Skoda Octavia 1.6 or 2.0 Diesel

TypicalDub

I am looking to buy an Octavia for my 70km daily commute of mostly motorway

A lot of people are telling me to buy the 2.0 instead of the 1.6, but i don't really understand what the benefits of this are

There are also very few 2.0 on sale anywhere and if i was to find one I would have to buy one over 10 years old to meet my budget

Anyone every to offer any advice here on what you would do in my situation?

User1998

They are just more refined and nicer to drive. 6 gears too instead of 5. Similar fuel consumption if not better.

You may find the 1.6 satisfies your needs tho.

BlakeS94

Would you consider the superb? Much more suitable for that style of driving.

TypicalDub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120871859#Comment_120871859

I havent actually, what would the benefits be ? Are they a lot more dear?

BlakeS94

Think only 2ltr octavias are VRS models, so superb with 2ltr would be cheaper for same year.

Superb is much bigger, more refined, better motorway cruiser.

1.6 superb is gutless so I'd recommend 2.0 due to size of the car

BlakeS94

Some examples for 2015.

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/skoda-superb-2-0-tdi-se-140ps/34584085

BlakeS94

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/skoda-superb-elegance-2-0-tdi-140hp-4-4dr/33939465

colm_mcm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120872010#Comment_120872010

There’s lots of 2.0 models that aren’t VRS.

Octavias are cheaper than Superbs like for like, but you’re right in that VRS Octavias are expensive

OP there’s nothing particularly wrong with a 1.6 TDI, they’re on par with any other family car with a small diesel. The 2.0 has that bit extra power though, they’re not much harder on fuel, and having the extra gear means it doesn’t rev as high vs the 5 speed.

I’ve had a 2.0 Octavia since 2019 and it’s been good to me despite doing 120k in that time, apart from needing a water pump a bit earlier than the timing belt interval would have been.

I would definitely get the Mk3 (2013-2020) model as opposed to the 2004-2013 type, so if your budget doesn’t stretch to a 2.0 mk3 (are they really that much more expensive though?) then just get a 1.6

I wouldn’t get the Mk2 in a 1.6 though.

elperello

For 70km a day the 1.6 will be fine.

That's not saying a 2.0 wouldn't be better.

Concentrate on getting a good car rather than worrying about the size of the engine.

BlakeS94

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120872451#Comment_120872451

Apologies I meant to put (could be wrong) beside that first part.

I'm more of a Ford man over VAG.

OP my personal preference would be for the bigger car in a 2.0 if it's within your budget, but as above a car in good nick trumps engine size/power.

Try to test drive both an Octavia and a Superb and see how you feel.

Colm is it the MK2 1.6's that suffer badly from injector issues, heard of it in VW caddys a lot but unsure of years.

R.O.R

Do you hit 120 km/h on the commute, or rarely get to that speed? I have a similar distance commute, but because it's in rush hour, I rarely get close to 120.

The 1.6Tdi Octavia is a fine car, but at 120km/h there is horrible drone - it's like the engine revs are at the perfect rpm to cause something in the car to vibrate at the same frequency, which creates the droning noise. With a 6th gear it would be a perfect motorway cruiser, but I drove quite a few 1.6Tdi Octavia's and they all had the same drone -nightmare on a Dublin/Cork journey.

Because it's a 6 speed, the 2.0Tdi doesn't suffer the same issue. If you do regularly spend time at 120 km/h or can find on at a reasonable price, go for the 2 litre. Where I've driven 1.6Tdi and 2.0Tdi versions of the same car, on the same journey, there's no noticeable difference in fuel consumption, with the larger engine being a little more efficient, especially if the average speed gets closer to the motorway speed limit.

TypicalDub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120876003#Comment_120876003

Yeah I am sort of the same, its only at the end of my commute that I hit 120 really. I think I will be going for the 1.6 because there are very few 2.0 diesels even being sold and one or two that are in my price ranger are either the pre 2013 model or have massive mileage