Audi A4 3.0 TDi Avant S Line

[chiefinspector]

Hi folks

Just joined the forum after viewing for a while. I have just purchased a 60 plate Audi A4 Avant 3.0 TDi S line after owning various Japanese cars and most recently a VW Passat. Came into a little bit of cash and have decided to go for an Audi as i have always wanted to own one. I pick the car up in 2 weeks time so i guess i am just curious as to how other owners of this vehicle find it and if i have made the right choice for a first time Audi driver.

[Guest 2]

welcome to vwaf

very good choice, you will love the car!

make sure to post pics when it comes.

[blueazman74]

Welcome to the site, I'm a noob to both the forum and Audi too :D

Loving the Audi though, I've got a B8 Avant 2.0TDi, SE not S Line though, I'm sure you'll love it too.

[chiefinspector]

Cheer guys. I'll certainly post some pics when i get the car. I opted for the S Line as i have always preferred cars with firmer suspension. It took me a while to find this car as there doesn't appear to be many available with manual transmission. Still, got it now and can't wait to pick it up:D

[c.grex]

interesting that you have gone for the manual. My dad has a manual, and after driving it I would only ever get a Auto 3.0TDi.

[dts439]

Its a really well built stylish looking car with a great engine but you are missing out by not going for the 7 speed S-tronic... All IMHO etc.

[chiefinspector]

I have never been a fan of automatic cars. Every car i have owned has been manual and when i decided to buy this car i wanted a manual one. I have not driven a car with S-Tronic before but i have heard mixed reviews about it. In that i mean for every person whp prefers a manual, someone else will prefer an S-Tronic. I maybe should have tried one to see for myself but it's too late now as i have already bought the car. I will for sure try one out when i come to buy another car.

[dts439]

Totally agree, I was of the same opinion until a friend bought his B7 3.0 TDI auto (his first ever auto). I was surprised by his choice (I had never had an auto either) so I tried both a local dealer's 3.0 TDI manual first and then my friends auto. The (torque converter) auto box just suited the car and took away all the diesel harshness and really drove like a different car. Probably 2mpg penalty over the manual but worth it. Early B8s had the same box as the B7 but most (like ours) now have the S-tronic/DSG. This gives you instant gear shifts and an extra higher 7th gear so the economy is probably better on motorways, at the expense of being more jerky in stop/start traffic and not so laid back as the torque converter box. I hope they do the Bi-Turbo with the 8 speed tiptronic in the B9 A4 next time.

Downside to both autos is its an expensive bit of kit if it goes wrong, so I'd always run it with a warranty... I also miss the manoueverabilty in car parks etc of a manual as it does feel more like a bus!

Enjoy your car, and pics/spec etc...

[chiefinspector]

What about 0-60 time? is the S-Tronic slightly quicker than the manual?

[AGW82]

What about 0-60 time? is the S-Tronic slightly quicker than the manual?

Not really, there's not much in it if you look at the current A4 brochure, in the real world though where not everyone makes perfect gear changes all the time (especially under hard acceleration) I'm sure the S-Tronic will be quicker.

[dts439]

The 240PS car was quoted as 6.3 to 0-62 for both manual and auto, the 245PS (current) had 6.3 for manual and 6.1 for auto. S-tronic is 40/45kg heavier. Manual 3.0 TDI is now deleted from the range.

In reality the S-tronic would be slightly quicker in most situations as you get a perfect gearchange every time. Being twin clutch what it can't do is jump down two gears like a manual, I'm not sure if it allows 3 but with the amount of torque it has its not really needed anyway.

[theskyfox]

Good Choice of Car, you will LOVE the 3.0TDi. It is the perfect balance of power and fuel economy. I too prefer manual gearboxes, and have had my TDI for a couple of years now. The only thing thats a minor inconvenience is the long warm up time.

