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1.5 4MOTION

10K views 18 replies 8 participants last post by  havsgaard 
#1 ·
Hi All,
just found out that they are due to release a 1.5 TSI 4 wheel drive version very soon (DSG only, for R Line and SEL models), slightly disappointed as would have ideally liked the 4 wheel drive version without having to pay for one of the 2 litres!
 
#2 ·
I don't really see the point of a 1.5 with 4 motion. It's not like it is having problems with power of 1.5, the front wheels handles this just fine - too me it is just extra weight, resulting in higher consumption and less space in the boot.

I on the other hand, I would've bought a 2.0 TSI instantly, if it had no 4 motion - I have absolutely no need for it and I see it as a useless gimmick.
I guess it comes with the Crossover/SUV label as for customers to feel really off-road capable, though I doubt many ever uses it - when did you last see someone in an expensive car going off-road, unless it is labelled Mercedes GD or Range/Land Rover.
 
#3 ·
havsgaard said:
I don't really see the point of a 1.5 with 4 motion. It's not like it is having problems with power of 1.5, the front wheels handles this just fine - too me it is just extra weight, resulting in higher consumption and less space in the boot.

I on the other hand, I would've bought a 2.0 TSI instantly, if it had no 4 motion - I have absolutely no need for it and I see it as a useless gimmick.
I guess it comes with the Crossover/SUV label as for customers to feel really off-road capable, though I doubt many ever uses it - when did you last see someone in an expensive car going off-road, unless it is labelled Mercedes GD or Range/Land Rover.
4motion / 4 wheel drive is absolutely not a gimmick - Over the last 8 years I've had it on my last 3 cars, Mitsubishi Evo X FZ330, Audi S3 and Audi RSQ3 and it makes quite a difference to stability and "sure-footedness" when on the road compared to 2 wheel drive (and yes I've driven an Audi A3 with just 2 wheel drive to compare for a few weeks whilst my S3 had the turbo replaced) - I also regularly drive an A1 with 2wd.

For me its a no-brainer, if I have the option of 4wd I'll go for it every time, it's not just a case of you need 4wd for offroad (and yes I did drive my RSQ3 offroad as well), but more for the security of handling and the stability of acceleration and braking under normal driving conditions - the car is much more planted and stable with 4wd especially in wet or conditions where you may get into a skid.

Useless gimmick? Not in my experience over 8 years of driving with 4wd, sorry To me it's more a safety feature, and has nothing to do with offroad or not. If I wanted true offroad, then I'd buy a Land Rover.
 
#4 ·
Hawkeye said:
havsgaard said:
I don't really see the point of a 1.5 with 4 motion. It's not like it is having problems with power of 1.5, the front wheels handles this just fine - too me it is just extra weight, resulting in higher consumption and less space in the boot.

I on the other hand, I would've bought a 2.0 TSI instantly, if it had no 4 motion - I have absolutely no need for it and I see it as a useless gimmick.
I guess it comes with the Crossover/SUV label as for customers to feel really off-road capable, though I doubt many ever uses it - when did you last see someone in an expensive car going off-road, unless it is labelled Mercedes GD or Range/Land Rover.
4motion / 4 wheel drive is absolutely not a gimmick - Over the last 8 years I've had it on my last 3 cars, Mitsubishi Evo X FZ330, Audi S3 and Audi RSQ3 and it makes quite a difference to stability and "sure-footedness" when on the road compared to 2 wheel drive (and yes I've driven an Audi A3 with just 2 wheel drive to compare for a few weeks whilst my S3 had the turbo replaced) - I also regularly drive an A1 with 2wd.

For me its a no-brainer, if I have the option of 4wd I'll go for it every time, it's not just a case of you need 4wd for offroad (and yes I did drive my RSQ3 offroad as well), but more for the security of handling and the stability of acceleration and braking under normal driving conditions - the car is much more planted and stable with 4wd especially in wet or conditions where you may get into a skid.

Useless gimmick? Not in my experience over 8 years of driving with 4wd, sorry To me it's more a safety feature, and has nothing to do with offroad or not. If I wanted true offroad, then I'd buy a Land Rover.
You are comparing different things here. Evo, s/rsq3 are high performance cars, where the power needs to be put down instead of making wheel spin, and traction control judder, you cannot compare that to a 1.5 or a 2.0 standard. 4wd does absolute nothing in regards of safety in most normal conditions, and when braking, they handle just as a 2WD. You can find countless tests of this on the Internet.

I give you, it may increase safety for cars traveling on slippery roads (mud, snow, ice, very heavy rain, high speed on gravel etc.). If you believe that driving a 4 wheel capable car is making everything safer, then the car manufacturers have succeeded in their convincing sale speech.
 
