Buying advice: 170Tdi

[mark_eire]

Forgive me if this has been asked dozen's of time's before but I'm going to hopefully be getting an A4 2.0Tdi 170 for my fiancee very soon.
We're getting married next year and need to sell both our car's and just get something decent to do us both. I've just sold my '07 Golf Gti DSG which was fantastic but have now got a '98 Volvo 850R (300bhp) to get to work, she on the other hand does a lot of mileage (mainly bringin her mum to every shopping centre in Ireland!!)
Therefore, I have chosen an A4 170 Tdi as the car of choice, It would cut the fuel bill as she currently has a Golf GT 170 petrol which is quite thirsty!

Anybody any advice on what to look for and what to avoid?
What spec should I look for?
I have alway's had fairly high spec cars e.g. xenon's, sat nav, leather but haven't come across many A4's with this kind of spec!

Cheer's in advance :fing02:

[urbanaspect]

I can't imaginge you'll be dissappointed with the 170bhp version which has more torque than a Mercedes SL350, Subaru Impretza WRX, Focus ST and Porsche Cayman S and BMW 330i (according to the review I just read!)

The engine first came out on a 56 reg I think (definately in 2006). At this time as the B8 was on the horizon Audi did some good deals on extra's - specifically DVD Sat nav, Bose stereo upgrade and the S-Line spec so you should be able to pick up a decent spec easily.

Check out the special edition (started on a 56 plate I think) with RS4 alloys, 170 engine, leather and BOSE stereo.

Even as an owner of a 170 I would also consider a 140 version (possibly cheaper on tax / insurance though not certain) and get it remapped to 170 for around £250.

[KQuattro]

I can't imaginge you'll be dissappointed with the 170bhp version which has more torque than a Mercedes SL350, Subaru Impretza WRX, Focus ST and Porsche Cayman S and BMW 330i (according to the review I just read!)

The engine first came out on a 56 reg I think (definately in 2006). At this time as the B8 was on the horizon Audi did some good deals on extra's - specifically DVD Sat nav, Bose stereo upgrade and the S-Line spec so you should be able to pick up a decent spec easily.

Check out the special edition (started on a 56 plate I think) with RS4 alloys, 170 engine, leather and BOSE stereo.

Even as an owner of a 170 I would also consider a 140 version (possibly cheaper on tax / insurance though not certain) and get it remapped to 170 for around £250.

Good advice, S-Line is a must plenty about to choose from. A fair few will have leathers and maybe the bose system, both a must if your used to having things like that. Xenons will be hard to come by but certainly seen a few out there....the factory RNS-E Nav system can be installed afterwards for about £500.

[Jaco45er]

Hi Mark

I just bought my 1st Audi (had Scooby's and Mondeo's before, strange combo I know). I opted for the S-line Special Edition TDI. I actually bought it without seeing it (needed a car quick for work) and put a bid in at a main dealer over the phone.

I must say mate it is probably the best car I have ever had, full leather, Alloys etc (as mentioned) and if you love your gadgets, the SE has the MMI with bluetooth voice control and a pair of SD card readers behind the screen.

I am getting about 43 MPG too on a run so an all round great package.

[ukbatman]

Mark

Be very aware, although I love my 170 I have now had 2 of them

Possible soon to be 3

read this post

http://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=53936

[scoobasteve]

Forgive me if this has been asked dozen's of time's before but I'm going to hopefully be getting an A4 2.0Tdi 170 for my fiancee very soon.
We're getting married next year and need to sell both our car's and just get something decent to do us both. I've just sold my '07 Golf Gti DSG which was fantastic but have now got a '98 Volvo 850R (300bhp) to get to work, she on the other hand does a lot of mileage (mainly bringin her mum to every shopping centre in Ireland!!)
Therefore, I have chosen an A4 170 Tdi as the car of choice, It would cut the fuel bill as she currently has a Golf GT 170 petrol which is quite thirsty!

Anybody any advice on what to look for and what to avoid?
What spec should I look for?
I have alway's had fairly high spec cars e.g. xenon's, sat nav, leather but haven't come across many A4's with this kind of spec!

Cheer's in advance :fing02:

I've got a 2006 (56) b7 Sline Avant and in all honesty its the best car i've ever owned and I've had some decent motors (BMW's, Impreza's, Merc's, R32's etc).

Ride quality is just right, build quality is excellent and feels as tight as day one (50K on clock).

Fuel Economy is good (600 to tank).

A fantastic family car, can't fault it. Only regre was not getting heated leather seats but hey ho.

If you have an IPOD/ IPHONE get the XCarlinks kit, awesome.

Cheers
Steve

[JohnH]

I'm going to stick my neck out here and say 'don't'....

Before you go for my jugular - I have had several Audis and love the understated stying, brilliant interiors and build quality - but...

I guess I'm offering a counter point but I've run an SE 170TDi for nearly 2 years as a company car and cannot recommend it - I'm test driving replacements at the moment and the B8 (for instance) demonstrates just how coarse and thirsty the previous 170TDi PD engine is - let alone (dare I mention it) when compared to a BMW or Honda diesel.

