A4 2.5TDi Cabriolet - Any good???

[Nickynibbles]

With the potential of a new job looming its likely im going to have to drive to work all the time now as opposed to using the train as I currently do. My dilema is to keep my beautiful '02 3.0 V6 Quattro Sport saloon.........

..............or sell it to get a diesel, of which im swaying towards the 2.5TDi cabriolet! Arguements to keep my current car are that its gorgeous, top spec with the full electric buffalo leather seats, factory sunroof, rear leccy windows, GMbH kit etc etc. It drives lovely and its darn rapid! On the negative side it'll be drinking £200'ish per month in fuel!

Obviously the diesel will be more economical and thus save cash which I could invest in getting a newer A4 cabriolet. I could just get a saloon of course but as me & J7USS are the only people i've ever come across with a sun roof i'd sorely miss this, hence the cabriolet!! Now, is the 2.5TDi engine as sturdy as the 1.9TDi, and what sort of chipped figures can be achieved without stressing anything! Losing 3 secs on the 0-60 time would hurt hence the need to chip!! Does anyone actually have a 2.5TDi and is it refined enough or just too noisy and spoils the cabriolet lifestyle?!

Appreciate your comments folks......................

 

[Clog]

With the potential of a new job looming its likely im going to have to drive to work all the time now as opposed to using the train as I currently do. My dilema is to keep my beautiful '02 3.0 V6 Quattro Sport saloon.........



..............or sell it to get a diesel, of which im swaying towards the 2.5TDi cabriolet! Arguements to keep my current car are that its gorgeous, top spec with the full electric buffalo leather seats, factory sunroof, rear leccy windows, GMbH kit etc etc. It drives lovely and its darn rapid! On the negative side it'll be drinking £200'ish per month in fuel!

Obviously the diesel will be more economical and thus save cash which I could invest in getting a newer A4 cabriolet. I could just get a saloon of course but as me & J7USS are the only people i've ever come across with a sun roof i'd sorely miss this, hence the cabriolet!! Now, is the 2.5TDi engine as sturdy as the 1.9TDi, and what sort of chipped figures can be achieved without stressing anything! Losing 3 secs on the 0-60 time would hurt hence the need to chip!! Does anyone actually have a 2.5TDi and is it refined enough or just too noisy and spoils the cabriolet lifestyle?!

Appreciate your comments folks......................

Had a V6 3.0 in 2002, great car, borrowed 2.5Tdi but rather noisy. If you can run to it the 3.0Tdi Quattro is in a different league!!

Cheers

 

[J45SON]

there's a young lady near my work who has the 2.5tdi cab, in black and it looks sweet. it doesn't sound noisy at all. my last car was a derv and it is more expensive to buy fuel and basically the car is also dearer, so you have to take that into the equation.

my mate is looking to buy the new c class and was going to go for a deisel, but he drives to work - lazy git which is only 1 mile away and does around 8k to 10k miles a year, so a petrol would be better for him.

on a personal note, your car is well nice. it is the only other petrol a4 i would have. when i was thinking about ditching my a4 for another it was the 3.0 i was after. if i were to swap mine i'd want the same spec and to be honest i haven't seen another like mine on autotrader, so it would be a hard decision to make.

why not take one out on a test drive?

hope this helps.

 

[J45SON]

Had a V6 3.0 in 2002, great car, borrowed 2.5Tdi but rather noisy. If you can run to it the 3.0Tdi Quattro is in a different league!!

Cheers

my boss has the 3.2 quattro cab, with every extra apart from the memory seats which he really regrets not getting. he loves it and it drives like no other car i've driven. the sound is amazing and even on the back roads against other cars it seems to handle better.

we were in edinburgh one day when it was a little bit windy and had the roof down and didn't really notice the wind until we stopped at the lights. he opted for the acoustic roof - which when up gives you the impression on a hard top - i would certainly pay the extra to have that!!

 

[Clog]

my boss has the 3.2 quattro cab, with every extra apart from the memory seats which he really regrets not getting. he loves it and it drives like no other car i've driven. the sound is amazing and even on the back roads against other cars it seems to handle better.

we were in edinburgh one day when it was a little bit windy and had the roof down and didn't really notice the wind until we stopped at the lights. he opted for the acoustic roof - which when up gives you the impression on a hard top - i would certainly pay the extra to have that!!

Petrol 3.2 is smoother but the original post was asking about diseasels and IMHO the 3.0Tdi diesel Cab is pretty good as long as it's not in White!!:icon_thumright:

 

[sage33e]

I have a silver 03 2.5Tdi Cab in silver, having changed from an 05 2.0 Tdi A4 saloon. I must admit that the 2.0tdi engine is a lot more refined and punchier, but then you have to remember that the 2.5 cab is a really heavy car, certainly good between 2500 and 3700 rpm, but not sensational. Other points to remember are that on start-up it is a little noisy, and that with the soft top box down in the boot, access is limited.

However, once the engine's been running for a while, you don't really notice the derv rattle, and with the acoustic hood, it's really quiet cruising at motorway speeds. I go to France regularly with my family, and there's enough space for our luggage and wine. In addition, the V6 noise it emits is soooo much better than the 4 pot engines.

