[slo007]

Newbie here - I drive a Golf GT 1.4 TSI DSG and am strongly considering getting the V40 D2 SE Powershift. However I only drive about 9,000 miles per year. I looked at the Petrol alternatives, but they are far more expensive than the Diesel models (5K more)!

My commute is only 10 mins each way (motorway) with longer trips on weekends. Should I be concerned about the DPF in the diesel motor? I read the V40 has a different DPF spec than other cars which doesn't need as much heat to recover. Is this true?

I found that BuyACar.co.uk has offers of almost 4,000 Pounds discount on the V40. Does anyone have any experience with them?

Thanks! :sleepy:

 

[Blueorb]

Hi Slo, cant answer your question, but keen to know why you want to swap Golf for Volvo? I am currently undecided between these two cars for my next lease. I would be interested to know what you think the Volvo will give you that the Golf doesn't. Have you test driven the V40 yet?

I drove the D3, not the D2, but loved the 5 cylinder motor. I also test drove the 1.4 Golf with ACT which is also a cracking engine, but very different from the Volvo.

 

[MichelR]

You should make some calculations between diesel and petrol costs.
Like fuel price, service prices and so on.. There are also some site where you can calculate the tipping point petrol and diesel.

Good luck with that..

I think for the diesel engine it would be not good that short distances you drive..
But that's my opinion off course.

 

[nry]

We were advised to ensure the D2 gets a good 30min + run every week or so to clear the DPF through, if your weekend runs will do this then I'd not be worried.

 

[slo007]

Hi Slo, cant answer your question, but keen to know why you want to swap Golf for Volvo? I am currently undecided between these two cars for my next lease. I would be interested to know what you think the Volvo will give you that the Golf doesn't. Have you test driven the V40 yet?

I drove the D3, not the D2, but loved the 5 cylinder motor. I also test drove the 1.4 Golf with ACT which is also a cracking engine, but very different from the Volvo.

Hello - I drove the Volvo V40 D2 and liked it a lot. It was responsive, had great brakes, quiet on the motorway (despite some complaints in the forums), and the interior has a nice quality every where you look. Only thing I didn't like was the giant blind spots in the back vs. the Golf which has great visibility - and slightly smaller trunk.

I decided to replace my Golf due to 2 engine events and awful customer service at the local dealership. The first time, the engine was rebuilt at 24k miles due to low compression in cylinder 1. The second time, at 33k miles, it was replaced entirely due to the same problem. Notwithstanding the fact that VW UK paid for the new engine and I only paid 30% of the labour, the scratches on the front wings and refusal by the dealer to accept responsibility made me quite disappointed by the experience. Ultimately, they paid for some polishing, but the scratches are too deep to hide.

After a lot of test driving and soul searching, I ended up making a factory order of the new Seat Leon 1.2 TSI DSG with tech pkg (LED lights/NAV), convenience pkg, 17" rims, front and rear parking sensors and spare wheel. The car will cost much less than the V40 (18K) and, despite a slightly lower class interior, it will have all the goodies plus a few more.

I would still have purchased the V40 if it came with a Petrol engine at a good price point; but the T4 is substantially more expensive and simply doesn't make sense.

 

[slo007]

You should make some calculations between diesel and petrol costs.
Like fuel price, service prices and so on.. There are also some site where you can calculate the tipping point petrol and diesel.

Good luck with that..

I think for the diesel engine it would be not good that short distances you drive..
But that's my opinion off course.

I found a cracking calculator in the What Car web site which I used extensively to compare operating costs between various models. In the end, none of the Diesels made sense; not even the Mazda models which don't have a DPF.

Here's the link:
http://www.whatcar.com/car-news/petrol-versus-diesel-which-is-cheaper-/248139

 

[slo007]

We were advised to ensure the D2 gets a good 30min + run every week or so to clear the DPF through, if your weekend runs will do this then I'd not be worried.

They do now, but in the winter... it would never happen!

Many thanks for a great forum! I'll be back next time I consider a Volvo.