Quote:
Originally Posted by Arragonis
Can't help thinking that a 2000-2002 VW Polo TDi would be this exact car. To illustrate:
Weight - the 2001 was based on the early 90s Polo so no super heavy/safety carp.
Engine - 3cyl TDI (PD) engine, 1.4 litre and about 70hp.
The combination I think is a sweet-spot in Diesel small hatchback design. Kind of matched but not beat in any way by the Bluemotion.
Full disclosure - I had a Polo TDi a few years ago and it was excellent for FE. But I wanted more power so I went Peugeot 206 (2.0 HDi) and then my current Fabia.
EDIT : Some people have put a full VTEC Honda into an original Mini (not MINI) so I suspect a Diesel would be OK.
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I think this would most likely be my choice as well. I think the 1.4L TDI is just about perfect for power and economy out of the door without any chip tunes or upgrades. Its basically our US model 1.9L TDI with 1 less cylinder. If chip tuned you can achieve quite easily 115hp and upwards of 180 lb-ft of torque out of this 3 cylinder TDI which would make for an interesting swap into a smaller car. You can also use them in a longitudinal format similar to what the Jeep guys do with the 1.9L 4 cylinders. The 1.2L 3L engines are hard to get since they were discontinued but the 1.4L are still plentiful and can be purchased used with low miles off Ebay and shipped to the states as parts and then reassembled! Or you could get a surplus 1.4L crate engine brand new not cheap but if you are keeping the car for a long time I would say its worth it. These crate engines can be found in the US BTW
Greenhornet