It has never delivered anything like the promised economy (40mpg ish), until a belated ECU fix it was 'peaky' to say the least - nothing until 2K rpm then 'everything'. Finally with FWD you can always tell it's got so much torque - not nice really ?

If you can afford a quattro (I avoided one because of CO2) then I'm sure it'll be far nicer to drive - but I expect the fuel economy will suffer.

It's also had a new steering rack and clutch, whilst this doesn't put me off the fuel economy does, after several Audis it may well be my last I'm sad to say.

An awful lot of kit is optional on the B7 - S-lines don't even have cruise or electric windows in the back 'as standard', but the B8 can beat this - a glovebox light is an optional extra !

[ukbatman]

I'm going to stick my neck out here and say 'don't'....

Before you go for my jugular - I have had several Audis and love the understated stying, brilliant interiors and build quality - but...

I guess I'm offering a counter point but I've run an SE 170TDi for nearly 2 years as a company car and cannot recommend it - I'm test driving replacements at the moment and the B8 (for instance) demonstrates just how coarse and thirsty the previous 170TDi PD engine is - let alone (dare I mention it) when compared to a BMW or Honda diesel.

It has never delivered anything like the promised economy (40mpg ish), until a belated ECU fix it was 'peaky' to say the least - nothing until 2K rpm then 'everything'. Finally with FWD you can always tell it's got so much torque - not nice really ?

If you can afford a quattro (I avoided one because of CO2) then I'm sure it'll be far nicer to drive - but I expect the fuel economy will suffer.

It's also had a new steering rack and clutch, whilst this doesn't put me off the fuel economy does, after several Audis it may well be my last I'm sad to say.

An awful lot of kit is optional on the B7 - S-lines don't even have cruise or electric windows in the back 'as standard', but the B8 can beat this - a glovebox light is an optional extra !

I would agree with JohnH. After 8 Years and ten Audi's I'm now considdering giving up on them, I'm now facing taking legal action againt a company who wont admit the car they sold me was scrap basically.

My 170 must be the worst Audi I have ever owned, the fuel consumption is awful, to the degree I'm left wondering if it may have been cheaper to have an S3.

[Tris]

Thought i would post a quick reply here.

My experience of a 08 Reg A4 B7 2.0TDI 170 S-Line Avant Quattro Special Edition has been nothing but so far positive.

I an getting 42mpg on a run (the car only has 12K on the clock), and 35-38 round town. And that's driving normally (i am only 30 after all !! ;) )

I will admit that the 3-series may well offer better MPG, and may well have the better engine, but my experience of equipment levels is that the Audi's win hands down, and are aprox £3,000 cheaper than the equivalent 3 series touring.

I am on my 4 audi in a row and ive been happy with them all. Yes, the chrome bubbled and i had a clutch judder problem in my old 140 TDI, but this was sorted under warrentee by the dealer.

Like most things in life, it is sometimes not the product, but the local dealer which is the problem. Ive so far been lucky experiencing a good main dealer (bedford) and a good independent (http://www.liongarage.co.uk/)

[JohnH]

You have to be so careful when posting anything critical - it is only a point of view after all, I was nervous of recounting my 'experiences' with the 170TDi.

I'd agree that the fuel economy of my FWD is about what I'd naively expected of a quattro, my perspective is very much that of a company car driver where HMRC brackets any sub 2.0ltr diesel with a 1.4ltr diesel for mileage rates and back in the summer you couldn't actually cover the fuel for the money with this engine.....

I think (from observation) the fuel economy of this particular engine is just so variable between cars and sensitive to ECU levels etc - dealerships always use the 'it's the way you drive it' excuse, however now I'm in the market for a replacement they candidly admit that many people have been disappointed by this engine !

I see lots of posts about the DPF, so maybe this is the core of the problem - a chipped 140TDi wouldn't be saddled with this ?

As for spec, the current E91 3 Series has reverse park senors, cruise control and proper interior lights (you can tell how irritated I was by the lack of a glovebox light on the B8 here :D) which would cost you £800 on a B8, then the lease cost (my metric) which is largely based on the depreciation is about the same as the B8 - the E91 boot is tiny though.

[matt3845]

I can't imaginge you'll be dissappointed with the 170bhp version which has more torque than a Mercedes SL350, Subaru Impretza WRX, Focus ST and Porsche Cayman S and BMW 330i (according to the review I just read!)

The engine first came out on a 56 reg I think (definately in 2006). At this time as the B8 was on the horizon Audi did some good deals on extra's - specifically DVD Sat nav, Bose stereo upgrade and the S-Line spec so you should be able to pick up a decent spec easily.

Check out the special edition (started on a 56 plate I think) with RS4 alloys, 170 engine, leather and BOSE stereo.

