MK4 Golf, but which engine?

Chris344

Chris344

Chris344

Associate
Joined
2 Oct 2006
Posts
2,373
Location
Bexleyheath, London.
Hey everyone,

I’m currently looking for my third car, I’ve had it with the MK4 Astra, problem after problem.

I’m looking at MK4 Golf’s, I’ve seen a few, the best example being a 1.4 Match, met black 24,000 1 owner outrageously clean and tidy selling at £7490.

I’ve always been interested in the diesel engines, I wouldn’t mind a 1.9 or 2.0 tdi, what are the advantages of a diesel, what sort of mileage would I see from a full tank?

I’ve heard the golf is too heavy for a 1.4 and this really reduces performance, I wouldn’t like this after a few weeks as I always carry family up and down the motorway.

I pay £500 fully comp on the 1.6 16v Astra, based of that, would a tdi shoot up?

Thanks for any advise :)
 
Mk4 golfs were never anything to shout about tbh, and do not pay £7.5k for a 1.4 :eek:

A focus is better in all areas.
If you do want a golf though it has to be the TDi ones.

As for insurance, just go to a website, put your details in for your current car, see the price, then pop in new car details and see what the difference is.
 
The Golf is very very expensive for what it is

Having said that though, it's not a bad car. Avoid the 2.0 8v engine though. The 1.4 only has 75bhp (not much for a 1.4) - that coupled with the weight of the Golf makes it rather slow

It's not a nice car to drive but it's comfortable and well made. Not my choice, especially as it's far too expensive, but you can do far worse!

I'd personally get at least a 1.6 or if you want a bit of oomph the 1.8T is a very nice engine
 
TDI ones are best. I believe they're all common-rail (well Pump-Duse), so even the lowly 100bhp model will be a lot better than the 1.6 Petrol.

Fuel economy is outstanding on the TDI Golfs too. Expect 50-55mpg on the motorway and 40-45mpg around town.
 
I would go for a Bora TDI 150 Sport, loads of torque, great mpg, and lovelly interior. Great remapping potential to.

I have a 1.8T bora, just over a year now, very nice cars.
 
NickXX said:
TDI ones are best. I believe they're all common-rail (well Pump-Duse), so even the lowly 100bhp model will be a lot better than the 1.6 Petrol.

Fuel economy is outstanding on the TDI Golfs too. Expect 50-55mpg on the motorway and 40-45mpg around town.
Click to expand...

Not all Mk4 TDis are pump duese. Only 2001< I think were PD. Pre this were most definately not PD and sucked balls
 
Stonedofmoo said:
Disagree. As mentioned the Golf diesels are excellent and in a class above the Focus diesels
Click to expand...

Yep, I'd agree with that. The VW diesels (even the pre-PD ones) are rather good

The Focus diesels (pre the TDCi) are awful
 
bobbyboy uk said:
I would go for a Bora TDI 150 Sport, loads of torque, great mpg, and lovelly interior. Great remapping potential to.

I have a 1.8T bora, just over a year now, very nice cars.
Click to expand...


Completely agree although I would avoid the TDI150 simlpy as I have heard that it has quite a lot of lag compared to the 130 models which makes it feels no quicker.

My choice would be a TDI130 in the GT spec if you can find one although insurance would hit you compared to the SE spec (going by the quotes I got anyway).

PD vs non PD:

Performance of 1.9TDI 110BHP (non PD)

Performance of 1.9TDI PD100 model


Not much in it tbh as the PD model is down on power.

Personally if you are on a budget I would try to find a decent example of a TDI 110 or 115 model. They both offer enough punch but should cost a bit less on insurance than the 130 model.
 
Thanks for the feedback guys,

Place an order for a 53 Reg GT TDi 130bhp 5 door silver.

The car is a clean example with one lady owner, full VW history with 62,000

All in all, cost £7000, insurance was an extra £91, not bad to say I'm only 22.

Should be picking it up later today.

I'm very happy :cool:
 
not that it matters now, but the only mk4 golf i'd go for is the TDi. i've never driven one, but i've been in a fair few...seemed nice and quick, and the mpg is very nice.

the only thing i dislike about the car is unless you have optional extras or do some subtle mods to it, it's a bit of a salesperson's car.
 
Sic said:
not that it matters now, but the only mk4 golf i'd go for is the TDi. i've never driven one, but i've been in a fair few...seemed nice and quick, and the mpg is very nice.

the only thing i dislike about the car is unless you have optional extras or do some subtle mods to it, it's a bit of a salesperson's car.
Click to expand...
TDI is the only wayin a mk4 bar maybe a vr6 or R32, i had a 130bhp tdi and whilst it wasnt anything special it was fast, comfortable, economical and once chipped to 170bhp gave some people a bit of a shock on the straights :P
 
I have the 1.6 8v mk4 Golf and it's a lovely car if you want nice looks mixed with excellent build quality and relative comfort.

Mine isn't "slow" by any means, it has 108bhp and performs as well as it's Ford counterpart.

However, I wouldn't buy another one - not sure what i'd have instead, but the problem with them is the 1.6 gearboxes go after 40/50/60k miles unless you fit the £800 bolt kit to replace the rivets in the crown wheel.

But...and it's a big but....give me a 1.8t ANYDAY, they are lovely cars, plenty of power as standard and so much potential if that's your game.
Equally, the PD150 TDi's are great too, pull hard through the gears and return a healthy milage. Dont get a PD130 though, they're pretty slow (I can keep up in my 1.6).
 
MrSix said:
I have the 1.6 8v mk4 Golf and it's a lovely car if you want nice looks mixed with excellent build quality and relative comfort.

Mine isn't "slow" by any means, it has 108bhp and performs as well as it's Ford counterpart.

However, I wouldn't buy another one - not sure what i'd have instead, but the problem with them is the 1.6 gearboxes go after 40/50/60k miles unless you fit the £800 bolt kit to replace the rivets in the crown wheel.

But...and it's a big but....give me a 1.8t ANYDAY, they are lovely cars, plenty of power as standard and so much potential if that's your game.
Equally, the PD150 TDi's are great too, pull hard through the gears and return a healthy milage. Dont get a PD130 though, they're pretty slow (I can keep up in my 1.6).
Click to expand...

Your having a laugh arnt you, no way is a 1.6 8v golf as fast as the 1.9 PDI 130
 
Last edited:
I have the 1.8T, I plan to remap it at some point to 210 ish bhp. :) lovely car to drive, it does look quite understated but I quite like that, its nice suprising people who think your in a 2.0 8v version. :)
 
Unbeliever said:
I have the 1.8T, I plan to remap it at some point to 210 ish bhp. :) lovely car to drive, it does look quite understated but I quite like that, its nice suprising people who think your in a 2.0 8v version. :)
Click to expand...
I agree the 1.8T is a sweet engine for a 4 banger, very tunable indeed
 
The 1.4 16V is majorly underpowered for the Golf, not a bad choice for a learner driver but you really do have to drive it.

How's the 1.8T on petrol?
 
I learnt to drive in a 1.4 (2005) Golf and I think it's fun. I take it I'm missing out then :D

Strangely, my mate who lives across the road has a 1.6 (2005) Golf and it really isn't much faster. According to our 0-60 tests it's only 1.5 seconds faster (averaged) :D

If I had a choice, I wouldn't recommend the 1.4 Golf tbh. It just lacks power for confident overtaking, and requires so much gear changing to stay on the safe side. On the other hand, apparently the 1.4 TSI (or is it FSI) engine in the Golf Sport is awesome doing 0-62 in something like 8.8 seconds. As for the TDI engines, they appear quite slow after having a glance on VW’s website.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom