3rd May 2009, 05:48
I find myself in agreement with much of the post above, except:
"The PD is very quiet, smooth"
No it isn't. It rumbles and clatters and smokes like an old boiler in comparison to a modern diesel engine. The Renault dCi is in a different league in terms of refinement. No complaints on guts, reliability (150 bhp variant aside) or economy, and I agree the 1.9 is a far superior unit to the 2.0, but you can never call it quiet or particularly smooth.
25th Apr 2009, 07:51
Above comments are not correct, either you don't like the pd or you drove a bad one. The PD is still sold now, so it's not of yesteryear (it has similar injection pressures to CR and there are other PD type engines in use, not just VW).
The 'mapping' is aggressive on small amounts of throttle, but that doesn't take away the fact that this engine tries to break the tyres away if you give it throttle, it's that gusty. A 120dci Renault does not do as well. As for off the pace for the 2.0, try a 170hp 2.0 and don't forget a PD 130 with just a chip makes 180hp, sometimes more, which for £150 if you go to the right place has to be borne in mind.
The PD is very quiet, smooth, and sounds as a diesel should with a meaty gruff noise. Although muted, it's not sound deadened to hell and made to over-rev like some, so that drivers can compare it to a petrol engine, which is a pointless exercise. As is saying it's running out of steam at 4,000rpm - that's just like saying 'my petrol car is rubbish, at 1,500rpm it just won't pull up this hill in 4th gear it's gutless'. In a PD, you change up gear. Anywhere from 1500-2000 and the power is immense for the size of the engine. In a petrol, every time you need a shove like that, you change down. In the PD - no need.
For example in the VRS 180hp 1.8T Golf/Octavia engine, EVERYWHERE under 4,000rpm the 180bhp 1.8T makes LESS power. So unless you drive around with over 4,000rpm ALL the time, you have to change gear which takes roughly 1 second, then change up when you are done/overtaken. Making the PD130 in daily driving significantly quicker.
It's a great engine and highly reliable, more so than the previous VE 90/110 and the later 2.0 (heads/turbos/throttle bodies). I'm a VW independent, so I know...