2007 Golf 1.4TSI or 2010 Fiesta Zetec-S ?

shamrock105

Have a 2001 1.4L 75bhp VW Polo which I love but on recent excursions up north and out west on the motorways it struggles with passengers or luggage on board whenever it sniffs an incline on the horizon. Its also noisy at 120kph.

So i've been thinking of upgrading. Can get a 2007 Golf GT 170bhp 1.4TSI for the same price roughly as a brand new Fiesta Zetec-S. The Ford is lighter so when you work out the figures per tonne, the power is roughly the same at 118bhp each with the torque of the Golf ever so slightly ahead. the advantage of the Golf is that its twin-charged so the torque is available from about 1200rpm whereas the Ford's is available at 4500rpm.

I recently sat in the above Golf as a passenger and was impressed with both the interior and the power. I have no experience with the Ford but keep hearing about how much of a gem it is.

Obviously the pros of the Golf is that its bigger, although that isnt entirely important for me, its twin charged and the torque is available much earlier on. I also like the interior.

The fiesta: well If i'm buying from new I can spec it out to how i want it to look. You can't beat that new car smell and feeling and also knowing that i will have been the only one driving it is a plus. I like the functionality of the new fiesta's dashboard over the Golf's but the interior from photos looks cheap compared to the Golf. Performance wise I am unsure as I have not been in the Fiesta but on paper there doesnt seem to be "tooooo" much in it.

Can I get some other opinons on either please? And lets keep it to the the two models I've mentioned please! Thanks!

copacetic

The Golf, bigger, better engine, nicer and roomier inside and much less depreciation so in 2 years if changing it will be at a reasonable cost. also should be able to drive a really hard bargain. Or could you wait until next year and get scrappage deal on a new car?

shamrock105

copacetic wrote: »

The Golf, bigger, better engine, nicer and roomier inside and much less depreciation so in 2 years if changing it will be at a reasonable cost. also should be able to drive a really hard bargain. Or could you wait until next year and get scrappage deal on a new car?

Actually the fiesta has the bigger engine 1.6 vs 1.4 but its not turbocharged.

The car is 10yrs old Sept. 2011 so don't know if the scheme will be around much longer.

I have a soft spot for Golfs but trying to broaden my horizons. Seeing as how often I hear how great the fiesta is to drive.

copacetic

shamrock105 wrote: »

Actually the fiesta has the bigger engine 1.6 vs 1.4 but its not turbocharged.

The car is 10yrs old Sept. 2011 so don't know if the scheme will be around much longer.

I have a soft spot for Golfs but trying to broaden my horizons. Seeing as how often I hear how great the fiesta is to drive.

sorry, I meant bigger as in car size, boot size etc. Better engine as in new tech etc. although some would say thats a bad thing long term as turbos are generally the failing point in a lot of cars.

Stevie Dakota

I've driven both and if it was me it would be the Golf, the Fiesta may be good for the class but the Golf is arguably the best of the next class up with the TSI engine, it is a cracker. When the novelty of the new car has worn off you will be driving an inferior car in the Fiesta.

Henry Ford III

The Fiesta is great (I have one) but it's not really fair to compare it to a good car from the class above.

However that Golf engine has had some reliability issues, will be used, will have an inferior warranty, will cost a lot more to tax, and will have considerably higher running costs.

It's almost a pity your existing car isn't older - the scrappage deal would be worth €4500 to you if it were.

Go drive both. The ice pack 8 in the Fiesta is fantastic btw - Bluetooth, ipod, usb, and a high end stereo.

colm_mcm

I'd have the Fiesta. a 3 year old 1.4 golf timebomb is hardly worth getting excited about.

shamrock105

Interesting so far. I realise the Fiesta is a class lower but as space is not a priority for me it is a case of price / performance mostly. I forgot about warranty and maintenance costs. Ford's are generally cheaper to service arent they? The Polo I have for the past two years hasn't been exactly cheap to maintain so maybe the Golfs are along the same lines? I sort of got lumped with general servicing and replacements. One of the injectors died and my clutch also went bye bye, it was very heavy from the day I bought it but being my first car I didnt realise this. Mileage wise its decent. Urban/Suburban driving I get 38mpg and a recent trip to Belfast and back lugging 50kg with the remainder of the tank used in urban/suburban driving I got 45mpg. How would either cars fair in real-life mpg?

Henry Ford, I actually searched the forums before you posted and got your Focus to Fiesta post. Was pretty enlightening. Anything else maybe you wanna add to it? Is the economy in it as good say as the polo?

bazz26

The 170bhp 1.4 TSi has a far from perfect record for reliability, do a quick search of this forum.

If it were me and I didn't need the extra space or power then I would stick with the tried and tested Fiesta, no expensive turbos or superchargers to go wrong. The Fiesta also only costs €156 to tax, cheaper to service and comes with a 2 year warranty.

shamrock105

hmmmm... been doing a bit of searching. the golf engine seems to be hit and miss with the turbo. Also I'm not keen on the zetec s body kit to be quite honest. All I want is the engine with the zetec trim but the Paddy spec only has it in zetec s trim, 5 doors would be nice too.

Is there anything out there with a bit of poke that's reliable, under 20k and in the fiesta class or golf class?

Tea 1000

shamrock105 wrote: »

hmmmm... been doing a bit of searching. the golf engine seems to be hit and miss with the turbo. Also I'm not keen on the zetec s body kit to be quite honest. All I want is the engine with the zetec trim but the Paddy spec only has it in zetec s trim, 5 doors would be nice too.

Is there anything out there with a bit of poke that's reliable, under 20k and in the fiesta class or golf class?

You'd pick up a fresh 05 or 06 Mk 5 GTi for that money. More reliable than the GT 170 and quicker too.

BostonB

Check out the torque too, and the diesels. You'll notice more torque than you will top end BHP, with a load or on a hill.

T83

I'd go the fiesta route tbh, cheaper tax as its based on emissions, cheaper insurance because they all know what a TSI is at this stage, as already mentioned the TSI engine isnt the most reliable, 2 year ford warranty, no NCT worries for a few years, brand new car (that might seem pointless to some but ive had to correct problems caused by careless ownership on every used car ive ever owned), the new Fiesta looks quite nice and fresh compared to a MKV, and the scrappage deal isnt going to repeat itself for a long time and with what dealers are offering ontop of that it's a genuine good deal for a change.

Henry Ford III

shamrock105 wrote: »

....Henry Ford, I actually searched the forums before you posted and got your Focus to Fiesta post. Was pretty enlightening. Anything else maybe you wanna add to it? Is the economy in it as good say as the polo?

Fuel economy is averaging c.37mpg, mainly urban driving. A long run at or near 100kph will get about 45mpg.

The gearing is quite short. 120kph on the motorway means 3500rpm. It's still refined and quiet though. The upside of this is that in gear pickup is very swift - the Ti-VCT system helps.

Suspension in the Zetec S is firm, but not uncomfortable, and the handling is great. It's a fun car to drive.

Tax is €156 p.a. and it's annual service at a main dealer was €120 with a €30 voucher thrown in, netting it down to €90.