Mk6 'S' 1.6 TDI feeling a bit under powered?

Ok so I have had my 1.6tdi 90ps 'S' Model mk6 for 4 months now and I am finding the engine a bit sluggish and rubbish.

initially it was the whole getting used to a diesel thing but now I am thinking are vw fuel/power maps really that bad?

Basically I find that the power is between about 1900rpm and 2500rpm, topping out at 3000rpm, so between 3000-5000rpm it accelerates but it doesnt really pull very well. Also between idle- 1900rpm its a bit sluggish.

So anyway for work I have just been given a little transit connect, 57plate 1.8tdci 90ps, 168lb/ft torque, so pretty much the same spec output (apart from cc) as the golf and it flies, no lag and it pulls away with plenty of power for most of the rev range! its got just 24k on the clock, my new golf has 4.3k.

So the question is, are vw 1.6tdi's really that bad or is mine broken?

My mk3 1.8 petrol golf is much better to drive 90ps but power comes in from 1000-6000rpm, theres no real 'band' unlike the diesel.

The other thing is getting the 1.6tdi tuned, what are my options as 500 quid does seem a fair bit of dosh for about 15bhp/15lbsft.

Any ideas?

nobody got one of these?

im glad i went with the 105 then, the dealer said there not all that much different but if i was to pull up at a set of lights in the 90 and a 105 pulled up besides me my heart would sink when he pulled away together

i dont find the 105 to be slow really, granted it no speed demon but it pulls fine and holds it own driving around other 1.9 tdi's

I have 1.6tdi 90ps, I am used to stronger cars cause of what I drived before, so it is a kind of slow, and I dunno... but it does the work it should.. it is only 90ps :/

I am waiting for enabling that chip (siemens) to be chip tuned, and then I will raise it up to 110ps, it should get much power..

Bugsy_Malone 666 said:

Ok so I have had my 1.6tdi 90ps 'S' Model mk6 for 4 months now and I am finding the engine a bit sluggish and rubbish.

initially it was the whole getting used to a diesel thing but now I am thinking are vw fuel/power maps really that bad?

Click to expand...

No, You just bought the wrong engine. It's a low-end engine developed with fuel economy as its number 1 priority.

Bugsy_Malone 666 said:

Basically I find that the power is between about 1900rpm and 2500rpm, topping out at 3000rpm, so between 3000-5000rpm it accelerates but it doesnt really pull very well. Also between idle- 1900rpm its a bit sluggish.

Click to expand...

Again, The 1.6TDI is low-end fuel-efficient diesel engine mainly for city traffic. Nothing sporty about it.

Bugsy_Malone 666 said:

So anyway for work I have just been given a little transit connect, 57plate 1.8tdci 90ps, 168lb/ft torque, so pretty much the same spec output (apart from cc) as the golf and it flies, no lag and it pulls away with plenty of power for most of the rev range! its got just 24k on the clock, my new golf has 4.3k.

So the question is, are vw 1.6tdi's really that bad or is mine broken?

Click to expand...

There multiple factor that define how a car drives, so comparing your car with that transit connect is pointless.
There is nothing wrong with your engine.

Bugsy_Malone 666 said:

My mk3 1.8 petrol golf is much better to drive 90ps but power comes in from 1000-6000rpm, theres no real 'band' unlike the diesel.

Click to expand...

Diesel =/= Petrol

Bugsy_Malone 666 said:

The other thing is getting the 1.6tdi tuned, what are my options as 500 quid does seem a fair bit of dosh for about 15bhp/15lbsft.

Any ideas?

Click to expand...

Buy a 2.0TDI or a Petrol engine.

At first I found the 1.6TDI (105bhp) lacking torque in the low rev range. I was used to the low down punch of the PD TDI 110bhp (MK4 GTTDI) . But you get used it . The 1.6 will cruise quite happliy at 80mph on motorway. It's early to say what the improved fuel consumption is but I have had 56mpg over a 350 mile journey.The 1.6 reduced emissions mean I only pay £35 road tax per year as against £175 for the old Mk4.

Bugsy_Malone 666 said:

Ok so I have had my 1.6tdi 90ps 'S' Model mk6

Basically I find that the power is between about 1900rpm and 2500rpm, topping out at 3000rpm, so between 3000-5000rpm it accelerates but it doesnt really pull very well.

Click to expand...

I would think that 1900rpm and 2500rpm is the torque range not power well it is on mine.