Even as an owner of a 170 I would also consider a 140 version (possibly cheaper on tax / insurance though not certain) and get it remapped to 170 for around £250.
#
Hi,
Where is the best place to get a 140 engine remapped to 170? I have a 10month old 140PS A4 2.0TDI and it could do with a spot more poke in hilly areas. not sure what it will do to the fuel consumption tho'

[ukbatman]

You have to be so careful when posting anything critical - it is only a point of view after all, I was nervous of recounting my 'experiences' with the 170TDi.

I'd agree that the fuel economy of my FWD is about what I'd naively expected of a quattro, my perspective is very much that of a company car driver where HMRC brackets any sub 2.0ltr diesel with a 1.4ltr diesel for mileage rates and back in the summer you couldn't actually cover the fuel for the money with this engine.....

I think (from observation) the fuel economy of this particular engine is just so variable between cars and sensitive to ECU levels etc - dealerships always use the 'it's the way you drive it' excuse, however now I'm in the market for a replacement they candidly admit that many people have been disappointed by this engine !

I see lots of posts about the DPF, so maybe this is the core of the problem - a chipped 140TDi wouldn't be saddled with this ?

As for spec, the current E91 3 Series has reverse park senors, cruise control and proper interior lights (you can tell how irritated I was by the lack of a glovebox light on the B8 here :D) which would cost you £800 on a B8, then the lease cost (my metric) which is largely based on the depreciation is about the same as the B8 - the E91 boot is tiny though.

I too have been looking at this, and looking at BMW's I found the 3.0D 245Bhp will do a staggering 49 MPG.

Not bad from a 6 pot 3.0 engine.

The build quality on the BMW seems far superior to the Audi A4 also

[JohnH]

Well (confession time) - I just had an E91 330d M-Sport Auto for the weekend and easily managed 47mpg over 300 miles, the engine is amazingly smooth and powerful (although so is the Audi 3.0ltr V6 in fairness, also the new CR 170TDi in the B8 is very refined too).

I can compare it directly to my B7 and the B8 I had the week before, my impression (it is after all only opinion) of perceived quality is that the B7 is best, followed by the E91 and then trailed by the B8. The switchgear and centre console in the B8 were particularly disappointing (especially compared to the B7). And did I mention the glovebox light being an optional extra in the B8 ?:zx11:

The E91 has an oddly shaped and small boot, but I suspect I'll live with it - my order for a 330d manual is probably going in tomorrow. I started looking at the 320d but then I realised that the lease cost (on the 330d) is actually less than a B8 170CR TDi S-Line Avant specced to match (optional extras hurt lease costs badly if you want a short term), tax is a bit higher (CO2 is 155 - just 1% more BIK tax than than my current B7 170TDi PD FWD) but overall I'm sad to say that Audi just lost a customer because I've lost confidence in their fuel economy claims, otherwise I'd have never even considered a BMW.

[ukbatman]

Well (confession time) - I just had an E91 330d M-Sport Auto for the weekend and easily managed 47mpg over 300 miles, the engine is amazingly smooth and powerful (although so is the Audi 3.0ltr V6 in fairness, also the new CR 170TDi in the B8 is very refined too).

I can compare it directly to my B7 and the B8 I had the week before, my impression (it is after all only opinion) of perceived quality is that the B7 is best, followed by the E91 and then trailed by the B8. The switchgear and centre console in the B8 were particularly disappointing (especially compared to the B7). And did I mention the glovebox light being an optional extra in the B8 ?:zx11:

The E91 has an oddly shaped and small boot, but I suspect I'll live with it - my order for a 330d manual is probably going in tomorrow. I started looking at the 320d but then I realised that the lease cost is actually less than a B8 170CR TDi S-Line Avant specced to match (optional extras hurt lease costs badly if you want a short term), tax is a bit higher (CO2 is 155 - just 1% more BIK tax than than my current B7 170TDi PD FWD) but overall I'm sad to say that Audi just lost a customer because I've lost confidence in their fuel economy claims, otherwise I'd have never even considered a BMW.

John, Me too

Just waiting for the tight gits at nottingham to refund my money then I will be "running all the way" to BMW for my 330D Coupe.

Im sorry everyone who has an A5 but did Audi think if they made their cars look like BMW's we would buy more of them....

Not me I prefer the real McCoy.

I must admit I did test drive the 320D and it was a poor mans BMW, very clunky and notchy, and didnt seem to be able to give the consumption of the 330D.

So everyone beaware, check out BMW you might be some what surprised, and remeber the words of Jeremy Clarkson

"all Audi drivers are ***** !!!!!"

[elPaulio]

So everyone beaware, check out BMW you might be some what surprised, and remeber the words of Jeremy Clarkson

"all Audi drivers are ***** !!!!!"

Hmm... whilst I normally agree with everything Jezza says....:beerchug:
And if you were to take the full statement, all the ***** that were in BMW's are now driving Audis soooo... there must be some reason for them moving!!

TBH, I quite fancied a 330D when I was looking for cars but the missus doesn't like BM's at all so that was a no go!!

Hope you have better luck with the BM mate :biglaugh:

Paul :biglaugh: