Is a 1.4 engine too small for Skoda Octavia?

LostinBlanch

My Dad is looking at getting one of these as he has heard good things about the Octavia. But I was wondering if the 1.4 is underpowered or would he be better off getting a 1.6? Anyone got any comments?

Drax

I have driven one of these and I can say that there is enough power but a 1.6 is probably the way to go (for overtaking puposes etc). It is a well built and solid car so a bit of extra hp would help it along. I am currently on the lookout for a 1.9TD Octavia. I test drove one a few weeks ago and was a great drive - nice sound off the turbo! Good luck!

ballooba

Yes. I have the 1.6 in my Passat and even that might be underpowered.

Drove a 1.9TDI for 4 weeks. Was a lot nicer to drive.

Peace

All would be revealed in a test drive. But i suspect the size of the octavia does not lend itself well to a 1.4. I would imagine its a little under powered.

BrianD3

It is very underpowered. But a lot of dads are sedate drivers who rarely overtake, if this is the case then the 1.4 is fine.

Is he looking at a new or 2nd hand Octavia.

trout

i drove a 1.4 octavia last year ... lovely car ... ample power for city/urban ... but you'd be looking for a little more oomph when overtaking on motorways or doing long hauls

i really noticed the lack of power when carting 4 adults ... so i'd suggest the 1.6 ... the extra costs are minimal, but well worth it

michaelanthony

I had a 1.6 automatic in a heavy car and a lot of people would say that iit's underpowered but it wasn't. Manufacturers know what they're doing when they match an engine to a car and besides engines are lot lot more powerful these days than they were 10 years ago.

conair

the 1.4 engine wouldnt pull the skin off a sausage...definite no no...better off going for the tdi or rs, the rs second hand is great value

kluivert

The GF's folks got a new Octavia 1.4 and it drives really well. Pace or performance is certainly not going to blow you away but they wherent looking for that when they bought it.

Personally i think the 1.6 FSI would be a best option. I think bigger engined cars last longer as they dont have to be pushed as hard as smaller engines and thus less wear and tear.

Test drive the three cars 1.4, 1.6, 1.6 FSI and see what the difference is.

fletch

Given that people here continually seem to give out about the 1.4 in the VW Golf saying that it is dangerously slow, I would imagine that the 1.4 in the Octavia is a dog given that it is a bigger (and presumably heavier car...I haven't looked up facts n figures so feel free to correct me)

stevenmu

It's been mentioned here before that the Octavia is actually lighter than the Golfs, Leons and A3s it shares a platform with. I've a 1.4 leon and find it fine generally, a 1.6 or 1.9Tdi would be more fun, but I wouldn't say the 1.4 is dangerously slow.

PaddyFagan

LostinBlanch wrote:

But I was wondering if the 1.4 is underpowered or would he be better off getting a 1.6?

I've never driven the 1.4, but I have driven a 1.6 and thought it was a bit slow, but I was then driving a Mark I vRS. Having driven the 1.6 FSI (in an A3) I really liked it, but the Skoda garage where recommending against it and were making loud comments about the re-sale being bad. In the end I decided to get a Golf Plus 1.6 FSI (picked it up last week).

In reality, as many of the other posters have said, get him to drive a 1.4 & 1.6 and see what he thinks - the difference may not be important to him. I would also recommend trying to get a test drive in a 1.6 FSI, but when I tried the garage couldn't find one for me to test drive - hence the fact that I ended up going to a VW/Audi garage and driving the A3.

Paddy

PS If I hadn't had so much trouble with breakins because of the vRS, I would have bought an Octavia in a flash - much better value. But after all the fun and games with it, the song and dance routine from the dealers over the 1.6 FSI pushed me towards buying the Golf Plus.

Cucullan

I had a 1.4 Octavia for 2 years, power wise it was ok but you have to plan your overtaking. If he's going to do alot of town driving stopping/starting etc he'd be better off with a 1.6 as the clutch will probably give trouble in the 1.4 due to the weight of the car all the more if he's carrying adults in the back or even pulling a small trailer.

LostinBlanch

Cheers lads,

I'll pass this on, and tell him to test drive both and see what he thinks then.

IDMUD

A large engine is not just for overtaking, having a bit of grunt will make the drive more enjoyable and relaxed instead of having to rev the life out of a small engine.

lomb

volkswagens 16 valve 1.4 is a better engine than their 1.6 8valver. the 1.4 feels much more powerful as its eager to rev and has a better power band and torque curve.

HungryJoey

Does the 1.4 Skoda Octavia use the same engine as the 1.4 16V Golf engine that is used in the Leon also ? If so it is a 75Bhp engine, Which doesn't sound alot but my mother drives a 1.4 16V leon, Its fine. Although I wonder as the Leon is smaller, But it is quite pokey and can rev right up.

Just took her to UK during the week, Drove her over the pennines Doing about 145 Km/h for the time traveling over them on the M6 which isnt bad for a 1.4 75BHp car full of luggage. Im sure the octavia would pull of similar kind of performance although i must admit, nothing thats going to blow your mind but it will do what you want fine. Put it this way, Its a hell of a lot pokier then the megane's 1.4 L 16V 98 Bhp engine Them meganes take alot of working to get any pokiness out of them, They are too heavy.

The suggestion to go for a 1.6 L engine, If even the 8V engine as the 1.6 Will perform alot better at speeds of 80Km/h + It will kill the 1.4 L engine on the long run I would imagine.

Hj

bazz26

The Octavia and Leon are both slightly lighter cars than the Golf on which they are based so the 1.4 performs slightly better in the Octavia/Leon than in the Golf.

Unless the OP does alot of motorway driving and the car full of people the 1.4 should be good enough for urban commuting. Also the 1.4 will be the easier to sell on afterwards due to lower running costs. The 1.6 FSi is probably the ideal engine to choose but the premium being charged is too much imo and come resale time you will not get it back.

lomb

the 1.4 is a great engine for what it is. will give 47 mpg all day long on an extra urban run, and is as smooth as a turbine.
1.6 isnt an option for the majority as road tax, vrt and insurance is way higher than the 1.4. fuel economy is also down unless u go with a fsi. the 1.4 16 valve is a way better engine than a 102 bhp 1.6 8 valver. theres something seriously wrong with the powerband and delivery of the 8 valve and it should be reconciled to the bin in my opinion.

TempestSabre

If you are driving down the country the majority of time, then a bigger engine makes sense. But if like me 80% or more of your time is stuck in traffic idling all a bigger engine does is consume more fuel, cost more to tax and insure. Your not going to do much overtaking in the city were its 40kph most of the time. Personally I rarely see more than 40mph on my week commuting. Average speed according to the trip computer is about 15mph. Overtaking? Almost never do it in the city.

But I love the way someone talking about buying 1.4 is told but a TDI or RS instead. Thats funny.

unkel

TempestSabre wrote:

If you are driving down the country the majority of time, then a bigger engine makes sense

BrianD3 wrote:

It is very underpowered. But a lot of dads are sedate drivers who rarely overtake, if this is the case then the 1.4 is fine.

Agree. Procured a new 1.4 Octavia for my mother in law 3 years ago and it's perfect for her needs and within her budget. Not every one needs a V8 petrol