Gear change recommendation in 103 TDI

[jawntybull]

Day 1 of my new Tig and love it already. It's my first diesel though and the gear change recommendations seem too early to me. I am pottering along in 4th doing 1500 rpm and it's telling me to change up to 5th?!? Any comments on the MFD recommendations for a new diesel driver?

[DkN]

It's the recommendation for the most economical gear to be in, and it takes advantage of the extra torque available in a diesel. My experience is that the factory recommendation is pretty accurate, if you're aiming for the best economy - doesn't mean you always want to drive economical though

Transitioning to a diesel might take some getting used to. I have the PD 125kw with six speed DSG so the gear change points would be slightly different, but I find for normal driving I change from 1st and 2nd gear at <2,500, 3rd and 4th at <2,000 and from 5th at <1,700.