Buying an A4 Avant

[Full_Throttle]

Hello all,

I posted a question on here regarding an s5 however circumstances have changed and i will be needing something a lot more practical. The only car that takes my fancy is an A4 Avant however i have no idea which one to buy and what is the correct part to go down. Here is my dilemma....

I Would Like

Petrol but which one?
1.8 or 2.0? I don't want something that's sluggish and struggles to pull its own weight however can a 120ps be safely and reliably chipped to 170+ or am i better off getting a 2L? I want something that will also be reasonable on fuel but i don't do a lot of miles so a diesel is out of the question.

Sat Nav
Now i haven't really seen anything about this being retrofitted other than the alpine system so i think i would like to buy a car with it already installed. However, is the genuine Audi sat nav any good?

Comfort
I have never driven an A4 so i don't know how they ride but i don't want a stiff harsh ride, the problem is i love the S-Line spec but it says it comes with sports suspension... Now how sporty is sports suspension? Also would people recommend full leather?

Parking sensors front and rear
I love the creature comforts in my current car so parking sensors are pretty much a must.

Manual vs Auto?
What is the Auto transmission like in the A4? is it worth having or is the manual still king. Ideally because of the type of car it is i am thinking auto just for how easy it is. I want a comfortable easy to drive car with space but i don't want to be down on power.

Is there anything i should be looking out for with these cars? I am looking at B8 models, is there any mechanical things i should be aware of? Services is should have had (major ones) Milage issues, safety recalls, particular years to avoid etc.

Any help would be very much appreciated. I will hopefully be test driving a 2.0 TFSI tomorrow.

Regards
Steve

[MatC]

I have a 2015 2.0 TDI 177 automatic Avant SE Technic, which I am really happy with. As it's diesel I cant help with your fuel questions. However, I've never had an auto before, and after this one, I dont think I'll ever have a manual again. I got the paddles added to the steering wheel when i ordered the car, but that £250 gimic wore off after about a week - not used them since.

As for ride, I found the SLine that I test drove a bit too hard (I spilt my coffee when we hit a pothole! - the Audi salesman was driving at this point) , and I am very happy with the fatter tyres and more give in suspension, and I dont find it rolls badly around corners.

Satnav wise, as mine is SE Tech, it came with built in Satnav which is fine for navigating, usually chooses the same routes as Googlemaps, has a fine postcode database, gives instructions in plenty of time - it generally just works fine. BUT, it is really winding me up that the TDS traffic alerts are so slow to update, that they only tell you what traffic you are either sat in, or have driven through. Whereas googlemaps tells you what traffic you are heading for in plenty of time to take an alternative route. Therefore, i wish I had spent the extra £300 to get phone-prep high that would have given me a SIM card slot to allow googlemaps and traffic updates over 4G phone. As a result, I pretty much always use my phone's satnav, even when driving roads I know, just to get the ETA.

One thing that has shocked me is the expected tyre wear. I have done 12k miles since I got the car in June, and the front tyres are looking a lot lower on tread that I would hope. But then in hindsight, Ive never had a car with this much pull or automatic. I do get the ESP light flashing when i pull away at junctions, so maybe the extra power is my problem. The wear is even and symetrical, so I dont think its anything to worry about.

[Full_Throttle]

Hi Mat, cheers for the advise. i was originally looking at an S-Line but after reading some reviews i think the SE Technic is definitely the way to go. Glad to hear you are happy with the auto as thats what i am after! just trying to decide on the 2.0 or 1.8.

Regards
Steve

[sebgreen]

Simple solution. Go do some test drives. That way you can decide for yourself on the ride, engine power, gearbox etc.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Full_Throttle]

Ultimately that will be the deciding factor however i am trying to short list and then go from there. I sadly don't have the time to go round trying multiple cars... Once i have found the one i like i will test drive it and work out a deal from there.

[chrishamer]

Have you considered the 1.8 TFSI 170? I've got that engine in my A4 Saloon and it's pretty potent. It pulls as well as my last 2.0 diesel (same amount of torque) and happily revs to 7000 surprisingly delivering power all the way through the rev range.

Also pretty good economy vs the 2.0 TFSI - On the motorway driving carefully I get 45-48 MPG or combined with some city driving 38-42.

It'll definitely have enough power to pull the Avant. Obviously the 2.0 has a lot more but the trade off is fuel economy so that's up to you.