TDI CR 110 DPF gearing question

[huckle]

I've recently been given a Passat with the new TDI CR 110PS DPF engine.
I'm finding it a real chore to drive. Aside from being horribly slow compared to my previous car (Ford Focus 1.8TDCI) I'm having difficulty with the gearing (it's a 5 speed gear box)
For example, it struggles slightly at 40mph in 4th gear but is happy at 43mph, and the same in 5th - it struggles at 50mph but is happy at 55mph. The car has only done 1800 miles. Do you think it's because the engine hasn't 'run in' yet?

[turbine2]

What revs are you pulling at those points? I'd guess you're just off the turbo at the lower values in which case there won't be the drive.

[ledburyloafer]

it's a big car, with the smallest possible engine, and not enough gears, not a good combination in my opinion, but others will disagree!:biglaugh:

[hikey]

it's around 1500rpm at 40mph in 4th gear and about 1450rpm at 50mph in 5th gear. I've never had a car before that can't drive without straining itself in 5th gear at 50mph before though?! It's annoying because I like the rest of the car, especially the leather seats and parking autohold gizmo.

[podwin]

It's not a Bluemotion is it?

[hikey]

No, it's a VW Passat 2.0TDi CR DPF 110 Highline 5dr Estate


My car fleet manager says he has a Mondeo 2.0 TDCI 125PS available that still has 2 years left on lease, I might see if I can do a swap for that and let someone have this car.

[gamichea]

it's a big car, with the smallest possible engine, and not enough gears, not a good combination in my opinion, but others will disagree!:biglaugh:

x 2. If you've got the revs.readout right 5th gear is about the same as 6th on a 140bhp, that's 33-34mph per 100rpm. Its not reasonable IMO to ask an engine of the 110's power and torque to pull that gearing from those revs.in a Passat. Same applies to 4th, to a lesser degree. Its obviously a wide ratio gearbox so you will need to keep the revs.up to make good progress. No harm in that. Accelerating from low engine speeds is not necessarily beneficial for the car or the environment.

[hikey]

I'll just have to change my driving style i guess. Until I can kick up enough fuss to get the car swapped for something else.
I think the gearing ratios are all wrong for this car, rather than just lack of power.

[Quatrelle]

I'd definitely go with Gamichea on this. You need to spin it up just a fraction more to get it on the turbo, and with a DPF you're asking for trouble anyway by using low revs.

I change up at the revs you're talking about if I have to trickle along in traffic, but otherwise I use at least 2000rpm - yes a diesel will slog, but equally it's good to rev it, and I will rev mine out at least once in every journey. I should add I'm a grandad and well past the days of tearing around.

You don't say what sort of revs you use, but if you keep them low, at 1800 miles it's quite likely the engine's not had a chance to free up.

I do agree with you regarding the gearing - I don't think the ratios are necessarily wrong, it's just that it's only got 5 of them. Ridiculous on a large car - the smaller the engine, the more gears it needs.

[hikey]

So it's basically driver error? lol
I'm driving this car in the same manner I drove the ford focus I had previously, 30mph/3rd, 40mph/4th, 50mph/5th.
I'm not sure what the revs were in the Focus at those speed/gear combinations. In the focus though, you could drive at 30mph in 5th gear without it even straining!
50mph in 4th gear on this car is 2000RPM, so i'll have to get used to that.

[gamichea]

No, its definitely not driver error; its a need for driver adjustment.

Humans have a wide ranging ability to adjust; cars do not. Cars are how the manufacturer intends them to be for whatever reasons, good or bad.

Personally I fail to see the point of this engine in non-Bluemotion guise because the consumption/emission gains over the 140 are tiny.

Interestingly, I notice VW claims this engine produces peak torque at 1500 rpm so I can only conclude as this is your problem area the engine is just not up to the job or its not loosened up. To run in properly it needs to be progressively revved harder over 500 mile increments, not in a sustained fashion, just when accelerating and by the time its got to 3000 miles it should be revved out as Quatrelle says from time to time especially if the DPF is not to become clogged periodically for which the cure is take it out and drive it briskly.

As an aside this engine's outputs are very similar to the old 1.9 TDI it replaced (dunno about the gearing) and I don't recall complaints of this nature about that lump; anyone?

[Quatrelle]

So it's basically driver error? lol


Definitely:p;).

You'll have to do what I was told to do when I bought my first diesel (no turbo, and no performance) "Treat it like your walnut tree and your wife - better with a good thrashing every so often."

Seriously though, it would be interesting to see some 0-60 figs comparing the your Focus and the Passat.

[hikey]

Well, I think VW's claim of the 250NM torque being available at 1500RPM must be wrong, otherwise I wouldn't be having these issues.
I'll try and get used to the car, it's doubtful I'll manage to get it swapped for something else, stuck with it for 3 years now probably! (unless I find another job. lol)
In regards to the 0-60 times, I did some comparision:
The Ford Focus 1.8TDCI is 115PS, 280NM (300NM with overboost). 0-62 10.8 seconds (The overboost tended to kick in when you didn't want it to and vice versa. lol)
The Passat is 110PS, 250NM and 0-62 12 Seconds
I don't race around in cars to be honest, but the focus did feel hugely more powerful than this Passat.
It didn't have the cool parking brake though :)
Thanks for all your help though. Bet you don't often have to tell people how to drive cars. lol :Blush2:

[Quatrelle]

The figures say it all, and I bet the Passat is heavier too.

[dieseljames]

I'm driving this car in the same manner I drove the ford focus I had previously,


I'm not being funny but it isn't a ford focus. I'd expect the two cars to be totally different - as you are finding out. I haven't driven the 5 speed, or the 110bhp version so cannot comment on how they behave.

The way I see it you have 5 options:

1. Get a focus like before (you seem to work in harmony with it)
2. Get the vehicle tuned (increase the torque, may perhaps make driving more comfotable with less gear changes.)
3. Test drive a similar one - could it be that the one you have is faulty?
4. Upgrade to one of the 140 or 170bhp versions which most of us on here have and we find them ace! :D (6 gears)
5. Live with it and drive it as much as possible to learn to adapt to it.

I do know that the engines do free-up, my sat has 60k and feels much more lively than my old man's 40k (same year and spec) As others have mentioned they do need to be used - that includes a good old fashioned italian tune (Vital for those with DPF i believe)

I do hope that something positive emerges from your VW experience:beerchug:

[hikey]

Well, I think it must just be me, because when i visited the office today a colleague took my car out for a spin after I was moaning about it and said how nice it was, much quieter and less vibration than his 2008 passat. He did agree it was underpowered compared to his though. He didn't agree that the engine sounded and felt like it was stuggling at 50mph/5 gear either.. so... ?! I don't know.