Is it really better?

Hi All,

I thought I would treat myself and replace my 200k 300tdi disco with a 50k td5 disco and enjoy another 14 years of happy cost effective motoring. WRONG!

I have had the td5 a while and over 5k miles it has cost way more to run, maintain than 8k miles in the tdi.

My 300 is tweaked i.e pipe egr and pump etc and the td5 has pipe and egr.

Thing is td5 broken again and I am using the 300 and other than it feeling old and loose it actually feels more nimble, better off road and a nicer vehicle than the td5 (but lacking luxury).

Question is: Is it cos the td5 is an auto or am I just not going to get on with the td5. I am told and have read lots of rave reviews on td5 yet i am not getting it. Should I try a manual? or try to find a late model 300 and bin the stinking pig of a td5? Is it because its a lardy es model and a td5 gs would feel nimble?

Please give any advice as i am lost and confused at making the next decision. Oh and I am gutted I have got a loan to pay off for the dull td5 experience.

not sure about the costs between the 2, but my TD5 auto gets roughly 500 ish per tank, now at around £130, so yes its expensive to run. Services are also expensive but i spose any new car would be, especially 4x4. I was told before i got mine that they are expensive to fix because they are complicated car, true but so are all newish cars. All computers, sensors etc. The 300TDI would be more barn door engineering i would imagine, probably could be fixed by any machanic or handy DIY man, but without diagnostics, your a little buggered with new cars.

I personally think its all new cars that are expensive, but going from an older vehicle to a new one, yes you prob would feel the extra cost, i know i did and still am with the fuel costs.

With handling, its a big truck, what size wheels do u have. U have ACE it should help, but i find mine better than older discos cause it doesnt roll as much, I think autos do make them feel bit less nimble cause u cant use the gears as much, but i still love mine.

Hope this helps, sorry to hear your not loving it!!

Thanks for the input - I am amazed you get 500 miles to a tank. Even after all the tweaks and driving everywhere trying to keep the rpm below 2k I am still only getting 400 and if I am really lucky i.e. more slow motorway work I may get 420-430.

I think I have to drive a manual TD5 before I rule it out but I have found it a joy to drive my old 300 tdi thats worth over £10k less.

Does anyone think I may just have a bad example of an es auto td5?

400 miles dont sound to good for a td5.A guy on here called charlsey reckoned he could get 800 miles on one tank, but he knows a lot about engines.My 300 got 436 on last tank[81 litres till low fuel light came on] including 200 miles towing caravan.And Ive got a bit of a power problem so auto box keeps dropping a gear.

With regards to keeping the engine below 2K rpm, i think they are more economical at between 2-3k rpm, i try to keep mine between there. Maybe you need to give it a bit more gas to get it up to speed and then ease off, thats what i do anyway. On motorway, i get up to about 55mph then the torque converter locks so mpg should be bit better.

Other than that, u could have it tuned, Im thinking of having it done, about £400 and increases power and mpg apparently, but not sure if it causes any other probs, need to look into it first.

I have tried the fast first then cruise method and still the same, I have tried getting it locked up in top and all of that but it just seems pants on fuel.

I think charlesy was in a 300tdi when he got the mega mileage.

I was going to get my td5 chipped as well to try and get more torque etc in order to raise mpg but i am to scared to waste more money. if I like a manual when I drive one it will be the first thing i do along with the pipe and the egr as i think this is what makes my tdi so nice to drive as its got loads of low down torque from all the tweaks - more so than a prechipped but pipe and egr'd td5.

trouble is chipping is expensive, bell autos are now doing swithchable maps now but i do not see the point as thats what the throttle is for - modulating power!

could possibly be for MOT time, not sure though. I need to do some research.

Charlsey was in a td5 .He reckons he gets 40 m.p.g.Do a search on here for "td5 fuel consumtion"

We have Tdi200 & a Tdi300 auto and from both we get on average 35mpg !!

On the last three runs in the 300 I was getting over 600 mls to a tank.