VW GOLF MK7 - MK7 1.4 TSI or 1.6/2.0 TDI

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
View Threaded
Thu 10 May 2018 03:26
VW GOLF MK7 - MK7 1.4 TSI or 1.6/2.0 TDI - Anees Ahmed


Very confused. On 1 hand diesels are going out of fashion and being targeted for higher taxes but the 1.4 tsi is £110 road tax while the 1.6 is free and 2.0 is £20.

With the TSI you dont get DPF and EGR faults but apart from that what the the benefits of the petrol over the diesel? Looking at 2014-2015 mk7.
Will.appreciate any tips and is it worth paying the extra £1000 for the 1.4 tsi over the 1.6 tdi

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 10 May 2018 08:12
VW GOLF MK7 - MK7 1.4 TSI or 1.6/2.0 TDI - badbusdriver

The benefit of the petrol over the diesel is reliability. That 1.6 VAG unit does not have a great reputation, so unless buying new and getting rid of it before the warranty has expired, steer well clear. As far as I am aware the 2.0 is much stronger, but I'd still go with the 1.4, which offers excellent economy and performance.

You haven't mentioned gearbox, but just to clarify don't get a DSG automated manual!.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 10 May 2018 08:32
VW GOLF MK7 - MK7 1.4 TSI or 1.6/2.0 TDI - bazza

Had a ride in a newish manual 1.4TSi this week and I have to say- what a lovely car. Great engine, plenty of performance, very refined and smooth. I can't think of any reason to choose the diesel over it. The 1.6 tdi is a bit of a dog, with nothing like the performance of the Tsi, the 2.0 tdi is quick, but noisy in comparison. Re-sale will be far better on the petrol, diesel is almost dead in the water for this type of car and that's not going to change, it's what governments want.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 10 May 2018 08:26
VW GOLF MK7 - MK7 1.4 TSI or 1.6/2.0 TDI - gordonbennet

is it worth paying the extra £1000 for the 1.4 tsi over the 1.6 tdi

The answer to the question is there in the question, not so many years ago the price difference would have been the other way round, you'd be almost giving the (usually miserable gutless underpowered) petrol version away unless it was a GTi and sensible people would be battering your door down to buy your Golf Diesel.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 10 May 2018 09:00
VW GOLF MK7 - MK7 1.4 TSI or 1.6/2.0 TDI - daveyjp

The 1.4TSi had a rocky start and was redesigned several times. You need to know which version of the engine is fitted to avoid the ones with inherent design faults.

I drove a friend's 64 reg 1.4TSi Golf recently and it was 'meh'. It had the heaviest clutch I've come across in a long time and the engine had a rattle like a diesel.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 10 May 2018 09:10
VW GOLF MK7 - MK7 1.4 TSI or 1.6/2.0 TDI - geordie33

I have had 2 1.4 tsi cars the first being a Seat Leon and currently a Golf.Previously I had a diesel.The 1.4 is a quiet and surprisingly powerful engine.Yesterday on a 120 mile drive I returned 54mpg and even in town get upper 40s.

The stock answer on here is not to buy the dsg.

Well I did and I love it.Iknow loads of people who have them and I have only heard of 1 minor glitch.

A high percentage of vws have them and if they were as bad as some people make out Watchdog would have got involved (as they did with the often recommended fiat 500 which could not climb hills)

Edited by geordie33 on 10/05/2018 at 09:11

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 10 May 2018 10:01
VW GOLF MK7 - MK7 1.4 TSI or 1.6/2.0 TDI - SLO76
Just had a wee look and there’s no real difference in price between equivalent TSi and TDi models up here in sunny Scotland. Be sure you’re comparing like for like and remember the 1.4 TSi compares more closely with the 2.0 TDI for performance and the 1.2 and newer 1.0 TSi’s are closer to the 1.6 TDi. Spec pushes the price up noticeably with Match and SE models particularly in demand.

