Fuel economy in a diesel volkswagen

outofsteam

Hi all,
I am looking to change my car. I'm currently driving a petrol golf but I am doing big mileage everyday so petrol just is not an option anymore...

I'm looking for something more economical... So I'm considering either a 1.6 diesel golf or passat. Someone said to me though that I would find the 1.9 in either of those more economical than a 1.6tdi...

Has anyone got any idea of what sort of fuel economy you'd get out of 1.6tdi or 1.9tdi golfs or passats...

I had just presumed that a 1.6 diesel would be the way to go but now I'm at a loss

Thanks in advance for any info folks

Atlantic Dawn

Are you talking about brand new or 2nd hand, if 2nd hand what year you looking at or budget?

L-M

I had a 1.4 petrol Golf and I went to a 1.9 Tdi.

If you do long journeys, you'll never look back. Only killer is the tax is nearly twice as much, but I've saved it ten times over.

outofsteam

Hi atlantic dawn
I'm looking to buy a 2008 or 2009 reg, I think I'll buy in from UK as from what I can see there's better value to be had.
I'm just concerned about how thirsty my new-to-me car will be

outofsteam

Limerick man wrote: »

I had a 1.4 petrol Golf and I went to a 1.9 Tdi.

If you do long journeys, you'll never look back. Only killer is the tax is nearly twice as much, but I've saved it ten times over.

Thanks Limerick Man,
I love my golf, you can't find a nicer car to drive IMO...

L-M

You won't be worrying about tax so, go for it, I've saved an absolute fortune.

20 quid driving heavy footed around down I get 100 miles, 20 quid driving at 60 mph on country roads I get 175 miles and 20 quid crusing at 120kph I get around 150 miles

That's a TDI with 239,000 miles on it.

EPM

I've read reports of people going from 1.9 to 1.6 diesel leons being disappointed. Same with octavias. But then again Beer Baron here gets great mpg from his 1.6 diesel Passat.

outofsteam

Limerick man wrote: »

20 quid driving heavy footed around down I get 100 miles, 20 quid driving at 60 mph on country roads I get 175 miles and 20 quid crusing at 120kph I get around 150 miles

Ohhh that sound's like pure bliss...

L-M

outofsteam wrote: »

Ohhh that sound's like pure bliss...

Compared to a max of 70 odd miles for 20 quid out of the Golf, when petrol was cheaper... I'd never go back as a daily.

outofsteam

EPM wrote: »

I've read reports of people going from 1.9 to 1.6 diesel leons being disappointed. Same with octavias. But then again Beer Baron here gets great mpg from his 1.6 diesel Passat.

Was that on another thread? That would be interesting to read

pburns

outofsteam wrote: »

Thanks Limerick Man,
I love my golf, you can't find a nicer car to drive IMO...

outofsteam wrote: »

Ohhh that sound's like pure bliss...

I don't want to sound like a Clarkson-like prick and I know this is not Octane but...eh, am I the only one finding this thread a little weird...

outofsteam

pburns wrote: »

outofsteam wrote: »

Thanks Limerick Man,
I love my golf, you can't find a nicer car to drive IMO...

outofsteam wrote: »

Ohhh that sound's like pure bliss...

I don't want to sound like a Clarkson-like prick and I know this is not Octane but...eh, am I the only one finding this thread a little weird...

I think you're actually being a little rude. . . Are you basing your "weird" opinion on the fact that your probably assuming I'm male?

pburns

outofsteam wrote: »

I think you're actually being a little rude. . . Are you basing your "weird" opinion on the fact that your probably assuming I'm male?

I did make that assumption actually but what of it?

Re the differences between fuel consumption of 1.6 vs 1.9 TDIs...I dunno, I'm not a VAG head. I do know the 1.9 has a reputation for being unburstable but is v unrefined in comparison with modern diesels. The 1.6 I don't know...I have a feeling it wouldn't be as trouble-free as the older unit.

And sorry but I do find the obsessiveness about MPG (and/or performance) particularly prevalent among VAG TDi owners. In a mere handful of posts ye've reinforced a fair few stereotypes. Also Limerick Man's scientific analysis of fuel consumption is a classic of the genre:

Limerick man wrote: »

20 quid driving heavy footed around down I get 100 miles, 20 quid driving at 60 mph on country roads I get 175 miles and 20 quid crusing at 120kph I get around 150 miles

R.O.R

I haven't done any sort of decent mileage in a Golf 1.6Tdi, but I have driven the Passat 1.6Tdi for a while.

