Contract Hire RCZ HDi or 156 GT

[Anonymous]

Hello Guys

My name is Kelly. In August 2014 my current Golf Cab is being given back to VW (Zzzzzzzzz). My next CH car wants to be an RCZ. Now, my Golf is a 2.0 TDi (zzzzzz) but I need to make a decision on what the RCZ engine should be. Ok so maybe you all say the HDi engine. But considering Im doing about 12k a year shouldn't the 156 petrol be a good choice? Over 40mpg cheaper petrol prices and reasonable performance when needed? Prefer the GT spec too. In white. Also looking for the cheapest CH Deal for 3+24. Any advice on anything mentioned here would be very helpful.... :helpme:

xx

 

[Anonymous]

I would have said that if you are not going for the HDi and my believe is that this is a good all rounder then go for the most sold the 200BHP GT, but as you have no need to worry about residuals then test drive the 156 and see if that has enough umph for you.

 

[Anonymous]

I also have to consider the CO2 costs too. One would think the 156 is adequate but like you say I need to test drive them. I need to read any 156 experiences on here. Is the 156 that bad?

 

[Anonymous]

There is no such thing as a bad RCZ. I have the HDi and love it. I suspect that had I gone for the 156 then I'd be wishing I'd chosen the 200, because for me personally, I like to have the best without compromises. I test drove a 156 and was more than happy with it's performance. However a test drive and a three year deal are somewhat different.

 

[Anonymous]

There is no such thing as a bad RCZ. I have the HDi and love it. I suspect that had I gone for the 156 then I'd be wishing I'd chosen the 200, because for me personally, I like to have the best without compromises. I test drove a 156 and was more than happy with it's performance. However a test drive and a three year deal are somewhat different.

How do you find the HDi? Im totally bored of VAG. And all VAG cars are completely dull looking

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Kelly, Iv'e got a 156GT and I think its plenty powerful enough. Economy wise I am getting about 36mpg around town and about 44mpg on the motorways. Just renewed my car tax, and that was £140. I have had my car for two years now and totally love it. If I get another RCZ it will be a 156Gt.............Nuff said Good luck with your decision :thumbup:

:beer:

Thanks for that. Maybe it doesnt matter what engine. Its all looks for me ;-)

 

[mason5465sharon09]

Hi Kelly & welcome to the forum, when I was looking for my Z I did my homework & went for the 2ltr HDI simply because everybody said the HDI would keep going also the performance so much torque, the tax was cheaper £125 for the year & the running cost were better, the only thing I have to do is give it a good blast every now & than as the filters can glog up I'm only a mile a way from work, but which ever model you choose you will love it. Happy hunting let us know what you went for :thumbup:

 

[Anonymous]

l Leased a rcz a 156 gt on PCH all i can say its a hit or a miss as far as pricing deals go...as they go up and down like a rollercoaster...the HDI is more expensive on a lease deal...but you drive a diesel just now,all that would slightly concern me is..the different driving style that a petrol engine requires over the demon derv car, you could go for the 156 gt and add a few extras for the same prices as basic derv GT,and as you say 12k miles doesnt justify the extra outlay for the derv rcz...the 156 can be very good on fuel i averaged 44 mpg and never dropped below 38 mpg no matter how hard l drove it and also the 156 rcz handles better than the derv rcz.. :thumbup:

 

[Anonymous]

There is no such thing as a bad RCZ. I have the HDi and love it. I suspect that had I gone for the 156 then I'd be wishing I'd chosen the 200, because for me personally, I like to have the best without compromises. I test drove a 156 and was more than happy with it's performance. However a test drive and a three year deal are somewhat different.

How do you find the HDi? Im totally bored of VAG. And all VAG cars are completely dull looking

I absolutely love it. It looks like all other RCZ's (gorgeous) and has nothing outwardly to say what the power pack is. It's frugal and yet very responsive. I like the fact that I can be tootling along and then just apply a little more pressure on the accelerator pedal and overtake, without the need for forward planning (ie dropping any gears and building the revs up) it has tonnes of torque. It will cruise up hills in sixth and still return 50+ per gallon. The engine is nae on bullet proof. You rarely if ever hear of problems with this engine, even on here where people are more likely to be talking about faults rather than saying that they have a trouble free car. People find forums whilst searching for answers to faults and so the bias is towards this. However the good old HDi just trundles on in style :clap: nelliebear has done over 96K in his and had no engine related issues. In fact I think that I'm right in saying that his only problem with Lawrence has been the old wing mirror issue that has been sorted on his and all newer RCZ's

 

[RCZ1]

Hi Kelly

Well I'm on my second RCZ. Both 156THP. I love the car. It's responsive. Has enough power to have a fun drive as well as a great cruiser. I have great fun driving on fast, twisty country roads and it goes round bends almost flat. It annoys the hell out of other drivers who want to race you. When the corner comes, they have to break whilst the Z will take it effortlessly and power on past the car in front. On a 70 mile journey today I have returned 50.3mpg. Not bad for a petrol hey! and that was with a bit of fun thrown in. Fuel up with Shell V Nitro Power and a K&N air filter panel and it adds an extra dimension to the car.

Do I enjoy my car? By hell I do

 

[Jimbrodie1]

Hi Kelly and welcome to the forum.

If I may say so a very wise choice moving from the VW to the RCZ. VW's are great, reliable, powerful, well made and put together BUT...... are just like every other car on the road now a days, they just all blend in together. Get yourself one of these and one things for sure you'll be standing out and not blending in.

My wife and I were in the same choice position you are in when we bought ours in January. We test drove all 3 models and to be honest in the real world on our sh*tty congested roads I couldn't tell much difference between the 156 and the 200. Of course that was only on a test drive and with the sales man stuffed in the back.