#5 ·
4wd is not just useful for helping put the power down through the wheels. It's also used by some for getting about in the winter where snow and ice are a regular feature and snow clearance/gritting is slow getting round to country lanes.
I would have got a 1.5 4wd SE if one was available (as they are in Germany), but could not extend to a 2.0 litre SEL.
 
#6 ·
havsgaard said:
Hawkeye said:
havsgaard said:
I don't really see the point of a 1.5 with 4 motion. It's not like it is having problems with power of 1.5, the front wheels handles this just fine - too me it is just extra weight, resulting in higher consumption and less space in the boot.

I on the other hand, I would've bought a 2.0 TSI instantly, if it had no 4 motion - I have absolutely no need for it and I see it as a useless gimmick.
I guess it comes with the Crossover/SUV label as for customers to feel really off-road capable, though I doubt many ever uses it - when did you last see someone in an expensive car going off-road, unless it is labelled Mercedes GD or Range/Land Rover.
4motion / 4 wheel drive is absolutely not a gimmick - Over the last 8 years I've had it on my last 3 cars, Mitsubishi Evo X FZ330, Audi S3 and Audi RSQ3 and it makes quite a difference to stability and "sure-footedness" when on the road compared to 2 wheel drive (and yes I've driven an Audi A3 with just 2 wheel drive to compare for a few weeks whilst my S3 had the turbo replaced) - I also regularly drive an A1 with 2wd.

For me its a no-brainer, if I have the option of 4wd I'll go for it every time, it's not just a case of you need 4wd for offroad (and yes I did drive my RSQ3 offroad as well), but more for the security of handling and the stability of acceleration and braking under normal driving conditions - the car is much more planted and stable with 4wd especially in wet or conditions where you may get into a skid.

Useless gimmick? Not in my experience over 8 years of driving with 4wd, sorry To me it's more a safety feature, and has nothing to do with offroad or not. If I wanted true offroad, then I'd buy a Land Rover.
You are comparing different things here. Evo, s/rsq3 are high performance cars, where the power needs to be put down instead of making wheel spin, and traction control judder, you cannot compare that to a 1.5 or a 2.0 standard. 4wd does absolute nothing in regards of safety in most normal conditions, and when braking, they handle just as a 2WD. You can find countless tests of this on the Internet.

I give you, it may increase safety for cars traveling on slippery roads (mud, snow, ice, very heavy rain, high speed on gravel etc.). If you believe that driving a 4 wheel capable car is making everything safer, then the car manufacturers have succeeded in their convincing sale speech.
I'm with Hawkeye on this.
Most are not permanent 4wd but if wet and the power is also fed to the rear wheels it gives a reassuring bias of power to the rear so not just plowing straight on.
 
G
#7 ·
I too would have liked the option because the 2 litre was too expensive but if this 1.5 4motion is true it will probably be too expensive as well.
I considered a tiguan when changing because it seems better value than a t-roc but was too big for me.
 
#8 ·
havsgaard said:
You are comparing different things here. Evo, s/rsq3 are high performance cars, where the power needs to be put down instead of making wheel spin, and traction control judder, you cannot compare that to a 1.5 or a 2.0 standard. 4wd does absolute nothing in regards of safety in most normal conditions, and when braking, they handle just as a 2WD. You can find countless tests of this on the Internet.

I give you, it may increase safety for cars traveling on slippery roads (mud, snow, ice, very heavy rain, high speed on gravel etc.). If you believe that driving a 4 wheel capable car is making everything safer, then the car manufacturers have succeeded in their convincing sale speech.
Well I guess we are just going to have to disagree on whether it is of benefit or not.

As for countless tests on the internet, yes that is true, but I would counter by saying that AWD, 4WD or 2WD is all dependant upon where you live and the conditions you drive under. Admittedly in the UK we don't get snow like the Nordics and rest of Northern Europe does by any means, but then when we do get bad weather, AWD (which realistically is what the S3, RSQ3 and TROC have as opposed to 4wd) is a damn useful feature as the UK is no way geared up for "managing" poor weather in the way our European and Nordic friends are. Having said that the roads around the UK get very slippery when wet, so AWD is most definitely a bonus Autumn through early spring, in particular when there are lots of wet leaves on the road. Summer it makes not a scrap of difference to a 2wd car.

You mention about braking, but actually under braking it does make a difference, as power is shifted between the 2 axles on many AWD and 4WD vehicles, making the car much more stable, and reducing front end dive.

What I "objected" to in your earlier thread was calling it a gimmick. I think that was perhaps a poor choice of word, given that 2WD, AWD and 4WD are all relevant to the type of driving and driving conditions you may encounter generally. Given I tend to drive more in the poorer conditions, for me 4WD and AWD is a benefit.
 
