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Does the Volkswagen Golf 1.2 TSI have sufficient performance?
I looking at buying a VW Golf 1.2TSI 82PS. The car is mainly for work and around town, but will involve motorway travel for days out on a regular basis. Will the car be powerful enough for overtaking, hills etc? Are there any main issues to consider, known problems and cost of repairs? And would you recommend any other car in the £6.5k - £8.5k range?
Asked on 23 March 2023 by Martin
Answered by
David Ross
The 1.2 TSI 85PS is the least powerful engine you can get in this generation Golf, and takes 12.3 seconds to reach 0-62mph. That's adequate performance rather than brisk, so if you think your regular journeys will require frequent overtaking, you may want to consider the more powerful 105PS version, or even move up to the 1.4 TSI. Hopefully your test drive will have allowed you to get a feel for the performance. There were reported issues with early versions of the 1.2 TSI such as the head gasket and electronics, but as the car you mention is a later version these problems are less likely to affect it.
For your budget you should be able to find a Golf with the bigger 1.4 TSI engine, which would be a good choice, or alternatively you could look at the Ford Focus with the 125PS EcoBoost engine, or the SEAT Leon also with the 1.4 TSI engine. All of these options will have useful extra performance over the 1.2 TSI.
For your budget you should be able to find a Golf with the bigger 1.4 TSI engine, which would be a good choice, or alternatively you could look at the Ford Focus with the 125PS EcoBoost engine, or the SEAT Leon also with the 1.4 TSI engine. All of these options will have useful extra performance over the 1.2 TSI.
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