Observations on a new Multivan

[Sharkie]

These are my observations after 3 weeks with the new Bus .....

1. The std suspension is very good, compliant yet still sporty with minimal bodyroll ... so good that I had to check if the factory did not by accident fit the optional sport suspension. Amazed at how good it actually handles .....

2. The interior space is simply awesome ... my kids make a point of showing it off to all their friends ....

3. The engine (103 in our case) is surprisingly willing .... the gearing both adds to and detracts from its useability .... in fact in 1st pulling off in a hurry can get a chirp from the front tyres ....

4. The interior plastics on the dash is less attractive than you'd expect from a $60K+ car ..... way too much commercial in it ....

5. Fuel economy is good on the open road .... saw 8.7l/100km .... and average in the city .... my wife gets 12.1l/100km, I get 14.8 ....

6. The DSG (my 1st DSG) is both good and bad ..... there is a distinct gap in the gearing between 2nd and 3rd, drops it out of the powerband and again between 4th and 5th. Is like they spaced it in bands 1+2, 3+4, 5+6+7.

The gap between 4 and 5 is really noticable while on the open road. Now normally 5,6&7 do a brilliant job combined and allows for effortless cruising at 90-130km/h. It takes hills in its stride and easily maintains speed. Overtaking is reasonable provided you dont want to go too fast ....

The DSG changes gears very nicely (and quickly), but can be caught out from a standstill a bit. It has apparently learned our driving styles and keeps the gears longer than what I've experienced in DSG Golfs, where it changes to 7 asap.

7. I'm quite happy with the way the other OEM radios just work .....

8. The factory bluetooth is brilliant.

When I think about more I'll add it ....

[mikinoz]

Good feedback.

It will be interesting to see how the 132KW mated to the DSG compares in terms of the powerband/gearing.

It is a shame that there is a bit too much utilitarian in the dash, but in the end it will be durable.

If you say the ride is firm with OEM suspension, I'm concerned going with the sport suspension and moving to 19 or 20 inch rims may create a harsh ride.

How is the Aircon?

[Rebuild]

What's the revs at 110km/h in 7th?

[flyingfridge]

About 1800rpm

[Sharkie]

Well, have now had the MV for 9 months and just completed a 3000km round trip Brisbane to Thredbo and back to Brisbane in a week ....

Some more observations

1. Now on 12700km and average fuel consumption for the trip was 8.1l/100km, this with the MV (103TDI) loaded with 2 adults and 3 teenagers, luggage for a week skiing and food for a week. It was pretty much fully loaded.

2. The 340NM makes it a comfortable cruiser and it maintains its set cruise speed up and down hills with no trouble.

3. Overtaking is best done well planned ahead as whilst it maintains speed comfortably, it really struggles to increase speed in a hurry.

4. The MV otherwise turned out to be the ultimate family long distance tourer with no fighting (amongst the passengers) and a reasonably comfortable drive. My back is a bit tender atm after doing the return leg (1500km) in 1 day.

I will take a very close look at the upcoming TSI350 as I need the MV to be more sprightly in picking up speed .... I spotted 3 in convoy on what seemed to be a press release drive between Sydney and Canberra ... so they have to be close now.

[Ivo]

Nothing comes close for a road trip vehicle!

Have you thought of chipping the 102?

[T5Pete]

i just lowered mine on the eibachs. it rides BETTER than it did before. all the slapping from side to side when going over bumps cross axled has gone, bumpy roads at smoother, cornering is way better. I now don't feel like I'll hit everything at 2m!

[Cousin]

Pics Pete?

And what did they cost

My shocks are good for replacement (192,000!) and tossing up with just whacking some standard replacements in, or shocks and coils, or coilovers

I don't mind the cushy ride in the MV, but would like to firm it up a bit, certainly do compress and rebound way more than they should now

Don't want to go too expensive though, as the rex is also due for replacement shocks, and funnily enough it's original were Eibachs, and I never have been a fan of them. They have always been firm (harsh), which I like in a rex, but poor control

How much did they lower your van, and coilovers?


M

[Sharkie]

Nothing comes close for a road trip vehicle!

Have you thought of chipping the 102?

Yes, chipping it delivers 128kw/390NM. This is very close to the 2.0BiTDI and not enough for me I'm afraid. I testdrove the 2.0BiTDI before I ordered the MV and did not feel that there was enough of a performance difference to go there.

I need 200+kw to have the MV where I want it and the ability to rev cleanly to 7000rmin when I feel like it, still with massive torque down low and a power band that is 4500rmin wide and not just 750rmin. A chipped TSI will deliver all of this for me ..... and still return the same city fuel consumption with my style of driving. I'll happily trade 2l/100km on the freeway for the extra flexibility I need.

In the end it will come down to the trade price on a year old MV I suppose ..... not particulary wanting to throw away $10K+- on a trade ....

[Sunny43.5]

Hey Sharkie for give me for being presumtious but 200KW , our 2005 128 TDi is stock as bought and I am still surprised at the pulling power it has when I enter the highway merge if unchecked I often see 130kmh on the speedo before even reaching the merge point . I usually find myself braking to bring the van to match the traffic flow . Next question reving a diesel to 7000 rpm I would have thought they wouldn,t rev that high or am I wrong ??? our tacho has the redline at 4800rpm and the tacho only shows 6000 rpm am I missing something here ??? . Our van even with a trailer and loaded would easily out pace a lot of other cars in town and on the open road , are the new models with 2.0litre that bad , I wonder if its another goof by engineers lower the capacity add another turbo and still not get a result that you get with larger capacity engine , as I experienced with my other T5 work van when I changed from a T4 2.5 petrol to a T5 2.0 the salesperson told me it was the same power as the old 2.5 . Turned out to be a load of crap as what they did was lower the final drive ratio with a result that to achieve the same cruising speed the engine revs 400rpm higher . Now some years later I bought my son a T4 with now a 2.5 engine and I can say with out any doubt whatsoever that the larger capacity 2.5 will eat the newer technology 2.0 for lunch. So what can I look forward to when time comes to upgrade our old 2.5 TDI ??????? Howard

[Ivo]

Howard, I think the 7000rpm is from a Petrol motor!

