GTI vs GTD Golf

[Tigris]

Hi guys,

I'm looking at swapping my older 2005 mk5 VW golf gti for a newer mk7 one. I was looking into the GTD as they seem to get 50-60mpg with £20 a year road tax.

It will be used for my small local service business as well as personal but a lot of people actually come to me. Yearly I probably do around 7000-8000 miles.

As I'm aware the diesel GTD won't drive the same as the petrol GTI and with my lowish annual miles would I still see the benefit of diesel? I know they used to say you need to do 10,000 a year to get the benefit of diesel.

Cheers

 

[fisicx]

You might get more mileage but diesel is a lot more expensive. Which means it may well end up costing you more.

 

[Mark T Jones]

I'd suggest that longevity is a key consideration, particularly if you are buying one with few miles on the clock.

I've just offloaded a 125k GTI - it was a stick or twist choice of spend some money fixing the bits and pieces, or get out in what must be the peak of the market and run around in an old car until things steady out.

Research suggests that the trade-off of modern engines, with high performance and good economy (with lively driving I consistently averaged just below 40mpg) is longevity. About 150k seems to be the trouble spot. A diesel should be good fir twice that.

On a related note, I was spooked by reports of DSGs packing in too - now that is expensive!

To caveat - bad news is always easy to find. I loved my GTI and would equally happily have spent the money and kept it

 

[IanSuth]

You might get more mileage but diesel is a lot more expensive. Which means it may well end up costing you more.

less of an issue with higher overall prices as the % difference is less and thus the difference in economy covers it.

My old (about to be retired after 17 yrs) Octavia 1.9tdi always gets over 50mpg and usually over 60 on long steady drives (only really drops if you are tanking it up the mway), local costco price is £1.57 with petrol £1.36 that is the biggest % difference (as supermarket fuel more expensive and lesser differential) it is about 15%

Looking at the 2 cars listed

Gti listed as 38 mpg
Gtd listed as 54.3mpg from same source (https://www.carbuyer.co.uk/volkswagen/golf/golf-gtd-hatchback)

That is about 50% better

 

[Tigris]

less of an issue with higher overall prices as the % difference is less and thus the difference in economy covers it.

My old (about to be retired after 17 yrs) Octavia 1.9tdi always gets over 50mpg and usually over 60 on long steady drives (only really drops if you are tanking it up the mway), local costco price is £1.57 with petrol £1.36 that is the biggest % difference (as supermarket fuel more expensive and lesser differential) it is about 15%

Looking at the 2 cars listed

Gti listed as 38 mpg
Gtd listed as 54.3mpg from same source (https://www.carbuyer.co.uk/volkswagen/golf/golf-gtd-hatchback)

That is about 50% better

Trouble is my trips will be shorter, mostly upto 10 miles one way then obviously the same back. With a diesel the engine probably won't get warm enough for me to even see those higher MPGs.

I know with 2013-2015 MK7 Golf GTI's the fuel is better than a 2005 one as well.

I thought with the diesel as well if business picks up (still a new business under 2 years old) I won't have to panic as much if i've got the higher MPG diesel rather than a petrol GTI when I start using it more. Also the £20 a year tax of the diesel is good also. On the flip side some people say diesels may get penalised soon due to the emissions though (more so than a petrol anyway).

 

[IanSuth]

Trouble is my trips will be shorter, mostly upto 10 miles one way then obviously the same back. With a diesel the engine probably won't get warm enough for me to even see those higher MPGs.

I know with 2013-2015 MK7 Golf GTI's the fuel is better than a 2005 one as well.

I thought with the diesel as well if business picks up (still a new business under 2 years old) I won't have to panic as much if i've got the higher MPG diesel rather than a petrol GTI when I start using it more. Also the £20 a year tax of the diesel is good also. On the flip side some people say diesels may get penalised soon due to the emissions though (more so than a petrol anyway).

our car gets 50+ even on local trips to the shops, never seen below 42mpg and that was in stop start traffic in height of summer with air con on

I am biased as have been in and around diesels since the 70's (step father put perkins diesels in a mk2 cortina, HA Viva Beagle van, Opal Ascona, 3 series BMW and a CF Crewbus (shifted back 3' to make it mid engined) over the years. I have always had diesels for bulk travel and motorcycles for fun/congested commutes ( i even attended a diesel bike event to look at the mad contraptions on offer a few years back, and if i had the time and money would have had one of the dutch built things with a smart diesel engine in BMW GS running gear)

 

[Annoying Donkey]

Forget the GTi and the GTD.
Mclaren 720s spider.
10 mpg, 0-60 in 2.8 secs (3.5 secs with me driving as I'm an old git), over 200mph with roof down and a huge smile every time you drive it... Worth every penny...

 

[Tigris]

Forget the GTi and the GTD.
McClaren 720s spider.
10 mpg, 0-60 in 2.8 secs (3.5 secs with me driving as I'm an old git), over 200mph with roof down and a huge smile every time you drive it... Worth every penny...

Don't tease me, I'm a huge car fan and actually have a car photography instagram page ? Missed the autosport International show this year.

 

[IanSuth]

Don't tease me, I'm a huge car fan and actually have a car photography instagram page ? Missed the autosport International show this year.

Why dont you get a test drive in each - drive the same route at roughly the same time of day if possible and compare the drive feel and the economies (they are the same manufacturer so the dashboard mpg will be equally imprecise for both)

At the end of the day driving is still pretty personal and what one person likes is not the same as another in terms of handling, response and just gut feel