#9 ·
We'll, we can agree to disagree on some points of the matter - that's just how it is :) - and I agree, that my use of the word gimmick, sounds perhaps a bit too biased, or even negative, on the subject, but I still stand by the meaning of it.

Basically what I was pointing out the most, was in regards of normal driving conditions - that it would not make sense with a 4WD - for nordic countries like Sweden, Norway or Finland, they have a lot of snow during long periods of time, there it could make sense, though the I will not take Denmark into account, here it happens very rarely, that we actually have enough snow to be of a problem. During my years as a driver, I only remember to personally have been in a situation on normal roads, where I thought it would be nice with a 4 wheeler, and that was during a blizzard, so can't exactly call it a normal condition.

Here's is a few links to pros and cons regarding 4wd - but there are countless more on the internet debating the subject and testing it.
https://www.autotrader.com/car-shopping/2wd-4wd-or-awd-which-best-you-215919
https://www.heningertoyota.com/new-vehicles/10-truthsmyths-about-awd4wd-vs-fwdrwd/
https://unofficialnetworks.com/2018/01/25/watch-4wd-vs-2wd-braking-test-why-using-4wd-in-snow-is-important/
https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2012/12/2wd-awd-or-4wd-how-much-traction-do-you-need/index.htm
http://www.4x4abc.com/jeep101/safe.html

For the record, I have actually spend my fair share with 100's of hours behind a 4wd in terrain, when I was in the military, driving a Mercedes GD. So I know the importance of differentials, locking and power delivery when it matters. Driving a 4WD in its proper element, was the next best thing after the shooting range and was fun like hell - though not when misreading the terrain, getting stuck in what you assume is a non-deep puddle, and you then have to call in for assistance because the car is full of water, and they come pick you up while you stand on top of the car - that is a bad day.
 
#10 ·
There are pros & cons on both sides of this.

Personally, I think VW should have kept these as 2 separate options, as some customers would like 2.0 without 4wd and others would like 4wd with other engines. Having to take both when only wanting one does add a lot to the cost, and for me the reduction in luggage space due to the raised boot floor would be a serious handicap with the 4wd.

However, it is interesting that many Suzuki models are 4wd as standard and they seem to sell quite well.
 
G
#11 ·
I see it's actually available on the configurator now costing around 3k more than the manual 1.5 R line (only available with DSG which is 1.5k more anyway) and 1.5k more than the 1.5 R line with the DSG.
definitely better value than the 2 litre petrol version 👌😁

My opinion is, I'd have it because it comes in handy at some stage during most winters even if its only used occasionally.

To coin an old phrase of my dad's
"it's better looking at it than looking for it"
 
#12 ·
vernerbongo2 said:
I see it's actually available on the configurator now costing around 3k more than the manual 1.5 R line (only available with DSG which is 1.5k more anyway) and 1.5k more than the 1.5 R line with the DSG.
definitely better value than the 2 litre petrol version 👌😁

My opinion is, I'd have it because it comes in handy at some stage during most winters even if its only used occasionally.

To coin an old phrase of my dad's
"it's better looking at it than looking for it"
Given the waiting time for any 1.5 tsi dsg it is likely that climate change will have eliminated the need for 4wd before you'd get your hands on one, unless it is for desert conditions.
 
#16 ·
I on the other hand, I would've bought a 2.0 TSI instantly, if it had no 4 motion - I have absolutely no need for it and I see it as a useless gimmick.

What a load of rubbish..

sport package with lowered suspension .... now that's what you call a useless gimmick on a 1.5 TSI.. 1.5 tsi dsg - lowered suspension 😃
 
#17 ·
I've had 4WD since 2011 and agree it does have its uses. They come into their own on the occasions we have snow. It's also the peace of mind in heavy rain. Not to mention when I go clay shooting. I took a punt with 2WD with the T-Roc as I was offered such a great deal on the showroom model that was very highly spec'd or wait many months for a 4WD factory order that would cost a lot more to buy and run.

There's always the winter tyre route which are supposed to be amazing for snow. People like KwikFit will supply/fit and store your normal tyres. I've seen 2WD cars with snow tyres go places that 4WD SUV's get stuck in with standards.
 
#19 ·
Smarttask said:
I on the other hand, I would've bought a 2.0 TSI instantly, if it had no 4 motion - I have absolutely no need for it and I see it as a useless gimmick.

What a load of rubbish..

sport package with lowered suspension .... now that's what you call a useless gimmick on a 1.5 TSI.. 1.5 tsi dsg - lowered suspension 😃
You can actually drive into any turn, and feel a difference with even a slight lower suspension and a tighter setup - doesn't feel like a ferry in high seas. It does however comes at a price of less comfort. But I guess that is rubbish as well.
 
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