So I'm looking to buy my first car and I was wondering, is there any other differences between the 2 other than 90hp having no dpf, more lower end torque and dohc instead of the 95hp being sohc, is 1 more durable/reliable than the other etc..? also, another thing I was wondering, why did they decide to change from dohc to sohc? and if I do end up buying a model with dpf and end up doing a dpf delete will the power I gain from that make up the "missing low end torque" from the 95hp model vs the 90hp model.. thanks everyone 🙂

The 8V (95) is more reliable.  If you read about DV6 issues with carbonised oil ways and blown turbo's online, that's all the older 16v engine.  Injectors are common failures on both engines, especially at the age they are now.

The change from DOHC to SOHC was mainly for emissions reduction.  But it also gives a weight advantage, removing 8 valves, a second cam shaft, a chain between the cams, and a big lump of cylinder head to house all that.  The 8v engine is a much nicer engine to drive imo, having had both.

DPF delete's are illegal, and also now an MOT failure.  Not worth it.  

 

Ah okay, thanks for the replies, I guess buying the 95hp model won't be too bad of a choice then.. since you said you've had both, is the low end torque increase that everyone talks about on the 90hp actually noticeably there or is it not that much of a difference? And what ways would u say the 95hp one feels better to drive in? 

I owned both, new, the 95 is exactly the same performance as the 90 but the 90 has reliability issues

Not sure who's complaining about the torque difference, I don't think you'll even notice it.

Mine were actually in Focus's, so same engines but 110 & 115 respectively.

The 8v is more driveable.  It has a wider, more progressive, power band.  In simple terms it'll pull from low end and keep pulling higher in the revs than the 16v.  The 8v also sounds great (for a diesel!) at 2k+ thanks to the metal intake resonator.

Thanks for the help guys, this is gonna be my first car, I've completed my level 2 motor vehicle course at college and have a keen interest in cars and mechanics etc so i know the main things to check, but is there anything i should mainly look out for these mk7 fiestas or the 1.6 tdci's? whats the cambelt/waterpump change interval? is there certain model years etc that had certain problems or?

Cambelt interval is 10 years/125k on the 16v or 10 years/112.5k on the 8v.

Don't think there are any specific years to avoid.  I'd try to get as new as budget would allow though.

No major engine specific checks I can think of.  Just check there are no major leaks, no dodgy wiring repairs, and no excessive deterioration of plastics, especially the coolant reservoir.

With more councils etc bringing in ulez etc it might be worth seeing if there’s a difference between the two in emission standards. I’ve no idea myself. If you are looking at one where cam belt change is due, it’s a lot easier on these than on the petrol fiestas

13 hours ago, isetta said:

With more councils etc bringing in ulez etc it might be worth seeing if there’s a difference between the two in emission standards. 

Neither will be Euro 6 which is the only diesel that's free in the London ULEZ zone.

A lot of nonsense was written, but in reality both engines are equally reliable! I have both and can even say I like the 16v better!

15 minutes ago, Vesko said:

A lot of nonsense was written

By whom?

On 2/11/2025 at 1:10 PM, DaveT70 said:

By whom?

From people like you who say about reliability problems with 90 horsepower. This is nonsense to me. It is debatable to say which engine is better, so I say that both are good in terms of reliability. There is no better one, there is a maintained one and an unmaintained one!

46 minutes ago, Vesko said:

From people like you who say about reliability problems with 90 horsepower. This is nonsense to me

That's you told @DaveT70 !!

The  great @Vesko has replied and clearly knows everything there is to know about the 90 horsepower version. 🤣

Looking forward to next months update of this thread 👍

11 hours ago, Vesko said:

From people like you who say about reliability problems with 90 horsepower. This is nonsense to me. It is debatable to say which engine is better, so I say that both are good in terms of reliability. There is no better one, there is a maintained one and an unmaintained one!

😄😄😄😆

I owned both new, the 95 was better