Audi A4 Diesel??

whicawha

Alright lads,

Posting this on behalf of a friend. She is in the Market for a new car and is looking at the Audi A4. She travels every morning Lietrim to Letterkenny so fuel economny is a huge factor. He father told her that the quattro diesels are heavy on fuel at the best of time and she doesnt feel the need to go petrol.

What are your opions on this?

Thanks

Moanin

If buying new hold off until next year when the new model comes out.If buying second hand try to go for the 1.9 130bhp tdi or from 2005 onwards 2.0 140 bhp tdi

yop

good motor, get the 130 bhp. Average in between 40-50mpg.

I get in or about 630 miles for a 62 euro fill.

peasant

The quattro bit does push up the fuel consumption by about 0.5 -1 Liter per 100 km.

It does make the car so much safer though ...especially on wet and bad roads.

Well worth the additional fuel consumption in my opinion, especially considering the state of the roads up here in the Northwest.

pburns

peasant wrote:

The quattro bit does push up the fuel consumption by about 0.5 -1 Liter per 100 km.

It does make the car so much safer though ...especially on wet and bad roads.

Well worth the additional fuel consumption in my opinion, especially considering the state of the roads up here in the Northwest.

Can't say I agree. The extra weight/ fuel consumption/ complexity is just not worth it for the average driver IMO...:)

It's Leitrim to Letterkenny - not exactly Nordic condiitions and as the OP says "fuel economny is a huge factor".

maidhc

pburns wrote:

Can't say I agree. The extra weight/ fuel consumption/ complexity is just not worth it for the average driver IMO...:)

It's Leitrim to Letterkenny - not exactly Nordic condiitions and as the OP says "fuel economny is a huge factor".

And if it breaks no garage will be too anxious to fix it. I am led to believe 4x4 systems in cars are particularly nasty to work on.

colm_mcm

Fuel economy is a factor, but spending over the odds on what is basically a VW isn't.

peasant

You don't need arctic conditions and ski jumps to avail of the quattro technology to the full.

Standing water on the road will do just nicely, ta very much.

Looked out the window lately?

I didn't use to believe in permanent 4WD either, thought it was the preserve of high powered semi rally cars and pretty pointless in a normal vehicle...until I got it myself.

Even in my slow-coach van, the safety gain in slippery conditions is astonishing ...drives like on rails, even when the road is half flooded.

And the quattro is the best there is.

Leitrim to Letterkenny may not be an "expedition" ..but some of the stretches of road there come pretty close, especially in bad weather.

(And they do get snow on the Barnsmore Gap fairly regularly:D )

Biro

A set of good tyres and keep them renewed is the cheapest and most effective safety method! It's also hard to find a quattro in the 1.9 and 2 litre diesels, it's in the 2.5 tdi most often. But that's breaking away from the economy factor.
Whats her budget? What's the real question? Is a diesel A4 economical? Yes is the simple answer.

whicawha

Excellent stuff lads, makes for decent reading and thought.

The main question is, which A4 ( say second hand 04-05) would be best for said traveling and would the quatro option be more viable when compared with fuel consumption to saftey.

Biro

Quattro gives better grip in slippy conditions no doubt.
04 or 05 A4, probably best go with the 1.9 engine if it's economy she's after, as most ordinary drivers won't be bothered with the extra flexibility of the 2 litre diesel.
Quattro will be hard to find in the 1.9 A4, but as I said, good tyres and a careful driver is as good as any mechanical aid, and one could even argue that a non-quattro car could stop fractionally quicker due to the car being lighter!

peasant

Another thing to consider:

Depending where from in Leitrim she starts, the drive to Letterkenny is 100 or more km's one way ...that's 1000 km (or more) a week ...50 k in a year, minimum.

If she wants to do the trip as cheaply as possible, wear and tear and depreciation on the car is something to consider as well.

A 04/05 Audi won't come cheap ...but two years and 100k km later it will have to be if you want to sell it/ trade it.

Another possibility might be to buy a two year old, low mileage 1.3 to 1.5 Diesel (anything from a Fiat Grande Punto to a Renault Megane) as cheaply as possible and just drive the nuts off it and then throw it away.

colm_mcm

I'm with Peasant on this, although i'd be suggesting a new Jetta, or used Passat, if she likes German cars, or a new Corolla D-4D or used Avensis D-4D or a bargain priced Mondeo 130 TDCI otherwise.

whicawha

Cheers lads,

I agree with the deprication but I really think the reason for the Audi is for looks and the cars repution so it the final decision will be a comprimise between the that and feul ecomonmy.