150 v 204

[BigAl]

Hi everyone, we are coming back to a Cali after a number of years, so trying to work out which spec to look for. It will be a recent T6.1.

I’ve read a few threads about 150 v 204, but still have the following questions on that front, hope someone can help….

Is there much difference between the two engines in terms of the impact on :-

- road tax
- insurance costs
- servicing costs
- fuel consumption?

Anything else I have missed?
Thanks

 

[dspuk]

- road tax SAME
- insurance costs HIGHER
- servicing costs SAME
- fuel consumption? HIGHER

 

[KevH]

Can’t comment on the 204, however in terms of acceleration and overall power I have no complaints with the 150.
No doubt others have a different view, it probably depends on driving style and usage demands, eg towing, etc.

 

[Blackbrogue1962]

Perfectly content with 150, but haven’t driven the 204. A bit sluggish pulling away at roundabouts but it’s a heavy vehicle. Once on the move it drives as well as I’d ever want it to. In summary, I have no regrets at choosing the 150 variant.

 

[andyinluton]

Fuel consumption depends on your driving style, 204 is higher round town but have found it significantly lower at French motorway speed limits + a bit.

Acceleration at motorway speeds with the smaller engine needs foot to the floor & dropping a few gears, the bigger engines torque gives a more relaxed approach.

The smaller engine is adequate & we were happy with it, having now had two vans with the bigger engine I'm not sure I would want to go back.

 

[fluff34567]

I had both, I had a 204 4m dsg. Average fuel usage about 8l/100kms the 150 so far is around 7l/100 so nearly no difference but 98% of my driving is motorway.

Be aware of the 204 engine issues though. That should be the deciding factor

 

[temporarysecretary]

204 feels like a car to drive. It's pulls the 3 tonne like it's a tonne and a half. All acceleration manoeuvres are manageable and safe. It's can eat a motorway slip road and shoot off down with traffic with out drama.

My MFD 'MPG 2' which I believe is the average over a few thousand miles 2K or 20K (can't remember) is 29 MPG with very mixed driving. I'm lucky to see mid 30s ever.

If something mechanicaly breaks they are pretty expensive in parts. They also seem to have more financialy ruinous faults that I have seen on a 150.

I love the 204. It's only really downside is diesels need a bit of pressure putting on them from time to time and working the turbos/revs. The 204 is too quick in this scenario

 

[Corradobrit]

Fuel consumption depends on your driving style, 204 is higher round town but have found it significantly lower at French motorway speed limits + a bit.

Acceleration at motorway speeds with the smaller engine needs foot to the floor & dropping a few gears, the bigger engines torque gives a more relaxed approach.

The smaller engine is adequate & we were happy with it, having now had two vans with the bigger engine I'm not sure I would want to go back.

I've noticed the 204 has improved noticeably over the last 10K km. I'm now seeing 6.9l/100km (41mpg) with mix of motorway, B road and urban driving on my recent trip to France and Luxembourg. Very happy with that.
Choice of engine can also depend on the drivetrain. I would say with 4Mo the higher power engine is definitely the better choice. For FWD seriously consider 150 as wheel spin on damp roads will be more of an issue with the 204.

 

[Nick from Bath]

First 5k miles on our 204 is returning an average of 33MPG which isn't too bad all things considered. We hired a 150 on the Try Before You Buy scheme that was (is?) running last year and felt it was too sluggish pulling away and like it was struggling uphill.

I do wish we had a 4motion but tyres are also a big factor in traction and the factory Bridgestone are horrendous on grass. Not had them spin on tarmac however but still can't wait to switch them out!

 

[Webbah_in_Switzerland]

My Club Joker 4M is a highroof with a 150. It's always fully loaded and I drive with a weight of 3.2-3.4 tons. I am very happy with the 150 and was told by my mechanic to go with the 150 vs the 204 due to reliability and issues he'd seen with the 204. I wanted a little more torque and power so he remapped the engine and DSG with Pendle Performance. It's now dyno'd at 200HP with 430nm of torque. Very smooth and I love it! More details here:

Volkswagen Transporter T6.1 2.0TDI-CR 150bhp - 2019 - Feb 2020 (Delphi DCM6.2)) - Pendle Performance

pendleperformance.com

 

[66tim99]

My Club Joker 4M is a highroof with a 150. It's always fully loaded and I drive with a weight of 3.2-3.4 tons. I am very happy with the 150 and was told by my mechanic to go with the 150 vs the 204 due to reliability and issues he'd seen with the 204. I wanted a little more torque and power so he remapped the engine and DSG with Pendle Performance. It's now dyno'd at 200HP with 430nm of torque. Very smooth and I love it! More details here:

Volkswagen Transporter T6.1 2.0TDI-CR 150bhp - 2019 - Feb 2020 (Delphi DCM6.2)) - Pendle Performance

pendleperformance.com

Interesting, thanks.
What does that do to fuel economy?
Did your insurance premium change?
Why wouldn’t VW map it like that from factory?

 

[Californication69]

I thought the 150 & 204 are just different maps?
Like the Saab 1.8t / 2.0t / 2.0T
All are 2l engines, just different map.

