A4 avant Quattro diesel. 2litre or 3 litre ?

[Bartx]

Hi
I'm in the market for a Quattro diesel estate and wondered on arguments for/against the 2L and 3L ?
Realistic mpg ? Running costs ? What is too high a mileage to be buying a 6/7 year old car for these ?
It's the SE I'm after due to the higher ride height (am I right in thinking SE has more clearance than the S line ?)
many thanks

[Guest 2]

Drive both - I have he 3.0 in my A6

Excellent power and torque and because of quattro, unrivalled grip when needed.

I've had mine since 2009 and posted a thread of my current costs - Running Costs .. 2009-Present

Mileage isn't a problem but make sure it has a full audi history and if you can, buy from a dealer of some sort.

Mpg around town is anything from 15-22mpg and motorway will return anything 36-44mpg.

The SE has softer springs and an increased ride height so it will provide a smoother ride.

Do a search on here, it's all been covered before

[Thon]

I went through exactly the same thought process, including the ride height question. I drove a couple of S-Line A4 and A3 and found the ride unnecessarily harsh for my style of driving so opted for the SE, which is still fairly stiff and gives those extra few inches of ride height. Another benefit is that you get higher-profile (and hence cheaper and less likely to be pothole-damaged) tyres so for the cost of a set of the "rubber band" S-Line tyres I have a set of winter and summer wheels and tyres. This winter they have really paid for themselves with the temperatures we've "enjoyed" :-)

On the engine question, the money I had available (£10K-ish) in December 2011 was enough for a 2.0 TDI Quattro Avant S-Line in my mileage range (up to 60K) but there was a question mark over the reliability of those engines re: oil pump chain drives, etc (all well-documented stuff). It seemed to me that I could / should steer clear of these possible problems by simply going for the 3.0 V6 TDI engine which seems to suffer less from inherent issues. You also get a more satisfying engine noise and a chunk more torque, although not as much as I was expecting. Mine is the pre-DPF version with only 204 ps.

I paid £9250 for my 2005 (55) SE Avant TDI at 50K miles, FSH, etc. It now has 70K miles, and was just serviced and had front rotors, pads and rear pads replaced for £800. Fuel is around 38MPG long term average. It has full leather, cruise, 6 speed box, etc.

Very, very happy with it. Excellent roadholding, handling is a tad cumbersome and understeery but very controllable.

[allanmb]

Personally, between the two, I would go for the 3.0TDi as it sounds much better (less tractor-like) and offers more power but, more importantly, the 3.0 seems to suffer from less problems. Having said that, with petrol being up to 10% cheaper than diesel these days, the difference between fuel costs on a 3.2 petrol and 3.0TDi aren't vast, plus the petrol has less maintenance costs...

[Bartx]

Thanks for advice guys
Thats some expensive tyres you got Chris. Forgive my ignorance but what is a Le Mans compared to a S line and SE ?
It will be mainly my Mrs's car so I think the SE is more suitable.
I had thought the 2.0 would be fine but maybe the 3.0 may be more sensible from a reliability point.

[Guest 2]

Mine is the 233bhp and its sufficient torque and power for the size and weight of the A6. Still pushes you into the back of your seat when you gun it!

Le Mans is a special edition above the S-Line which includes pearlescent paint, rear sensors, interior lighting pack, heated seats and 19" 7 arm double spoke alloys.

I bought mine when it was 1 year old for less than half price when new!

Bargain of the century plus I seem to be in an exclusive club as Night Blue pearlescent is a rare colour!

Have a look at A6 Avants if you can!

[jdp1962]

That's a beautiful looking car, Chris.

To the original poster, I would recommend the 3.0TDi over the 2.0TDi all day long. Way way more refined. The power delivery really is seamless and effortless, and when mated with a tiptronic auto, gives just the most perfect combination for motorway and trunk road driving. Meanwhile, because it's a Quattro, I can drive safely (but still very carefully) in snow.

I had mine re-mapped last year. There are two routes for re-mapping a 3.0TDi, the traditional performance route which typically produces circa 275bhp & 450 Lb/ft of torque, or an economy map, which "only" gives circa 255bhp & 385 lb/ft of torque, but optimises fuel economy at steady cruising speeds. I went for the latter, because it suited my driving mix. It still represents a big jump over the already generous stock outputs, and makes a supremely good engine even better.

If running costs were such that you felt obliged to go for a 4-cylinder rather than a V6, then I'm minded to suggest you look around for a 1.9TDi rather than a 2.0TDi. Not as powerful obviously - albeit again you can get it remapped - but it is a much more reliable engine than the 2.0TDi. Only thing, I think B7s with the 1.9TDi engine are a bit thin on the ground.

[Thon]

.... The power delivery really is seamless and effortless, and when mated with a tiptronic auto, gives just the most perfect combination for motorway and trunk road driving. ....

I have the manual 6 speed and although it is a decent 'box and shifts well, I would 100% agree that a Tip would suit the engine characteristics better. I probably get slightly better fuel consumption I guess but I think a tip would make it a far nicer drive on anything other than M-way.

I would also vouch strongly for the 1.9 TDI, being on my 3rd (in a Passat). A really excellent engine.

[Bartx]

Thanks for info guys.
After chris's advice, I'm trying to compare the different avants... A4 v a6.
I can see the a6 is 224mm longer and 24mm wider. But where is most of the extra room ?
is it more legroom, boot space or engine bay space ?
Im guessing a combination but would be interested on people's opinions.