Thinking of getting an A4 2.0 TDI 143 - good choice?

[Jasonz]

Hi all, I thought I'd get your advise on my next car as I'm thinking of an A4. I've got £11k to play with, but will want the Diesel 143 version [08 or newer].

I like the look of this car, and is sort of quick (under 10sec 0-60). However is there any known problems with this car? I would be getting this car serviced/maintained by an independent garage (who's always done my families cars) and not an Audi dealer.

I was thinking about the BMW E90 (good engines) but decided against BMW due to the maintenance costs as parts are expensive.

But how do people find the fuel economy on this car? My current car, with starship mileage, is a VW golf 1.9 TDI 130pd, and I truelly get 50mpg between tank fills. As this car says it will do 53mpg, is that possible - assuming you stay below 75 on the m/way? I do 20k miles a year so fuel costs is a big consideration.

I also want to keep to German cars, and have always like VW - however I'm not keen on the Passat and can't afford the new one out.

What's your opinions then? Is the A4 a good car to chose? Is the 170 version worth the extra cash? What options should I get with this car?

[theskyfox]

The 143bhp will be very economical, especially if you get it in a Manual/Front wheel drive variation...easily comparible to your 1.9TDi. Get 17" alloys on it instead of 18/19" and youll get the most MPG. Im pretty sure that most people with this car easily get 500+ miles to a full tank of diesel.
As far as I know, the 170bhp has different injectors/turbo..and has a little more poke in the mid-range..with slightly reduced MPG (obviously..you cant have more power and MPG). If you want a bit of a sportier drive then its probably worth the upgrade as it will
still give you very good MPG on a long run.

Overall the A4 is pretty reliable, the usual suspect problem tends to be the Diesel Particulate Filter which can get clogged if you are only driving around town/doing short mileage.

Optional Extras...youll get different opinions on it and its really horses for courses. Id say at the very least make sure you get the interior lighting pack . Parking sensors are useful too.

As an owner of the current gen A4 I can only say that I truely LOVE the car and use any excuse to get out and drive it. Even though Ive got the bigger engine..it still returns 45mpg on a long run and feels rock solid.

Hope that helps!

-Andrew

[John140]

I have the TDI 143 and I love it. It makes the old B7 2.0 TDI seem very rough indeed !
Fuel economy-wise I have only done 14K so far but on some journeys sticking to 70-75 I have been getting 50 MPG. In fact my new car was as economical after 5K miles as the B7 TDI 14o was after 30K miles.
You should get PD 130 style fuel economy with some miles on the engine, but the 130 AWX was a marvelous engine for efficiency.
Regarding DPF issues, I have had no problem at all with mine, and to be honest I think VaG have given all of their cars a bit more DPF capacity after all of the problems they'd had in the last couple of years anyway. So unless you constantly do extreme round-town driving in congestion, I would not give it another thought. £11k budget may be tight though, you should pick up am 08 or 58 with moderate to higher miles on for this.

[Jasonz]

Thanks for the replies. 500 miles seems low for a 65ltr tank, I would expect 600 to be the norm (50mpg @ 65 ltrs = >700miles). I got 500 miles in my golf without even trying, and I don't drive like miss daisy.

You can pick up 08 plate A4s with 80k on the clock from £10k, I could afford more if I wait longer and save up a bit more. I would also look to get 3yr old >60k miles as people generally don't get rid of them until they are out of warranty. Should I stay clear of the cheaper prices then? I won't be looking to buy until Feb/March (well, spring really).

[xtremist]

I've owned my 58 reg A4 for nearly 2 years and covered about 35k miles. I've never seen my average mpg anywhere near 50mpg, it's nearer 44, admittedly if you take it easy, drive economically, you might. I drive my car to make ‘good progress’ which is probably why I get mid 40’s mpg. I get betyween 500 and 550 miles / tank.

As for problems, my emission light came on a month or 2 ago, couldn’t get it cleared myself, DPF warning light also came on so it went to an independent garage who replaced a sensor (£120 ish) and all is well. Car is well built as you’d expect from Audi and equipment levels are good (obviously dependant on who 1st bought it).

I plan on keeping mine for a few years, at least until 100k

[markp306]

Agree on the mpg front - 50mpg on the DIS is a struggle unless you keep to 70 (and no more) on the motorways. The claimed urban figure is a challenge too, although it is possible with a light foot. Not sure what other's think but from experience I would knock about 5 mpg off the urban and combined published consumption figures and work on that, although each of us here have different amounts of lead in our feet.

I also have had an aircon pressure switch failure (fairly common I believe) and a couple of ECU failures for steering wheel controls/traction control and handbrake release functions to get fixed. Also check for clutch judder/slip problems.

Otherwise it is a great car and most likely even better with 170PS.

[Eddo1968]

I've just swapped from the 3.0TDi to the TDI 143, and I can really feel those missing 100 horses! However saying that, around town it feels nippier and more agile, and the reduced engine weight makes a difference. I've only done about 150kms in it and few motorway miles but it doesn't feel that underpowered. I haven't had a chance to do the ultimate test which is the autoroute toll booth tearaway where you can really see how quick you can get it to 130km/h from standstill. the 3.0 could burn off most things, which I doubt the new one will be able to!

[magt1000]

I have a 58 plate 143 Tdi SE Avant with 90k on the clock. I purchased it 21 months ago with 34k on the clock.

In general it is a nice car although ride is not very comfortable at low speed and my average fuel economy is 45 mpg, I think you will do well to get 50.

I've also had the following problems:

Dashboard key lock replaced (known fault - replaced under warranty)
Failure of track on heated rear window (replaced under warranty)
Flue flap actuator replaced (known fault - replaced under warranty)
DPF sensor failure (known fault - replaced under warranty)
Ongoing problem with intermittent clutch slip (suspected mechanical issue rather than wear). I haven't taken the plunge to have this looked at yet because the cost to get the gearbox off and investigate is astronomical!

I'm thinking of trading mine in for something else quite shortly because the number of problems and the fact I'm now out of warranty means I could be facing some big bills....

[Jasonz]

I'm thinking of trading mine in for something else quite shortly because the number of problems and the fact I'm now out of warranty means I could be facing some big bills....

What you thinking of getting if you do change your car? Are you looking for a more economical car as you do 30+k miles per year? you must be paying nearly £4.5k in fuel per year...Yikes!

[richard100]

I've had BMW's and my current A4 143 Tdi. The DIS on my car over 40k miles has always been around the 40mpg mark, and I believe that is over-reading by close to 8%. That's through a rough 50/50 mix of town and motorway driving. There's no doubt in my mind that you'll get better fuel economy with a 320D, and the servicing won't be any more expensive than the Audi. I went for the A4 Avant purely on looks, and for those I'm very glad.