A TDi to trash all petrol Golfs on earth!?!?!

[S11EPS]

There was a diesel with 110bhp available at launch of the Mk 4  (May 98), not sure if it was a PD engine or not.

The 115bhp PD was introduced in October 1999

The 130bhp PD was introduced in June 2001

The 150bhp PD was introduced in December 2001

[golfvr6]

I'm sure all the diesel engines weren't that powerful before the pd was introduced.
Part of the reason the PD is such a powerful engine for a diesel is the extremely high pressure injection. This drastically improves the combustability of the diesel.

[S11EPS]

You're right, they weren't that powerful before the PD engine.

[Pimpster]

want there a 100 bhp diesel?

[mk3tdi]

The 100bhp is a newer PD variant. The 110bhp was a variant of the 90bhp engine.
As noted in my previous postings, both of these are seriously over-engineered and detuned, coupled with the simple fact that forced induction engines are cheaper to tune...

If I had unlimited funds and drove short distances half of me would prefer a VR6. But half the appeal of the Diesel for me IS it's Q-Car appeal and the two fingers up at people who think their petrol cars MUST be quicker.

It's the same reason a bog-standard de-badged M5 is so much cooler than a tarted up body-kitted, chipped 320i. Wolf in sheep's clothing rather than Ewe in a miniskirt and high heels...

I must confess I would be too embarassed to drive around in a GTi or 16v with any bodykit or visual mods, UNLESS it was a seriously sorted car with a huge power hike. Ever heard of "All the gear and no idea"?

The common-rail TDi is an engineers dream in efficiency. My car, I hope, is as far from what the Max Power (some prefer Max W**ker) brigade drive as possible.
 

[Bodhi]

Diesel engines are useful for commercial and people who view driving simply as a method of getting from A to B. I'm sorry, but the rest of us are quite happy with petrol thankyouvery much.

Sorry mate, but I have to disagree. I have a PD 150 and i don't fall in to either of the catagories that you suggest.

Whilst my diesel may clatter on start up once you get it rolling in second it looses a lot of its diesel soundtrack. I do 35-40k miles a year, so believe me, if it sounded shi!t, it would be gone by now.

Besdies, the 8v engine in your golf isn't exactly a stunning aural masterpiece in itself either - just a bog basic 4 cylinder noise. The only people that can criticise the diesel noise without being hypocrites are V5 and VR6 owners, as they have the only decent sounding Golfs as standard.

Speaking for myself, I think the sound of my turbo whsitling more than compensates for the noisy idle.

Frankly, I can't see how you have the nerve to criticise the PD engines when they would humiliate your 8v, narrow power band or not - unless you are heavily modified, you would not see which way I went!!!!  

Quite easily. In my opinion the VW PD engines, whilst yes very powerful (for a diesel), still sound clattery when they drive past, and you can spot them from the petrol variants a mile off. Refinement wise they are still some way off BMW's diesel engines. The only reason you don't hear it is all that sound insulation that makes the standard Mk4 chassis a boggy mess.

I'd take a humdrum 4 cylinder note (although I do enjoy the 8v's throaty engine note when pushed) over the chugging of a diesel any day - the only way I'd drive one is if my company forced me to.

[S11EPS]

Refinement wise they are still some way off BMW's diesel engines.

So what? The four cylinder VW engine is some way off BMW four cylinder engine refinement wise. Why are you making comarisons with other manufacturers cars?

We have already established that the diesel is noisier than its four cylinder counterpart but its blatantly not as noisy as you suggest. If it were, how was the diesel Mk4 able to outsell its petrol counterparts? Would VW be expecting 60% of its mk5 sales to be diesel if they were as noisy as you suggest?

I personally think that you're trying to justify your cars dismal performance by attacking a clearly superior car on its one achillies heel - the noise.

You'll have to let me know your number plate so that I can smile and wave as I 'clatter past' - Then you can stuff it down as many gears as you like, liven up your humdrum 4 cylinder note to its 'throaty roar' and try desperately to keep up, which you won't, because your car is a wimp.

One thing you haven't mentioned - which surprises me - is the amount of black crap us diesel boys chuck out the back. This does surprise me because you will ALWAYS be stuck behind a PD engined car, choking on said crap, until you buy something with an engine that will manage to pull the skin off a rice pudding.

[golfvr6]

Well said  
The PD engines are ground breaking diesels and are very fast.
What is the obsession with BMW?
What performance do the BMW diesels produce?
I don't think they do a 1.9 litre that produces 150bhp, but i'm sure you will put me right if i am wrong.
I would rather have a PD 150 over a 8v any day.

 

[Bodhi]

BMW's most basic diesel produces 150bhp out of 2.0 litres, easily pushed up over 200bhp if tuning is your thing. Refinement wise it is leagues ahead of the "ground breaking" PD diesel engines (even their ole 2.5 litre turbodiesel units that got phased out in 97 were smoother than the PD's.). The fascination with BMW? Apart from them being a country mile ahead of anything else coming out of Germany (911's possibly excepted depending on whether you like them or loathe them I suppose), they make pretty much the best powerplants on sale today. I merely compared the PD engine to BMW's efforts as you seemed to be of the opinion they were the peak of diesel innovation, which clearly, they aren't.

I didn't only single out the PD for its clattery note. If you'll notice, I referenced it dodgy handling (because at the end of the day, the PD is still a Mk4, and inherits the wallowy vague handling of its siblings - GTi models included) and limited rev range (it's still a diesel). The 150 may leave the 8v for dust (though hardly by as much as you are suggesting - not until third gear do they start pulling away, however their lead normally lasts til the next corner), but thats what I have my 16v brethren for. In the mean time, very few 130s or 115's get away, and I am rarely stuck in the black fog behind a silver TDi (do they make any other colours?) as you suggest (I'm normally past them and off).

Why do diesel Golfs outsell petrol golfs? Have you seen the current petrol engine lineup? An anemic 1.4 and 1.6 and then nothing til the GTi models. And we all know how horrendous the Mk4 petrol GTi's are. That and the increasing number of fleets going diesel only purely on cost concerns add many to the diesel sales tally.


Anyway, I'm going to go out and rev my engine to 5000rpm just for the hell of it. Because I can, you see, and also so I can marvel at the 2000rpm I STILL HAVE LEFT. Man, life must suck when it finishes at 4500 :/

[golfvr6]

The BMW 2.0L diesel is producing the same performance as 1.9L VW unit. Its all down to personal preference.
Both engines could be tuned to 200bhp, i wouldn't recommend it though as long term reliability or even short term is likely to suffer.

BODHI,
Some people like BMWs , some don't. I personally don't think they are as good as Audi. We will have to agree to disagree.

SHALL WE LEAVE IT AT THAT?