A2 diesel or Petrol

[style30]

My misis wants a A2 just wondered what the best engine out of the 1.4 petrol or the 1.4tdi petrol only want to spend 4-5k tops ... any advice on other bits is welcome..
cheers

O

[*Unkle*]

Hi

Both will be perfectly good for general use, neither suffer from problems in excess from model to model.

I will give you an unbiased opinion, and I will just put it in bullet points so its easier than me rambling on.

1: Petrol will be smooth on idle and feel more refined, but lack a little on the motorway due to the lack of torque
1: Diesel will be rattly on idle (it is a 3 pot oil burner) and feel agricultural but develop good torque for duel carriageway and motorway driving.

2: Petrol will do 50 mpg and a bit more but on average (including city driving) that’s about the best
2: Diesel will do up to 60 mpg and on average 50 plus

Apart from that i wouldn't say there is a lot in it. The diesel is always more desirable (and cost more to buy) as all VAG group diesels are compared to the petrol equivalent, but i wouldn't let that put you off a petrol for your partner.

Stay away from the Sport unless you want to trade comfort for sports handling
Stay away from the Opensky roof system unless you really want it, as its just another thing to go wrong
All interiors are approx the same apart from the sport which has a 3 spoke steering wheel and sport seats.
Later ones had a few very minor improvements nothing that makes the early ones significantly troublesome but like always the newer you can afford the better

For a nice second car the 1.4 petrol SE or 1.4 SE Diesel would be fine.

One last thing, the 1.4 diesel comes in 75 and 90 hp versions the only difference is BHP and torque the interior is the same and mechanically its almost the same apart from the VNT turbo and clutch etc.

You can also buy the 1.6 FSI version it's pretty much the same as the 1.4 petrol for economy but with a bit more torque when rev'd, it can get through coil packs but ask a Renault driver about coil packs and its an all too familiar experience, not a huge problem, although i never new what the problem was with a single coil, leads and spark plugs in the traditional fashion, sorry rambling...



For me? I bought ours in 2004 and have the 1.4 Sport diesel custom remapped to produce more power, and if i had to buy another it would be the same.

However for someone that isn't fussed about the Sport, or torque or the 17" wheels and sports suspension i would buy which ever came along and with the best history, condition and low mileage, and not worry about the fuel type. A nice one lady owner with 45,000 miles and about 4 main dealer stamps would be nice

[Lee_R]

isnt tax £35 a year on the diesels too? think its £125 on the petrols

[*Unkle*]

Yeah forgot that, it is a bargain!

[style30]

Thanks for the in depth piece of info...so its got to be an SE version hopfully a diesel but if a clean petrol comes up Ill just get that.. ta

[gradwells]

A2 petrols are virtually impossible to sell unless priced well under the TDI : if you can find a good TDI snap it up as it is a totally different car to drive and own and possibly re sell later . The petrol is whiny short geared an the fuel dissapears at a huge rate unless you are on a long run but then its hopeless at long runs so you wont take it ! Biggest problem is finding a TDi that has not been abused .

Just a quick edit the SE has flat seats with the sport having comfy seats with shaping at the sides !

[The Slug]

Ive drove both a few years back now and although the diesel is a rattler, its a good engine and would be my choice

[cream2cream]

diesels have bomb proof values', expect to pay 5k+ for a low miler and 2-3k for a high miler and under 2k for a mega miler, but if serviced well they can do 350k, know a polish chap who's clocked 300k in his 2001 model

[murran]

id try to stay away from the fsi 1.6. much more to go wrong than the standard 1.4.

if you cant get a diesel a2 id start looking at the 5 door polo tdi.
at least with the polo the wipers dont make the whole car rock slightly from side to side while sat in traffic!!