It’s a good car to drive but remember the post 2013 engines require a timing belt and water pump every 5yrs so factor this in on any deal if it’s near. Don’t think to scrimp on it as they’re known to fail on VW’s. Don’t touch the earlier chain driven cars which are bad for chains snapping. It’s not the most trouble free car on the road with plenty of electrical gremlins common and a habit of clutch master and slave cylinders failing also. Alternators on stop/start equipped cars are also weak and very expensive to replace, around £700 or so.

That said they’re good to drive, economical and easy to sell on. But if you want longterm reliability then aim for something Japanese such as the Mazda 3 2.0 Skyactiv, Honda Civic 1.8 or Toyota Auris 1.2T. The Mazda in particular is a match for the Golf as a driver car but it’s far less likely to go wrong. The Seat Leon is another good bet particularly the 150PS 1.4 TSi FR which has sporty looks, a not too hard ride, loads of go and good resale as it appeals to the boy racers in us. Likely to suffer the same issues as the Golf though.

Edited by SLO76 on 10/05/2018 at 10:04

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 10 May 2018 11:22
VW GOLF MK7 - MK7 1.4 TSI or 1.6/2.0 TDI - veloceman
Interesting reading the above Mr Slo.
I am on my third latest generation Leon.
My latest is a 17 plate 150Tsi Fr. Facelift.
Had for 5mths now. It’s done 12,000 in total.

When I got it at 5,500 miles I though I detected a bit of clutch judder when cold.
Must admit I didn’t take it back as it was so subtle that thought it was my imagination and also just expected to be told they could see anything wrong.
However seems to be getting worse and a smooth getaway from junctions is proving more difficult.

Otherwise brilliant.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 10 May 2018 11:37
VW GOLF MK7 - MK7 1.4 TSI or 1.6/2.0 TDI - SLO76
“When I got it at 5,500 miles I though I detected a bit of clutch judder when cold.
Must admit I didn’t take it back as it was so subtle that thought it was my imagination and also just expected to be told they could see anything wrong.
However seems to be getting worse and a smooth getaway from junctions is proving more difficult.”

Not that uncommon with VAG clutches. I had one replaced under warranty on a VW Caddy van a few years back at just over 21,000 miles. The dealer stripped it out and found a leaking input shaft had contaminated the clutch plate causing the judder which improved as it warmed up but was gradually getting worse. I was delighted when VW offered to replace it without quibble or charge despite the mileage and it nearing the end of its warranty term.

It’s a bit of pet hate of mine that so many firms still cannot make a clutch that doesn’t suffer this. Honda, Mazda and VAG are all known for it. Test drive any prospective purchase from stone cold to see if it does it and if it goes away quickly if it does. That said our VW Polo TDi has now done over 70,000 miles without any sign of judder. In fact it drives very well indeed though you can see signs of VW’s cost cutting in the poor quality door rubbers and the number of minor electrical faults it’s had over the years.

Would I buy another? Yup, happily as today’s VAG products although far from fault free do drive very well indeed and are easy to sell on. I’ve a waiting list for this wee Polo when I’m done.

Edited by SLO76 on 10/05/2018 at 11:39

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 11 May 2018 13:53
VW GOLF MK7 - MK7 1.4 TSI or 1.6/2.0 TDI - skidpan

We are on our 2nd 1.4 TSi. The first was a 140 PS in a 2013 Seat Leon and the 2nd a 2017 150 PS in a Superb. They are magic engines. Loads of power,quiet, instant pick up and incredible economy. Did a 50 mile round trip to pick up some wheels in the Superb the other day. All decent A roads with 4 towns to drive through. The dash display (which is very accurate for once) said 56 mpg.

Tried a 1.6 TDi back in 2010 back to back with a 125 TSi. At the time we bought neither because there were issues with both cars but I can remember the 1.6 TDI being possibly the slowest car I had driven in years.

Don't know why you think the tax is £110. Both our Lean and Superb have been £30.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

A guide to how much VED you will need to pay on your car.

Road Tax Bands and Rates