Newbie Seeking Advice

[stuartfoster]

Hi All, first post so be gentle!

Im looking to but a A4 s-line im considering either 1.8T (160) or the 2.0 tdi. I only do 9000 miles a year, mainly town driving do you think there be much difference in the MPG particularly as diesel is 10p litre more than petrol? Also how does the petrol compare to the diesel in terms of driveablility and power am I right in thinking that a 170bhp diesel may be released soon

What kind of discounts can i expect from the dealer, nearly 10% seems pretty standard with brokers so is this realistic and are audi competitve with their finance eg less that 8%. I hope to go and test drive one this weekend but its always good to background before negotiations start

My previous cars have all been 3 series BMW (inc a M3) but just find the new shape to boring, although a lovely car to drive. I presume the new A4 is a massive step up in terms of driving experience compared to the only audi i have previously had which was a 2000 A4 1.8t quattro sports which looked nice but was bloody awful to drive, rubbish ride and poor handling, and heavy on fuel. I sold it after 3months! Everything i read does seem to point to a big improvement with this car, has anyone gone from a 3 series to the new A4 who can offer a comparision?

Sorry for asking so many questions

Stu

[B6Andy101]

The French press has said the 170TDi will be available to order in July...heard nothing over here yet. Slightly higer emmissions but if your not a company car driver that shouldn't worry you.

I've been dring a B6 1.9 TDi diesel for the last four years, (120,000 miles) and its been a joy. Get 45mpg every day running around and uoto 50mpg on a good motorway run.

I've tried the petrol, which is without a doubt quicker off the mark, just prefer the torque of the diesel and being able to run 550 - 700 miles between filling up.

Just ordered an A4 2.0 TDi S Line Avant........

[browellm]

Differences in performance aside, on 9000 miles pa., financially there is only one choice - Petrol.

I heard an article on R5 yesterday they were saying where diesel used to make fiancial sense in the 15-20k miles pa. range, it's now over 30k miles per annum break even!

[_steve]

whilst the sums regarding mpg and the cost of diesel are valid, and as the price of diesel keeps on increasing they become more relevant, the difference in engine characteristics for me anway mean that its better having the grunt of a diesel versus the top end of a petrol.

I look after the a fleet of about 40 cars here, and the majority are diesels, we do have a couple of 2.0 petrol cars on the fleet a hyundai coupe (don't ask - its a company car scheme where the user gets full choice!) and a new TT 2.0, in the hyundai its soooo slow, and you really have to rev it hard to make any progress. In the Audi TT, which i think is 200bhp it drives and accelerates like my 140bhp 2.0 TDI Seat Altea when i drive it like a diesel - ie changing gears early, and being lazy on the m-way leaving the car in 6th, its only when you concentrate, and get your "race face" on does the extra bhp come to you and the TT comes alive.

For these rare moments the TT's 200bhp Petrol engine is good, but for day to day driving the grunt of a 140/143 bhp diesel suits me better, being able to leave the car in 6th on the motorway, and have the torque to overtake without dropping to 5th or 4th is nice. I've had 6 years of VAG diesels (first one was a Golf IV 130bhp which was a little belter!) and i think i'll be staying with diesels for a while yet.

[AUDI-NUT]

Hi All, first post so be gentle!

Im looking to but a A4 s-line im considering either 1.8T (160) or the 2.0 tdi. I only do 9000 miles a year, mainly town driving do you think there be much difference in the MPG particularly as diesel is 10p litre more than petrol? Also how does the petrol compare to the diesel in terms of driveablility and power am I right in thinking that a 170bhp diesel may be released soon

What kind of discounts can i expect from the dealer, nearly 10% seems pretty standard with brokers so is this realistic and are audi competitve with their finance eg less that 8%. I hope to go and test drive one this weekend but its always good to background before negotiations start

My previous cars have all been 3 series BMW (inc a M3) but just find the new shape to boring, although a lovely car to drive. I presume the new A4 is a massive step up in terms of driving experience compared to the only audi i have previously had which was a 2000 A4 1.8t quattro sports which looked nice but was bloody awful to drive, rubbish ride and poor handling, and heavy on fuel. I sold it after 3months! Everything i read does seem to point to a big improvement with this car, has anyone gone from a 3 series to the new A4 who can offer a comparision?

Sorry for asking so many questions

Stu

Its the petrol version everytime for me and on basis you are doing same type of mileage as me its what I would recommened.
Having test driven both the 1.8T and 2.0TDI I cannot say I noticed much difference in terms of driving experience apart from the 1.8T is a bit quicker of the mark. What sold it for me is just the general difference in engine noise, particulary on start up, the diesel is quieter than he has been in the past but still sounds like a tank compared with the petrol. Its nice to have some refinement in a car like the A4 and the diesel just makes a bit too much noise for me, when in traffic its quite noticeable, go with the petrol.

[AndyH123]

For what it's worth, I've done 2,500 miles in my 2.0 TDI A4 now.

I'm doing a mixture of bendy roads, motorway and nasty crawling each day. 30-40 miles.


If I drive like a granny I can average 48-50mpg on that journey.

If I have fun round the bends, that dips significantly to more like 45.

If I'm doing extended motorway trips then it gets up to 53ish. The real time figures are easily in the 60-70mpg's


Best run on a full tank of diesel so far - 575 miles. That was on a mixture of the above. It'll easily do 600 miles if you're doing extended m/way runs.


Yes, it's a little tractor like at times but you get a great boost through 2nd and 3rd. Plus it pulls itself along at precisely 5mph in 1st and 8mph in 2nd so crawling can occasionally be quite pleasant

[stuartfoster]

Thanks for all the advice so far, what kind of discounts have you managed to secure from dealers?

[Audi Nick]

I managed to get 5% from a dealer, but I had to walk away first and play all the cards I have.

I get my new car today, and this will be my fourth privately purchased Audi. I do not lease as I prefer to own my car and because of my mileage (35k per annum plus) it actually works out cheaper.

With a new model the dealers are still very reluctant to give discounts and Audi dealers are always very, very reluctant which is good as it help supports the second hand values.

I have gone for the 2.0 Tdi for fuel consumption, however the increase in diesel costs means that even with my mileage a petrol one may have been cost effective. I currently (well for the next 4 hours) drive a 2.7 Tdi A6 and from the test car found the difference in performance to be acceptable.

All in all, work the dealers there is a deal to be done. Plus, go for petrol, with your mileage you will find it more cost effective.

Good luck and enjoy the Audi Experience.

[stuartfoster]

Thanks Nick, very helpful. Are you purchasing the car on finance with the dealer if so what are their interest rates good? Im probably looking at a lease purchase with a final ballon payment (do audi offer this??)

Stu

[AndyE66]

I'd agree with Nick about petrol for that mileage. I currently do about 15-18k per year and petrol was a clear winner for me, all things considered.

Discount-wise I probably got about 5%. No finance so I can't tell you what the rates are like.