Leon 184 FR vs Golf GTD
- Thread starter Mr Pig
- Start date
I had a 15 plate 184 FR ST and replaced it with a 67 plate GTD estate. Night and day difference to me in the ride comfort and handling of the GTD. In fact night and day everything really, except the FR was a little bit better on fuel. The facelift FR might be better, I've not driven one of those
Mine were both manuals so both felt very similar performance wise. Golf was definitely a little heavier but managed to turn into a corner so much sweeter and I found the FR crashy on bad roads and it nosedived horribly when you slammed on the brakes. The Golf did none of that
Both Leon and Golf are manuals, I prefer driving the golf for the comfort, as you say the Leon is a bit crashy but I prefer the acceleration of the leon far more than the golf
We're about to get a facelift 150 TDi FR and the dealer said that the suspension has been tweaked. I don't know if I believe him but we'll see. I have a 16-plate FR to compare it to. Yes, I know the 184 has different rear suspension but I should at least get an idea of whether or not they changed anything on the facelift. I suspect.. not.
A mechanic I know says they use cheaper dampers on the Seat.
From what I've read the GTD and 184 FR both are exactly the same power at 184?
I thought when you mentioned sport mode you must have been talking about a DSG. Sport mode has zero influence on a manual apart from making the steering a little heavier. Oh and tightening up the DCC if you're one of the very few to have it on a GTD
I never felt the slightest difference between normal and sport in mine, apart from the steering. You could feel it was much more sluggish in eco
You're right ref the GTD. I read it somewhere and someone was saying that the GTD was quicker but it may have been chipped. Who knows!
Had the 184ps diesel in a VRS estate running side by side with 150ps diesel FR Hatch - both manual.
Wasn’t until above 60 mph that the additional power in the VRS made a difference (yes I know that there is a weight difference, and I was based in Germany at the time ;-)). I really liked the blend of decent performance/economy from the 184 ps engine, similar to the opinions already given (albeit low to mid 40s mpg was average - no idea how Skoda claimed 67mpg - Eco mode, everything off, 60 mph still only managed mid-50s). It suffered a catastrophic failure of the water pump (late 2013 car) 1 week out of warranty; however, a modified pump is fitted to later cars. Coolant leaks in the EGR are a known fault. Someone else also mentioned the blocked heater matrix, but this affects almost every MQB model regardless of engine/fuel type.
When getting rid of our 68 plate 1.5 S-Tronic COD A3 S-line after 4 months, I was all for getting a Mk7.5 GTD. Nice car to drive, very nice cabin, and I actually prefer the tartan seats to the leather.
Despite them having loads in the dealership (all ex-lease cars, with no options less paint), it was hard to justify paying the premium, especially when a choice of petrol 190 ps A3 S-Lines or high spec F30/F31 320d M-Sport Shadow Editions were available for £4K less than the equivalent age GTD. Went for the BMW in the end, after 13 VAG cars on the bounce and haven’t looked back. If you could live with the hideous front end on the Octavia VRS FL, I would also give that a try; cabin is on par with the Cupra in my opinion.
Wasn’t until above 60 mph that the additional power in the VRS made a difference (yes I know that there is a weight difference, and I was based in Germany at the time ;-)). I really liked the blend of decent performance/economy from the 184 ps engine, similar to the opinions already given (albeit low to mid 40s mpg was average - no idea how Skoda claimed 67mpg - Eco mode, everything off, 60 mph still only managed mid-50s). It suffered a catastrophic failure of the water pump (late 2013 car) 1 week out of warranty; however, a modified pump is fitted to later cars. Coolant leaks in the EGR are a known fault. Someone else also mentioned the blocked heater matrix, but this affects almost every MQB model regardless of engine/fuel type.
When getting rid of our 68 plate 1.5 S-Tronic COD A3 S-line after 4 months, I was all for getting a Mk7.5 GTD. Nice car to drive, very nice cabin, and I actually prefer the tartan seats to the leather.
Despite them having loads in the dealership (all ex-lease cars, with no options less paint), it was hard to justify paying the premium, especially when a choice of petrol 190 ps A3 S-Lines or high spec F30/F31 320d M-Sport Shadow Editions were available for £4K less than the equivalent age GTD. Went for the BMW in the end, after 13 VAG cars on the bounce and haven’t looked back. If you could live with the hideous front end on the Octavia VRS FL, I would also give that a try; cabin is on par with the Cupra in my opinion.
I have just come from a Golf Mk 7.5 GTD DSG, I had it from new (2017) 0 miles and handed it back with 38k on the clock, great little car loads of toys, I especially liked ACC which isn't standard on the Leon. I have driven a Leon 184 DSG and power wise the felt identical, and they should its the same engine with the same power in the same chassis. The golf felt more refined and less "plasticy" than the Leon, I had the full glass nav system which feels like a downgrade going to the Seat systems, but thats where your money goes I guess. The engine is punchy with loads of predictable torque but the car always felt very heavy on the nose which resulted in under steer on turn in but always in a very predictable manner due to a great chassis underneath. A tune will see a nice bump in torque but as with most diesels the power band is a little narrow. No issues with the DPF and I never heard of any one else having issues. The only issues I ever heard of were slow starting in older 184 variants due to internal oil leaks in the variable valve timing control solenoid.
To sum up the difference ( to me anyway) is do you want to pay that bit more for a badge and a nicer cabin feel, at the time I was willing to pay that bit more but when I came to change the price difference between a Golf R estate and Cupra ST 4drive wasn't enough so I have the Cupra in the garage and I'm very happy with the decision!
To sum up the difference ( to me anyway) is do you want to pay that bit more for a badge and a nicer cabin feel, at the time I was willing to pay that bit more but when I came to change the price difference between a Golf R estate and Cupra ST 4drive wasn't enough so I have the Cupra in the garage and I'm very happy with the decision!
I'm interested in your comment above as mine has sometimes been slow to start. I thought it might be glow plugs but it does it a bit randomly in warm or cold weather. I was thinking of doing the glow plugs anyway but knew nothing about the VVT issue. Can this be fixed/checked with a remove and clean? TIA.
Rather than me waffle on and try to explain here is a good video that covers it all.
Hello
I went from a 2014 184 FR to a 2016 GTD
Both on the 18's, both manual, both 3dr.
Obviously not a huge difference between them, the Golf is just that wee bit better in most areas.
The front end turn in is sharper on the golf, also it feels more planted at higher speeds.
The seats are firmer and more supportive on the Golf. The interior is better screwed together. On the golf the stereo sounds better and I can use the volume without the door cards vibrating.
The only negative about the golf is the wheels. Diamond cut wheel really don't get on with our salty roads. Lots of examples with tatty wheels.
The golf attracts more attention (good and bad), the Leon would slip under most folks radar.
I went from a 2014 184 FR to a 2016 GTD
Both on the 18's, both manual, both 3dr.
Obviously not a huge difference between them, the Golf is just that wee bit better in most areas.
The front end turn in is sharper on the golf, also it feels more planted at higher speeds.
The seats are firmer and more supportive on the Golf. The interior is better screwed together. On the golf the stereo sounds better and I can use the volume without the door cards vibrating.
The only negative about the golf is the wheels. Diamond cut wheel really don't get on with our salty roads. Lots of examples with tatty wheels.
The golf attracts more attention (good and bad), the Leon would slip under most folks radar.
Maybe it had a fault as throttle response is sharpened up for sure in sport mode.
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