As part of a belt-tightening drive, I am having a Seat Ibiza FR TDi on my company scheme for 6 months, so that I can have something stupid next time.
Anyone got good/bad/indifferent stories of them?
I will be sorry to see my A3 go, although I will not miss the hideous vile experience that is reverse in a DSG gearbox. I will be relieved to have a proper lever on the floor. Paddles and buttons bah humbug... never again!!!
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I think everyone I've spoken to with a Ibiza FR TDI have always been more than happy with their purchase, so you should be too.
There are a few mebers on www.tdisport.com with FR's and they are all also very happy with them.
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"I will not miss the hideous vile experience that is reverse in a DSG gearbox"
Tell me more - 32,000 miles covered with a DSG - probably no or than 5 of these in reverse and no issues with it. Going back to driving a manual 2.0TDi 170PS last week was a true vile experience!!
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Dave, I think it's just me! Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE I know that drives them (and that's a lot of people here on a VW Group car scheme!) raves over them, whereas I hate it. Well, maybe hate is too strong a word, let me bullet point it! : ) Excuse my anthromorphicisms, just the way I am.
GOOD:
* Ease of commute on tired mornings
* Great when stuck on motorway
* Doesn't seem to affect fuel economy
* Quite like doing the manual change in "stick" mode rather than paddle (see later....)
BAD:
* I find DSG patronising: "You've put me in manual mode but I will still do things automatically" er, what;s the point of that then? I can understand the need to not let it over-rev, but we have that in a manual car. It's called a rev-limiter....?! If I put it in manual mode, I WANT TO CHANGE GEAR MYSELF. I don't want a flamin' New Labour gearbox that decides what it wants me to do whilst pretending to empower me.
* Reverse..... Get in car. Turn on engine. Pull back lever into R. Take foot off brake. Press accelerator. Nothing.... then a huge jerk and the car starts to move. It's SOOOOOOOO unrefined.
* Paddle shift. Maybe it's perception, but when I press up or down, I want IMMEDIATE reaction. Massive delay. Yes I KNOW in a manual car I have to engae/disengage clutch etc. but it's perception isn't it? Press button next gear... I am Gen X I want immediate results! Conversely, using the lever feels subjectively quicker.
* Paddle shift 2: Downchanges WAY too jerky
* Automatic mode gripe: it engages the gear it thinks you're going to choose next. If you do something unexpected, it doesn't half get a cob on. "You want me to down 2 gears to overtake? I thought we were gently accelerating up this road..".
I love the A3. It looks, to my (rather conservative perhaps) eyes, beautiful... the interior is an understated piece of art that's so comfortable to drive on long distances, and it's very well made: no squeaks or rattles (and I do a fair few miles and am not noted for my looking after cars skills). It also does 45-50 MPG with my Captain Leadfoot approach.
However, you can stick your DSG into the appropriate cliché as far as I am concerned. Never ever never ever again.
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Won't got through each point because it is down to personal taste, driving style and perception (if we were all the same life would be boring!) - but by going through what happens when I engage reverse I have realised why you may have trouble and I don't and I suspect its down to your car not having reversing sensors.
With sensors your sequence of:
Reverse..... Get in car. Turn on engine. Pull back lever into R. Take foot off brake. Press accelerator. Nothing.... then a huge jerk and the car starts to move. It's SOOOOOOOO unrefined.
becomes
Reverse..... Get in car. Turn on engine. Pull back lever into R. HEAR BLEEP AS REVERSING SENSOR ACTIVATES Take foot off brake. Press accelerator - MOVE - totally refined.
Amazing how a 'bleep' can make such a huge difference in the experience of a car!!
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You may well be right there! I will try later.
Steve gets into car, starts engibe, engages Reverse, says BEEEEP loudly to himself, takes foot off brake....
I'll let you know!
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I found the Ibiza FR suspension far too hard for me around town especially but also on the open road. As I do a lot of miles it put me off. I've been in an A3 TDI (SE spec) and it's much quieter and far more comfortable than the Ibiza. IMO I'd book a business appointment a long drive away and borrow the Ibiza for the journey. If you can live with the sporty suspension you'll love the rocket like shove and it's a nice car to be in - I bought a Fabia but much preferred the Ibiza interior.
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Good feedback Neil, cheers.... my A3 is a Sport, and the only soft suspensioned car I've ever had is a Skoda Superb, so I reckon I'll be OK. My mother, bless her, put forward the opinion that my A3 has concrete for suspension, whereas I like the hard ride.
I'm looking forward to the slightly hooligan element of the FR! Will let you know how it's going when I take delivery (next 2 weeks or so).
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Stevie - if it´s anything like the Fabia vRS it´ll be an absolute hoot. Enjoy!
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Fabia vRS!! Wicked memories of mine .. cool, hope the Ibiza is something like it!
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Do you have to stay with a VAG car? Other diesels are more refined currently for instance in that genre I reckon the Megane GT DCi 150 would be a cracking car to drive (I have not driven a GT), the engine a revalation after any VAG 4cyl PD diesel and Megane/Clio reliability is much better than Laguna/Espace.
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I've got an Ibiza but the 1.2 model on an 03 plate and I love it. My only gripe is that even on this model the ride is quite harsh but I've got used to it. Anyway the handling more than makes up for it, as do the looks and the general feeling of solidity. I love the model so much I'm planning to upgrade it to an FR myself soon.
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Yep, VAG only....
Obviously I can buy a non-VAG car myself but I am not going to.. : ) Our scheme is very good and I am happy to take the limitations!
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Daveyjp,
To paraphrase the old Yellow Pages ad, "you were right about that beep".
I now have a more serene driving experience.
Still have my other gripes though!
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Glad I could be of assistance! Before my old A3 went I tried putting it into reverse, releasing the brake then letting it move before applying gas, this also worked well.
I'm still a lover of the DSG and it has been specified on my replacement A3 - approx 6 weeks until delivery!
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Steve, I've owned a Tdi 130 for the past three years - essentially the FR is an update of this. The suspension is indeed stiff but the performance (especially mid-range) is very impressive - loads of torque shove. In 80,000 miles I've had no mechanical problems beyond needing a new rear wiper motor. Economy varies between 45 and 55 mpg depending on how much of that performance you use. A very high top gear (6th) gives 1800 rpm at 70 mph but it will still accelerate strongly from there without the need to change down. The official 0-60 time is around 9.5 seconds but this is conservative and, like the mechanically similar Fabia vRS, is probably really around 8.5. If you can run to a Cupra 160 Tdi, the suspension is even stiffer but the official 0-60 time drops to around 7.5. I'm waiting for the next generation Cupra and hope the 0-60 will be better than 7 seconds on that. As has been pointed out elsewhere, other manufacturers make smoother diesels now but no direct competitor except the (now discontinued?) vRS yet matches the ooomph for your money.
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