the C5 's little sister has finally arrived.

[Badsight]

the Mk6 Golf Bluemotion is a 1600 diesel so ive read elsewhere ?

[henk4]

the Mk6 Golf Bluemotion is a 1600 diesel so ive read elsewhere ?

that is correct, but there was also a Polo on the list, which is a three cylinder.

[Ferrer]

the Ford , Audi & VW in that list are all 1600's

getting a 400cc cylinder to run that cheaply is simply fantastic. they all have a bit of torque too if you need legal speed overtaking - its not like they are devoid of power to get their economy

However, the amazing mid range punch of the older, bigger engines is missing.

The VW Polo is a 1200 three cylinder....The Ford engine is the same as in our C3. Strangely, the Audi version that we are getting delivers 105 BHP and produces 102 gr/km.

We get both, the 90bhp and 105bhp that have all sorts of other VAG cars.

Including the Skoda Fabia 1.6 TDi, which you should've bought...

[Commodore GS/E]

Including the Skoda Fabia 1.6 TDi, which you should've bought...

I'll second that. Unbeatable piece of machinery.

Just one question: are VW's newer diesels as good as their older 1.9 (which is kinda legendary here)? I haven't sat in oneof the newer TDI's yet, but everybody seems to miss the punch of the old engine... the new ones may be a lot quieter and run smoother, but it seems like a lot of people still want the older ones. Any idea?

[Ferrer]

I've driven both, the 1.9 in 100bhp and 150bhp versions and the 1.6 in the 90bhp variant.

In terms of performance the old engine has the new one beaten. The 100bhp version in particular performs like a 100bhp shouldn't (which also happens in the related 1.4 litre three cylinder) and it is less gearbox sensitive due to having more torque across the rev range. The 150bhp feels pretty much the same, but is comparatively less impressive.

The 1.6 has imporved on the NVH issue (which was pretty bad in the PD engines), but still isn't a class leading engine in that aspect. The old surge of power at about 2500rpm is still there, but nowhere near as satisfying as the 1.9s.

I haven't tested the fuel consumption (drives were too short, altough I think the 1.6 was quite good on the motorway) but I've told that while the 1.6 is more frugal in general, as soon as the going gets tough things are reversed and the old 1.9 has the upper hand.

[henk4]

Including the Skoda Fabia 1.6 TDi, which you should've bought...

no, as it produces 109 CO2 g/km, and is therefore not eligible for significant tax exemptions. The result is that my C3 is 6000 Euro cheaper than the Fabia 1.6. (We do have the Fabia 1.2, which has all the tax advantages, but that has the three cylinder VAG engine. That is priced in a similar range as the C3).

[Ferrer]

no, as it produces 109 CO2 g/km, and is therefore not eligible for significant tax exemptions. The result is that my C3 is 6000 Euro cheaper than the Fabia 1.6. (We do have the Fabia 1.2, which has all the tax advantages, but that has the three cylinder VAG engine. That is priced in a similar range as the C3).

Bah, a small price to pay to have automotive excellence.

[henk4]

Bah, a small price to pay to have automotive excellence.

Next time I'll ask for your generous financial support.

[pimento]

Ferrer. Helping other people realise his dreams.

[henk4]

Ferrer. Helping other people realise his dreams.

what would the world be without him....

[pimento]

what would the world be without him....

Well, there'd be marginally fewer Skoda Fabia 1.6 TDis rocking around, that's for sure.

[Ferrer]

The world would certainly be poorer place, then.

[pimento]

You do important work, my friend.

[Commodore GS/E]

...making the world a better place since forever.

[thebrochureman]

There's a new Audi A1 1.6 TDI out, it does 74 mpg and produces 99 CO2 g/km so it's tax free. It does 0-60 in 10.5 so it's not that slow compaired to other low CO2 cars.