The B6 Passat 1.6Tdi with the 5 speed gearbox was pretty slow, and the fuel economy really took a dive once you pushed it past 100km/h. The B7 6 speed version is much better. Seems to accelerate better at motorway speeds and the fuel economy doesn't suffer that much when you go over 100km/h.

If you are buying 08/09 then it's likely to be the B6 model. I'm not sure the 1.6Tdi was available in the UK on that model, I think they stayed with the 2.0Tdi 110bhp Bluemotion which is a good compromise. Feels quick enough and the economy is very good, but the one I drove a few weeks ago was really struggling with 4 people on board, accelerating from 80km/h, up hill on to a motorway - had to change down to 4th.

outofsteam

R.O.R wrote: »

I haven't done any sort of decent mileage in a Golf 1.6Tdi, but I have driven the Passat 1.6Tdi for a while.

The B6 Passat 1.6Tdi with the 5 speed gearbox was pretty slow, and the fuel economy really took a dive once you pushed it past 100km/h. The B7 6 speed version is much better. Seems to accelerate better at motorway speeds and the fuel economy doesn't suffer that much when you go over 100km/h.

If you are buying 08/09 then it's likely to be the B6 model. I'm not sure the 1.6Tdi was available in the UK on that model, I think they stayed with the 2.0Tdi 110bhp Bluemotion which is a good compromise. Feels quick enough and the economy is very good, but the one I drove a few weeks ago was really struggling with 4 people on board, accelerating from 80km/h, up hill on to a motorway - had to change down to 4th.

Thanks a mil,

Thats exactly the kind of advice I was looking for.

It's all very well me test driving a car but I wouldn't have a notion of what it's like on diesel afterwards.

L-M

pburns wrote: »

And sorry but I do find the obsessiveness about MPG (and/or performance) particularly prevalent among VAG TDi owners. In a mere handful of posts ye've reinforced a fair few stereotypes. Also Limerick Man's scientific analysis of fuel consumption is a classic of the genre:

Scientific? I've done over 6,000 miles in the car since I got it, i've only topped up with 20's and that's exactly (give or take 5 miles) what I get each and every time!

Mar4ix

new 1.6 tdi comes with 3 versions. When i was buying for my wife brand ne vw polo, i done some research about these engines. I got chepest version - 75 hp , engine code CAYA, second vesion CAYB -90 hp, and third version CAYC - 105 hp. I was going for cheapest option,for 'A' grade roadtax (104 e a year), other vesions will be 'B' grade (154 e a year if im not mistaken). Technicaly those 3 engines are identic, just different ECU programming, injectors and exgaust back box. To be honest my polos engine bit week. Wife traweling every da from blanch to stilorgan, and she has an average 5.5 l per 100 km., wich is over vw promised averige consumption for that engine - if i not mistaken 4.5 l. Also vw not seling this 75 hp engine version, as number complains about it. I am expecting recal. So if you going for 1.6 tdi, make sure it is 2nd or 3rd engine version.

r3nu4l

pburns wrote: »

... I do know the 1.9 has a reputation for being unburstable but is v unrefined in comparison with modern diesels. The 1.6 I don't know...I have a feeling it wouldn't be as trouble-free as the older unit.

OP, you said you are looking at a 2009 VW Golf and sourcing it from the UK, right?

In the UK there is no 1.9L TDI VW Golf from 2009 onwards. I think the 1.9TDI was still present in 2008 when VAG were introducing the new common-rail engines into Audi's but it's not in the 2009 lineup. 1.9TDIs are gone in the UK. I assume Ireland is the same now.

The older 1.9TDI was 105 bhp, the new 1.6L TDI is a common-rail engine and also 105bhp.

So if you are comparing an old 1.9 TDI with a new 1.6 TDI then power is the same and fuel economy should be better in the new 1.6L

The old 1.9L TDI was very unrefined, loud and rattly, the new 1.6 TDI CR engine is a LOT quieter. So pburns isn't right about how unrefined the engine is but he is likely very right about reliability, time will tell.

outofsteam

r3nu4l wrote: »

So if you are comparing an old 1.9 TDI with a new 1.6 TDI then power is the same and fuel economy should be better in the new 1.6L

Thanks for that, I was told by someone that the 1.6tdi would have way less power so I'd end up burning up more. Seems not to be the case with the golf but seems to be true of the passat.

outofsteam

Mar4ix wrote: »

new 1.6 tdi comes with 3 versions. When i was buying for my wife brand ne vw polo, i done some research about these engines. I got chepest version - 75 hp , engine code CAYA, second vesion CAYB -90 hp, and third version CAYC - 105 hp. I was going for cheapest option,for 'A' grade roadtax (104 e a year), other vesions will be 'B' grade (154 e a year if im not mistaken). Technicaly those 3 engines are identic, just different ECU programming, injectors and exgaust back box. To be honest my polos engine bit week. Wife traweling every da from blanch to stilorgan, and she has an average 5.5 l per 100 km., wich is over vw promised averige consumption for that engine - if i not mistaken 4.5 l. Also vw not seling this 75 hp engine version, as number complains about it. I am expecting recal. So if you going for 1.6 tdi, make sure it is 2nd or 3rd engine version.

