Sport Diesel choices
Discussion
I'm currently thinking of selling both my daily (Vaux Insignia CDTI 160) and my summer/odd few days during Apr-Oct MR2 Roadster for something a bit more fun generally. The thing is I rarely have time to get out in the MR2 and looking at the short term that's not really going to change. You know the thing of general life, kids, rising cost in the good stuff (petrol), not really having time to drive it.
So I'm looking into a MK2 2010 and up Leon FR 170/180 or Octavia VRS, both diesels as I do a lot of miles. I've never driven or been in any of these so can't say what they are like. I did have many years ago a Leon FR PD150 which I didn't really like. Mostly because I were young, it felt like a boat compared to what I had before, seemed really sluggish.
I'm not a fan of Audi as they don't seem to have any character at all. Few friends have them and they are boring cars to me.
The reason for looking at the Leon and Octavia is mostly because they both still seem sporty enough that I can replace both cars, possibly good for the odd track day, obviously I need diesel due to high miles.
Would these be a good choice?
What is the boot space like on the Leon? I need to fit a pram, use it maybe 2/3 times a year to go for long weekends (means needs to fit a pram, travel cot, suitcase). Of Course I expect the Octavia will easily do this as boot is similar if not bigger than the Insignia.
Anything I should stay away from like DSG auto, high milers etc?
Budget is pretty much £3k-£8k.
So I'm looking into a MK2 2010 and up Leon FR 170/180 or Octavia VRS, both diesels as I do a lot of miles. I've never driven or been in any of these so can't say what they are like. I did have many years ago a Leon FR PD150 which I didn't really like. Mostly because I were young, it felt like a boat compared to what I had before, seemed really sluggish.
I'm not a fan of Audi as they don't seem to have any character at all. Few friends have them and they are boring cars to me.
The reason for looking at the Leon and Octavia is mostly because they both still seem sporty enough that I can replace both cars, possibly good for the odd track day, obviously I need diesel due to high miles.
Would these be a good choice?
What is the boot space like on the Leon? I need to fit a pram, use it maybe 2/3 times a year to go for long weekends (means needs to fit a pram, travel cot, suitcase). Of Course I expect the Octavia will easily do this as boot is similar if not bigger than the Insignia.
Anything I should stay away from like DSG auto, high milers etc?
Budget is pretty much £3k-£8k.
Edited by Ankh87 on Tuesday 18th April 10:38
Out of interest, what is your annual mileage? I ask as the margin between running costs on petrols and diesels has narrowed significantly over the years with the changes in fuel prices and advances in efficiency. By looking at diesels of that age/budget you're also straying in to vehicles that would face LEZ/ULEZ charges as more and more cities start to introduce these zones.
My old F31 320d ED used to get high 60's on long runs, it wasn't sporty but it was reliable, could fit plenty of kit in for myneeds (admittedly no kids so unsure on buggy space) and I really quite liked the car. At the time the Mrs had a Ioniq Hybrid and that never seemed to drop below 60mpg on motorway runs, it was kitted up with every toy I could've asked for and it never put a foot wrong in 50k miles that we had it.
Obviously neither of the above cars were sporty or fun to drive but if I had to have one today but I'd confidently say that the Ioniq would be cheaper for me to run at my current 20-25k miles/year than the BMW would be, adding in that the diesel was terrible mpg when on shorter journeys, would be charged for me driving in to my local city (Bristol) and was also more expensive to insure at the time than the Ioniq.
My old F31 320d ED used to get high 60's on long runs, it wasn't sporty but it was reliable, could fit plenty of kit in for myneeds (admittedly no kids so unsure on buggy space) and I really quite liked the car. At the time the Mrs had a Ioniq Hybrid and that never seemed to drop below 60mpg on motorway runs, it was kitted up with every toy I could've asked for and it never put a foot wrong in 50k miles that we had it.
Obviously neither of the above cars were sporty or fun to drive but if I had to have one today but I'd confidently say that the Ioniq would be cheaper for me to run at my current 20-25k miles/year than the BMW would be, adding in that the diesel was terrible mpg when on shorter journeys, would be charged for me driving in to my local city (Bristol) and was also more expensive to insure at the time than the Ioniq.
J1990 said:
Out of interest, what is your annual mileage? I ask as the margin between running costs on petrols and diesels has narrowed significantly over the years with the changes in fuel prices and advances in efficiency. By looking at diesels of that age/budget you're also straying in to vehicles that would face LEZ/ULEZ charges as more and more cities start to introduce these zones.
My old F31 320d ED used to get high 60's on long runs, it wasn't sporty but it was reliable, could fit plenty of kit in for myneeds (admittedly no kids so unsure on buggy space) and I really quite liked the car. At the time the Mrs had a Ioniq Hybrid and that never seemed to drop below 60mpg on motorway runs, it was kitted up with every toy I could've asked for and it never put a foot wrong in 50k miles that we had it.
Obviously neither of the above cars were sporty or fun to drive but if I had to have one today but I'd confidently say that the Ioniq would be cheaper for me to run at my current 20-25k miles/year than the BMW would be, adding in that the diesel was terrible mpg when on shorter journeys, would be charged for me driving in to my local city (Bristol) and was also more expensive to insure at the time than the Ioniq.
