Which TDI engine is powerful enough?
Discussion
Hi, I'm new to the site so any feedback regarding if I've done anything incorrectly would be appreciated. I currently drive a chevrolet kalos 1.2 (72hp/77lbft), I have been saving up for a deposit on a new car over the past few months, however it will be a bit delayed as I recently lost my job. I will be buying at some point in the next 6-9 months and I have my heart set on a used 2/3 year old SEAT Leon or VW Golf. I've decided on diesel for several reasons.
1. I want to experience owning a diesel before they are phased out of production completely.
2. I prefer straight line pace (torque) more than handling thrills. Also something that could perform well at traffic light grand prix.
My question is I hear more experienced drivers saying that a 1.6TDI 110hp is slow and dull and that the 2.0TDI 150 or 184 are much better units. Obviously there will be a huge difference between these units but for a 21 year old such as myself who has only experienced a basic 1.2, would the 1.6TDI feel fast to me? Forgive me for going on, I thought it would be best to give as much detail as possible. Thanks
1. I want to experience owning a diesel before they are phased out of production completely.
2. I prefer straight line pace (torque) more than handling thrills. Also something that could perform well at traffic light grand prix.
My question is I hear more experienced drivers saying that a 1.6TDI 110hp is slow and dull and that the 2.0TDI 150 or 184 are much better units. Obviously there will be a huge difference between these units but for a 21 year old such as myself who has only experienced a basic 1.2, would the 1.6TDI feel fast to me? Forgive me for going on, I thought it would be best to give as much detail as possible. Thanks
Ashley Weightman said:
Hi, I'm new to the site so any feedback regarding if I've done anything incorrectly would be appreciated. I currently drive a chevrolet kalos 1.2 (72hp/77lbft), I have been saving up for a deposit on a new car over the past few months, however it will be a bit delayed as I recently lost my job. I will be buying at some point in the next 6-9 months and I have my heart set on a used 2/3 year old SEAT Leon or VW Golf. I've decided on diesel for several reasons.
1. I want to experience owning a diesel before they are phased out of production completely.
2. I prefer straight line pace (torque) more than handling thrills. Also something that could perform well at traffic light grand prix.
My question is I hear more experienced drivers saying that a 1.6TDI 110hp is slow and dull and that the 2.0TDI 150 or 184 are much better units. Obviously there will be a huge difference between these units but for a 21 year old such as myself who has only experienced a basic 1.2, would the 1.6TDI feel fast to me? Forgive me for going on, I thought it would be best to give as much detail as possible. Thanks
If you want something as dull as a Golf then a petrol GTI is probably the best choice for you unless you’re doing > 15k miles/year of course. All of your suggestions will be eaten alive off the lights by any reasonably warm petrol. 1. I want to experience owning a diesel before they are phased out of production completely.
2. I prefer straight line pace (torque) more than handling thrills. Also something that could perform well at traffic light grand prix.
My question is I hear more experienced drivers saying that a 1.6TDI 110hp is slow and dull and that the 2.0TDI 150 or 184 are much better units. Obviously there will be a huge difference between these units but for a 21 year old such as myself who has only experienced a basic 1.2, would the 1.6TDI feel fast to me? Forgive me for going on, I thought it would be best to give as much detail as possible. Thanks
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hstewie said:
hstewie said: At the risk of being captain sensible, apologies that you've recently lost your job, but I would question whether it's a good idea to be changing car if you're going to be out of work for an unknown period of time.
Thanks mate, much appreciated. I won't be buying until I have a secure job, I did have that up until recently hence why I had a lot saved up but unfortunately the company had to make cuts and get rid of staff (me included). I qualify as a plumber soon so if I keep hold of a job in that industry I should be able to go ahead and get a car.cuprabob said:
I have to ask why?
The 2.0 150PS would be the best compromise regarding torque, power amd economy.
Unless you do the miles to justify a diesel, I would consider a petrol.
I live in Wolverhampton, West Midlands so I do a lot of dual carriageway and motorway driving. Turbo diesel and turbo petrol both seem wise choices and I've always wanted to experience both. Admittedly I probably won't do diesel miles, but I assumed DPF issues were less common in more modern diesels?The 2.0 150PS would be the best compromise regarding torque, power amd economy.
Unless you do the miles to justify a diesel, I would consider a petrol.
832ark said:
If you want something as dull as a Golf then a petrol GTI is probably the best choice for you unless you’re doing > 15k miles/year of course. All of your suggestions will be eaten alive off the lights by any reasonably warm petrol.
The GTI would be a dream for me, but insurance is expensive for one of those. However the 1.4TSI 150 and 1.8TSI 180 would be more affordable for me. Would either of those be good for burning most cars off at the lights?I had the 150PS 2.0 TDi with my Golf.
It always felt rapid enough from a standing start, but one of the reasons for getting rid was I felt diesels seemed to be going into decline.
Even with modern DPFs it wouldn't be my choice if I wasn't doing a daily 20 mile trip to work each direction.
It always felt rapid enough from a standing start, but one of the reasons for getting rid was I felt diesels seemed to be going into decline.
Even with modern DPFs it wouldn't be my choice if I wasn't doing a daily 20 mile trip to work each direction.