However what we did notice and as others have pointed out the Diesel was much different. It was just so smooth with effortless acceleration and in any gear. We also felt the ride was more comfortable and didn't feel as "urgent" if you know what I mean. Another big difference was the clutch. In the 4 or 5 petrol cars we drove, the clutch was very high on the pedal. This meant your foot was off the floor before the clutch was fully disengaged, making it a pain when sitting in traffic, sitting at junctions and when balancing the car on inclines on the throttle and clutch. The first couple of cars we drove I thought it was just the clutch on the way out, as they had perhaps been driven hard and the clutch slipped a lot on fast take offs. But when they were all the same I began to believe the sales men who we're telling me that's just how they are. The diesel is not like this and bites like every other car. Within an inch or two from fully in. This may be a minor point to some. But coupled with the smoother ride, effortless acceleration, cheaper tax and better fuel economy it was the clear winner for us.

Hope that's help :thumbup:

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Kelly and welcome to the forum.

If I may say so a very wise choice moving from the VW to the RCZ. VW's are great, reliable, powerful, well made and put together BUT...... are just like every other car on the road now a days, they just all blend in together. Get yourself one of these and one things for sure you'll be standing out and not blending in.

My wife and I were in the same choice position you are in when we bought ours in January. We test drove all 3 models and to be honest in the real world on our sh*tty congested roads I couldn't tell much difference between the 156 and the 200. Of course that was only on a test drive and with the sales man stuffed in the back.

However what we did notice and as others have pointed out the Diesel was much different. It was just so smooth with effortless acceleration and in any gear. We also felt the ride was more comfortable and didn't feel as "urgent" if you know what I mean. Another big difference was the clutch. In the 4 or 5 petrol cars we drove, the clutch was very high on the pedal. This meant your foot was off the floor before the clutch was fully disengaged, making it a pain when sitting in traffic, sitting at junctions and when balancing the car on inclines on the throttle and clutch. The first couple of cars we drove I thought it was just the clutch on the way out, as they had perhaps been driven hard and the clutch slipped a lot on fast take offs. But when they were all the same I began to believe the sales men who we're telling me that's just how they are. The diesel is not like this and bites like every other car. Within an inch or two from fully in. This may be a minor point to some. But coupled with the smoother ride, effortless acceleration, cheaper tax and better fuel economy it was the clear winner for us.

Hope that's help :thumbup:

Hi Jimbrodie

I suppose the conditions im facing are costs. The HDi is at the moment more expensive per month that the 156GT. With petrol being cheaper Im pointing at the 156. I do like diesels and I have had a few and know how they all respond whilst driving.

There is nothing out there for less than 25k that looks 'outside the box'. All cars look all the same with the exception of alfa romeo (which I adore and have had a few of those too). SO. the RCZ . Is quite frankly the best looking car out there for the costs I wanna pay. I need to arrange a test Drive. WHich will be difficult because I want to test the exact one with exact spec! :crazy:

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Kelly

Well I'm on my second RCZ. Both 156THP. I love the car. It's responsive. Has enough power to have a fun drive as well as a great cruiser. I have great fun driving on fast, twisty country roads and it goes round bends almost flat. It annoys the hell out of other drivers who want to race you. When the corner comes, they have to break whilst the Z will take it effortlessly and power on past the car in front. On a 70 mile journey today I have returned 50.3mpg. Not bad for a petrol hey! and that was with a bit of fun thrown in. Fuel up with Shell V Nitro Power and a K&N air filter panel and it adds an extra dimension to the car.

Do I enjoy my car? By hell I do

Thanks for your comment. I have looked through google and youtube to try and find an exact review etc of the 156 GT but they all seem to be about the 200. Other than an exact test drive I need to see and look and hear the 156

 

[Anonymous]

l Leased a rcz a 156 gt on PCH all i can say its a hit or a miss as far as pricing deals go...as they go up and down like a rollercoaster...the HDI is more expensive on a lease deal...but you drive a diesel just now,all that would slightly concern me is..the different driving style that a petrol engine requires over the demon derv car, you could go for the 156 gt and add a few extras for the same prices as basic derv GT,and as you say 12k miles doesnt justify the extra outlay for the derv rcz...the 156 can be very good on fuel i averaged 44 mpg and never dropped below 38 mpg no matter how hard l drove it and also the 156 rcz handles better than the derv rcz.. :thumbup:

Hi Jassyo06

Ive had petrol cars before in between diesels , namely alfa's, and found the petrol a much more usable stretch of power, taking it up to the red line. Diesels are more Torky I know and economical but yeah your right , the extra cost per month, and not doing the big miles. I think the 156 is nicely torked up I would imagine? Need a test drive!

 

[Anonymous]

Hi and welcome! I used to drive a petrol 406 coupe but switched to a diesel RCZ last year! I've nearly done 21k miles in that time and I do a lot of driving, 4k round Europe last year...

I did a return trip to Bude on one tank last year and got 512 miles, and I wasn't ganging about, hence I got pulled for doing 88, but that's another story! Lol

I would never have considered a Diesel before but it looks great and handles brilliantly! Most people don't believe md when I say it's a diesel lol

It's very torquey( if that's a word) and overtaking is like a catapult when you put your foot down! So for me I would go for a diesel but then I am biased!

 

[Anonymous]

I'm in the same boat as you as just got a new job but the RCZ isn't om the car listing so I'm going to lease.

lingscars look to be the cheapest; on a 3/35 contract a 2014 plate GT 200bhp is £362pcm incl. vat.

All you pay is fuel and insurance as road tax is free and you'll hand it back before the MOT is due.