TDI's dilemma...

TDI-line

TDI-line

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Ok, i'm in the market for a new car.

I was holding out for an S3 but trying to keep costs down and not run 2 cars (me and the wife), will only be running one car. We have a Touran DSG for a trade-in, so looking to spend around 20-25K. The only stipulation is that it most be automatic (DSG/ S-tronic), and must have 5 doors.

So rules the S3 out, considering an A3 sportback, but must have roofrails or/and opensky, or a mk5 golf, espicially the GTI 30th edition.

Do not really want to consider the 3.2's, as i have already owned an R32, and i have quite a heavy right foot, and would like to keep the tax group to at least group f.

So going back to the A3 sportback, would only consider an S-line, has anyone driven the 2.0T, and how does it compare to the golf GTI. Is there a huge difference in the 2.0 TDI 170 from the 140 (already owned 2 140 engines so far).

Any help and advice appriecated.

TDI/
 
I had it narrowed down to a 5dr GTI or 2.0T Sportback as well when deciding what to get next.

I opted for the A3 and have not regretted it one bit. I think the A3 is a class above the golf in terms of quality, this is especially evident in the interior. Ultimately, yes the GTI is probably the more fun car. To me the difference in fun was too small for it to matter.

Test drives are the only best way to decide so let us know how you get on.

If I was chosing again now, I would go for the ED30. That engine with the potential of an easy 300 bhp would just edge it above all the other factors for me!
 
audi upgrades
Just my tuppence worth...

Wouldnt bother with the GTI Special Edition, a friend got one and we did a comparison with my normal GTI, tbh side by side it wasnt worth the extra that he paid, my 18 monza's looked a lot nicer than his wheels and one of the reasons he picked the 30th was that it was all sprayed and colour matched skirts and rear bumper/front spoiler, both cars were black so it didnt matter much on that reason either.

Of course his was a bit faster but then his car was about £2500 more than mine, this is including the few options I had and not including his.

With todays fuel prices and busy roads, what about the Golf GT TDI?

Looks really nice if you get it in a dark colour, also in Germany they did a TDI 4motion, not sure if thats out in the UK but that also had full sprayed side skirts and bumpers and looked quite classy, the one I saw driving round my old town was a weird greenie blue and even in this colour it looked the business.

Also as far as A3 vs Golf, the insides of the Golf are ok, quite nice but no where near the quality of the Audi (which is to be expected) but the handling it a LOT nicer, sharper but not as firm as the A3 is, handles great but you dont get a harsh ride on uneven roads like you would get in a A3 Sport

Hope this helps.
 
Thanks guys.

Unkle, the car before the Touran was a Mk5 Golf GT TDI 4-motion lol, we changed that because we needed an auto box. Shame really.

I will consider the 2.0 TDI's in the audi range, and may consider one of these limited edition ones with the 1.8T engine with s-tronic and an exclusive colour too. Sprint blue or daytona grey, hmmm.

Does anyone know how many miles you get from a tank with a 2.0T DSG?
 
This is a matter of opinion of course but I think the rear of the mk5 golf is ****** horrible. I had owned golfs before the A3, a mk2, mk3, mk4 but I just couldn't get used to the way the mk5 looks. Plus I could afford an A3, and although it's a mass produced car too, the A3 is far more exclusive than the golf. How many GTI's do you see in a day!!
That said, the ED30 is a very attractive car, the colour coded bumpers help one hell of a lot, and the wheels look miles better than the monzas.
Performance-wise can't help you much there but in day to day driving I can't see there being that much between them.
If I was to go for a petrol car I'd go for the sportback 2.0T, no question. And for the diesel the 170.
Have you test driven either of these yet?
 
Have a test drive of a 170. I was all set for buying a 140 till I had a go in a 170 :)

I dont really like the Edition 30 Golf myself, think the standard GTi looks much better! Plus with the money saved you could colour code the lower half of the rear bumper which looks loads better and spec full leather. The Golfs interior is nice but as said not up to same standard in terms of style of quality as the A3.
 
As others have said, if you value pure driving pleasure above all then choose the golf, for everything else i.e. interior quality, better coffee in the showroom,etc I'd go with the A3.
 
