140ps or 180ps

[jeff16]

Having spent my entire holiday putting together what I want by way of a specification for our new California I am now torn between the 140 and the 180. DSG is essential for us and normally there will only be two of us and a Newfoundland dog, the equivalent of a teenager in size. I tend to use my Harley for an adrenaline boost so anything over 70 mph is not essential. I was almost on the point of selecting the 180 when I read a thread about fuel consumption being below 30mpg in the 180. Purchase price not a major concern as we spending the kids inheritance but running costs could be.

Any thoughts on fuel consumption between the two and if there are any other mechanical concerns about the 180? Is the 140 sufficient to cope with long distance touring?

Trying to put a spec together from a price list is very time consuming and confusing as VW packages often duplicate themselves. Still, can't wait to finally get one ordered.

 

[calikev]

There is a constant debate as to which is better people that own a 180 will say its better
People with a 140 will say there's is better. I have a 140 and can cruise at 85 no problem
I also get about 38mph on a run. I also only have 1 turbo to contend with not 2 and smaller brakes. Also the egr valve is much easier to change on a 140 I would suggest you try both first

 

[Meoncoast]

We run DSG 180 and get 32 / 34 mpg on run. This drops to 27 in rush hour traffic

 

[spanner]

180 DSG everytime

 

[reserves]

140 seems great to me, but then again i've never driven the 180. I get around 36-38mpg.

 

[sbmcd]

We have had our 180 since end of Feb this year, even with roof bars mixed driving at home we average 35 - 36 but on trips not uncommon to see 37 - 39 mpg, even had 42 on one trip but that was with a stiff tail wind.

I did test drive the 140, ok to drive but not much fun if you have to overtake, I prefer my wrong side of the road time to be short as possible.

 

[Gasgas]

140 best as a manual and 180 best as an auto

 

[BMVS-Camper-Hire]

Its a heavy vehicle, better to have the power and not need it, than need it and not have it. We only run 180s, its so much better suited to it in our opinion. We had 1 x 140 on our fleet in the past, and it just struggled when compared to the 180, and at the higher motorway speeds was thirstier, because you had to work it harder.

Try both and make your own mind up, as this is only my opinion!

 

[Californiaman]

A 140 is perfect, until you've driven a 180 then you'll never go back...

 

[Meoncoast]

Goodness knows how some of the 84 campers you can get go fully loaded :crazy

from a well known converter

here is a choice of five diesel engine options all 4 cylinder common rail turbo diesels that are Euro 5 compliant for emissions

Engine Power Transmission/gears Cylinders
2.0 TDI 84PS manual / 5 4
2.0 TDI 102PS manual / 5 4
2.0 TDI 114PS manual /5 BlueMotion 4
2.0 TDI 140PS manual / 6 auto / 7 4
2.0 BiTDI 180PS manual / 6 auto / 7 4

 

[Pineweasel]

I'd definitely recommend some test drives.

I drove a 180 first, was impressed with the performance then drove a 140 expecting to be disappointed, but I ended up buying one. For me the 180 wasn't worth the extra cash.

It certainly gives you a little more poke for rapid getaways and overtakes, and can climb hills faster, but for virtually all my driving the 140 has been absolutely fine. Occasionally on an uphill motorway section at high speed I find my foot on the floor trying to overtake, but only if I'm trying to drive the thing like a sports car.

The thing is, you're not choosing between a slug and a rocketship, but rather between a powerful van, and a more powerful van.

 

[sbmcd]

Not sure if this is relevant for the decision but I think the residual values are better with the 180.

 

[KernowLad]

It needs the 180 engine IMO; its a three tonne vehicle. I have no idea how motorhome owners cope with less power and much more weight.

The only downside is complexity; some jobs that are easy on a 140 are a total PITA on a 180. But the two turbos mean a smoother power delivery; its not just about going faster.

I have been running a DSG box Caravelle for a week and find the gearbox hateful beyond words.

 

[Gasgas]

It needs the 180 engine IMO; its a three tonne vehicle. I have no idea how motorhome owners cope with less power and much more weight.

The only downside is complexity; some jobs that are easy on a 140 are a total PITA on a 180. But the two turbos mean a smoother power delivery; its not just about going faster.

I have been running a DSG box Caravelle for a week and find the gearbox hateful beyond words.

I tried a 140 DSG and IMO it just didn't work properly not nice to drive at all,but the Dealership really rated it .The 140 manual however was really nice to drive,but I wanted auto so went for the 180 and it's great .However from a resale value point of view I think that they all hold there value well so just go for the one that suits you.

 

[spanner]

I have been running a DSG box Caravelle for a week and find the gearbox hateful beyond words.

It must have a faulty gearbox, i have nothing but praise for the dsg compared to manual. Maybe you dont know how to use it?

 

[briwy]

180 manual 4Motion
Just had a week in the Dordorgne and now at home in the Pyrenees.
Came down from Calais and used a mixture of motorways and N roads generally at speed limits where possible and safe, average 33mpg and its only done 14k so still not run in fully. Pretty happy with that and worth the extra consumption over the 140 for overtaking and getting up the hills here IMO.
The other half's cousin has a converted T5 80bhp van and it's absolutely dire, so slow as to be unsafe in my opinion but they seem happy with it so each to their own.