-Andrew

[gdallas]

ive got a 3.0 sline a4 2009 and i have to say i love it. though what i really really hate abou it, is it thirst! i went from a 1.7 TDI corsa and used to fill it up only once a month, which was approx 60 quid. This bad boy requires a fill up every 2 weeks and its approx 80-90 quid a pop! for the same journey etc. i was convinced i must have hd aleak wheni first got it! lol

[chiefinspector]

ive got a 3.0 sline a4 2009 and i have to say i love it. though what i really really hate abou it, is it thirst! i went from a 1.7 TDI corsa and used to fill it up only once a month, which was approx 60 quid. This bad boy requires a fill up every 2 weeks and its approx 80-90 quid a pop! for the same journey etc. i was convinced i must have hd aleak wheni first got it! lol

I guess you dont buy the 3.0 for its fuel economy though!!! I'm fully prepared and aware that it is going to cost more to run than my current VW Passat 2.0 TDi 170 (which averages about 35mpg in town and 45mpg on the motorway) but i'm also sure it will be a lot more fun to drive. Passat cost £100 to fill the tank but that will normally last just under a month. I only drive about 20 miles a day commuting to work and the odd long run at the weekend so hopeful it won't break the bank:D.

I guess being a quattro doesn't help the mpg figures either.

[gdallas]

ye im very simmmilar to you, im 9 miles to work , so about 20 per day, plus teh occasional long drive at the weekend. i used to cry everytime i had to fill up, but ive kinda come to terms with it now haha

[chiefinspector]

Oh well, cheers for the heads up. I'm nowhere near as heavy footed as i used to be but it will be great to have a car with 200+ bhp again.

[skymaster]

It took me a while to find my 3.0 TDI S line manual... it's not a configuration that is abundant on the used market. Had to drive 150 miles to find the right car in the end! The 3.0 engine is awesome, 40+ MPG on a long run if you take it easy... Lets be honest, if you go back in time 20 years and imagine a 40 MPG car with 240 BHP it would have been fantasy... If you get it chipped then it becomes uber awesome... just shy of 300 BHP with a revo I think...

[chiefinspector]

It took me a while to find my 3.0 TDI S line manual... it's not a configuration that is abundant on the used market. Had to drive 150 miles to find the right car in the end! The 3.0 engine is awesome, 40+ MPG on a long run if you take it easy... Lets be honest, if you go back in time 20 years and imagine a 40 MPG car with 240 BHP it would have been fantasy... If you get it chipped then it becomes uber awesome... just shy of 300 BHP with a revo I think...

That is something i might look to get done. I did a bit of research and the Superchips website claims a 50BHP increase. Total cost is about £400 and there is a Superchips authorised garage not far from where i live. I've have owned cars previously that have been chipped and it did make a noticeable difference (especially turbo cars). Has anybody done this with the 3.0?

[skymaster]

Yes, Mine is chipped, A revo... A friend has an identical car (aside from the colour ;-) and if you drive them back to back mine is very noticeably quicker. Certain in gear accelerations give you that S4 feel of power... overtaking is just effortless... I won't be selling this car for years...

MPG after the revo is just the same, no more smoke ... in fact no negatives atall

[chiefinspector]

What about insurance? Was there a big increase in the premium once you got the chip installed?

[theskyfox]

Haha I know what you mean about the fuel economy. I've got a 1.6TDi Ford Focus Company car at the moment which runs on fresh air, though ironically it drinks just as bad when the traffic shows up! Its going to be really noticeable when I switch back to my 3.0 in a few months time. I couldn't find my car with a manual gearbox on the secondhand market, so ended up buying new (back in 2011). I probably had one of the last units to have a manual gearbox.

I did consider getting mine chipped, but I've decided not to for the minute. The first reason that put me off is the newer ECUs are encrypted, so they literally need to break them open and put them on a hardware bench to actually do it now? (totally voiding your warranty on that part). I'm also a bit concerned on the effects on other components - mostly the DPF (which will fill quicker), clutch (which will wear quicker) and the EGR value (which also dies far quicker?). Not to say that I wouldn't have it done, but when I'm driving to Luton every day I need a car thats guaranteed to be reliable for a long term.

-Andrew

[chiefinspector]

Well, I picked up the new car and I can honestly say that I love it. I had to travel 300 miles to pick it up but once I drove it for the first time I knew I had to have it. Driving all that distance back I was quite surprised that the mpg was almost identical to my Passat (approx 43mpg) but it is worse in town driving. The MMI is also fantastic and I have been playing about with it for hours trying to suss everything out. Overall I'm delighted with this car and just want to drive it all the time. I'll post some pics once I've given it a clean:o