Sharkie, how much will the upgrades cost to get the performance you want out of the TSI? Will the gearbox stand up to that much power? It would be a sweet ride having that much power though.

I think you will be very lucky to get a $10k change over price, those stealers are bastids! I bet its closer to 15-18k change over. Probably better off selling it privately.

[Ivo]

i just lowered mine on the eibachs. it rides BETTER than it did before. all the slapping from side to side when going over bumps cross axled has gone, bumpy roads at smoother, cornering is way better. I now don't feel like I'll hit everything at 2m!

How much lower are they? Did you get shorter shocks as well? From what I have read on the UK forum upto 50mm drop is ok but any more and you need shorter shocks as well.

I was considering coil overs : VW Transporter Pro Sport Coilovers Adjustable Dampening - Free UK Delivery - VW Transporter Pro Sport Coilovers Adjustable Height & Dampening - VW Transporter T5/T6 - VW - Coilovers Direct

[T5Pete]

not sure on drop, was meant to be 30mm but seems to be about 50mm at the front. either way, looks good and handles way better. the silly big brakes are no longer as crazy because the nose doesn't crash down when you hit the pedal.

[Sharkie]

Hey Sharkie for give me for being presumtious but 200KW , our 2005 128 TDi is stock as bought and I am still surprised at the pulling power it has when I enter the highway merge if unchecked I often see 130kmh on the speedo before even reaching the merge point . I usually find myself braking to bring the van to match the traffic flow . Next question reving a diesel to 7000 rpm I would have thought they wouldn,t rev that high or am I wrong ??? our tacho has the redline at 4800rpm and the tacho only shows 6000 rpm am I missing something here ??? . Our van even with a trailer and loaded would easily out pace a lot of other cars in town and on the open road , are the new models with 2.0litre that bad , I wonder if its another goof by engineers lower the capacity add another turbo and still not get a result that you get with larger capacity engine , as I experienced with my other T5 work van when I changed from a T4 2.5 petrol to a T5 2.0 the salesperson told me it was the same power as the old 2.5 . Turned out to be a load of crap as what they did was lower the final drive ratio with a result that to achieve the same cruising speed the engine revs 400rpm higher . Now some years later I bought my son a T4 with now a 2.5 engine and I can say with out any doubt whatsoever that the larger capacity 2.5 will eat the newer technology 2.0 for lunch. So what can I look forward to when time comes to upgrade our old 2.5 TDI ??????? Howard

I believe the new T5.1 2.0TDIs (both single and twin turbos) to be far better than the 2.5TDIs in general. Don't confuse the new T5.1 engines with any of the older engines . These are new technology engines without the "issues" the 2.5TDIs have. The drivetrain combo with the DSGs are so much better. I testdrove the 2.5 (as a dealer had 1 on runout) back to back against the 2 2.0s and found it performance wise to be about in the middle. Its not much better than the new single turbo 2.0 due mainly to the quick shifting DSG and quite a bit slower than the new twin turbo 2.0. If you intend to stick with a TDI I believe the 2.0 BiTDI will blow you away. Besides both the 2.0s DSG box have you at less than 2000rmin when doing 115km/h ..... and shifts so much quicker than the old tiptronics.

The new TSIs (petrol turbos) will be even better..... 150kw/350NM with that 350NM available from 1700rmin to 5000rmin .... a torque band of 3300rmin, not just 750rmin as per the TDIs and the ability to rev to 7000rmin cleanly when you need it. Its over 1s quicker than the BiTDI in stock form which is over 1s quicker than the old 2.5TDI to 100km/h.

Sharkie, how much will the upgrades cost to get the performance you want out of the TSI? Will the gearbox stand up to that much power? It would be a sweet ride having that much power though.

I think you will be very lucky to get a $10k change over price, those stealers are bastids! I bet its closer to 15-18k change over. Probably better off selling it privately.

To get the TSI to 200kw/470NM will be around $2500 depending on exactly what engine the TSI MV will have .... be it the Audi Valve-Lift TSI or the VW non Valve-Lift TSI. Adding another 40kw/50NM (total 240kw/500NM) will then cost another $6000 ....

Our MV was around $65K RRP and I expect to get around $45K trade on it. New TSI MV with our extras (including Bi-Xenon) to be around $70K, so yes, a bit more than $10K changeover ..... I'm looking at about $10K loss between trade and pruchase price of the TDI.

Also ...

Our van even with a trailer and loaded would easily out pace a lot of other cars in town and on the open road , are the new models with 2.0litre that bad , I wonder if its another goof by engineers lower the capacity add another turbo and still not get a result that you get with larger capacity engine

I think your idea of pace and mine are completely different ..... Both the current 2.0TDIs can comfortably cruise at 120km/h and even the single turbo 2.0TDI will get to 150km/h when needed. My problem is the time it takes to do that ..... the new TSI MV will do it in less than half the time ...... I'm wanting a 80-120km/h time of less than 5s when I'm done with the TSI ..... As an example my TSI Tiguan does it in 3.5s, compared to a TDI Tiguan's 12s ...... whic incidentally is quicker than a 2.5TDI auto will do it in ......

[Ivo]

$2500 is not bad for 200kw!

Good news is by the time I'm ready to upgrade again in about 3 years the TSI and DSG will be well and truly tested and no doubt there will be plenty of tuning options available!