Discussion
Alright, I know I'm gonna be pretty much alone here, but I think the VW SDI engine is absolutely astounding. Maybe not astounding, but it's a damn good engine. I used to rate the 1.9 TDi as probably the best all round engine ever made, and I still do. However, the SDI just seems unkillable. I had an SDI Fabia that I was gonna daily until I got offered a Mondeo instead. It was the newest car I've driven that still felt mechanical, not the quickest, but it still felt like a strong engine. Smoother than I expected too for an NA diesel.
Johnnytheboy said:
Was it the last non-turbo diesel engine to go in a production car?
I had a van with one in, it was so horrible I forced an underling to have it and I had their TDI one.
The Greenline Skoda one is non turbo for a few seconds on Roundabouts, be even slightly out of the rev range for getting some turbo assistance and it accurately simulates an SDI on full song, then it wakes up and is not quite as tragic as it seemed. I had a van with one in, it was so horrible I forced an underling to have it and I had their TDI one.
t. While the 90bhp TDI wasn't a ball of fire, it was a nice old engine. Can't be said about the SDI.The only redeeming feature is that the insurance is very cheap!
I had a Fabia SDI as my first car for exactly that reason. I did a fair number of motorway miles, and it was either that or something with a very low powered petrol engine.
The equivalent base model Fabia with the 1.2 petrol, although less slow on paper was both gutless and short geared on the motorway. At least the SDI was just gutless with no whining engine noise from a 3 cylinder engine spinning at about 4k rpm at 70mph like there was with the 1.2.
If I'd opted for the 1.9TDI instead, the insurance would have been nearly double the cost and unaffordable (I was 21 at the time).
I had a Fabia SDI as my first car for exactly that reason. I did a fair number of motorway miles, and it was either that or something with a very low powered petrol engine.
The equivalent base model Fabia with the 1.2 petrol, although less slow on paper was both gutless and short geared on the motorway. At least the SDI was just gutless with no whining engine noise from a 3 cylinder engine spinning at about 4k rpm at 70mph like there was with the 1.2.
If I'd opted for the 1.9TDI instead, the insurance would have been nearly double the cost and unaffordable (I was 21 at the time).
The straight six in the SD1 was pretty good too. Includes LJKS reference:
https://www.aronline.co.uk/engines/engines-rover-s...
https://www.aronline.co.uk/engines/engines-rover-s...
aaron_2000 said:
Alright, I know I'm gonna be pretty much alone here, but I think the VW SDI engine is absolutely astounding. Maybe not astounding, but it's a damn good engine. I used to rate the 1.9 TDi as probably the best all round engine ever made, and I still do. However, the SDI just seems unkillable. I had an SDI Fabia that I was gonna daily until I got offered a Mondeo instead. It was the newest car I've driven that still felt mechanical, not the quickest, but it still felt like a strong engine. Smoother than I expected too for an NA diesel.
Well, you were right - you're utterly alone on this.My BIL had one in a golf - he got it because it was cheap and there were no turbos to worry about. God it was slow.
As an aside, a friend in mid-wales also had a non-turbo diesel in a escort or something crummy in the mid-nighties. He drives tractors and JCB's for a living. He sold his because "it was dangerous to attempt any overtake in" and the acceleration was glacial. Says it all.
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