I wouldn't have thought of that at all.... I'd have just seen 1.6tdi.... Thanks!

r3nu4l

outofsteam wrote: »

Thanks for that, I was told by someone that the 1.6tdi would have way less power so I'd end up burning up more. Seems not to be the case with the golf but seems to be true of the passat.

EDIT: Oops, just saw Mar4ix's post,, forgot to mention that. Yeah, if you get the 105 1.6 TDI then you won't be losing power, obviously the 90 bhp version will lose power.

The fuel economy always depends on how you drive of course! A 1.0L car driven really hard will be far less fuel efficient than a 2.0L driven in a more gentle manner at the same speed.

R.O.R

outofsteam wrote: »

Thanks for that, I was told by someone that the 1.6tdi would have way less power so I'd end up burning up more. Seems not to be the case with the golf but seems to be true of the passat.

The 1.6Tdi and the 1.9Tdi have the same max power and torque figures, but it's how it's delivered that's different.

The torque in the 1.6Tdi comes later in the rev range than it does in the 1.9Tdi, so you do need to push it a bit harder to get it to the sweet spot, but once it's there, it uses less fuel.

Mr Benevolent

OP this may seem obvious, but how much is it going to cost you to change cars?If it's more than €5k you won't make that back in fuel savings. Paying (say) €10k to save maybe €4k in fuel costs over say 4 years is utter madness.

Do your sums and think about it in terms of overall cost, not on a tank to tank basis.

Hunchback

04 1.9L diesel TDI gives me approx 650 miles on a full tank ( 62 litres ), on a combination of urban and rural driving, so i only have to refuel every 2.5 to 3 weeks ( travelling 22 miles in and out to galway city 5 times a week )

r3nu4l

R.O.R wrote: »

The 1.6Tdi and the 1.9Tdi have the same max power and torque figures, but it's how it's delivered that's different.

The torque in the 1.6Tdi comes later in the rev range than it does in the 1.9Tdi, so you do need to push it a bit harder to get it to the sweet spot, but once it's there, it uses less fuel.

Quick question for you R.O.R, when you say you have to push it harder to get there that doesn't necessarily mean it'll use more fuel than the old 1.9TDI does it? Isn't the CR engine more fuel efficient than the old engine anyway?

My question really is while the 1.9TDI reaches it's power more quickly, because it's less efficient is it using more fuel to get there than the 1.6 which may take slightly longer but is 'more efficient'?

It's a question about what you've said, not a challenge to what you've said

R.O.R

r3nu4l wrote: »

Quick question for you R.O.R, when you say you have to push it harder to get there that doesn't necessarily mean it'll use more fuel than the old 1.9TDI does it? Isn't the CR engine more fuel efficient than the old engine anyway?

My question really is while the 1.9TDI reaches it's power more quickly, because it's less efficient is it using more fuel to get there than the 1.6 which may take slightly longer but is 'more efficient'?

It's a question about what you've said, not a challenge to what you've said

I get what you are saying, but don't really have an answer as to how it affects the fuel economy - it's more to do with ease of driving. The journey I do in the cars is about 3km of start/stop driving through traffic lights etc. until I hit the motorway, then 50km of Motorway and 10km of what used to be the N1, so there's very little accelerating up to speed, and a lot of cruising at 100/120/80 km/h.

It feels a lot easier in the 1.9Tdi to do the start/stop bits of the journey than the 1.6Tdi. In the 1.6 you really need to bury your foot to the floor to get half decent progress.

To be fair though, the 1.6's I've driven are usally fresh out of the box, and diesel engines tend to get a bit looser with mileage.

_Kaiser_

I've no idea what the MPG rating is (the Comfortline Passat doesn't have the full computer ) but my 06 2L TDI with just shy of 170 bhp does about 1050km to a full (70L) tank which at current prices works out at €90-odd per fill.

That's almost all motorway driving though

outofsteam

Confab wrote: »

OP this may seem obvious, but how much is it going to cost you to change cars?If it's more than €5k you won't make that back in fuel savings. Paying (say) €10k to save maybe €4k in fuel costs over say 4 years is utter madness.

Do your sums and think about it in terms of overall cost, not on a tank to tank basis.

