[mako]

I am very close to buying my Eos, but cannot decide between Diesel or Petrol, the petrol certainly has more zip, but the fi=uel economy of the diesel is attractive.

Help??

 

[geoffa1]

Hi Mako,

You won't be disappointed either way. I drive both, and decided that while the petrol engine went harder, the diesel engine was no slouch and if anything, the diesel was better from a rolling start, when that fat torque is in full song.

I've had the diesel for almost 6 months and I am averaging 6.5 l/100km (calculated, based on every litre I've put into it) which for something that moves as well as this does, is almost unheard of.

As I said, I can recommend the diesel, but you will be happy either way.

 

[condo62]

just did a trip to queenscliff from melb on sunday in TDI average 5.6lt/100km....nice smooth ride and plenty of low end power...didnt mind the petrol model but bought this with country drives in mind and love it.....work car is petrol though...

 

[adam298]

I own the petrol FSI version, but i have driven the TDI extensively in varying conditions and environments. I have to admit, I was impressed with the power output of the TDI, I didnt expect it to have zip especially as it only generates 103kW versus the 147kW of the petrol variant. The generation of a very torquey 320Nm of torque from the TDI gives it the zip.

I was also very impressed with the how quiet the tdi motor was, however after taking the top off, well thats a different story. Driving slowly (0-50km/h) such as in car parks or creeping through city traffic, side streets, taking off at traffic light, etc) the horrible sound of a diesel engine was very evident, and for a convertible it was unacceptable. Once you reach 50-60km/h, no problems, you wouldnt even know its a diesel.

Bottom line, there is no doubt at all that the 147kW petrol FSI is a lot more powerful, with a 0-100km/h of 7.8 sec (even faster with launch control) compared with a respectable 10.3 sec for the 103kW diesel variant. As for the diesel soundtrack, ok roof on, however not a good mix with roof down at lower speeds. Its down to personal preference.

 

[Stephb]

I have the 2.0 TDI im getting an average of 48.4 mpg hth

Steph xx

 

[geoffa1]

I own the petrol FSI version, but i have driven the TDI extensively in varying conditions and environments. I have to admit, I was impressed with the power output of the TDI, I didnt expect it to have zip especially as it only generates 103kW versus the 147kW of the petrol variant. The generation of a very torquey 320Nm of torque from the TDI gives it the zip.

I was also very impressed with the how quiet the tdi motor was, however after taking the top off, well thats a different story. Driving slowly (0-50km/h) such as in car parks or creeping through city traffic, side streets, taking off at traffic light, etc) the horrible sound of a diesel engine was very evident, and for a convertible it was unacceptable. Once you reach 50-60km/h, no problems, you wouldnt even know its a diesel.

Bottom line, there is no doubt at all that the 147kW petrol FSI is a lot more powerful, with a 0-100km/h of 7.8 sec (even faster with launch control) compared with a respectable 10.3 sec for the 103kW diesel variant. As for the diesel soundtrack, ok roof on, however not a good mix with roof down at lower speeds. Its down to personal preference.

To be fair, in Melbourne, unless you drive through narrow streets in the middle of the city like Flinders Lane, you won't get the noise of the diesel echoing off the buildings. With the roof down, in bumper to bumper traffic on the Western Ring Road, I am not particularly conscious of the sound of the motor.

Further to the fuel economy claims, I had a reading of 4.4l/100km, after doing the 80km odd from Hoppers Crossing to Keysborough, using the 80km/hr spped limited Monash Freeway, although this was probably closer to 5l/100km in reality, as the reading seems to be about 10 percent optimistic.

 

[silvershadow]

I was also very impressed with the how quiet the tdi motor was, however after taking the top off, well thats a different story. Driving slowly (0-50km/h) such as in car parks or creeping through city traffic, side streets, taking off at traffic light, etc) the horrible sound of a diesel engine was very evident, and for a convertible it was unacceptable. Once you reach 50-60km/h, no problems, you wouldnt even know its a diesel.

.................................

As for the diesel soundtrack, ok roof on, however not a good mix with roof down at lower speeds. Its down to personal preference.

The MY09 model does not have these problems - if anything, the car is too quiet to the point people we take out in the car will not believe it is a diesel due to the lack of noise and its V8-like acceleration capabilities.

Anyone offered an MY08 version "off-the-floor" over waiting for delivery of an MY09 should keep this in mind and negotiate a bigger discount .

