Altea stylance with sport pack and DSG

[Davidp]

After two happy experiences with Leons I fancy an Altea with more comfy seating (got a bit of a bad back). Always hated autos but quite inspired by the new DSG system which seems to have the best of both worlds. hoping I wont notice too much of a drop in ''oomph' from the alteas 140 pd engine compared to the leon tdi cupra.

Anyone had their altea 'chipped'? would it upset the DSG?
cheers.

 

[mxcupra]

Loadswine has had his 2.0tdi dsg done see following

http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/showthread.php?t=92985&highlight=celtic

 

[FinerDetails]

you might struggle to see the difference. I have a PD140 and they are far smoother than the PD150, far less lag... much more progressive delivery. The only PD I have been in that felt quicker was a PD160 in a Ibiza that was actually pumping 185....

enjoy the new mota, all Altea drivers do

 

[zidane]

I'm in exactly the same situation.

Currently have a Leon Cupra TDI but need more space and the Altea fits the bill. So I went to test a 6 month old Tdi 140 Sport.

And was I impressed - er no, I wasn't actually. It felt flat as **** and I was a bit dissapointed to be honest.

I went to dealers that day hoping to make the deal but after the test drive I decided that it would have to be one hell of a deal to get me over the performance loss. I've posted the story further down this forum somewhere.

Got back in my Leon to drive home and it felt like a fly machine compared to the 140.

I'm now pondering my next move. i.e also thinking a tuning box would bridge the gap.

EDIT - 140 has less turbolag though I'll grant you that, but a lot less oomph as well.

 

[P0LKR]

I'm in exactly the same situation.

Currently have a Leon Cupra TDI but need more space and the Altea fits the bill. So I went to test a 6 month old Tdi 140 Sport.

And was I impressed - er no, I wasn't actually. It felt flat as **** and I was a bit dissapointed to be honest.

I went to dealers that day hoping to make the deal but after the test drive I decided that it would have to be one hell of a deal to get me over the performance loss. I've posted the story further down this forum somewhere.

Got back in my Leon to drive home and it felt like a fly machine compared to the 140.

I'm now pondering my next move. i.e also thinking a tuning box would bridge the gap.

EDIT - 140 has less turbolag though I'll grant you that, but a lot less oomph as well.

its a bigger car.

ive got the new leon 140bhp and its pretty quick

 

[Davidp]

Thanks Guys,

I love the mark 1 leons but have alway fancied an mpv (ever since i drove a friends mitsubushi space wagon) but could never justify one. Not struck on the new leon, it looks very nice but the windows are just too small!!
(I must be a claustrophobic!)

sorry to hear that 'zidane' was dissapointed with the altea. hope to have a test drive of an altea 'fr' and 140 dsg over the weekend so will report back.

Loadswines Celtic remap sounds interesting that may be the way forward.
Cheers,

 

[Tell]

I'm happy with my DSG 2.0 TDI which isn't chipped, although I've thought about it. Are you sure the other car was run in ?.

On the DSG it is pretty smooth, you get interesting effects when you start from rest on say a roundabout where you put your foot down when nothing happens and presume the computer [one of them] is working whether you really mean it, the engine speed and what to do, then you are off. Noramlly at roundabout when I'm on the move I'll do things that I wouldn't do in a manual since I know I wouldn't be able to change up quick enough or I would fumble. So you do keep the pace up.

I don't use the manual overide except on one hill in Germany into Trier where it is a long drag down when on holiday and the traffic is moving at a snails pace, so I go into overide to use engine breaking. I think Loadswine said the DSG was snatchy with his previous tuning box as I recall.

I keep out of sports mode unless I feel the need to keep the pace up. It is noticeable on the said roundabout systems of new towns where the lag that I mentioned isn't so noticeable.

All in all I'm happy with just the way it is.... well I did change the speakers.

I think there is a DSG FR on the way as well.

 

[Davidp]

I'm happy with my DSG 2.0 TDI which isn't chipped, although I've thought about it. Are you sure the other car was run in ?.

On the DSG it is pretty smooth, you get interesting effects when you start from rest on say a roundabout where you put your foot down when nothing happens and presume the computer [one of them] is working whether you really mean it, the engine speed and what to do, then you are off. Noramlly at roundabout when I'm on the move I'll do things that I wouldn't do in a manual since I know I wouldn't be able to change up quick enough or I would fumble. So you do keep the pace up.

