Which GTi? Deisel or Petrol?

[Pummy]

I am looking at a Mk5 at the moment and looking at Diesels for the wife.  I suppose the difference is that with a diesel, you do not have to drive the car hard to get the enjoyment, whereas with the petrol, to get maximum enjoyment, you need to get the engine spinning up above 4k into the fun zone.

Money no object, petrol everytime, however needs neccesitate 

[andrewparker]

I am looking at a Mk5 at the moment and looking at Diesels for the wife.  I suppose the difference is that with a diesel, you do not have to drive the car hard to get the enjoyment, whereas with the petrol, to get maximum enjoyment, you need to get the engine spinning up above 4k into the fun zone.

I don't think that's strictly true, certainly not with the 2.0 TFSI. There is power all over the rev range, so it still pulls well from 2000 rpm in 4th. It's nothing like a V-TEC.

[stu_no_1]

I would go for a petrol any day just cos I hate the noise diesels make but each to their own

[Norbreck21a]

When I purchased my soot chucker back in 2005, it was an ex dealer demo car and thus pretty much fully loaded. They wanted £1800 more than a similar petrol model (albeit with poorer spec) and £3K less than then cheapest MK5 GTi they had (although to be fair the GTI hadn't been out long).

I knocked them down and eventally got it for only £350 more than the  petrol model (thus £4.5k cheaper than a GTI).  Whilst I would be the first to agree with most of what everyone has said about a petrol being a "nicer" drivers car for spirited driving, TBH, round my way a t least, rush hour traffic is so dense, that 0-60 times actually mean nothing. The beauty of the derv is that it just pulls and pulls in any gear, meaning it's a much more relaxed drive than revving the nuts off a petrol just to be first to the traffic lights.

Also over the last nearly 5 years of ownership, it' snever dipped below about 47mpg, whilst regularly seeing mid fifties. So my extra £350 over a petrol was deffo money well spent.

As with everying thing, there will always be plusses and minuses with any car, but I really believe whether you choose a GTI, a Derv or a Lesser Petrol engined model, the MK5 platform was so good, that you are pretty much guaranteed a decent ride.

Now if motoring costs were not a factor (aka I win the lottery), then yes, I would probably be driving a GTI or better still an R32 or New Golf R, or Aston Martin or Ferrari or..........

[Pummy]

I don't think that's strictly true, certainly not with the 2.0 TFSI. There is power all over the rev range, so it still pulls well from 2000 rpm in 4th. It's nothing like a V-TEC.

I had the TFSI Cupra back in June 2007 for a few years and know what you mean about the power being available.  I suppose it refers to the above where the driver is not one who is wanting to get to spool rpm and pull all power asap and drive with spirit.  If it was me, I would defo go back to a TFSI lump, however since it is the wife, she is much less inclined to knock it down a gear (despite numerous attempts to teach her the technique) if she wants to pick up a bit of speed.

[RedRobin]

I would go for a petrol any day just cos I hate the noise diesels make but each to their own
 

....Me too. I know it's irrational and diesels have some advantages (only economy methinks) but I think the sound any vehicle makes is a major part of driving pleasure.

[Garth]

Depends on the diesel. My old 330cd sounded great as it was 6 cylinder and was quicker when mapped than the petrol equivalent. It also still returned better mpg.

I have also owned an A3 TDI 170 S-Line Quattro which was awful in my opinion. I hated the engine and the economy was terrible (probably down to the 4x4 mind).

As others have said, the difference in savings in a diesel make it a good buy only if you do mega miles. I drive about 800 miles per week, but choose to do it in the GTI. I can still get 34mpg and the drive is so much more fun than in a diesel.

At the end of the day, you should just get the one you prefer the drive of and forget about the small savings (if any). I think in a VW, the petrol engines are far nicer than the diesels, however in BMW 6 cylinder, I actually prefer the derv sometimes as the torque is immense. Remap a 330d and it's as fast as the 330i. The bottom line then becomes do you prefer an engine that revs or one that has low down torque?

[B3n]

My 2p

December 2009 i bought this 2.0tdi gt-sport


March 2010 I changed it for this


If your not doing the milage buy the GTi!!!! As much of a good car the diesel is, it just cannot be compared to a GTi

[Tara]

I have a GTI and my mum has the TDI but i much prefer my GTI, its in a different league!!

[cmdrfire]

Diesel is the fuel of the devil. Eat it at the cost of your soul.

[RedRobin]

Diesel is the fuel of the devil. Eat it at the cost of your soul.

....cmdrfire should know.. He pisses excellence yet again! 

[Andy]

Diesel is the fuel of the devil. Eat it at the cost of your soul.

mine must be black

[MAW73]

I previously owned a Mk5 170 GT DSG before my MK6 GTI (as sig below). The GT was a great car and would give most things a run for its money. It was brilliant on motorways, had great torque and the mpg was fantastic. The weekly millage I used to get out of my GT was around 450 miles and with the GTI I get around 350 miles on a full tank. The Mk5 GT always looks a bit plain though compared to the GTI’s especially with standard wheels. To me the Mk5 GT isn’t a patch on the Mk5 GTI. However in all fairness I think the new Mk6 GTD has come on leaps and bounds and compares favourably well in all departments to the GTI. So I probably wouldn’t rule out every buying a diesel again.

[scotta]

Drinking from the dirty pump i used to call it!

Had this for about 2 years - 170 tdi.



Tramped and banged like feck esp in the wet. Eventually got frustrated by the lack of rev range and piss poor economy 35-40 mpg i was averaging on my commute. Same commute in the Ed30 i can get between 33 - 37 mpg. Very noisy engine also. Handled pretty sweetly tho and the brakes were better than the eddy. Kept its value well also - only lost 3k in two years.

[RedRobin]

^^^^
I really like the looks of the Leons/Cupras - Much better looking IMO than any of the Skoda's [sorry to the Skoda owners here - It's only one opinion].

I seriously thought about it and, in fact, even ordered a DSG 2.0 Mk5 Golf TDI but changed my order to the GTI when I woke up the following morning! I knew that every time I saw a Mk5 GTI my heart would sink with longing and regret.

Diseasal might be a sensible option but it'll never be for me - I'm simply not a Captain Sensible. My driving style doesn't need to rely on torque - I use the gears. And also, sound is so important - I don't care how 'good' the BMW diesels are.

I don't know why and I do know it's completely irrational, but I find a GTD version (Mk6) of the GTI to be an imposter... Sacrilege. Yes, I realise it's a good car.