Newbie; torn between 1.4tdi and 1.6tdi

[dan_83]

Hi all,

Im looking at taking the plunge and getting a Mk5 Ibiza TDI.

Im torn between the 1.4TDI ecomotive and the 1.6CR TDI, read reviews and the like, but im after some real world recommendations in terms of MPG and anything else which makes these cars better than the other. I do bout 300-400 miles a week, mixture of M1 and A roads. Is there much difference between the 2?

Im chopping in my Mk5 Golf GTI Dsg, currently bout 280bhp, so apart from the loss in power (which im not to bothered about as sitting in traffic most of the time) any pro's and cons on the 2?

Cheers All

Dan

 

[VRSLOZ]

Have you thought about the 2.0 TDI FR mate?

 

[jc_boc]

If you want good MPG then the ecomotive is your best bet. If you want a good all rounder the FR TDI is the way to go.

 

[dan_83]

yeh thought about the 2.0 tdi, but decided against it, as ill just drive it harder again and be no better off in terms of fuel consumption.

decisions decisions!

One thing i will miss is my built in sat nav, can one be retro'd into the ibiza or would i be stuck with the standard head unit?

 

[Biker]

Hello Dan,

I drive the 1.6 CR TDI, fuel wise It always does over 50mpg. I regularly get about 70mpg on a run, and it has plenty about it so it can stlll be fun.

I have not driven the 1.4 so can't comment or compare the two.

 

[dan_83]

Hello Dan,

I drive the 1.6 CR TDI, fuel wise It always does over 50mpg. I regularly get about 70mpg on a run, and it has plenty about it so it can stlll be fun.

I have not driven the 1.4 so can't comment or compare the two.

Cheers for your reply, ive read so many bad reviews on the 1.6 about poor economy. Yours seems fine, im guessing they improve with more mileage on the clock.

 

[Biker]

A bit like yourself Dan, I went from a fairly powerful and not very economical car ( a 225 LCR) to a diesel. I did it due to a change in circumstance I used to do about 4K a year with the Leon, I will probably do about 15K with the Ibiza. So economy is important to me now and I have always driven the Ibiza for economy. I have 11K on the clock now and I wouldn't say the economy has improved that much, but it is easier to achieve the better figures now (if that makes sense)

I certainly have no regrets buying it and don’t be put off by the DPF either. My daily commute is only about 6miles each way and it handles weeks of doing that no problem without having a long run.

About once a month I do a 600 mile round trip to London and I think the worst fuel consumption I have had on that journey was 66mpg, the best I have seen is 72mpg. It can comfortably do the 600 mile trip on less than a tank of diesel, I used 40L last time I did it. That gives you a range of about 650(+) miles.

 

[m0rk]

The Ecomotive is quite a nice engine / car. It's a bit rough & vocal & seriously long geared. But when it was at 70mph it just sat there quietly using next to no fuel.

If your miles are mostly motorway, the Ecomotive is the one for you. If it's up hill & down dale it'll frustrate you with it's gearing (which has chasm's inbetween gears) that will hamper your progress

 

[dan_83]

Most of my drive is around the Hertfordshire area, so not that hilly to be fair. Like you biker, I'll be doing bout 15k a year, in the gti it just isn't practical, sticking loads of miles on it and depreciating it even more. I've driven the Eco, I thought 1st gear was gutless, but once going seemed ok. I'll book a drive in the 1.6 and see how I get on.

Thanks for your comments guys, it's appreciated!

 

[skeat12]

Biker, are your figures from the on-board computer or worked out from full - full calculations?

 

[Biker]

Biker, are your figures from the on-board computer or worked out from full - full calculations?

They are actual figures mate, I always set the trip meter when I fill up and do a calculation full tank to full tank.

 

[Beenz]

My 1.6 has done a tad under 4K and is definitely improving. Like Biker said, it just seems easier to get the better mpg without really trying although overall the mpg is about the same. They do take a long time to fully loosen up.

I went for the 1.6, plenty of performance for the real world, plenty of poke to overtake should you come up behind a myopic candy floss haired old boot in a Nissan Microbe ;-)

Mpg has not been as the claimed but very few cars do anyway from what I've read, its easy to get over 50 on the mway and over 60 on a roads. A lot better than my old mondeo 2.0 TDCi. The cheaper tax and insurance was won the deal for me.

 

[skeat12]

They are actual figures mate, I always set the trip meter when I fill up and do a calculation full tank to full tank.

Nice, must be just the 2.0 that's lying

 

[dan_83]

Decided on the 1.4 ecomotive in the end...hope ive made the right choice! Bye Bye GTI! :-(

 

[Biker]

Good one mate, I hope you enjoy it. Do you have to wait long for it?

 

[Nath.]

The Ecomotive is quite a nice engine / car. It's a bit rough & vocal & seriously long geared. But when it was at 70mph it just sat there quietly using next to no fuel.

If your miles are mostly motorway, the Ecomotive is the one for you. If it's up hill & down dale it'll frustrate you with it's gearing (which has chasm's inbetween gears) that will hamper your progress

What RPM's does one of these do at 70 then? Less than 2k?

 

[m0rk]

What RPM's does one of these do at 70 then? Less than 2k?

Not quite

30.69mph/1000rpm

so 2280rpm

 

[R22 JGB]

dan_83
The current Ecomotive is a 1.2 TDi
i have the 1.6 CR TDi, i live near Biker but can get no where near the economy he claims. Got my car 2 September have covered 11k miles and the overall average is less than 53 mpg! the car has been back to the dealers a number of occasions but nothing has been resolved. SEAT UK have been no assistance.
I too did the trip to London, just short of 300 miles, non stop, never exceeded 60 MPH, consumption 65mpg
I used to have a 1.6 TDCi Fiesta that would have done over 70 mpg on that trip.

The car has also done over 30 DPF regens!! my advice would be to steer clear of the 1.6 TDi

 

[dan_83]

Biker, i get it tomorrow.

JGB - I decided on the 1.4 eco in the end, wasnt much difference between the two in terms of performance (i.e. there is none lol)

 

[johntywyn]

1.4 Ecomotive

I have had a 1.4 Ibiza Ecomotive now for 18 months from new. It is a fantastic little car, and is packed with quite a lot of technology, and a few useful inovations that are missing on my other two cars, a Freelander 11, and Mazda MX5.

Fuel consumption with careful control of the throttle easily exceeds 70 m.p.g., and a prolonged motorway drive at 65 m.p.h. would probably achieve 80 m.p.g. The 3 cylinder engine is quite noisy at lower speeds, but revs at the rate of 35 m.p.h. per 1000 revs in 5th gear.

Make sure your dealer removes the suspension blocks prior to delivery. Mine did not, and the result was I experienced 12 months of very hard motoring, sometimes wondering whether I would ever emerge from pot holes !!

Look after your battery, mine went flat on me last week, having only driven the car on very short 1 mile or less journeys for 2 weeks, and then leaving it in freezing weather for 3 or 4 days. It did however, start when using my Halfords Booster pack; and there has been no problem since.

All in all, this car is fun to drive, and with zero road tax, and low annual service costs, I would recommend it to any one.