I've had both GTi Mk5 and the various A3's listed, wife has a 140 DSG remapped (bluefin) to approx 180 and it is a lovely comfy and surprisingly quick car, its very highly specced with lthr and xenons etc and all feels good until you get into a similar specced A3 like my S3 - the interior quality is worlds apart, no squeaks or rattles on the VW just harsher plastics etc. If you are trying to save money on fuel it a no brainer really go for the 170 TDI.

Spin
 
If you want a diesel, you might be better off waiting until next Summer, when the new 143 CR engine comes out. It's in a different league to the old PD140/170 engines, according to reviews of the new A4.
 
You mention an ED30 golf - you will get a top spec with great optional extras for £25k - the one i priced with all the options i wanted came out at £25k

its 230bhp 2.0T from the S3 - the only difference is the mapping and it can be mapped by Revo up to 300bhp! (if you want)

In grey would be the ticket, thats what I want, or white!

Fantastic car and I would go for that!
 
Thanks for the comments guys.

I think i would like an Audi, joined this forum 3 years ago in search of one, and keep buying VW's. Can't see myself buying a BMW, just have to wait for a nice specced Sportback S-line with roof rails or opensky, in grey, silver (not akoya or avus), sprint blue (very rare) or maybe misano red or black.

Can the roof rails be retro fitted?

Outlore, how many miles do you get from you tank.
 
Yeah they can be retrofitted but they are an expensive optional extra
 
TDI-line said:
Outlore, how many miles do you get from you tank.
Click to expand...

In my 2.0T I get between 360-380 miles to a tank. I do a lot of motorway miles hence the good economy. On the motorway I regularly see 36-38 MPG. My life time avergae MPG currently shows 32.7 MPG. Very good for a 2ltr 200 BHP turbo'd car!

Obviously with predominantly town driving the MPG will drop considerably, I would expect to see 25-28 MPG for that.

Also I have always run my car on tesco99 or VPOWER.
 
TDI-line said:
Outlore, how many miles do you get from you tank.
Click to expand...

Not many - it's averaged 28 since I have had it (10,000 miles) but if you whack it on cruise at 70ish it'll return 32+. Nail it around and it'll return less than 20 around town though.

I have a 3mile drive to work - had to go in one night and did the whole thing at full throttle (more or less) and got an average of 13....:asskicking:
 
OutLore said:
Not many - it's averaged 28 since I have had it (10,000 miles) but if you whack it on cruise at 70ish it'll return 32+. Nail it around and it'll return less than 20 around town though.

I have a 3mile drive to work - had to go in one night and did the whole thing at full throttle (more or less) and got an average of 13....:asskicking:
Click to expand...

Thanks Spence, yes i remember your throttle foot with NSD. Seems quite similiar MPG to my old R32. That was around 28 on motorways, and 17 around town.:)
 
dipstic said:
Just a thought although overbudget ?
http://usedcars.audi.co.uk/carview.aspx?id=501770041

Nearly what you are looking for,better off trying to get what you want,its a lot of money to spend on the wrong car,depends if you can knock some off the price.
Click to expand...

Yeah, there's a few of the limited editions ones about, they come with a choice of exclusive colours (if they are specced doh), and Audi exclusive leather seats and stiching etc, and the RS4 wheels.

The first season saw 2.00 TDI 170 Quattro's, this season is 1.8 TFSI, some with S-tronic too. But it's hard to justify that amount of money on not such a complete car when an S3 is next to it, for £500 cheaper.

Thanks anyway, your on the right lines though.:blownose:
 
If yours hearts set on an S3 then wait untill the price is right ,better to get what u want than regret the wrong purchase good luck whatever you decide
 
Thanks Dipstic, but i can wait for an S3 for the moment.

Basically need to meet the requirements of 5 doors and auto box, so have decided to look at some A3 sportback S-line TDI's with s-stronic. This will mainly be the wifes commute car in the week, and mine for weekends.

Will let you know how i get on tomorrow.

Thanks all.
 
There was another thread on here saying the would be an S3 Sportback released next year. I really hope this is true because at this time it would be my ideal car!
 
KRL said:
There was another thread on here saying the would be an S3 Sportback released next year. I really hope this is true because at this time it would be my ideal car!
Click to expand...

Yes, my local dealer did confirm there would be an S3 sportback and cabriolet, but would be manual box only.
 
Matt said:
Very nice! Looks the part.

Guessing you liked the 170 then :)
Click to expand...