I don't use the manual overide except on one hill in Germany into Trier where it is a long drag down when on holiday and the traffic is moving at a snails pace, so I go into overide to use engine breaking. I think Loadswine said the DSG was snatchy with his previous tuning box as I recall.

I keep out of sports mode unless I feel the need to keep the pace up. It is noticeable on the said roundabout systems of new towns where the lag that I mentioned isn't so noticeable.

All in all I'm happy with just the way it is.... well I did change the speakers.

I think there is a DSG FR on the way as well.

Thanks for this info.
So how long is this lag on the DSG when you put your foot down? are we talking micro seconds. Is it only when you put your foot down hard?
Cheers,

 

[Tell]

I notice it from rest and it's best not to change your mind, just stay with it untill the engine, gear box do their stuff, if you give it more power then you leap. I have had a conversation with Loadswine once about this here. It's not a problem, but it could be say 1/2 second but only from rest and that's in normal mode. Right I got to go and get in it and give it a spin....

 

[mxcupra]

I've got the 2.0 tdi dsg and there is a noticeable lag with the dsg gearbox from a standing start...maybe 1/2 second between putting your foot down and actually moving.

i generally knock it in to sport mode in these situations and there is no lag...then back into drive once the roundabout/traffic lights etc are cleared. This give the left arm something to do as its pretty redundant now after 14 years of driving manuals.

Like all new things in life, it takes a bit of getting used to but I doubt that I would go back to a manual now especially with the way it just moves through the gears. I'm sure the 0-60 time is far quicker than listed (9. something sec, feels like 7- 8 sec).

Also when in manual mode you get that blip of the throttle when changing down a gear, which is nice

It is a cracking, underestimated car and once on the move can surprise many a car. I've recently changed from a leon 20vt and I can say that the Altea feels more powerful and solid than the leon.

They look nice in silver and of course black

 

[loadswine]

The gearbox may take a little getting used to, but it is worth it. As has been mentioned, there is a bit of a lag sometimes when pulling away from a standing start, but that's not a problem overrall for me. The gear changes are so smooth and rapid, that's a bit of a mask on the speed sensation, but the results are there on the speedo. With a tuning box, as Tell said, power was great , but not as smooth as the remap. I've done about 1000 miles remapped now and can happily report no issues at all. If anything its 1 or 2 mpg better on fuel.
Not driven a Leon Cupra Mk1 TDi, but they are fast, no doubt, also a lot lighter and the engine characteristics are different as well. Handling on the Altea should be better by all accounts.
I have used a Toledo mk1 20vt just before getting my Altea and handling on the Altea is much better, performance about the same ,or remapped, just a bit quicker.
At the end of the day its a subjective thing, if you like it when you test it , then it works for you. Others like the cars they have and thats fine. There are certainly plenty out there to choose from!

 

[Davidp]

The gearbox may take a little getting used to, but it is worth it. As has been mentioned, there is a bit of a lag sometimes when pulling away from a standing start, but that's not a problem overrall for me. The gear changes are so smooth and rapid, that's a bit of a mask on the speed sensation, but the results are there on the speedo. With a tuning box, as Tell said, power was great , but not as smooth as the remap. I've done about 1000 miles remapped now and can happily report no issues at all. If anything its 1 or 2 mpg better on fuel.
Not driven a Leon Cupra Mk1 TDi, but they are fast, no doubt, also a lot lighter and the engine characteristics are different as well. Handling on the Altea should be better by all accounts.
I have used a Toledo mk1 20vt just before getting my Altea and handling on the Altea is much better, performance about the same ,or remapped, just a bit quicker.
At the end of the day its a subjective thing, if you like it when you test it , then it works for you. Others like the cars they have and thats fine. There are certainly plenty out there to choose from!

Drove an Altea FR today, manual of course but bags of lovely power and solid round corners. bit of a hard ride but only to be expected. the 2.0 tdi is a bit quiter with a nicer exhaust note then my 1.9 tdi.

then drove a 2.0 tdi dsg sport, loved the dsg box it is just so clever! lovely in sport mode and great fun in manual mode. the lag wasnt too bad on aceleration and I could get used to it.

the 140 bhp engine was a bit of a disspointment but only to be expected after the fr. with a remap the sport dsg could be a viable option after my 1.9 tdi cupra leon. the ride was softer than the fr but cornering was fine even on 16" alloys.

will spend the next week pondering which way forward. thanks for all you comments guys.

