at least in premium savings too.

All in all, I expect you'll recoup that £1000 in the first year if you do 15k miles or so and travel to London with any regularity.

From then on, you're quids in, especially when the price of petrol rockets as it surely will in the next couple of years. You can remain smug, running around on pure rapeseed derived biodiesel!

Cheers,

Mike
 
buy a TDi, I had an alfa and (hence the name) on switching, I save around 3K per year in fuel, insurance and repair bills...

...in the time I've had mine 0-115,000 miles it's cost 2 services (1 was free), front discs & pads, cambelt etc, and roll-bar, this lot probably cost me £800 over 4 years! and I get 60mpg, hopefully one day I'm going to pluck up courage to slap some veggie oil in it... try doing that in your FSI

;-)

bba
 
bye_bye_alfa said:
buy a TDi, I had an alfa and (hence the name) on switching, I save around 3K per year in fuel, insurance and repair bills...

...in the time I've had mine 0-115,000 miles it's cost 2 services (1 was free), front discs & pads, cambelt etc, and roll-bar, this lot probably cost me £800 over 4 years! and I get 60mpg, hopefully one day I'm going to pluck up courage to slap some veggie oil in it... try doing that in your FSI

;-)

bba

3K a year! Where do you go on holiday?
 
Skipton01 said:
Just re-read your original post and I forgot to mention the insurance factor - the TDi is insurance group 5 or 6, depending on trim level (mine is a 6 for instance). The FSi is group 9 or 10, so you'll see a £100 or so a year saving at least in premium savings too.

All in all, I expect you'll recoup that £1000 in the first year if you do 15k miles or so and travel to London with any regularity.

From then on, you're quids in, especially when the price of petrol rockets as it surely will in the next couple of years. You can remain smug, running around on pure rapeseed derived biodiesel!

Cheers,

Mike

You sold me. Cheers for the advice. I notice there's no 1.6 owners coming on saying "Ah, but.... " so there's obviously no secret reason to have one.
 
an FSi owner speaks!!!

I'm not advocating one over the other, in fact I was in exactly the same boat prior to buying mine, Fsi vs Tdi.

I was slightly at a disadvantage in that my previous car (Alfa 156 V6) required around £800 to keep it going through the MoT, and I was not prepared to spend this. So I did a deal just as the tax was running out and part-exchanged it against my FSi. Had I more time, I would have spent longer looking around.

My mileage is low-ish so I was not in need of the extra economy per se. I do less than 12,000 miles per year. My insurance is £300 fully comp and the tax is £100.

I have driven a Tdi 75 and I liked the mid-range torque. It also had a "throaty" sound to it. But if you prefer quietness, then an FSi is fairly. Mine averages 42-45 mpg on Shell V-power. If the UK ever receives the special low-sulphur fuel the motor was designed to use, then perhaps we'll see lower fuel costs but it is unlikely. That said, diesel is more expensive (than regular unleaded) so you'll have to weigh this in to any equation if fuel bills are a major factor.

But as you say, Tdis are around £1000 more like for like, and that buys a fair bit of petrol.

I do not regret buying an A2 at all. I like it a lot. I'm looking to possibly change it for a higher spec and I will consider a Tdi or an FSi again.

Either way, you pays your money and takes your choice. If you have the opportunity to drive both, then perhaps that will swing it for you. But if you cover a low-ish mileage, then an FSi will serve you well.

Discuss!!!! :)
 
I have the FSI and love it to bits.
There is loads of power and it makes my 2.0 Volvo V40 seam very sluggish in comparison.
Having driven lots of diesel cars, I do like the torque that a diesel gives. The FSI engine is very torquey though and in many ways reminds me of a diesel.
I bought an FSI because it was the right car for the right price. Had there been an identical car with a TDI 90 for the same price I would have bought the TDI. But I can honestly say that the only reason for wanting the TDI is pure running costs.
In reality a TDI will cost more to purchase (£1500 more for a 3 year old I reckoned) and that means that over 3 years it will cost £450 more per year (taking off the £50 difference in road tax). That covers the difference in fuel economy over a 3 year period. I get just under 40mpg out of mine.

So if you find a sweet car that happens to have an FSI then go for it. The FSI is tons better than the 1.4 petrol (I have driven this). And I reckon that with the Congestion charge announcement that the TDI's price will be even firmer now.
 
Don't forget that although you pay a premium for a TDI when your buying, they do tend to hold their value and wear higher mileages more than petrols - so come resale time you'll recoup some of the initial higher outlay also.
 
fsi are the nuts

having just got my fsi all i can say is that in 3 weeks i have done over 3k of high speed motor way driving and i have loved every mile i have covered:)
aveage mpg is 45.3 over 3k which inculeuds all that fannying about on the bottom of the m1
best of all is the top speed ...........
move over sales reps the out side line of the motor way is for fsi lads
 
Oh no not this again - its easy - if you feel really smug when telling people how cheap your car is to run, buy a diesel, if you like the crude way that diesels deliver power, buy a diesel, if you like smelling like a chip, buy a diesel, if you like looking tight whenever people see your car, buy a diesel, if you like nose heavy cars, buy a diesel, otherwise enjoy yourself, save yourself £1500 and buy a petrol. Easy really.
 