 

[calicasas]

We like to tour around Europe extensively. This means mountain roadds etc..prolonged inclines are the worst and this is where you will run out of steam. I tried he 140 and 180 and settled on the 180.
If your Cali is a daily driver and not doing any serious long distance touring then i might take the 140.
We carry bikes, awning, fully laden and with a kayak soon. Definitely glad for the 180...

 

[Pollychops]

I have been running a DSG box Caravelle for a week and find the gearbox hateful beyond words.

It must have a faulty gearbox, i have nothing but praise for the dsg compared to manual. Maybe you dont know how to use it?

We have no problems with our 180 DSG, changes smoothly, quickly and if you feel like a change move it over to manual change. I had a BMW 5 series which used to change down to third when cruising down a hill, now that was a PITA. So far this DSG is proving to be just the ticket.

 

[Calihunter]

Hi all.
As a newbie to the Forum, looking to buy a second hand Cali, I'm finding the 140ps v 180ps debate very interesting and informative, so thank you all.

Apologies in advance if I should be posting this as a new question, BUT - I was wondering if anyone could advise me how the earlier 174 bhp engine performs in comparison to these later engines? I have heard the 5 pot engine described as bullet proof but was more interested in fuel economy and it's ability to get up and go?

Thanks.

 

[estresao]

What about reliability? Looks like 140 one is more mature than the 180. I've read some forums about that and sometimes comments are a litle scary, but maybe it's because people mostly comment when they experience problems.

 

[ibis64]

Another thought, anyone got a 140 and had it chipped? Be interesting to see, wont compare to a 180 bi turbo but a big improvement on the 140 and wont hurt the fuel consumption.

 

[sbmcd]

This was something we considered but would impact on the warranty so went for the 180 manual

 

[ibis64]

Yes warranty is a good point but I think its a grey area, main dealer will always scare you but I think if I was spending 50K+ on a full fat Cali its definitely a consideration. I am lining up to buy a Beach 140 DSG myself, wife has a Golf DSG and the gearbox is great although if you leave it in full auto it can try to take you around a roundabout in 5th when really you need to be in 3rd or 4th but you can just flip it into manual mode and then you have full control, I don't like the start stop on it though

 

[Calincolnshire]

I have the 140 and having just come back from 2 weeks in France with the Cali full of 2 teenage kids , tents , kayaks , day tent , etc. etc. I can say I had no issues with lack of power and cruised happily at 130kph (80mph) on the autoroute. The same applied to last years Italy trip.
So yes you have to use the gears to keep it moving on steep hills but thats not unusual.

To be honest it's all relative as having test driven 102hp conversion which did seem to be O.K. the 140 was like Usain Bolt, and as the T5 conversion scene seems to centre around the 102bhp platform so 140 vans are like the holy grail to the converters. I have never read in any article that people say their campers with 140hp on tap are underpowered. So 180 is it needed? I don't think so , if I had the cash maybe I'd have looked at it differently. But people will always want to justify to themselves (and the better half) why they ticked the option boxes on the order sheet and to be fair people requirments are different. Also expectations on how much interaction with the vehicle to keep it moving are different , so DSG , 4x4 ,180, lane assist are they needed ?. Well some yes but to me no. I have no issue using gears , anticipating traffic flow , looking in my mirrors before I pull out, putting winter tyres on the Cali for the 1 day of snow we had this year. But Cali ownership is more about the destination than getting there, so anything that makes it easier and more pleasurable is not a bad thing .
So to answer the original post , it's your choice as getting a factual answer is impossible as owners requirments are all different. Test drives will answer this if you can get them but remember the vans will be totally empty and therefore very much lighter.
Whatever you choose will be fine as you have already made the biggest leap committing to spending nearly £50k so maybe that's the answer , in for a penny ..........

John

 

[KernowLad]

I have been running a DSG box Caravelle for a week and find the gearbox hateful beyond words.

It must have a faulty gearbox, i have nothing but praise for the dsg compared to manual. Maybe you dont know how to use it?

Thanks for the patronisation but I know exactly how to use it having had it for a week. It's not broken; its done 1300 miles.

How about considering that some might not like it rather than resort to thinly veiled insults?

It hesitates pulling away.
On our hilly roads it constantly selects the wrong gear; too high while pootling through our village, then changes up when I'm going up a steep hill.
The selector writing is hidden by the gearstick. I can't believe how poor that is.
It's too easy to slip past D into N.
Yep, on a long cruise where the box doesn't do much "work" it's fine and in stop start traffic it's okay but throw it any challenges and its just feels like a 20 year old automatic.

It's genuinely one of the worst boxes I've ever used, second only to the full auto I experienced in a VW Up.

The DSG box in the VW CC we also had for a week (guess who's Cali keeps breaking?) was better but still annoying.