It is really dependent on if I get to work from home part of the week. If so it could be anything ranging from 14k-22k a year. So I need a decent motorway car hence looking a Skoda VRS and something that is sort of sporty. I've already got a boring car in the Vaux Insignia but it isn't exactly inspiring to drive. Perfect for the commute but I would like something I'll enjoy driving and when I do get time or decide to take the B roads home I can have fun. My old F31 320d ED used to get high 60's on long runs, it wasn't sporty but it was reliable, could fit plenty of kit in for myneeds (admittedly no kids so unsure on buggy space) and I really quite liked the car. At the time the Mrs had a Ioniq Hybrid and that never seemed to drop below 60mpg on motorway runs, it was kitted up with every toy I could've asked for and it never put a foot wrong in 50k miles that we had it.
Obviously neither of the above cars were sporty or fun to drive but if I had to have one today but I'd confidently say that the Ioniq would be cheaper for me to run at my current 20-25k miles/year than the BMW would be, adding in that the diesel was terrible mpg when on shorter journeys, would be charged for me driving in to my local city (Bristol) and was also more expensive to insure at the time than the Ioniq.
I had a 2011 170 Leon FR and found the suspension extremely harsh, infact my wife could not travel in it when she was pregnant with my first child so ultimately it went. I've got other cars with modified suspension - Koni/H&R etc and these were not a problem.
Other than that the car was pretty good and a decent engine for a diesel. Did 26k with it.
After the stint with the Leon I traded it in for an Exeo estate with the sports suspension, same engine and it's been great. Had it 10 years and put nearly 100k on it with nothing but annual servicing required. Fuel economy is good and being a 170 it has the bigger turbo and twin intercoolers and has some pull up to the higher revs before dying off at c4600rpm.
Other than that the car was pretty good and a decent engine for a diesel. Did 26k with it.
After the stint with the Leon I traded it in for an Exeo estate with the sports suspension, same engine and it's been great. Had it 10 years and put nearly 100k on it with nothing but annual servicing required. Fuel economy is good and being a 170 it has the bigger turbo and twin intercoolers and has some pull up to the higher revs before dying off at c4600rpm.
VeeReihenmotor6 said:
I had a 2011 170 Leon FR and found the suspension extremely harsh, infact my wife could not travel in it when she was pregnant with my first child so ultimately it went. I've got other cars with modified suspension - Koni/H&R etc and these were not a problem.
Other than that the car was pretty good and a decent engine for a diesel. Did 26k with it.
After the stint with the Leon I traded it in for an Exeo estate with the sports suspension, same engine and it's been great. Had it 10 years and put nearly 100k on it with nothing but annual servicing required. Fuel economy is good and being a 170 it has the bigger turbo and twin intercoolers and has some pull up to the higher revs before dying off at c4600rpm.
To be honest the Insignia I have is the SRI model so has a stiffer suspension. Even if the Leon is harsh as long as it is fine for motorway driving then that would be acceptable. The main thing is the boot size as it does look small but I guess it depends on how you pack it all in. Other than that the car was pretty good and a decent engine for a diesel. Did 26k with it.
After the stint with the Leon I traded it in for an Exeo estate with the sports suspension, same engine and it's been great. Had it 10 years and put nearly 100k on it with nothing but annual servicing required. Fuel economy is good and being a 170 it has the bigger turbo and twin intercoolers and has some pull up to the higher revs before dying off at c4600rpm.
Ideally I want something that would still be fun. I'm not expecting Ford Focus ST, Civic Type R styles of fun but something that is still decent enough to take on a B road and not feel like an oil tanker.
A Focus ST Diesel may suit your needs - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/314522410004?hash=item4...
My brother got a very tidy LCI E90 335d recently for £9.5k but running costs are higher than the slightly newer 2.0 diesels you have discussed in you OP.
My brother got a very tidy LCI E90 335d recently for £9.5k but running costs are higher than the slightly newer 2.0 diesels you have discussed in you OP.
Ankh87 said:
Boot seems even smaller than the SEAT which will be fine if the car is fun enough. Have you experienced one?
I owned one for a year, a D3 with polestar upgrade. There were a lot of issues with the 4 cylinder models that came later, but the earlier 5 cylinder ones were the best for the diesel engine.Underneath it's pretty much a Ford Focus, so similar sportiness. Needs good tyres to handle the torque as it is only front wheel drive.
Only negative might be the back seat, it has weird offset seats - there is a storage bin on the outside of each rear seat, so you sit more centrally than in other cars. It means the central seat is pretty small between the other two.
2010 onward Octavia vRS will be Mk2 with the CR170 engine. My 2009 is on about 150k miles now and has been very reliable until a recent brake issue that took a while to diagnose. They're fairly quick but not the sportiest handling. I've never found the suspension harsh and it's a comfortable long distance car with a massive boot and space for 4 adults. They do have a tendency for the door seals to leak a bit in heavy rain, and the interior sound proofing isn't quite as good as more premium cars. Fuel economy (from the display so probably overestimating) ranges from about 46 mpg when I was doing a 9 mile each way commute, to mid 50's when I was doing a 60 mile each way commute.
Edited by RizzoTheRat on Tuesday 18th April 15:22
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