Golf 118TSI vs. 103TDI

[hoi polloi]

Congrats.


Pass the time buy buying stuff for your new car
Or working out which insurance company is going to be best, or what numberplate you could get etc.
Or just reading up on here about them or going for more test-drives at other dealers.

Thanks mate...

Insurance for me is a lot less on the diesel than for either the 118TSI or GTI (which were only $30 per year different to each other for me).

Number plates are relatively simple in NSW - it's either Euro or black Euro (which have smaller front plates).

I'm sure if I deny myself now it'll make me appreciate it more when it does come

Regards,
- Anthony.

[Greg Roles]

I recently read this article in a magazine (Car and Driver) and the reviewer seems to indicate that the 103TDI has firmer suspension and sharper steering... (6th paragraph onwards)

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...take_road_test

Now I've looked through the specs sheet on the VWAus website and there appears to be no differences between the suspension/steering of the 118TSI and the 103TDI.

Is there any truth to the reviewer's comment or is this a case of the US get different specced cars?

My vote is because the donk is almost 100kg heavier in the TDI, so it is more "nose heavy" aiding steering etc. I've read the exact same comment about the MKV GT's. Perhaps TDI's have higher rating front springs due to the extra engine weight as well??

[Greg Roles]

Well now I've made up my mind the waiting begins - how to cope with a 5 month wait?

Spend your time searching the word "Provent", sadly the modern diesels biggest downfall.

[Frankenstrat]

What's the downfall, Cogdoc? Having a Provent or not having a Provent? Hmm, that sounds a bit Oscar Wildish; "There's only one thing worse than being talked about, and that's NOT being talked about".

[team_v]

What's the downfall, Cogdoc? Having a Provent or not having a Provent? Hmm, that sounds a bit Oscar Wildish; "There's only one thing worse than being talked about, and that's NOT being talked about".

Having a provent almost solves the DPF issue that the new diesels have.

The DPF clogs up and costs $5k to replace.
It also throws error codes if you do lots of low rev city driving or short distance travel.

[prise]

Do the consumption specs indicate that the 7 speed is a more efficient unit than the 6 speed.

Besides the advantage of an extra ratio it is actually more efficient due to lower pumping requirements (no oil cooler required, etc) and not having an oil bathed clutch. VW claim a 6% mechanical efficiency improvement over the 6 speed

have a look at page 7 below:

http://www.volkswagenag.com/vwag/vwc...%2008_engl.pdf

[gregozedobe]

Having a provent almost solves the DPF issue that the new diesels have.

The DPF clogs up and costs $5k to replace.
It also throws error codes if you do lots of low rev city driving or short distance travel.

I suggest you have a closer look at what a Provent is designed to do. It will make almost no difference to the functioning of a DPF. But you are correct in saying that DPFs don't work at all well for cars that do mainly short trips and stop-start driving. To fix the DPF issues requires a lot more than an oil catch-can (which is what a provent essentially is).

However, a properly installed Provent will almost certainly make a big difference to the amount of crud that accumulates in the intake of almost all modern VAG TDI engines (courtesy of the dreaded EGR system).

[Greg Roles]

Love your work Greggo.

DPF has never caused me any issue at all. It's just an expensive part to replace when it finally clogs permanently, at approx 150k plus from what I read. If you do lots of short city trips, the DPF lifespan will be less.

Stock TDI emission control has a LOT of oil vapour and exhaust gas entering the inlet, and soot plus oil vapour equals thick goopy sludge. Performance and economy drops over time as the inlet becomes alarmingly smaller, and parts can fail as they gum up.

Dropping the oil ingested is the easiest fix, along with VW or similar "cleanouts". Get your butt into the diesel section and start reading!!

[Anfield]

Got my United Grey 103 last week, really love it! Leather, sports pack, sat-nav, Dynaudio. Rides well and is putting out some really economical fuel figures.

[MariusGT]

I've been reading posts on this thread the past couple of weeks and from all
accounts it would seem that it comes down largely to 2 things.

1: the number of kms you drive- and particularly how long your individual trips are. A few posts have mentioned the tdi needing around 10kms to come into it's own. Lots of kms and long trips = tdi. Short trips and less kms = tsi

2: the tdi is a more "sedate" drive. While giving huge respect to the torque numbers- it is a much more relaxing engine compared to the twin charger. If you're after the cruiser go the tdi. Bit mote of a drivers car? tsi

Before buying (and this is a slightly dated observation though still relevant I hope!) I drove a 2.0 tdi pacific, a gti and a gt tsi.

I loved all three. And personally found the tsi a nice compromise between the gti and the tdi.

Note: I didn't dare drive an R32.... Though I could afford it I just didn't want to splash out that much- and was wary of falling in love!!!