Unfortunatley it's only a 140 with some chrome tail pipes, but they look pretty good.
 
KRL said:
In my 2.0T I get between 360-380 miles to a tank. I do a lot of motorway miles hence the good economy. On the motorway I regularly see 36-38 MPG. My life time avergae MPG currently shows 32.7 MPG. Very good for a 2ltr 200 BHP turbo'd car!

Obviously with predominantly town driving the MPG will drop considerably, I would expect to see 25-28 MPG for that.

Also I have always run my car on tesco99 or VPOWER.
Click to expand...

Pleased and impressed that you have managed to achieve that sort of MPG. My 2.0T is showing a lifetime average of 23mpg. On my current commute of 100 miles the best I can achieve is about 31mpg and that is on good roads and not going over 75mph!
TDI-Line - If fuel consumption is a consideration I reckon you should get a few different opinions. My first 6 months (5k miles) were spent on short haul town driving and the average mpg was 20.2mpg.
KRL - Would love to know how you manage to get that sort of mileage from a tank.
 
To be honest. I think anything above £15k is too much money for a Golf GTI. I would get a A3 Sportback 2.0 TDI 140 bhp (like me) and then map it. If my knowledge serves me correctly, the 140 has a lower group insurance, so you get more power than the 170 for less money!! Thats what I'm doing anyway, and yeh the tuning potential of the ed 30 is amazing but it looks *****!!!!!!

my 2p
 
TDI-line said:
Unfortunatley it's only a 140 with some chrome tail pipes, but they look pretty good.
Click to expand...

I saw the tail pipes and presumed it was a 170!

140 is much better on fuel than the 170. Dad has a 140 and he gets a good 7-8MPG more than me. Enjoy :icon_thumright:
 
smee said:
Pleased and impressed that you have managed to achieve that sort of MPG. My 2.0T is showing a lifetime average of 23mpg. On my current commute of 100 miles the best I can achieve is about 31mpg and that is on good roads and not going over 75mph!
TDI-Line - If fuel consumption is a consideration I reckon you should get a few different opinions. My first 6 months (5k miles) were spent on short haul town driving and the average mpg was 20.2mpg.
KRL - Would love to know how you manage to get that sort of mileage from a tank.
Click to expand...

My commute to work is along the A14 from Bury St Edmunds to Huntingdon which is about a 100 mile round trip. I usually sit at anything between 50-80 MPH depending on traffic. Sitting at these speeds I always get 34-38 MPG.

What fuel do you run your 2.0T on? As well as the other benefits with 99RON you get the extra money you pay at the pumps back through better economy. The 2.0T engine will run in FSI mode for more of the time when running on better quality fuel. This is why 98RON is the recommended minimum to run the car on by Audi.

Also noticed that your 2.0T is a quattro. Quattro is supposed to have an adverse effect on economy while DSG (mine is DSG) is a benefit to economy.
 
KRL said:
My commute to work is along the A14 from Bury St Edmunds to Huntingdon which is about a 100 mile round trip. I usually sit at anything between 50-80 MPH depending on traffic. Sitting at these speeds I always get 34-38 MPG.

What fuel do you run your 2.0T on? As well as the other benefits with 99RON you get the extra money you pay at the pumps back through better economy. The 2.0T engine will run in FSI mode for more of the time when running on better quality fuel. This is why 98RON is the recommended minimum to run the car on by Audi.

Also noticed that your 2.0T is a quattro. Quattro is supposed to have an adverse effect on economy while DSG (mine is DSG) is a benefit to economy.
Click to expand...

My commute is from Norwich to Hatfield so 100 miles each way. I dont do it every day but have been making the journey regularily for the past month. Speeds about the same (until I get to the A1 :sadlike: ). Typically I also use Tesco 99RON, but admittedly it has had a tank of two of 95RON out of neccessity.
This morning the run took 2 hours and 10 minutes and the DIS was showing 29.5mpg average. Maybe the quattro is what makes the big difference but 5 - 9 mpg sounds like a hell of a lot just to have temporary 4WD!
 
I do drive down to Hatfield every now and then to visit one of our customers. I agree the A1 is a nightmare, especially at Stevenage.

I think when driving to Hatfield I get 30-33 MPG so not too far off what you are seeing. It will be the stop start traffic on the A1 which brings the economy down.
 
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