Ashley Weightman said:
The GTI would be a dream for me, but insurance is expensive for one of those. However the 1.4TSI 150 and 1.8TSI 180 would be more affordable for me. Would either of those be good for burning most cars off at the lights?
I have a 140 bhp diesel, which has been mapped to 180, and it will "burn most cars off at the lights" as you put it if I'm generous (but not flooring it) with my right foot and they are driving normally.Conversely I have a 190 bhp NA petrol too and that needs a concerted effort to burn other cars at the lights, so I usually take it slow in this car.
Basically the diesel makes power at lower revs, so if you want to be king of the lights without flooring it each time, a TD beats a NA petrol (assuming bhp is equal).
EDIT: I had a 75 bhp NA petrol before my 140 bhp diesel, and the diesel was a rocketship by comparison... I was blown away on the test drive
HenryHippo said:
I have a 140 bhp diesel, which has been mapped to 180, and it will "burn most cars off at the lights" as you put it if I'm generous (but not flooring it) with my right foot and they are driving normally.
Conversely I have a 190 bhp NA petrol too and that needs a concerted effort to burn other cars at the lights, so I usually take it slow in this car.
Basically the diesel makes power at lower revs, so if you want to be king of the lights without flooring it each time, a TD beats a NA petrol (assuming bhp is equal).
EDIT: I had a 75 bhp NA petrol before my 140 bhp diesel, and the diesel was a rocketship by comparison... I was blown away on the test drive
Wow, interesting stuff. I do like the idea of a high horsepower naturally aspirated engine. Getting that power out of it would be fun, it's just a shame they're so rare these days. The only one I can think of that you can still buy today in a hatch is a mazda 3 2.0 165. But the low down torque of a diesel in everyday driving just has more appeal I think.Conversely I have a 190 bhp NA petrol too and that needs a concerted effort to burn other cars at the lights, so I usually take it slow in this car.
Basically the diesel makes power at lower revs, so if you want to be king of the lights without flooring it each time, a TD beats a NA petrol (assuming bhp is equal).
EDIT: I had a 75 bhp NA petrol before my 140 bhp diesel, and the diesel was a rocketship by comparison... I was blown away on the test drive
Pistonheader101 said:
How about trying a bmw engine. A 335d/435d. Probably one of the most powerful diesels ever made and to be ever made.
Yes they're fantastic engines with all that torque. They obviously won't offer the handling thrills of the m3 or m4 but for straight line acceleration they're something else. The Audi V12 6.0TDI had even more power and torque, it would be good to see that engine still in production but I'm guessing it was stopped due to emmisions. But I do like the diesel BMW engines. The 125d in the 1 series can't be matched by other diesel hatches. (As you can see I'm very much into my German hatches with the addition of the SEAT Leon).willmagrath said:
Going from the 1.2 to the 1.6tdi will feel a lot faster to you. It's the torque increase that's makes a car feel a lot faster. How ever the 2.0 tdi's will feel even faster.
It's all relative really!
Yeah I suppose it is all relative, anything will feel fast compared to my current car. I'm guessing the drivers who say the 1.6TDI is slow must be used to GTI's, R's, Cupra's, S3 etc which would make complete senseIt's all relative really!
You can pick up a 1.9 CDTI Astra for peanuts. 150 bhp and change from a grand. Fabia VRS 1.9 130 are ok too although most are high miles but there’s one by me with low miles for £3000. A remap and they are quite capable little cars. Mk 1 Leon Tdi again is a warm but fun car using the Golf GT TDI 150 unit. All are really cheap for what they have to offer.
Ashley Weightman said:
Pistonheader101 said:
How about trying a bmw engine. A 335d/435d. Probably one of the most powerful diesels ever made and to be ever made.
Yes they're fantastic engines with all that torque. They obviously won't offer the handling thrills of the m3 or m4 but for straight line acceleration they're something else. The Audi V12 6.0TDI had even more power and torque, it would be good to see that engine still in production but I'm guessing it was stopped due to emmisions. But I do like the diesel BMW engines. The 125d in the 1 series can't be matched by other diesel hatches. (As you can see I'm very much into my German hatches with the addition of the SEAT Leon).Ashley Weightman said:
Yeah I suppose it is all relative, anything will feel fast compared to my current car. I'm guessing the drivers who say the 1.6TDI is slow must be used to GTI's, R's, Cupra's, S3 etc which would make complete sense
A 1.6 tdi Golf at circa 110hp 0-60 in over 10seconds will feel quicker than a 1.2 petrol but you won't be thrashing people in a traffic light grand prix and won't convince anyone with an interest in cars that it is quick. It's a nice step up in performance at first but you will get used to it very quickly. A 2.0tdi 170 would be a much larger leap an likely to keep you happier for longer and in the real world I suspect the difference in running cost between a 1.6t v 2.0 driven the same way isn't that big. To be frank though, I find the whole concept of anyone wanting to own a modern 4 cylinder diesel alien, I'd not buy one for pleasure!!!! I hated my last diesel experience. A 6 cylinder could maybe sway me though..330D?? .
Life is too short and there are far far more fun cars that have engines that go over 3500rpm without running out of puff nor sounding like a bag of spanners in a washing machine.
Edited by aka_kerrly on Thursday 27th December 02:26
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