Thoughts on 1.5 tsi 130?

[julian24110]

I’ve been patiently waiting to get used to my 1.5 FR 130 fir several months. I’ve had a mk3 1.4 FR 150 which was a great car but ran out of puff at around 4k rpm. I then went to a mk3.5 1.8 FR 180 which was the best car I’ve had.
The 1.5 130 leaves me frustrated. A huge flat spot at around 1000-1200 rpm, turbo lag and nothing after 3500. It feels like driving a 1990’s turbo diesel. I was expecting to have to get used to significantly less power but the useable power band in this engine is so narrow. The rest of the car is great and I really want to like it. Unfortunately if I’d been able to test drive when I ordered in February I wouldn’t have had this model.

The motoring press don’t seem to have anything bad to say about this engine in any of its VAG guises so I'm interested in others views on this engine, am I just too used to more powerful cars?

 

[xeizo]

I haven't driven that engine, but I wouldn't expect anything below 1.5 150 eTSI to feel even remotely powerful, the lesser motors are enough to commute not for active driving or for towing imho. I could be wrong but that is my expectations. Personally I've gone for the 1.0 110 eTSI as I have no need for driving active or to tow, the 48V system helps flatten out the torque a bit. Sadly, I have yet to give any long term verdict on how slow that one is, as the missing components seem to continue to be missing. The 110 has the same torque as the 130 though, but with the addition of the 48V system(50Nm extra under certain conditions). I choose it because of that 48V and for the DSG7 gearbox. I drive a 2019 1.5 150 TSI Octavia in work and it has sufficient power. My current car is a 2005 1.8 130 Avensis and I expect a clear downgrade in power, but also better fuel economy.

 

[BigJase88]

Yeah i had the 1.5 tsi 130

was very lack-luster

i have a tuning box from racechip in the cupboard if interested for it.

made it better. Not much but certainly better

 

[BoomerBoom]

I went from a MK3 150 to a MK4 130, not through choice but a broker's mistake. By the time they admitted it and refunded their fee it was too late, all the 150's in the order had been assigned, prices were rising and deals getting scarce.

I love the shape, colour and interior but was very disappointed with the performance, almost the same engine as the 1.4 150 but so much less torque it makes overtaking almost impossible. I did look into the tuning box option but although it adds a few hp at the higher rev range it does nothing for the lack of torque - which is down to the turbo and a few other critical components.

The only partial solution I've found is to rev it much higher than I would have the 1.4, I also found that as the engine loosened up and reduced internal friction the power increased slightly.

 

[julian24110]

Yeah i had the 1.5 tsi 130

was very lack-luster

i have a tuning box from racechip in the cupboard if interested for it.

made it better. Not much but certainly better

I have been looking at the racechip box, which one did you get? With the nature of the engine I can’t see it would help the higher end performance, but might improve the low end torque. Interested in your experience with this.

 

[BigJase88]

I have been looking at the racechip box, which one did you get? With the nature of the engine I can’t see it would help the higher end performance, but might improve the low end torque. Interested in your experience with this.

I got the racechip S

it is in original box with original manuals etc

i used it for about 6 months but traded the car in and removed it.

will post for £70 if you want it

it improved all round performance. Both torque and bhp. Made it possibly more like what the 150bhp version would be like I would say.

i mean it’s not going to push you back into your seat but it was certainly an improvement over stock!

i had it on the mk3 not sure if you have a mk3 /4 but should possibly also fit the mk4 (i cannot 100% confirm this though)

 

[julian24110]

It’s a mk4 but I’m assuming it’s the same. Just dropped Racechip tech support an email so I’ll dm you if they come back with a positive response.

The videos I’ve seen look like the boost pressure sensor is a pia to get to, how easy was it to put on / take off? Mine is a lease car so it needs to go on and off easily and without trace!

 

[BigJase88]

It’s a mk4 but I’m assuming it’s the same. Just dropped Racechip tech support an email so I’ll dm you if they come back with a positive response.

The videos I’ve seen look like the boost pressure sensor is a pia to get to, how easy was it to put on / take off? Mine is a lease car so it needs to go on and off easily and without trace!

Mine was also a lease.

it’s a bit of a pain but you should be able to install in 30 or so minutes.

i have big hands and i managed okay.

 

[pompeydave]

Very slightly different but my seat Ibiza 1.0 tsi 110 also sounds like the 130 in the Leon.
ok mines only got 800 miles on the clock but it is flat as a fart at low revs , just doesn’t go anywhere with a flatspot around 1200-1400 . tried going between eco , sport , individual but very very minor improvement.
Tried carista but no difference so fitted a tdi-tuning pedal box (£120) and it’s much better but still not brilliant.
My old 2014 fiesta 1.0 ecoboost 100 would see off this car no problem .
Coming from a 200hp Astra 1.6t I knew it would be different but this car is getting tiresome .Admittedly motorway driving is pretty good , smooth and very good on fuel.
I looked at tuning boxes but these new 110 engines use SENT tuning boxes and around £500 but I do wonder what difference it would make at that price.
Like op I’m frustrated with car and wish I went for something nippier.