 

[loadswine]

Glad you had some fun David, not tried the FR yet, so I don't know how this compares to mine, but the extra powerfrom the remap, which is very useable and smooth is pretty good value for £360. The premium on the step up to an FR is probably a bit more!
If you lived closer to me , you'd be more than welcome to have a go in mine.
Happy decisions matey!

 

[Davidp]

Glad you had some fun David, not tried the FR yet, so I don't know how this compares to mine, but the extra powerfrom the remap, which is very useable and smooth is pretty good value for £360. The premium on the step up to an FR is probably a bit more!
If you lived closer to me , you'd be more than welcome to have a go in mine.
Happy decisions matey!

Thanks loadswine thats a kind offer.
(I hope loadswine stands for 'loads of wine' and not 'load of swine')
To be honest I am a bit dissolusioned over the altea's (and the 2.0 tdi's) mpg. clearly the altea is a heavier vehicle 1537Kg compared to my 1333kg but the seat figures for combined mpg show a signifacent drop with the 2.0 engine compared to the 1.9.
On a long run down say down to somerset last week I can get 52mpg at 80 mph in my Leon. cant see the altea getting near that. Call me a mad old b*stard if you will but I have driven the new leon and hate the pokey little windows and the view out of them. The altea's view and seating is much nicer. As I say I will ponder on it over the next week or so.
Cheers mate, thanks for your help.

 

[Tell]

Well "we" do reckon on the board here that it's the 17" wheels is reducing the MPG from the published figures, so pretty wheels and increased grip [and sporty ride] come at an expense of MPG.

Yeah, I always took it that Loadswine was a fellow white wine guzzler... talking of which time to open a bottle.

 

[loadswine]

Yes , the user name does allude to the fact that I like a drop of the old vino.
David, I wish mine was as good on fuel as the Mk1 Leon TDi Cupra. It'll show around 50 at 75-80mph on the trip computer, but I've never got that sort of fuel mileage at the pump. I reckon Tell's figures are well presented and give a fair idea of what you might get.
Mind you, I don't know that many automatic cars that go as well as the Altea and return anywhere near decent mpg. That's why it works for me, as a package.
Decisions eh?!!

 

[ukdavew]

Has anyone worked out a technique for getting faster starts from standstill with the DSG?

I picked mine up yesterday and at least once today I almost got nailed at a crossroads or roundabout because of the lag.

I've no complaints otherwise. My last car was an Alfa 156 Selespeed and whilst on paper it's more powerful and faster 0-60 I'd be amazed if that was the case. It did however seem to like moving off from standstill a lot more.

 

[Tell]

In sport mode it's quicker to shift stating the obviously. It can get a little bit interesting if you differ on the accelerating pedal and change your mind at round abouts. Best to put your foot down and then wait for the power to kick in, if you keep changing the pedal position that's not good. Too much power and you get wheel spins so you work out how much pedal is required.

Once you are moving then you normally out run manuals or if you don't and are following one you end giving the same changes as they do, since you have to keep taking the power off. That can be annoying.

 

[ukdavew]

I saw mention in another thread when I did a search that there was a rumoured launch control feature...has anyone tried it out?

 

[loadswine]

I think that it was reported that if you put the box in manual mode, turned off the traction control and held the brake with the left foot momentarily while applying throttle, it was supposed to give quick starts.
I have tried it once or twice gently, as it doesn't sound mechanically sympathetic, and it makes a tiny difference.
I find that the more I drive it the more used to the pull away foibles I become.
1. Anticipation really is useful, if you can release the brake just before you need to pull away, then the clutch takes up and the take off is pretty instant.
2. Putting the box in manual or Sport, seems to speed things up a tiny bit. ( May be the placebo effect )

There are times when you have to pull up and then move off again in a hurry, for me this is the most frustrating bit, as it does tend to get bogged down with a bit of lag. You can't anticipate on these occasions and just have to live with it.

All in all though, its a great transmission and I wouldn't part with it.