 

[Kieranol]

I have a 2008 TDi Eos and would thoroughly recommend the diesel engine. I am averaging 5.2 L/100 around the city. This thing is almost the perfect car really!. Economical, zippy, fun to drive with the top up or down, safe and smart to look at. This is my second 2.0 litre diesel with the first being in a 2005 Golf. I was getting 4.5 L/100kms easily but unfortunately it was a bit small and I made the mistake of looking at what VW was offering in the other forms of transport.

The Eos was an immediate attraction. I normally only keep my cars 2-3 years but this car is really an exceptional vehicle for the cost I think. As long as there are no signs of the quality of the workmanship wavering over time, it will remain in my hands for a while. I might even be bold enough to say it could become a "classic". Who knows?

Anyway getting back to the point of the discussion, I would recommend you get a diesel. So what if it takes you 6/7 seconds to get to 60 instead of 5.

Good Luck!!.............................That's my 2 cents worth !

 

[davidp]

The MY09 model does not have these problems - if anything, the car is too quiet to the point people we take out in the car will not believe it is a diesel due to the lack of noise and its V8-like acceleration capabilities.

Anyone offered an MY08 version "off-the-floor" over waiting for delivery of an MY09 should keep this in mind and negotiate a bigger discount .

That's interesting, so you're saying that the new common rail diesel is quieter than the older PD diesel engine. Good to know as although I dont like the sound of a diesel my next Eos will most likely be a diesel for the economy, especially as I cover around 16,000 miles a year.
Cheers, David

 

[silvershadow]

That's interesting, so you're saying that the new common rail diesel is quieter than the older PD diesel engine. Good to know as although I dont like the sound of a diesel my next Eos will most likely be a diesel for the economy, especially as I cover around 16,000 miles a year.
Cheers, David

Try a test drive in a MY09 diesel and I am certain you will get a very pleasant surprise.

When my partner's car was started in the showroom before we accepted delivery, I was sure they had swapped it with an identical petrol version also being delivered at the same time and asked the salesman to check.

Somewhat embarassing for a car tragic like myself .

 

[Rathbod]

Hi davidp

I must agree with what Silvershadow has said, when we started looking at the Eos the dealer principle told us the one we should look at was the TDI, it is now comming up to two months since we took delivery, a Black Individual MY09.

I also drive about 1200 miles per month, mainly to and from work, the driving of the TDI is superb and even now I have to keep telling myself it is a diesel.

It is all down to choice and others on this site will support the pertol versions, but I am very happy with the mileage I am getting and the saving in my pocket.

Derek

 

[mako]

Thanks for the feedback

Thanks all for the feedbaqck, I think I am getting a Black Diesel with Individual pack and a dyno system

 

[my echo]

I Purchased an EOS 08 TDI over the FSI when fuel prices were at their peak.
The cost of diesel was about the same as Premium Petrol. Maby 20 cents dearer than Regular ULP.
Now that fuel prices have eased off a bit I find that the cost of Diesel is over 30 cents dearer than Regular ULP.
I am sure that when I made my decision to go Diesel it was only 10 cents dearer than Regular ULP.
My fuel consumption adv is 6L/100K. with 4000K on the clock,
So Why Is It So? I hope the gap narrows as the the reason for going diesed was to save some running cost.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
EOS 08 TDI, Icelandic Grey, 18" Chicago wheels, Leather Trim.

 

[lanmarc]

Yes, diesel is 30+ cents more expensive than regular unleaded, but since the 2.0TFSI should be running on premium, the price difference should be about 20+ cents.
By my wife's calculations, diesel would have to be 55 cents more than premium to make the diesel uneconomical (based on the list price, VWs consumption figures, and 15,000km per year over 10 years).

 

[silvershadow]

Yes, diesel is 30+ cents more expensive than regular unleaded, but since the 2.0TFSI should be running on premium, the price difference should be about 20+ cents.
By my wife's calculations, diesel would have to be 55 cents more than premium to make the diesel uneconomical (based on the list price, VWs consumption figures, and 15,000km per year over 10 years).

World diesel prices comparative to petrol[gas for our US members] are higher than normal due to demand for power generation and transport in India and China which consumes large volumes of this product. Thanks to the lack of new refinery construction in recent years, world production has not kept up with demand and spot market prices have increased accordingly as reflected in current pump prices.

Once additional refineries under construction in these countries come "on stream", I hope the price differential will show a substantial reduction although I do not expect it to come back to parity.

 

[my echo]

World diesel prices comparative to petrol[gas for our US members] are higher than normal due to demand for power generation and transport in India and China which consumes large volumes of this product. Thanks to the lack of new refinery construction in recent years, world production has not kept up with demand and spot market prices have increased accordingly as reflected in current pump prices.