I bought a TDI 90 in August and have never looked back.
Doing mixed motoring (motorway & rural), I average 58 mpg.

There again, as long as its an A2 you will be making the right choice!

Good luck, Peter
 
hi.

i havnt been a member for long however i have noticed that petrol engines are regarded by most other members as the work of satan !!!!!!
i have a 1.6 petrol sport and i have to say the the oil burning brigade like to paint a very one sided view of things for instance as they keep insisting the diesel will outstrip a2's like mine in performance, i would like to see them try and they also seem to be blinkered when it comes down to overall costs and unlike some im not baised i think diesels are nice to drive and have had them in the past but even the most ardent supporter spouting about running on chip pan fat and crop oil could not deny the fact of the performance of the 1.6 fsi and hidden costs of diesels.

thanks don
 
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ULP said:
What is your budget? FSI's were only introduced later which means you might struggle to find a decent one in budget.

If you like the power delivery of a turbo diesel then I suspect you'll find the FSI a bit languid, although if you like to bounce of the rev limiter then the diesel will provide little joy.


My budget is between 8 and 9 though might spend a bit more for the right car. I do mostly motorway driving - about 400 miles per week - but live in a city (nowhere near London so congestion charge is not an issue).

I've already ruled out the 1.4 petrol as too weedy even for me. Can't find a 90bhp TDI in my price range but, from what I gather, the 75 has enough oomph.

Residuals are a consideration as it was one of the things which attracted me to the A2 in the first place (together with the economy in either format). The fact that it looks cool and is not another bleeding golf was also a consideration.

One more thing, to quote lyndonbuck, I do like the crude power of a diesel. Does this make me a bad person?
 
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beckettesque said:
My budget is between 8 and 9 though might spend a bit more for the right car. I do mostly motorway driving - about 400 miles per week - but live in a city (nowhere near London so congestion charge is not an issue).

I've already ruled out the 1.4 petrol as too weedy even for me. Can't find a 90bhp TDI in my price range but, from what I gather, the 75 has enough oomph.

Residuals are a consideration as it was one of the things which attracted me to the A2 in the first place (together with the economy in either format). The fact that it looks cool and is not another bleeding golf was also a consideration.

One more thing, to quote lyndonbuck, I do like the crude power of a diesel. Does this make me a bad person?

So you have a budget of £8-9k, you'd like a tdi 90, well mine is a tdi75 but has been chipped and is now giving 101bhp, goes like stink and will happilly get you 55-60mpg any day, specs pretty good too, and don't forget these may be exempt form future and existing congestion taxes, sorry charges!
 
your budget will get you a good tdi 75, ive a tdi 90 and like the oomph but am niggled by the 56 mpg ave (on dis). Reading around the site buying one here would be a good bet to start with and i would now buy one with a double din dash so you can do sat nav later when you are more confident. If i was starting again i would consider a 1.2 tdi as well.
 
Lyndonbuck (nothing personal but) may I ask when you last actually drove a diesel? Was it circa 1970?

Things have moved on to such an extent we now have petrol (FSI) engines using modern diesel technology (PD). Even light aeroplanes are getting rid of their 8 litre flat 4 and 6 petrol engines and moving over to Merc A class based diesels that also run on Jet A1 fuel. 1960's Piper Warrior uses 37 litres of 100 Octane an hour vrs 26 litres of diesel for same performance.

My 1.2 diesel engine weighs 100 kg and is far quiteter than a 1.4 or 1.6 petrol - especially at motorway speeds where the revs stay in the 1200 to 1600 rpm range. Uphill overtaking is a joy - no need to change gear. Yes I love raspy sporty petrols like my previous Abarth 127 racecar, Mk1 Golf GTi, and 16v MR2, in fact I now have a superb Fulvia HF 1600 V4, but in the real world of traffic jams and speed cameras those machines are best left to the race track. When it comes to C02 emissions petrols are way behind. Worried about particulates? Get a particulate filter or run on a blend of biodiesel.

Why do US petrol pumps have suck back covers on the nozzels and UK ones don't? Cause invisible benzine based vapours in petrol are cancer provoking.


My advice would be if you do more than 10,000 miles a year then get the diesel. If you want lower road tax, get the diesel. If you want more mpg without worrying about throttle useage (and yes even with unleaded v petrol price differences) get the diesel.

If you want a track car pay your money and get interesting & fun machine like a Lancia Delta Integrale, Lotus Elise or an old 911. Run it on 100 octane, then tow it home again with a diesel estate!

As my grandad used to say "you're entitled to your ignorance lad!".
 
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