A4 Avant v A5 Sportback

[kancell10]

Hey guys, some of you may have seen my other thread about buying an A4 Avant SE auto which has been an ex-rental car. I have been into my local audi dealer today to explore more options before deciding, and they have tabled an offer on a new A5 Sportback SE which is intriguing me. I was intending purchasing the A4 outright via personal loan over three years, putting on about 20k miles a year. I was concerned slightly with the fact the A4 was an ex rental which only had the balance of 19 months of the 3 year warranty, and would prefer a manual over auto for economy reasons. The deal on the A5 is on a new car on a PCP basis, similar to the way I currently run my A3, and is £405 a month, £1500 deposit for 48 months, with the intention to cut PCP short after 36 months and move into new vehicle.

I am sorely tempted by this as I prefer the A5 sporty looks and leather interior, but with the beginnings of a family imminent I just wondered if anyone has experience of the practicalities of the A5 sportback? As far as I can see it is pretty much the same as the A4 in terms of legroom and width, a fraction less headroom in the rear, most noticeably in the centre seat. The boot footprint seems to be as large as even the A4 Avant, with the benefits of a hatchback and detachable parcel shelves over the saloon version. Realistically, how less practical would an A5 Sportback be over the A4 Avant though? I assume suitcases, pushchairs and all that sort of crap would still fit comfortably in the A5, just not have the option to pile stuff as high up into the boot.

[c.grex]

Ok here's the best tip for you when it comes to PCP.

use this:
Car Finance PCP Calculator (http://www.pcpcal.co.uk/)

and this:
http://www.drivethedeal.com/

Drive the deal will give you the best price for the car. enter the figures into the calculator and work out if the deal is a good one. discounts on A5/A4 are more or less the same, so you can do it for both.

Never forget that the final optional payment at the end can vary. I have always done ok out of PCP, but I know people whos final payment only be the same value as the trade value.

[kancell10]

just taking a look at that thanks, the offer was verbal so I don't have the overall price or gmfv on me, just deposit and monthly, awaiting call from dealer to clarify. on the face of it, that calculator doesn't seem to consider the mileage (20k per annum) but should this just be reflected in the gmfv figure i am given?

[c.grex]

just taking a look at that thanks, the offer was verbal so I don't have the overall price or gmfv on me, just deposit and monthly, awaiting call from dealer to clarify. on the face of it, that calculator doesn't seem to consider the mileage (20k per annum) but should this just be reflected in the gmfv figure i am given?

Yes gmfv is slightly higher if you are doing less miles. If the monthly payment is too high, you can con the PCP by lowering your mileage. so if you are defiantly going to keep the car or trade it in, you can set your mileage at 10k and then this will higher your gmfv and lower your monthly payment. When you come to trade it in, it will all depend on the trade value between 30k and 60k on the clock vs what the difference is in gmfv (hope that makes sense)

to use the calculator you need to have the gmfv and apr plus deposit. the dealer should give you a print out with the details on, if they don't ask your self why they are hiding something.

[kancell10]

right have been advised that car price is £26800, drive the deal offers £25520 (unknown additional charge for delivery to scotland though). when putting the figures into pcp calculator it works out at £389.60 and my local dealer is £405, not a huge amount more (£15). obviously a dealer in england is offering these cars in bulk to drivethedeal with a bit less margin than my local dealer. whilst i would obviously prefer to pay less, i am happy to support local business and the salesman that i was dealing with, even if it means i pay a little more. i would be more confident that if something were to go wrong, or i was looking for an early termination of pcp, that the relationship would stand for more than with a faceless finance company and car supplier.

[c.grex]

right have been advised that car price is £26800, drive the deal offers £25520 (unknown additional charge for delivery to scotland though). when putting the figures into pcp calculator it works out at £389.60 and my local dealer is £405, not a huge amount more (£15). obviously a dealer in england is offering these cars in bulk to drivethedeal with a bit less margin than my local dealer. whilst i would obviously prefer to pay less, i am happy to support local business and the salesman that i was dealing with, even if it means i pay a little more. i would be more confident that if something were to go wrong, or i was looking for an early termination of pcp, that the relationship would stand for more than with a faceless finance company and car supplier.

know where coming from. In that case i would be honest with the dealer and tell him that you have had a look on drive the deal and they are over 1k cheaper on the top line and offer free delivery (cars are free delivery in UK, so wouldn't have thought it would be loads to Scotland). Tell him you would love to buy from him, so what can he do about the difference. This is what i did and got a price in the end that was cheaper than DTD.

Oh and finance is always with VW finance so no difference, and as for the salesman, I loved our guy but 1 month later he left to go and work a Merc! so I wouldn't worry too much about them.

[s7gpt]

as a dad of 2 I can honestly say 4 doors are a must, after that as long as the push chair fits in the boot with shopping ( you'll be surprised how big they are ) then most cars are ok - remember the 'big' push chair will soon be replaced by a much smaller, easier to carry model once the novelty of the mammas and papas tag disappears ;)

[Phil K]

Can you as the dealer for an extended test drive (24hrs/overnight) so you can go about your business with both models and see which one fits best?

It's a tough decision, both are lovely cars with big boots and the final decision is so subjective only you can decide. I know when it came down to it for me I was swayed by the fact you get slightly better spec (but no leather) with the A4... I was looking at S Line though so that may not be the case for the SE!?!

[Soot1e]

Had both and found the A4 Avant to be more practical due to the boxy shape at the rear. The A5 Sportback does not give you a lot of height / length leeway due to the slope of the rear hatch.

[ScottyUK]

I pondered an A5 and then the Sportback came out just when I was getting my A4 Avant so it wasn't an option. The standard A5 is not so easy as a family car but the Sportback is much closer. It is a compromise of styling over functionality though. If your heart says Sportback then it's likely that'll be where you go and you can easily justify it as it's perfectly capable. However the A4 Avant does add some practical benefits. It may be a minor thing but I noticed there's no rear blinds available in the Sportback. OK you can go after market but it's just a sign that it's not so focused on the practicalities. The fact the A4 is a little narrow also means you can open doors wider for easier kiddy access in car parks etc.

It's a close all between them unless you're carrying washing machines etc ;)

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3628815/Car/A4/Image018%20%5B800x600%5D.jpg

[neebsta]

I had the same 2 up for consideration - but plumped for the A4 Avant as I really like the flexibility an estate offers. You can't get 3 in the back of an A5 Sportback as I don't think they have provision for a middle seat belt. We have 2 young children and often ferry 2 or 3 kids around so the third belt was important! Plus I really wanted a panoramic roof ;) I know you can get a pan roof on the A5 Sportback, but they are few and far between.

[kancell10]

thanks for the replies again, some happy news, i finally settled on the A5 SB with intentions of moving to an estate in 3 years once i might actually physically have a family ha ha. the A5 has a reasonable middle seat and belt, perhaps not for anyone taller than 5' 7" but luckily that pretty much covers 99.9% of my driving time!

i managed to negotiate the 177bhp model for same price as I was quoted for the 136bhp, which appears to be a good deal as dealership are now losing on the transaction. However they have four of the model to sell and are keen to move some on to hit targets so we are all happy with the deal. I am getting the one from the showroom, pictures below, absolutely delighted!!!

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