Petrol vs Diesel dilemma - GTI or GTD in 2017?

[seonhughes]

Hi all,
Been looking to change to a performance Golf for a while now and I'm in need of some help deciding which way to go - GTI or GTD.

I have driven both cars in MK7 form and although i respect that they both have their distinctive characteristics, on a regular journey there really doesn't feel to be much in it to me in terms of every day performance and drivability. My heart is telling me to go for the GTI but my head is telling me GTD. I've been checking used car listings regularly and here there are less than half the amount of MK7 GTI's for sale compared to the amount of GTD's here in Northern Ireland and so there is a significant premium to pay for the petrol version, a trip across the water may be required to get a good deal either way.

Anyway, the only thing attracting me to the diesel is the improved fuel economy and the cheaper VED, I also prefer the Nogaros to the Austins. However my reservation about going down the diesel route is my commute, going to University and work is an 8 mile trip down the M2 and then the same coming home and any other driving would be shorter city journeys and so i fear the car would never really get much of a chance to heat up properly making the fuel economy difference negligible and I may also run the risk of having DPF issues. Am i correct in my thinking?

My main fear is the imminent scrutiny of diesel engined vehicles with the recent reports in the news about the pollution and health issues they cause and I wouldn't want to invest a significant amount of money in a diesel car now in an effort to save money only to loose it all over the course of 3 years anyway in increased servicing and repair costs and any penalties introduced for owning a diesel car. Is diesel dying and is 2017 the year to buy petrol?

[fredgroves]

Are you buying new or used?

[I wanted a GTi]

If your no doing a lot of miles and the trips you do are short then it is a no brainier to go for the GTi

Remember though that whichever you go for you may find yourself doing longer runs, especially in the GTi because they are such a nice car to drive.

[Sootchucker]

As a GTD owner twice, it's a no brainer to me...... the GTI. Yep if I was buying again it would be the GTI for sure.

Fuel wise for me, my GTD is averaging around 45mpg (mixed commuting and motorway), and from what I've read on here, a GTI should average around 35 (ish) mpg. For an annual mileage of say 10,000 p.a. and with Diesel (round my way) current £1.219 liter and unleaded £1.199 liter, that would approx equate to £330 year more fuel on the GTI (around £27 month).

In my books, £27 a month to drive a petrol 200+ps turbo hot hatch vs a diesel warm hatch is worth the money any day. Also as you say no one knows how much diesel will be penalized over the coming months / years.

Of course what I don't know is the VED bands in Ireland and the car insurance situation which could sway the decision is they are vastly more expensive than the diesel.

Don't get me wrong, I love my GTD, it's a ruthlessly efficient and capable mile muncher, (but dare i say, just a little non involving as a drivers car), if anything, it's almost too refined, but if I had my time again, I would most certainly have been driving a GTI.

[seonhughes]

Are you buying new or used?

I would be buying used, looking at 2013 models a low mile GTD can be had for £2kish less than the equivalent GTI.

As a GTD owner twice, it's a no brainer to me...... the GTI. Yep if I was buying again it would be the GTI for sure.

Fuel wise for me, my GTD is averaging around 45mpg (mixed commuting and motorway), and from what I've read on here, a GTI should average around 35 (ish) mpg. For an annual mileage of say 10,000 p.a. and with Diesel (round my way) current £1.219 liter and unleaded £1.199 liter, that would approx equate to £330 year more fuel on the GTI (around £27 month).

In my books, £27 a month to drive a petrol 200+ps turbo hot hatch vs a diesel warm hatch is worth the money any day. Also as you say no one knows how much diesel will be penalized over the coming months / years.

Of course what I don't know is the VED bands in Ireland and the car insurance situation which could sway the decision is they are vastly more expensive than the diesel.

Don't get me wrong, I love my GTD, it's a ruthlessly efficient and capable mile muncher, (but dare i say, just a little non involving as a drivers car), if anything, it's almost too refined, but if I had my time again, I would most certainly have been driving a GTI.