Fuel consumption is about 35-40 mpg combined, which is not bad, but certainly not in the same league as the newer 4 cyl diesels. I haven't chipped it, but a little research suggests about 190-5bhp with the 163 tdi. But there's so much torque, I'm not sure it really matters!

If I had my choice again (and a lot more money!), I'd probably go for the 3.0tdi, and definitely heated seats, but with a CD multichanger, acoustic hood, leather and cruise it's a really really beautiful car in the summer, and a solid all-weather car in the winter months.

Hope this helps.....:icon_thumright:

 

[Nickynibbles]

Thanks sage33e, im happy with the general cabrio pro's & cons but was more interested in the engine! Its a heavy lump for sure hence asking ref the remap! Out of interest do you find it very front end heavy giving much understeer? Coming from a quattro I wonder if i'd notice this a lot! Would love to stretch up to the 3.0 TDi but the funds wont allow, im aiming to go for outright ownership asap, only taking a loan if I have too. Paying £300+ per month & stretching the budget beyond my current £18-19k max isnt what I had in mind.

Any more people with the 2.5TDi engine in any body shape like to comment on the engine & its reliability? Especially interested if anyones done a remap!

 

[Clog]

I have a silver 03 2.5Tdi Cab in silver, having changed from an 05 2.0 Tdi A4 saloon.

However, once the engine's been running for a while, you don't really notice the derv rattle, and with the acoustic hood, it's really quiet cruising at motorway speeds. If I had my choice again (and a lot more money!), I'd probably go for the 3.0tdi, and definitely heated seats, but with a CD multichanger, acoustic hood, leather and cruise it's a really really beautiful car in the summer, and a solid all-weather car in the winter months.

Hope this helps.....:icon_thumright:

To the best of my knowledge an ACOUSTIC hood was never an option on the older 2.5TDi. restricted to the newer models

 

[sage33e]

Sorry Clog, should have been more specific re. acoustic hood and other options....that's a wish list, not a 'have got' list!

@ Nickynibbles, understeer - certainly, though the tyres I've got at the mo (Dunlops) are pretty good and pretty sticky. I don't really tend to push it round corners, as it's not really up to it - the engine's more a lazy tourer than a short shift racer in my opinion.

 

[Nickynibbles]

@ Nickynibbles, understeer - certainly, though the tyres I've got at the mo (Dunlops) are pretty good and pretty sticky. I don't really tend to push it round corners, as it's not really up to it - the engine's more a lazy tourer than a short shift racer in my opinion.

Thats what I was thinking ref the car, sahme they never went for a quattro version, but then doubt the car needed another 200kg!! Think the answer is get my job sorted, then go for some test drives.

Thanks for the replies people :icon_thumright:

 

[Nickynibbles]

Im getting the urge to get a cabrio now! Already been looking at kits & decided this looks awesome......................

Never been a major fan of those S8 alloys but think they do look the business in this case. Gotta get my job sorted asap I think so I can get one of these beauties!!

 

[zeratul]

... that does look nice.

 

[Molehall]

Tomorrow I say goodbye to my dark green 2.5tdi Cabriolet. I'm part exchanging it for an ex-demo silver 2.0tdi Cabriolet with sat nav plus, phone and other bells and whistles.

I'm rather sad as it's a lovey car. I've had it four and a half years, done 65,000 miles and averaged 40mpg. It's a great car, but the thought of cambelt change, possible clutch change etc coming up over the next few years combined with a desire for sat nav plus and telephone pushed me into this rather unpleasant decision.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[JohnboyC]

My 2003 A4 Avant 2.5TDi Quattro Sport is great....having had 2.5/2.8 litre BMW's for the past 8 years the fuel economy is GREAT !.

Its only done about 35K miles, but is probably due a cambelt change in the next 6 months.....which is pretty expensive....between £400 to £500 (gulp!)...

The 2.5 engine is great, it is very smooth, but noisy on start up. Soon quitens down though. Sits at jsut over 2000 rpm at an indicated 80mph....so its very quiet at this speed - so very relaxing drive.

1st and 2nd gears are pretty low...so you dont stay in them very long. The 2.5 TDi (180 bhp version) is a quick car, but dont expect any neck snapping acceleration from the lights....its definately best on motorways with loads of torque you never leave 6th gear.....

Not a fan of chipping any car....if you want more power buy a differnt car in the 1st place....I reckon if chipping is that great why don't audi do it ?

The only thing I did not like initially about the Audi was the handling - ****** awful body roll around any bend........when compared to a BMW 328 sport (in the dry) even with the Quattro & "Sports Suspension".....but the fit of an RS4 rear anti roll bar has improved things significantly ( the quattro in the wet is simply brilliant by the way)

Next car for me though will be the 3.0 TDi Quattro Sport Avant - S line .....

 

[NOLOGY]

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[NOLOGY]

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[NOLOGY]

This is my baby hope you like it and give yhou incentive to buy one hehe