1.6tdi v 2.0tdi.

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shilts

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Hi , i was just wondering what peoples opinions were on 1.6tdi against 2.0tdi . I was thinking of getting the 1.6tdi because of economy and being chain driven - no cam belt change . But having read a current thread regarding low MPG on the 1.6tdi i'm starting to wonder whether this is the right choice . Combined figures on the 2.0tdi seem to be quite similar if not a little lower:think: and the VED tax band is similar . Just wondering for what it's worth do i go for the extra power or stick to the 1.6tdi . One other thing that sticks in my mind with the 2.0tdi is the threads that i have read regarding engine / head cracking issues . I would intend to buy new and keep for 5 years or maybe more so i'm really stuck in a dilemma - Any help would be greatly appreciated , thanks .
 
Hi Shilts,
I originally was going to go for 1.8tfsi but my position changed so I 'm now going for 2.0tdi 140, all I can at present is that I had a 1.6tdi the other day and it was frightfully slow and mpg wasnt great but it was brand new.
 
Shilts, I'm no expert but I've run the 2.tdi in various VAG models and can't complain, had it in a 2006 Passat and ran it up to 92,000 it didn't miss a beat, the car was huge, I drove it fairly hard and got 47 mpg average. Got it in my current 2004 A3, currently lots of town driving (work is dead), barely gets warm, it's done 87,000 and returns late 40's up to 50 and is a pleasure to drive. In terms of your timing belt, of course a chain is good as you'll never change it and 'should' never snap but in the 5 years you plan on keeping the car you'll only do the job once. VED wise, I don't know the figures but I'm sure if you average it out over 12 months it won't be a biggy, the 2.0 tdi will most likely be a more enjoyable drive I guess.

On the flip side, the 1.6 may wear in and improve, it's obviously a more recent engine too so should be more relieable (I honeslty think the 2.0 is a bomb proof engine though)

Be interesting to see what other people think. And what other people get MPG wise.
 
Head cracking only happened on the early PD140 BKD engines. No such problems on the later PD170 and common rail engines. Personally i believe a 1.6tdi engine is to small for a car as heavy as an A3 so even if the engine is meant to more economical to use in the test lab in real life you will be revving it harder and using just as much diesel to get anywhere then you would if you had a larger engine that had the power to drive the car easily especially if you do a lot of motorway driving.
 
devonmikeyboy said:
in real life you will be revving it harder and using just as much diesel to get anywhere then you would if you had a larger engine that had the power to drive the car easily especially if you do a lot of motorway driving.
Click to expand...

I completely agree with this as I have driven both the big any small engined cars... For going around town my ex's 1.2 Clio was great and got pretty good MPG versus my CTR, but if you did a motorway trip the CTR won hands down. You literally had to have your foot to the floor just to stay at 70mph in the Clio versus a gentle cruise in the Civic.

I thought about the same options as you but went for the 2.0 in the end (and you can get it with BE trim!!) because of my above experience with smaller engines...
 
Hi , i don't know what to think really ! I guess from a power or lack of power point of view the only way to see if it is sufficient is to take both for a drive . Most of my driving will be short distances - around town and up to around 15 miles so i'm not quite sure how the figures will compare . Cam belt change i do appreciate will probably only need doing the once so how much are we talking , and also how will servicing costs / intervals compare ? The 140 tdi seems to have been around some time so apart from the head cracking issues which devonmikeyboy says seemed to have been put to bed are there any other problems that i need to be aware of ? The new generation 140 tdi with start / stop seem to have comparible MPG / emmisions to the 1.6tdi and Audi are currently doing a free sports upgrade from the SE spec on the 140 so this gets the 140 to within £100 of the 1.6tdi price - would i be a fool not to go for the 140 ???? Thanks .
 
I would hazard a guess and say the 140... Plus then there is the extra power on tap should you ever need it!
 
Given the Sport offer price. Do the 2.0.... Do it, I double dare you. :icon_thumright:
 
Got my 2.0 TDi Sport yesterday. The power is pretty impressive... amazing torque.
 
It has to be the 140, I personally think you'll be disappointed with the 1.6, especially on the A11
 
Thanks guy's ! a3rick this is what i'm now wondering . What are you guy's who are running start / stop 140's currently getting ? Also anyone aware of any current issues with 140 , many thanks ?
 
Don`t listen to N8 ( nobody else does :p ) he is only winding you up. The new 140 TDI is a common rail engine with a DPF which is a totally different set up then the PD140 engine. The main problem i know of is the DPF but that dam thing is on all new VAG diesel cars these days for EECemissionn rules.
 
Hiya. Got my 1.6TDI just before Christmas. It certainly felt alot slower brand new than it does now. Its done just over 6000 miles so far and the engine has loosened up lovely. Sure its not a rocket, but I've just come from a 2.2CDTi Civic and a Cooper S before that, so the power is down to what I'm used to but am more than happy. It certainly feels more powerful that the figures on paper would suggest and seems to be geared well.

My choice was slightly easier to make than yours though as it seems you are buying from new yourself? Mine is a sort of company vehicle so my choice was as follows... 2.0TDI in Sport with NO options at all ( not even change of paint colour ) OR 1.6TDI with a long chosen options list in S-Line spec and a saving of £100 a month out of my wages! Yep £1200 a year less for a car with a higher on the road price. Thats a nice summer holiday! An easy choice for me at the time.

I'm not going to lie though and say I would have the 1.6TDI over the 2.0TDI if I could have the same spec car for no more money! I wouldn't. But that said, the 1.6TDI a great little engine and Audi have done well. As for MPG? Well I drive all sorts of roads - motorways to B roads. Short and long journeys. I would say that the lowest average I have had is probably 43 - 45mpg and the highest around the 55mpg mark. I do sometimes have a heavy right foot but the car doesn't feel underpowered for its size. All in all, I made the right choice for me. Hope you do too. Keep us posted and I hope this helps? :happy:
 
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Thanks Joe_H , it's good to hear some positives ! I guess from a power point of view the only way to find out is to go and have a drive of them both . Would you expect the MPG to rise further as you keep adding on the miles ??? I guess everyone's driving style varies , but you seem to be getting a bit more MPG than most . Thanks .
 
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