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What vehicle would backroomers nominate as the most fun front wheel drive diesel car?
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Alfa 156JTD any of them, I had a 2.4 10 valve with 140BHP but 1.9 150BHP & 2.4 20V with 175BHP are all good fun, reliable economical & damn quick!
Jim
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I haven't driven it, but some of the youngsters at work rate the fabia vrs.
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The Peugeot 206 GTI HDI 110 is the sweetest, and the nicest 206. None of that horrible 1,700rpm torque spike you can get with 1.9 and 2.0 VAG diesels and 2.0 PSA diesels.
HJ
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What about one of the Seat Cupra TDI's? They do the PD 150 in the Leon and a 160bhp in version in the Ibiza.
Otherwise, the Mondeo ST TDCi is good.
Personally I'd get a 330d Sport and drive everywhere in reverse? ;)
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haven't driven it, but some of the youngsters at work rate the fabia vrs.
I have a Fabia vRS and although I don't qualify as "young" I rate it very highly. HJ is right about the power spike as was JC when it outpaced a Mini Cooper on Top Gear. Solution - get it remapped to smooth out the power and enjoy the extra 30+ bhp as well! Handling is good (not top drawer but still qualifies for your fun factor) and the damping excellent which makes it great for long journeys. It's well built and at £11.5K OTR I think it is great value. If money was no object then the Alfas would be my choice.
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Personally, I'd argue in favour of the 306 D Turbos for sheer handling ability coupled to a diesel engine...
These days I recently drove an Astra Sport Hatch CDTi 150 Sri that was quite fun...though I must say I think new cars are more capable, they're not quite as much fun as their forebears...307 v 306, Focus II v Focus I etc
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The Peugeot 206 GTI HDI 110 is the sweetest, and the nicest 206. None of that horrible 1,700rpm torque spike you can get with 1.9 and 2.0 VAG diesels and 2.0 PSA diesels. HJ
Is it just the new 138 bhp 2.0 or the older 90 and 110 2.0 HDI that have "horrible torque"?
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I'm having a lot of fun in my Mondeo ST TDCi. The 2.2 TDCi isn't as peaky as the 2.0 and delivers smooth power throughout the rev range. The poise and handling is fantastic - there is virtually no roll which is amazing for a big car. The steering is quicker than the standard car and the ride is good considering it sits on 18" wheels with 40 profile tyres and has sports suspension.
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Focus 1.6 - has the same engine as the Pug that HJ refers to.
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Well it might not be everyones idea of fun but my Focus C Max 2.0 TDCi brings a smile to my face every time I use it. No one expects it to shift but it does and genuinely I prefer driving it to my old (2003) BMW 330D Touring. If you haven't tried one don't knock it! (Ok HJ any update soon on yours?)
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Nothing has gone wrong with 'my' long-term C-Max. But its torque delivery isn't as linear as 'my' shorter-term 307 which also has much nicer handling. In answer to someone else, yes I do mean the high power VAG 1.9 130 and 150, the 2.0TDI PD 140s and the PSA 2.0 16v 138. Not all have the torque spike. Depends on the mapping as the difference between the C-Max and 307 with the 'same' engine proves.
HJ
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The Peugeot 206 GTI HDI 110 is the sweetest, and the nicest 206. None of that horrible 1,700rpm torque spike you can get with 1.9 and 2.0 VAG diesels and 2.0 PSA diesels.
I own a 2.0 vag diesel car and it doesnt have a torque spike as
stated above.
Read the vw forum and you get a true description of the 2.0 litre diesel?
Like most forums it is their to post your problems!!
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Interesting. Not a lot of unanimity there. No doubt people differ as regards what makes a car fun.
Especially interested by dodo's reply. Can you explain why you prefer driving a C-Max to a 330D Touring?
And apologies for my ignorance, but
1) what exactly is torque spike?
2) & while we are on the subject, what is torque steer?
3) & Quinny100, what does 'peaky' mean?
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A torque spike is when you are driving along with the engine at say 1500-1750 rpm and there is little acceleration and the engine feels without much power.. and at 1800 rpm the turbo kicks in and the engine feels as if it will pull a 5 tonne trailer plus the car and accelerate very fast:-).
Sorry for the exaggeration but it's just a sudden boost of power when you change from a low rpm with no turbo effect to a slightly higher one with lots. Can be good fun or quite disconcerting depending on whether you are used to it/can adapt to it/ think it's an acceptabl;e way for an engine to run.
Torque steer is when in FWD cars you accelrate hard and the power of the engine effectivley tugs the steering wheel and makes the car steer (to the left I think). Usually you need a powerful engine (200bhp+) and a not very good suspension set up. It can be scary on wet or slippery surfaces . But then anyone who accelerates hard on those is asking for trouble imo.
(Old Turbo Maestros managed this with 150bhp for the first 20k miles until the engine went off tune:-) )
madf
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By "peaky" I meant that the engine pulls quickly through the rev range then the power tails off quickly above 3500, requiring a gear change.
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Without doubt the best value fun fwd diesel car would have to be the Skoda Fabia VRSi, the Focus tdci handle well along with the Seat Leon, have read the Seat Ibiza fr 160hp are dead quick but not very rewarding to drive. VW will have a 160hp diesel version of the new Golf GTI out soon.
I personally would go for a Skoda fabia VRSI if I was buying.........
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