 

[Webbah_in_Switzerland]

Interesting, thanks.
What does that do to fuel economy?
Did your insurance premium change?
Why wouldn’t VW map it like that from factory?

As far as fuel economy I can't tell you the difference as I had it done prior to delivery. No insurance premium change (this is a remap and doesn't use any external tuning modules like ABT, etc). The engine blocks for the 150 and 204 are exactly the same. So yeah, VW does "tune" them differently. However, as these engines are used in numerous vehicles they are not fine tuned for each one. I noticed a real difference in smoothness of shifting once the DSG remap was done with the engine tuning vs when I test drove it for a weekend. I couldn't be happier.

 

[Californication69]

My Club Joker 4M is a highroof with a 150. It's always fully loaded and I drive with a weight of 3.2-3.4 tons. I am very happy with the 150 and was told by my mechanic to go with the 150 vs the 204 due to reliability and issues he'd seen with the 204. I wanted a little more torque and power so he remapped the engine and DSG with Pendle Performance. It's now dyno'd at 200HP with 430nm of torque. Very smooth and I love it! More details here:

Volkswagen Transporter T6.1 2.0TDI-CR 150bhp - 2019 - Feb 2020 (Delphi DCM6.2)) - Pendle Performance

pendleperformance.com

Nice, 265PS and 525Nm of torque. On a 204
Very tempted once warranty finished.

 

[Kingfisher]

Re servicing costs: the bi turbo means that some parts of the engine are a lot more complicated. This also leaves less room in the engine bay to work, so for some repairs the whole front needs to come off first. While general service costs might not differ much, some repairs are a lot more expensive on the 204.

 

[Webbah_in_Switzerland]

Nice, 265PS and 525Nm of torque. On a 204
Very tempted once warranty finished.

I have an extended warranty with VW and have had no issues with service or warranty repairs with the tuning. In fact, they don't even know about it.

 

[andyinluton]

I thought the 150 & 204 are just different maps?
Like the Saab 1.8t / 2.0t / 2.0T
All are 2l engines, just different map.

The basic block is the same but they have a different set up with the turbos etc

 

[Ch1pbutty]

Interesting, thanks.
What does that do to fuel economy?
Did your insurance premium change?
Why wouldn’t VW map it like that from factory?

We are on our 3rd remapped vehicle (bmw 350d touring auto, Vw t5.1 Cali manual, Vw t5.1 club joker manual). Fuel economy improves as it gives more mid range torque, so less gear changes are required.

No change to insurance premium.

Just need to let the dealer know when it gets serviced, so that they dont delete the remap when carrying out emissions related software updates.

 

[Maidment_Ocean]

Happy with my 150 overall. High speed acceleration (or not) on the motorway would be my only complaint, you just have to adjust your style a little.

 

[Webbah_in_Switzerland]

We are on our 3rd remapped vehicle (bmw 350d touring auto, Vw t5.1 Cali manual, Vw t5.1 club joker manual). Fuel economy improves as it gives more mid range torque, so less gear changes are required.

No change to insurance premium.

Just need to let the dealer know when it gets serviced, so that they dont delete the remap when carrying out emissions related software updates.

My mechanic that did the remap (official Pendle partner) stated that while very very rare if that ever happens the remap is free of charge.

 

[Corradobrit]

The only thing to consider is if the warranty issue is connected to the remap. For example issues the catalytic converter. VW could decide to not honour the warranty. And they can tell if your ECU has been remapped and reverted to stock map.
All my past vehicles (mostly sports focused Audi's) were remapped and I invariably found fuel economy and engine performance improved. Haven't felt the need with the Cali.

 

[BigAl]

Thanks very much, very useful as always

 

[WelshGas]

I thought the 150 & 204 are just different maps?
Like the Saab 1.8t / 2.0t / 2.0T
All are 2l engines, just different map.

They are different engines 1 v 2 turbos. EGR valves different types and position, so the answer is no.

The VW Transporter engine eg: 102 and ?88 are the same as 150 I believe.

 

[Ch1pbutty]

The only thing to consider is if the warranty issue is connected to the remap. For example issues the catalytic converter. VW could decide to not honour the warranty. And they can tell if your ECU has been remapped and reverted to stock map.
All my past vehicles (mostly sports focused Audi's) were remapped and I invariably found fuel economy and engine performance improved. Haven't felt the need with the Cali.

have always purchased vans outside of warranty so not an issue for us.

We mentioned to the dealer when booking in past van for the last service. He smiled and said ‘god job you told us, the update would have reduced power to below a stock 150, and you wouldnt have been happy!” Apparently the update concerned reduces power to improve emissions, so be warned if your van seems to have less power after a service.

 

[The Merle]

Had a few 150 Ts and one 204, I found the 204 is to much power (made me a boy racer ).
Only time the 150 is left a little wanting is going up very steep hill/mountain roads the lecht/Glenshee.
I think my old Cali t5.1 180 was perfect engine.

Would always go for a 150 if there’s a choice.