 

[BigJase88]

Very slightly different but my seat Ibiza 1.0 tsi 110 also sounds like the 130 in the Leon.
ok mines only got 800 miles on the clock but it is flat as a fart at low revs , just doesn’t go anywhere with a flatspot around 1200-1400 . tried going between eco , sport , individual but very very minor improvement.
Tried carista but no difference so fitted a tdi-tuning pedal box (£120) and it’s much better but still not brilliant.
My old 2014 fiesta 1.0 ecoboost 100 would see off this car no problem .
Coming from a 200hp Astra 1.6t I knew it would be different but this car is getting tiresome .Admittedly motorway driving is pretty good , smooth and very good on fuel.
I looked at tuning boxes but these new 110 engines use SENT tuning boxes and around £500 but I do wonder what difference it would make at that price.
Like op I’m frustrated with car and wish I went for something nippier.

They are just completely geared towards economy. No excitement offered at all. Lazy turbo petrols geared long

 

[pompeydave]

Totally agree Bigjase88 my 1.0 Ibiza sits at 2000 revs at 60mph in 6th , same as my 200hp Astra in 6th !
it’s as if emissions have been screwed down to make way for pedestrian performance. I did hear emissions played a part in why the 115 went to 110 . And I’m pretty sure the 95hp salesman‘s demo felt faster , I didn’t complain about that car on a test drive.Don’t think Seat changed anything on that engine. Maybe I should of gone for an older 115 but as usual I went for the newest poss.

 

[BoomerBoom]

Drive it like you stole it for a while, which is what happened to the demo car every day of it's life. It will soon loosen up and rev quicker, but it will never pick up below 1400 so you just need to adjust your driving style.

I've not had a car that I have to rev so hard before, I was so used to diesels that pull hardest at 1500, pushing this one past 2000 just to accelerate at all took some getting used to - any overtaking means such high revs that it makes me glad it's a lease.

 

[Firaxis]

Very slightly different but my seat Ibiza 1.0 tsi 110 also sounds like the 130 in the Leon.
ok mines only got 800 miles on the clock but it is flat as a fart at low revs , just doesn’t go anywhere with a flatspot around 1200-1400 . tried going between eco , sport , individual but very very minor improvement.
Tried carista but no difference so fitted a tdi-tuning pedal box (£120) and it’s much better but still not brilliant.
My old 2014 fiesta 1.0 ecoboost 100 would see off this car no problem .
Coming from a 200hp Astra 1.6t I knew it would be different but this car is getting tiresome .Admittedly motorway driving is pretty good , smooth and very good on fuel.
I looked at tuning boxes but these new 110 engines use SENT tuning boxes and around £500 but I do wonder what difference it would make at that price.
Like op I’m frustrated with car and wish I went for something nippier.

Same as the late 2021 MK4 Cupra 300, until you hit about 2.5K rev's the car just didn't want to know (even in Cupra mode with sports auto engaged). I tested it out in manual (flappy) mode in every gear / scenario and I also test drove another car for comparison. I've heard quite a few murmurings of less than ideal throttle responses and poor low down performance across several Seat / Cupra's, hopefully the Golf R I've ordered is unaffected or it won't be sticking around.

 

[julian24110]

Wow! If the new Cupra has been toned down too then things are looking bad. If I was a conspiracy theorist I might be thinking IC engines are being nobbled to make EV’s more appealing

In other news, to answer a question above, I contacted RaceChip to find out if boxes from MK3’s can be transferred to same engined MK4’s. I got this back…

Hello Julian, Thank you for contacting the RaceChip Customer Service. Each RaceChip is programmed for a specific engine. Therefore, you can only keep using the same RaceChip in another car if the engine specs (cm³ and kW/HP) are exactly the same. In this case, yes, you can swap the RaceChip to your new car without any modifications. Should you require any more information or assistance please do not hesitate to contact us. You may simply reply to this message and a member of our team will get back to you.

 

[xeizo]

I don't believe the motors are gimped to make EV look better, I think they are heavily tuned for fuel efficiency, making performance lackluster. Performance ain't for free, it eats fuel.

 

[Firaxis]

I don't believe the motors are gimped to make EV look better, I think they are heavily tuned for fuel efficiency, making performance lackluster. Performance ain't for free, it eats fuel.

Bingo, but it's more likely to do with regulations than it is fuel efficiency. In reality you'll just rev the undies off of it to compensate therefore making it less fuel efficient. The Cupra 300 in normal driving situations achieved about 25 - 27.5 MPG, I could get 35 MPG out of a 3.0L M140i without trying.