
THE FACTS
Skoda Fabia 1.2 TSI Monte Carlo
Tested: 1,197cc, four-cyl petrol turbo, five-speed manual transmission, front-wheel drive
Price: from £14,030
Power/torque: 103bhp @ 5,000rpm/129lb ft @ 1,550rpm
Top speed: 119mph
Acceleration: 0-62mph in 10.1sec
Fuel economy: 53.3mpg (EU Combined)
CO2 emissions: 124g/km
Skoda Fabia 1.6 TDI Monte Carlo
Tested: 1,598cc, four-cyl turbodiesel, five-speed manual transmission, front-wheel drive
Price: from £15,000
Power/torque: 103bhp @ 4,400rpm/184lb ft @ 1,500rpm
Top speed: 117mph
Acceleration: 0-62mph in 10.9sec
Fuel economy: 67.3mpg (EU Combined)
CO2 emissions: 109g/km
The red car is a 1.2 TSI, a turbocharged petrol model with a little more than 100bhp. Matching it exactly for power output, the grey car is a 1.6 TDI, promising 67.3mpg to the TSI’s 53.3mpg. Over a 1,600-mile route that takes in motorways, sprawling towns and mountain passes, we are looking for the car that strikes the best balance between efficiency and driver satisfaction.
This, then, is a fuel economy test with a difference. Our chosen route does not avoid slight inclines and we won’t be crawling along at 56mph in a lorry’s slipstream. Instead, we’ll drive up to speed limits, only surrendering to a higher gear when the red line or relaxed cruising dictates. With two cars differing only in the fuel they burn, we’ll drive to make progress and aim to enjoy the experience, just as you might in the real world.
If the diesel was muted on the motorway, it’s loud in town.
The grey car’s torque makes slotting into gaps a cinch, but the red car’s small turbocharger gives it enough grunt almost to match it.
Despite its modest capacity, the TSI pulls with gusto from 2,000rpm. The TDI does, too, but the petrol engine maintains its surge until the red line, whereas the diesel predictably loses momentum at 3,000rpm. A more useful power band means the TSI driver can hold onto second gear, the cog of choice for most of this winding pass, for longer, while the TDI driver is forced to change up. The grey car can’t see which way the red one went.
In all three elements, the diesel returned better fuel economy. This was less of a surprise than the extent of the TSI’s superiority in terms of pure driving pleasure.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/green-motoring/8461146/Petrol-versus-diesel-economy-challenge.htmlАј сега, цитирајте вие каде дизелот е поекономичен, пошто е
