Any owners of a manual 77tsi out there?

[wombatoutofhell]

Hi all. Recently I decided I needed to cut my motoring costs and was planning on trading my 2007 Octavia RS for a more basic Octavia - until I test drove a 77tsi Yeti. The 90tsi Octy felt a bit bland but I loved the Yeti. However, there's a few things a drive around the block won't tell you:
1-is there enough power? It's a 1400kg car with 77kw. Around town it would be fine but how do they cope through the mountains or on an interstate trip?
2-economy. Skoda claim 6.6 but a lot of review I've read quote a lot higher as they have to work the engine so much-1 article said they got 9.8 which is higher than my RS. What's realistic?
3-does the 77tsi have a timing chain or a belt? This car has to last me 5or6 years and I don't want to fork over big dollars for a belt change. Servicing costs on a Skoda are high enough!
That's all I can think of for now. Then it's just working out if the little Yeti has enough boot space for my needs. Head says Octavia, heart says Yeti!

[Lucas_R]

My brother used to have a manual 77TSI Fabia - and i drove that on quite a few occasions. I felt the power and torque of that engine was adequate for the little Fabia although i felt the ratios in the 5 speed gearbox were too widely spaced - especially around town. I felt like i was never in the right gear.

The 1.2TSI engine has a chain driven head, therefore will not require maintenance (like a timing belt) for many years.

I would think the same engine in a car weighing 200-300kg more would feel quite underpowered - although that will depend on the individual.

[Yoda]

So far we've got 4,000km on the clock of my wife's 77TSI DSG Yeti.

Average fuel consumption in Sydney driving lots of hills at 20km/h average is 9.2 L/100km
A Sunday trip to Campbelltown driving light footed was 6.8 L/100km
Coming back from Campbelltown(slightly more downhill) was 5.6 L/100km

Basically the 77 Yeti is sensitive to hills, fuel wise.

City driving is a hoot. Getting the most out of the 1.2 turbo engine is easy, especially with the DSG. The yeti is very manoeuvrable and has an excellent turning circle. It's easy to take off fast, the esp lets through some wheels spin and mildly intervenes. I've never felt the car is underpowered in the city.

I will be doing a Sydney to Melbourne trip next month with the family and a full boot. I'll give you an update on fuel and power on the hills then.