I'm currently driving a petrol golf... It costs me €80 to fill it and if I fill on Sunday night I need to refill by Wednesday afternoon... Thursday lunchtime at latest...

Berty

I have a 2010 Passat 1.6 TDi which gives me around 1180kms from a full tank of Diesel. 80% Motorway driving.

outofsteam

Beer baron that sounds great!!

Now I'm thinking that I'll probably go with 1.6, just need to decide between golf or passat

JJJJNR

1180km? Sorry to come over negative but I'd need convincing to believe that, are you sure its not the indicated distance to go which the computer tells you when the tank is brimmed.

Mar4ix

outofsteam wrote: »

Beer baron that sounds great!!

Now I'm thinking that I'll probably go with 1.6, just need to decide between golf or passat

Passat more heavy , so it will use more fuel, but in same tame, it have more space, more comfy to drive, again .. more exensive.

Golf lighter, more compact, better/easer drive in city.

L-M

I just drove a 1.4 HDI 207, if the Passat delivers power anything like it (power to weight ratio considering) I wouldn't touch I 1.6 TDI.

Also just chatting with a lad who has a new Skoda Octavia 1.6, and he reckons he's getting 65-70mpg out of it

Berty

JJJJNR wrote: »

1180km? Sorry to come over negative but I'd need convincing to believe that, are you sure its not the indicated distance to go which the computer tells you when the tank is brimmed.

Sure about that?

Picture taken 2 weeks ago to appease another doubter. Bottom right is the mileage done since empty last. I ran it pretty dry as you can see. Damn you West Clare and your lack of Topaz's's's's. I reset my mileage everytime I fill up just to see. I have done it by the half tank as well. Same Average figure.



Before you start thinking I'm making this up, what have I to gain by lying?

R.O.R

^^^^

I was on course for similar figures in the demo 1.6Tdi Passat I had, but didn't have it for long enough to burn a full tank.

Berty

R.O.R wrote: »

^^^^

I was on course for similar figures in the demo 1.6Tdi Passat I had, but didn't have it for long enough to burn a full tank.

That's with Air Con always on and keeping to speed limits(give or take 10km/h)

JJJJNR

JJJJNR wrote: »

1180km? Sorry to come over negative but I'd need convincing to believe that, are you sure its not the indicated distance to go which the computer tells you when the tank is brimmed.

If it's a 62L tank that's 54mpg, surely that's not out of the way for a modern intercooled diesel? I often knocked 50+mpg from a 1997 non intercooled diesel Rover 400 on a run.

Paddysnapper

This will give you the definitive answer: www.honestjohn.co.uk/realmpg

Paddysnapper

Paddysnapper wrote: »

This will give you the definitive answer: www.honestjohn.co.uk/realmpg

1.6 TDI
60.1–62.8 mpg (claimed)
49.3 mpg (real world average)
44–54.5 mpg (range from real World)

Claimed 60.1 to 62.8 and reported from owners as 49.3mpg, nothing out of the way from the BeerBaron's figures in fairness.

Paddysnapper

RoverJames wrote: »

1.6 TDI
60.1–62.8 mpg (claimed)
49.3 mpg (real world average)
44–54.5 mpg (range from real World)

Claimed 60.1 to 62.8 and reported from owners as 49.3mpg, nothing out of the way from the BeerBaron's figures in fairness.

I hope it was helpful.!

Paddysnapper

Paddysnapper wrote: »

I hope it was helpful.!

It was indeed, sure I thanked your post

R.O.R

Knew I'd taken a pic. This is the estimated DTE rather than used, but it gives an idea.

Reset the OBC before setting off from the office after it was delivered with a full tank.


63.2km in the bottom right is the distance driven from the office, and alegedly another 1300km left in the tank.

jordan1976

i've a 05 b6 1.9tdi passat & it does 44mpg on shorther trips while it will do 50mpg on longer motorway runs at say 110-120kms on the cruise in fifth , previoulsy i had an 06 1.9tdi golf & got nearly identical mpg over 20,000kms

Nonoperational

Sigh, it'd love to see a remaining range like that.

_Kaiser_

gpf101 wrote: »

Sigh, it'd love to see a remaining range like that.

I'd love to see a total mileage like that .. that's about 4 and a half weeks commuting for me!

Berty

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

I'd love to see a total mileage like that .. that's about 4 and a half weeks commuting for me!

See my picture on the previous page. My car was registered in late June 2010 and now has nearly 85,000kms on it.

JJJJNR

So the tank is 62L well that explains it, ITS HUGE!!! I thought most tanks were 55L my bad, maybe I missed that some where, 1300 does seem doable in any TDI with a tank that size.. nothing special there.