I'm in NI so we have the same VED bands so the GTI at £130 and the GTD at £30 p/a. Local fuel prices unleaded £1.169 and diesel £1.189 so the same 2p difference so your £27 a month calculation would stand true for me too.
Another way i suppose of looking at it is I'm currently driving a year old 1.2 suzuki swift which is averaging 35mpg combined so realistically a GTI won't increase my fuel bills - except for the increase in pointless trips just for the fun of it

My main issue isn't really the running costs so much as any imminent changes to how diesels are treated by the government, the only thing still drawing me to one is that there are so much more of them on the roads that the savings on the used market may well pay for any problems i would face.

Forgot to mention the insurance issue too, for me at 21 with 2 years no claims they were both coming in at under £800 so this isn't really a deciding factor for me as I paid £750 this year anyway for a 92bhp 1.2 engine - I don't have any complaints about paying an extra 50 quid this year for more than double the power!

[fredgroves]

Are you buying new or used?

I would be buying used, looking at 2013 models a low mile GTD can be had for £2kish less than the equivalent GTI.

£2k... whatever other things may or may not happen, that is a lot of cash for a 21 year old student to find or to save... or at least it was when I was a 21 year old student.

My honest opinion on the oil burners is that the government are unlikely to do very much because diesel is so important to commercial vehicles. They might adjust the road tax for new vehicles, but I doubt they'd do much to a car with a Euro6 engine *yet*.

The 8 mile daily trip though, I'd seriously doubt you will see the savings on fuel a GTD will deliver. It would cost you about the same as a GTI in fuel would be my experience based on 3 years of GTD driving.

The DPF might also be a problem, but from what I've seen and heard so far on the latest 2.0 TDI engine system, its less of a problem than it was before and you get plenty of warning to go for a burn up before it dies, unlike previously.

Still there is the 2k price difference...

[kalimon]

As a GTD owner twice, it's a no brainer to me...... the GTI. Yep if I was buying again it would be the GTI for sure.

Fuel wise for me, my GTD is averaging around 45mpg (mixed commuting and motorway), and from what I've read on here, a GTI should average around 35 (ish) mpg. For an annual mileage of say 10,000 p.a. and with Diesel (round my way) current £1.219 liter and unleaded £1.199 liter, that would approx equate to £330 year more fuel on the GTI (around £27 month).

In my books, £27 a month to drive a petrol 200+ps turbo hot hatch vs a diesel warm hatch is worth the money any day. Also as you say no one knows how much diesel will be penalized over the coming months / years.

Of course what I don't know is the VED bands in Ireland and the car insurance situation which could sway the decision is they are vastly more expensive than the diesel.

Don't get me wrong, I love my GTD, it's a ruthlessly efficient and capable mile muncher, (but dare i say, just a little non involving as a drivers car), if anything, it's almost too refined, but if I had my time again, I would most certainly have been driving a GTI.

Very interesting to read your views on the GTD or GTI debate as you are a current GTD owner.

I've driven diesels for years and my wife's Audi A3 S Line 150 diesel is a very nice car indeed.

Trouble is, after driving my GTI and then getting into her Audi, I feel like her car weighs double what mine does.

I know hers is 80bhp down on mine but it feels like 180bhp.

You can't beat the feeling of a good petrol engine

PS

Her car is a DSG which I think does it no favours whatsoever

[Gnasher]

I'd vote for GTI - you may be paying 2k more for it initially but it'll probably be worth more when you sell (although maybe not as much as 2k)

Also it's a lot less likely to need stuff fixing due to DPF issues. My missus has an Astra 2.0CDTI which is pretty good for an oil burner but she only does short trips since we moved house and I'm always out in it simply going for a run to clear the DPF.

[Daz Auto]

Of course what I don't know is the VED bands in Ireland and the car insurance situation which could sway the decision is they are vastly more expensive than the diesel.

... I doubt you have missed a Geography class or 2.

Out of curiosity I looked this up as I remember a friend telling me it was seriously expensive in Ireland. The GTD or GTI would be €710 a year

However, Northern Ireland is part a of the UK and VED is the same as Great Britain.

I would have thought that the GTD would have held it's value better given the proximity to cheaper Euro diesel. Though I know Belfast is a fair bit from the border.

[fredgroves]

Even if you could fuel from the Republic, its not actually that much cheaper according to this:

http://www.theaa.ie/aa/motoring-advice/petrol-prices.aspx