CarAdvice - Golf GT TSI v GT TDI

[Lima]

http://www.caradvice.com.au/11152/2008-volkswagen-golf-gt-sport-tsi-vs-tdi-review/

[Greg Roles]

Awesome find!

What a great writeup.

Go the oilers!

[Mischa]

funny that they prefer hte handling of the tdi possibly they're mistaking the extra grunt out of the corners for some kind of weight balance difference.

[Logzy]

Great find.

Just like Greg said, "Go the Oilers"

[Mr X]

great writeup,

but then again I'm a bit biased

Can't beat that grunt.

Murray

GT Sport TDI, DSG, RNS etc

[GTom]

Are there any people with the TSI????

Mine should be ready in about 2.5 months

[BarneyBoy]

Yup. Love mine. I like revs. I also like the instant torque. I love the S/C's sound.
But the oilers are also a great car - they weren't available when I bought mine.
Prolly still have gone the TSI however.
Different strokes...

You'll love yours when you get it.
I drove a new Commonwhore the other day - 1st other new car I've driven since I got the GT - and was underwhelmed. It felt loose and wallowy and quite uncomfortable.

Hardest thing is not getting all smug when people start up the Car Talk at barbies &c.

[Timbo]

We've just bought a GT TDI DSG. Test drove the TSI also, and was impressed. Overall opinion was very similar to the article, but concluded the TDI was the way to go. The TSI is a (relatively) complex engine, which I fear will be noted in resale values.

[rodrocco]

Great Site

http://www.caradvice.com.au/ is a fantastic site. On the Home page, scroll down to Site Categories (on the right in orange) and click on Volkswagen to get all the VW articles. But whatever you do, go to the article titled Full Throttle in Europe (home page - top right), then scroll down to the Bugatti Veyron Review .... it gave me goose bumps just reading it.

[shogun2]

I'm thinking seriously about the GT sports TDI, but the big question is - DSG or Manual. Would love to hear peoples thoughts. Currently have a 2005 Comfortline 2.0 TDI Manual with Diesel Power chip.
Cheers,

[Lima]

DSG fo sure.

[mikinoz]

Yep, 6M in the TDI is not as much a thing of beauty as in a TFSI.

DSG if I had our time again...

[Mischa]

I'm thinking seriously about the GT sports TDI, but the big question is - DSG or Manual. Would love to hear peoples thoughts. Currently have a 2005 Comfortline 2.0 TDI Manual with Diesel Power chip.
Cheers,

manual. manual manual manual.

[orsegtsport]

I'm thinking seriously about the GT sports TDI, but the big question is - DSG or Manual. Would love to hear peoples thoughts. Currently have a 2005 Comfortline 2.0 TDI Manual with Diesel Power chip.
Cheers,

I’ve always despised automatics, and the DSG is the first ‘auto’ I’ve owned, but after 5 months of ownership, I definitely have no regrets. I bought the DSG so I could share the car with the missus if need be, and I had serious reservations to start with, but teamed with the superb 125 kw TDI engine it is absolutely brilliant. Also, the option of changing gears manually via the F1 style paddle shift was a huge selling point for me (wouldn’t have considered the DSG without it).

The consensus from the motoring journos is that the big torque hole and lack of boost at low revs, makes the manual a bit of a chore to drive around town, especially in the suburban hills. The GT Sport TDI engine does its best work over a relatively narrow rev range, and that means lots of very frequent gear changes in the manual. The beauty of the DSG is that all that cog swapping happens very quickly and smoothly and you don’t end up with a sore left foot.

Some have complained about the DSG’s tendency to swap cogs too early, but I think it is spot on (although, I’m biased because I’ve become obsessed with fuel economy since getting this car!). Anyway, if you’re not happy with the automatic gear changes, change them yourself – that’s what the paddles are for. And yes, I still use the paddles very regularly (well every time I feel like pretending that I’m Kimi Raikkonen anyway).

Having said all that, the manual GT TDI owners on here seem very happy with their cars too, and Mischa will tell you that the DSG is boring, but he would say that - judging by his fuel economy, he’s a bloody young hoon!

[Greg Roles]

I'm happy with my manual, but "Orse's" review above is spot on. It's a bloody pain in heavy stop start traffic, super steep hill starts, that kind of thing. Thing is I am loving driving a car again after several years of auto's, and in the hills and twisties, I'm in love with the manual. With the narrow torque band your clutch foot is busy though!

Find both at dealers and drive them on the same day.