Hello folks,

Considering replacing my 2011 mk7 econetic with a diesel mk8 so I wondered if anybody owns or has experience or either the 85 or (ideally) the 120ps versions? Feedback and views welcome  - esp on refinement and likely real world fuel economy but any thoughts will help.

Thanks 🙂

Had one as a courtesy car for a day once - don’t know if it was the 85 or 120 unfortunately. It did have a diesel like clatter to it but by no means was it overwhelming in the cabin. Economy was really good at about 55-60mpg. Would I buy one though? I dont think so. All depends on your mileage. A 125ps Ecoboost should get you a realistic 40mpg plus and is quieter, more refined and offers good performance. You’d have to cover extremely high distances to warrant the price difference and the Ecoboost is a better choice if you do short journeys all the time

Thanks DG for your response. Good mpg / low CO2 is important to me hence the thought of sticking with diesel - part of me could be tempted by the Ecoboost and the 125ps seems like a sweet spot, but I fear the mpg would disappoint. I'd be buying used so price difference isnt much. Mileage (in 'normal' times...) isn't that high but I do do some long trips. 

Could be a silly question  - but how big a step on from the mk7 do people feel the mk8 is?

8 hours ago, wordchild said:

Thanks DG for your response. Good mpg / low CO2 is important to me hence the thought of sticking with diesel - part of me could be tempted by the Ecoboost and the 125ps seems like a sweet spot, but I fear the mpg would disappoint. I'd be buying used so price difference isnt much. Mileage (in 'normal' times...) isn't that high but I do do some long trips. 

Could be a silly question  - but how big a step on from the mk7 do people feel the mk8 is?

I had a mk 7.5 titanium, and now have a mk 8 ST Line X. The interior (and technology) is miles better in the MK 8 and even though i have the stline x, i find the ride is smoother than the mk 7.5.

The car feels more mature than the mk7 Fiesta. The interior is a major design step up. The technology is far better and the car simply feels like it is a bit more grown up than the mk7. 

Quality for a small car isn't bad - tonnes of hard plastic about but the bits that need to be soft are. A little bit more soft touch material on the door panels wouldn't have hurt but it's really a small niggle. 

I have the ST-Line X and whilst quite firm (especially comparing to a softer Titanium), the ride is fairly smooth and doesn't become unsettled easily. 

The car all depends on your needs - my needs were a car that can carry me and very very rarely one or two other people. The rest was about a half-decent look, good equipment levels and adequate performance. I find the Fiesta is the best balanced for that when compared to competition. I did look briefly at an Ibiza FR but the car just wasn't as well equipped as the Fiesta is and you can get a Fiesta as a 3-door which seems to be a dying breed for cars!

Yes, as Matthew and DG say, I also find the Mk 8 a more "grown up" car, certainly better for a long trip than the previous version, if possibly a little less raw fun.

I had a 1.6tdci Mk 7, and prefer the ecoboost to drive, but I don't do a lot of mileage. Best tankful I've seen was 53, normally average 45.

I've not tried the latest diesels, but the 120ps has been discontinued (mid last year I think) so could be rare on the used market.

 

 

Thank you all for your thoughts guys. I have driven two mk8s  - a 1.1 Trend and an Active with the 100ps EcoBoost. The EcoBoost was a fine little engine to drive, pulling stout and linear even with only 100-odd miles on the clock, but as I said above am wondering about mpg... But anyhow, they were short times with courtesy cars so thanks for some longer-term views. 

My needs aren't totally different to yours DG, and Fiestas suit me well  - my mk7 is my third.... I think the Ibiza is very pretty but it's dour inside unless really spec'd up and as you say there doesn't seem that much equipment on some versions. I like the Mazda 2 but fear it'd be too noisy (have only sat in one) and the petrol 1.5 might feel a bit lacking. 

Thanks for the mpg numbers Eric - if I switched to petrol I'd be hoping to average nearer 53 but well aware that's unlikely with the EcoBoost (sadly). I have found a handful of 120ps Titaniums used but you're right that they're rare. Wondering why they were dropped but guess could be low demand plus tightening emissions regs... 

Any other thoughts welcome esp if anyone owns a mk8 diesel, and from more folks who've traded mk7s for the 8.