Once additional refineries under construction in these countries come "on stream", I hope the price differential will show a substantial reduction although I do not expect it to come back to parity.

I fueled up Yesterday with Diesel and to my surprise the price was only 2cents (AUS)higher than regular unleaded.
I have now clocked up 7000K's of untroubled driving over 5 months. The MFD indicates that my adverage fuel consumption is 6.4L/100K. Mostly H'way cruising at between 2000 and 2300 rpm.
I am happy that I had chosen a Diesel but I do miss the extra revs from the petrol motor.

 

[kipperjet]

The way that, [uniquely in my experience] Australian fuel stations jerk prices up and down by large amounts, sometimes on an hourly basis, makes meaningful comparisons of fuel differential costs very difficult. Suffice it to say that unless intergalactic distances [unlikely in an EOS] are involved, the cost of fuel consumed over the ownership of the car is going to pale into insignificance compared to the depreciation figures. Another UK poster quotes his dealer saying that EOSs are dropping £800 a month at present, and the EOS holds its' value rather well in most countries. Buys a lot of fuel, doesn't it?

There will be exponents of both engine types, all are correct in their particular choice.

The moral therefore is, forget nominal fuel figures, buy what you prefer to drive, you have already spent a lot to get a folding roof over, say, a 3 door Golf GTI.

 

[Michaelc]

Take up comparison

Hi,
I have been test driving both and was unsure but I noticed in the diesel I tried that it too half a second or so to respond from a standing start. Was there something wrong with this demo or is this typical of the diesel? The sales person said it was the diesel behavior but I have to admit I found it surprising. The Petrol responded immediately.

Should I try another diesel?

Thanks in advance for your feedback
Michael

 

[silvershadow]

Hi,
I have been test driving both and was unsure but I noticed in the diesel I tried that it too half a second or so to respond from a standing start. Was there something wrong with this demo or is this typical of the diesel? The sales person said it was the diesel behavior but I have to admit I found it surprising. The Petrol responded immediately.

Should I try another diesel?

Thanks in advance for your feedback
Michael

Hi Michael,

Definitely try another diesel and try to get it for a couple of hours to go for a decent run with some city and highway driving if possible. If it is manual car, forget your petrol car driving technique. Just get the car moving up to 2000/2500rpm in each gear and change up - don't try to rev the engine higher in each gear as this doesn't improve the acceleration unlike a petrol car; just let the silky torque of the engine do its job. If you get the car out on the highway, you don't usually have to change down to overtake unless on a really steep hill - just use the accelerator and experience the urge - it is addictive .

If you test drove a diesel MY09 DSG demonstrator, it is possible the "hill-hold" feature was functioning - this stops the vehicle from rolling back if it is at rest on a slope when you take your right foot off the brake to use the accelerator. This is VW's answer to lazy drivers brought up on conventional torque convertor automatics as the torque convertor "drag" will hold a stationary vehicle in drive on most slopes so the driver never needs to learn left-foot braking to hold the car stationary. There is a distinct time lag between releasing the brake and the transmission engaging when the hill-hold feature is functioning.

Those of us who learnt to drive on manual cars with non-synchromesh gearboxes usually learnt a technique called "heel and toe" for hill starts [those who didn't used the handbrake

] or for braking whilst changing gears at the same time as you have to "double shuffle" the downshifts to line up the transmission gears to get a smooth gearchange. "Heel and toe" involves using the toes on your right foot to brake and angling your foot so your heel can push on the accelerator pedal when needed. The left foot is used for the clutch. This positioning of the right foot will hold the vehicle on an incline without having to use the handbrake whilst allowing the engine revs to be increased as you release the clutch to prevent stalling - double shuffling involves pushing the clutch in and placing the gearbox in Neutral, releasing the clutch and revving the engine whilst in Neutral then pushing the clutch in and downshifting whilst "feeling" the gear engagement through the gearshift lever until the gears line up so the gearlever can be pushed home and the clutch released. At the same time, you use your right foot to control the engine revs so there is no jerkiness when you release the clutch.

 

[CIB]

'Heel and toe' - and all that good ol' stuff - that's what I taught my son when he recently learnt. And he's a brilliant driver AND seems to instinctively 'listen to your engine' (my instructor's main advice to me back in the day!!!) And I seem to even remember having to 'double declutch' on really old cars back then! But back to the point of the thread - diesel for me every time. If nothing else I love the 'growl'.
C