RS diesel vs petrol

[trueman]

hi all
I am just about to buy a RS lift back (MY12). There is a choice at about the same price and specs in both fuel types. I am leaning toward the petrol though I wonder it TDI is chipped whether I would enjoy it just as much but have better fuel economy.
I was adamant I would get a wagon but damn these hatches have an awesome boot!

I guess my question is which is more fun to drive (both DSG)
Any thoughts?

[kamold]

Petrol is generally more fun.
TDI chipped vs TSI non-chipped is probably a close run thing.
But TSI chipped = big smiles.

Personally I went more towards practical but each to their own.

[BenM]

I drove a TSI before I bought my TDI. The petrol is definitely more lively to drive, and a little lighter in the front end too I believe. The TDI feels a little tighter and heavier in the corners (to be fair the petrol car I drove was used and had done 40k kms or so too).

In the end I bought the diesel anyway and don't regret it.

[dArK5HaD0w]

I haven't driven the TDI RS, but the TSI is certainly a lot of fun before the tune.....and after!!

[brad]

Depends where you drive & the usual length of the trip.

Also, do you like to rev it out every now & then or are you happy to short shift all the time?

Fuel economy? Most of the petrol RS owners I know get better than 8L/100; the diesels are averaging about 1.5L/100 better than that for similar use so depending on how many km you do a year it might not be an issue.

I have a hatch & regret not paying the extra ~$1500 & getting a wagon. It would make transporting bikes & other bulky goods that fraction easier.

Also, the hatch is a pain in low carparks as by design it has to open up quite high - also there is a significant boot lip to lift over - again maybe not an issue.

[donweather]

Drive both the TDI and TSI and see what you prefer. That's what I did and I didn't like the short shifting of the TDI, hence went the TSI.....now TSI Stage 1!!!!! Wooohoooo!!!!

[alan_w]

I have the vRS TDI as it was a toss-up between a (vRS) petrol lift back and diesel wagon, and the wife preferred the look of the estate.

I'm sure I would have been happy with either, but I must say I do like the diesel's torque in Sydney traffic in that ~60kmh zone where you need a quick squirt of acceleration when slotting into a rapidly diminishing space in peak hour.

I've learnt to accommodate that slight hesitation on take off (possibly a combination of turbo spool-up and DSG) by hitting the accelerator slightly early when taking off for a turn in front of oncoming traffic for example.

I haven't got around to putting a towbar or crossbars on yet to transport a bike, but the wagon does accommodate it well with the seats down.

I keep reading about chipped TDI's, so it's something I'd like to investigate later this year.

[roshea]

Just another thing to consider - the new Elegance 132 TSI is both faster and more economical than the older TDI RS (though it uses PULP rather than deisel). Maybe a bit more expensive than a MY12 RS (about $40k drive away) but has lots of nice new bits. The older 118 TSI is also faster than the TDI RS (and up to about 140 kW with ECU tuning) but uses a bit more fuel; you can get one of these new for $27K.

[brad]

Long term average for 130,000km on my 2007 118tsi manual is 6.6L/100 of 98ron (occasionally 100e10). It's been ECU remapped since 50,000km. I believe the later models were more economical.

The Pre-FL Elegance doesn't quite make it as far as seats, suspension & wheels though. It does make it as a decent sleeper.

[Mysticality]

I have stage 2 (intake, exhaust, etc; should be 170kW/450Nm now! - mines a manual) diesel, averaging 6.1L/100km overall. Never going back to spark plugs!
4th gear at 60km/h in traffic or 3rd gear at 80km/h through the twisties its an awesome car and an awesome engine. Admittedly, not too quick in the numbers on paper, but I had a drag race with a vRS TDI DSG and stayed level until 140km/h. Can't remember what happened after that, either we backed off or they took off, wouldn't be surprised either way.

Drive both, with your chosen transmission, but I would say go wagon instead.
Also, the DSG shift pattern has *not* changed from petrol to diesel, so the kick down switch is useless in the TDI as is sport mode. The 125TDI does nothing above 4,200rpm.

[spud75]

Mysticality is right. You have to drive both. I had a 1.8T, now have 2 x diesels. Love driving them all, both but oh the torque in the diesels is addictive.

Also consider your driving style and where you drive. As DPF's can be a nuisance if you only ever drive 5km per day in city traffic and the engine never warms up.

As enjoyable as they are standard, when the turbo kicks in on a chipped TDI you really do know you are alive. But each to their own and when I take the RS out for a long trip I relish the sub 5l/100km fuel economy. A3 beats it as it drops to high 3's l/100km.

Let us know what you ended up buying.