T6.1 150ps Vs 110ps

[danclarke]

T6.1 150ps Vs 110ps
I know there are very mixed opinions on what is best.

But which would you buy and why?
When would you notice the extra power of the 150? Do you feel the need for it for climbing hills and pulling away or just for sitting comfortably at high speeds on motorway?
Does one have known better reliability than the other?
What difference does it make to price?

 

[T6ChrisO]

Id be surprised if anyone chooses the 110 over the 150

 

[danclarke]

I may be being generous to the 110 with mixed opinions then . May be more a matter of people expressing that the 110 is fine for their use.

For clarity I'm mostly interested in how much importance to put on 150 over 110, whether other people's reasons to be fine with 110 or feel 150 is needed would apply to me.

 

[Sasquatch]

I chose the 110. No issues with the performance. It's adequate, I'm not holding anyone up, and it's mechanically the simpler option.

The 150 I tried didn't feel all that, but then I had ridden down to Hertfordshire on my Hayabusa to see it and everything feels a bit slow for a while after a blast on that. I didn't feel it was worth the significant extra asking price, but others might be happy to pay the extra for the minor rise in shove.

Buy what suits your taste, needs and budget, and not what someone else tells you to.

 

[CAB]

150. And DSG.

speaking as a T6 102 manual owner.

 

[T6ChrisO]

I had a 102 manual and IMO it really struggled uphill and at the time I lived in the Peak District so uphill was quite often . Had it mapped to roughly 150/160 and it was night and day the difference

 

[Sasquatch]

I had a 102 manual and IMO it really struggled uphill and at the time I lived in the Peak District so uphill was quite often . Had it mapped to roughly 150/160 and it was night and day the difference

The 150 has getting on for a hundred torques more than the 102 so that would be a big change. There's only 30 odd difference between the 110 and 150 so it's a far less marked change.

 

[EAN]

I've a 110bhp, 5 speed camper.
It can keep up with normal traffic and cruise at 70mph all day no problem.
Up steeper hills I have to drop down the gears, but it's not really an issue.
Biggest thing I have to remember is there is no 6th as I'm so used to having it from my car.
However I'm never in a rush in the camper so its perfectly ok and gets me to where I need to go.
I'd gladly have a 150bhp 6 speed, but I would drive it exactly the same, so probably wasted on me: except maybe changing down a gear or two on a steep hill.

 

[frankspencer1979]

As above I have 110 camper. It's the slowest thing I've ever driven, but of course it is, it's a camper van! It's perfectly fine driving round town or cruising on the motorway. Having never owned a van before, it does seem odd in 2025 that you can get a relatively new vehicle with only 5 gears, but what does it matter once you're up to speed with the cruise control on? Would like an auto though.....

 

[Pauly]

Just to be clear if in manual version the 110 will be 5 speed and the 150 will be 6 speed it’s just how they do it

 

[whodat]

Had to borrow a 110 for the day. It was icky compared to 150.

 

[Lubrown]

I had a 102 manual and IMO it really struggled uphill and at the time I lived in the Peak District so uphill was quite often . Had it mapped to roughly 150/160 and it was night and day the difference

I have the 102 and while it does struggle when fully loaded with four of us, the dog and all our holiday gear, it’s not a major issue for me as it’s only the steep long hills that really get to it. Half the time there is someone else slowing down too.

When it’s just the two of us and holiday gear (the kids are at that age now) it’s no problem.

I’ve never found pulling out at Junctions an issue - it’s got van gearing so is designed to be driven with a load on board. First is very low.

Our golf has the 150 engine and the ease it drifts along with is very relaxing (obviously it’s lighter anyway so not really a comparison) but I don’t personally feel a need to map the van or swap it just yet. It’s good for diesels to work hard. Gets them nice and hot… in fact when driving at pace the oil temp often says “LOL”

 

[danclarke]

Thanks all, that was really helpful, especially your reasons for answers.

I think we'll try to do a test drive of each to be sure but based on the above I'm thinking we'd likely be happy with the 110 for our needs if it helps save a little of our budget to spend on other features.

 

[bluezie]

The 150 (and the older CAAC 140) are the best choices for the Transporter. Both will happily go way faster than the limit on motorways, even fully loaded. The main reason is they are the most powerful without going Bi turbo, which have had loads of problems, and are extremely expensive to fix.
I test drove a T6 204bhp, and it didn't feel much faster than my 150 T6.1, and my similar weighted A6 quattro with 245bhp, feels massively faster than the 204 T6. This has also been noted on dyno tests during remaps, the Bi turbo doesn't always make its rated output, and the 150 tends to make more than its rated output.

 

[JPL]

Had a 150 t6 and a 110 t6.1 - both Manual kombis and used to run kids about with bikes and bits in the back - not a camper or for trade work

150 definitely felt pokey for a van - the 110 I assumed I would remap as soon as I got it but it has been perfectly fine and used to run about or travel from London to Bournemouth.

Best mods were suspension and tyres as you can just hold a little more speed in to the corners (not boy racer - more like a car pace vs a bus)

 

[JumpShip]

We have a 102 and its a little 'lacking' .
Always thought i'd map it as soon as it was out of warranty but theres always something else to spend your £500 on rather than a map .
The other consideration is that the 6 speed box is stronger and having had our 5 speed rebuilt then i'd gladly choose a 6speed next time round .

 

[Sasquatch]

The 6 speed manual has a higher torque capacity than the 5. Not surprising, seeing as its fitted to the higher output engines.

A search on this esteemed forum shows its not necessarily any more robust than the 5.

 

[Murdoch]

OP what are you going to use the van for most of the time?

I’ve just sold my 150 T6 and it was my work van with a lot of kit in it most of the time and it was fine. Empty it was rapid!

 

[danclarke]

@Murdoch Mostly for camping and backup 2nd vehicle around town on occasion

 

[Dellmassive]

150 with DSG