The 90PS quoted is actually 88.7bhp which on today’s standards is a low power output. If you wanted power then you should have opted for a petrol engine. If you wanted economy with it then you should have opted for the 2.0 TDI 140 or 170 or the GTD. You can't really have economy at 62mpg and performance can you?

How many miles have you done in it? I'm told these TDI engines don't loosen up for the first 10,000 miles.

I think VW are misleading people a bit when they mark up a car as an 'S' that normally means Sport. A 90PS engine isn't really sporty is it?

I'm sorry to dissolution you over the car you have bought but that’s my opinion.

HellBoy said:

No, You just bought the wrong engine. It's a low-end engine developed with fuel economy as its number 1 priority.


Again, The 1.6TDI is low-end fuel-efficient diesel engine mainly for city traffic. Nothing sporty about it.


There multiple factor that define how a car drives, so comparing your car with that transit connect is pointless.
There is nothing wrong with your engine.


Diesel =/= Petrol


Buy a 2.0TDI or a Petrol engine.

Click to expand...

I dont think you can buy 'the wrong engine' vw have done 1600TDs before and I have one fitted to my 1972 vw camper, which is a dam sight heavier than the mk6 golf but it still seems to drive alot better than the mk6.

As for saying its designed for city traffic, to be honest its crap at that too. If your pulling away hard from traffic lights or roundabouts you dont want to have to be holding it at 2000rpm to make sure it pulls away hard enough.

And Really Fuel economy is 'ok' but compared to the 80mpg the Seat Ibiza tdi gets the 57mpg I get at a real push on a long journey (think I can blame my alloy wheels for this) its nothing out of the ordinary to write home about.

And comparing a golf to a transit connect is comparing 2 different types of vehicles, a van which is predominantly slow designed for hauling lots of weight round towns and up and down motorways, vs a car which is the same power/torque figures designed for light loads anywhere. The truth being the transit connect maybe a half ton van but its a proper drag racer round town its pretty nippy on the motorways and is quite equaly as fast top end as my mk6, there is no turbo lag, no flat spots, no running out of power, it drives alot like my petrol mk3 golf when it comes to power band, from 1000rpm - 4000rpm!

Keithuk said:

I would think that 1900rpm and 2500rpm is the torque range not power well it is on mine.

The 90PS quoted is actually 88.7bhp which on today’s standards is a low power output. If you wanted power then you should have opted for a petrol engine. If you wanted economy with it then you should have opted for the 2.0 TDI 140 or 170 or the GTD. You can't really have economy at 62mpg and performance can you?

How many miles have you done in it? I'm told these TDI engines don't loosen up for the first 10,000 miles.

I think VW are misleading people a bit when they mark up a car as an 'S' that normally means Sport. A 90PS engine isn't really sporty is it?

I'm sorry to dissolution you over the car you have bought but that’s my opinion.

Click to expand...

I wasnt mislead into thinking 's' meaning sport, its more like standard. R line ones are the sportier of the bunch along with GT/GTi I was under no illusion that this should be a rocket ship, but with better torque figures than my mk3 petrol and the pulling power of the turbo I was hoping for something a bit better. My dad as the 1.4TDi 3 cylinder in his Seat Ibiza ecomotive and that flies! you can feel the turbo pull when you put your foot down, it maybe a smaller lighter car, but its also a smaller less powerful engine.

I have just hit 10k and it had its first service at 9k, it doesnt seem to have got any faster mind.

I am pretty sure the 62mpg is an interesting dreamed up figure. I put 18" GTi alloys on my car from the 3rd day of owner ship so I have never seen figures that high, apart from once I got close 60mpg on a 225mile trip with the cruise control set to 57mph, all motorway driving too which I find it hard to believe that 72mpg is achivable like the book says!

Something I am still waiting to hear about is when the car can be tuned.

Haven spoken to a chap who tunes tons of VWs on rolling roads, including T5 vans mk6 GTis and alsorts of others he said currently the 1.6tdi is one he is struggling with due to ECU protection. He said once hes got round that we could probably easily get 30% more power from the unit which will be at the safe limit of it living for a long time with no other mods, he said there are some vehicles out there that you get a hell of alot more increase and lots of people give him excellent feed back. He said sometimes proper rolling road tuns can just make the state of tune better, so maybe slightly more power and better fuel economy as a result.

Still we shall wait and see.