Which engine/transmission?

[NicoS85]

Greetings everybody. New member here hoping for some wisdom from yourselves.

A little introduction about me. My wife and I are expecting our first baby in a few months, so it's time that I got rid of my Honda S2000 for something more practical. I've considered the options, watched and read reviews, had a test drive and I've decided that the new A4 is the perfect car for my families needs.

The car I test drove was a S line 2.0 TDI S tronic. Most reviewers say this is the one to get and I'm fine with that. The thing is in the second hand market which is where I'm looking at, you can find 2.0 TDI, 2.0 TFSI and 3.0 TDI all similarly priced. Now I'm sure most people would want to get the most out of their money so the 3.0 TDI would make the most sense since it's the same price. However I don't know how the Tiptronic gearbox compares with a S tronic.

One of my mates who used to work at a Audi dealership told me that S tronic is dual clutch and Tiptronic is single. I know that dual clutch transmissions are very smooth, so does that mean the Tiptronic isn't? Also are there any reliability issues with either of them? My cousin who is a petrol head tells me that the most recent iterations of both transmissions are the best they've ever been and I shouldn't worry, but I'd like the opinion of people such as you who drive their A4's daily.

Regarding the engines I've always bought petrol cars but I'm willing to get a TDI this time for the fuel savings. (Having a baby really changes a man...) The claimed mpg figures from Audi there's not much difference between 2.0 and 3.0. What I'm more concerned with is again reliability between the two. Also should I expect servicing costs for a 3.0 to be a lot more expensive than a 2.0 due to the extra spark plugs etc?

Look forward to seeing what you all think.

Regards,

Nico

[zollaf]

what annual mileage do you do and what sort of driving is it, i.e. slow town stuff, open roads, motorways.. all a decisive factor when it comes to petrol vs diesel, and what sort of budget do you have

[NicoS85]

I do around 7000 miles a year. My commute is only 4 miles and only 2 of those miles is on a dual carriageway so I'm not sure if this will cause me any problems with the dpf. The cars I'm looking at are just under £30k with pretty much all the options that I would have picked if I bought new. They're all 16 plate, does anyone know what the road tax is for each engine?

[zollaf]

i wouldnt be looking at a diesel myself, sure they do more mpg's but at that mileage if economy was a real concern then you would be looking at a polo 1.4 tdi. with a 30k budget and 7k annual miles, i would be looking at something real nice.....

[NicoS85]

The new A4 is real nice no? Lol

But seriously with a baby on the way and prams etc to consider, a polo really isn't going to cut the mustard.

I still enjoy driving aswell so a big family barge isn't something I'd ever consider either.

No it really came down to either the new A4 or the current 3 series which is a bit long in the tooth now. That's why I've decided on the Audi.

I guess I might consider the TFSI if a TDI won't benefit me much.

[zollaf]

the tdi will probably give you problems with such short mileage. not saying you should get a polo, what i am saying is get something with a bigger engine, like an rs6...

[Old Nick]

Although I own a B9 diesel (Sept 16), if I had a choice now it would have to be petrol as the residual price on diesels is falling like a stone and for the sort of mileage you are doing the petrol version of whatever model Audi you decide on is going to be better value - in my opinion.

[zollaf]

you also have to consider whether you will be able to drive your diesel in your chosen town or city in the near future, with this crackdown on diesels going on, you might find yourself paying 20 quid a day on top of everything else.

[mikecassie]

I'd go for the petrol if I was in your situation.

[NicoS85]

Okay thanks for all the input guys! Hopefully will be in a A4 soon :)

[cowcatcher]

I have a 190hp Tdi A4 S-line stronic. It's a really nice car and I'm very impressed with it. However, a mate of mine who works in the trade says the stronic can be fraught with problems and wouldn't advise anyone buying one. Mine is a leased through the company, so cost to fix it is someone else's problem! Personally I haven't had an issue but then it is only 3 months old. With you mileage petrol is the bette option, plus the fact that diesel is sure to to be priced out before too long and no one will want a second hand oil burner, even if it does do 55+ mpg


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