Hi Guys,
I owned a 2003 A4 2.5 Tdi Quattro SE Tiptronic with an option list as long as my arm a few years ago. It was a real head turner and an absolute pleasure to sit in - while stationary! As soon as you pressed the go pedal, the engine purred into life while the gearbox sat and pondered what to do next.. Eventually you were off and life was all good again.
Occasionally I had the urge to use the 180 horses that were looking for any excuse to start a stampede, again, the gearbox would have a think, kick down which made the engine rev higher but alas, it was some time before anything noticeable happened!
The final nail in the coffin was the cams wearing and a sudden misfire. £1600 later and we were moving again. Also worthy of note was the very poor fuel economy. Four wheel drive and that god awful gearbox took it's toll, 30 mpg combined and about 35mpg following Miss Daisy.
Time has moved on and so has the A4 along with a beautiful olive green TT 225 which replaced the A4. I'm now borrowing the missus's A3 2.0 Tdi Quattro 170 with panoramic roof, etc, etc for fun but plodding around in an A6 1.9 Tdi 110 as I'm doing a loft conversion and needed something practical. The car is truly amazing, nearly 2 tonnes but reports 50.9 mpg combined, 59 on a steady run.
My dilemma has come about as I've ended up owning a caravan, a big twin axle one at that. The A6 can legally pull it, and it's not far off the 85% recommended 'safe towing' guideline. The reality is somewhat different and occasionally there's a bit of a wobble when passing lorries if there is any kind of side wind. Also, Transit's etc. flying past at 90mph wakes me up too. So, I need a better tow car. My current thoughts are that I can either sell the A3 and get a Ford Kuga or a VW Tiguan or keep the A3 (which tows the caravan miles better but can't carry all the stuff that a 6 month, a 7 year old and a Missus comes with) and buy a cheap replacement for the 1.9 A6.
So, after my ramble I'd like to hear your thoughts on, or experiences with the C5 2.5 Tdi Allroad. Having owned the A4 which I believe shares the same awful Tiptronic gearbox as the Allroad, I would be looking at the manual 6 speed. I know all about the cam wear issue and I've read that the suspension on these beasts can be another money pit but apart (?) from that I quite fancy owing one. I'd be interested to see what mpg to expect and if anyone does tow a 1600 kg caravan any info on mpg and stability would be appreciated.
Apologies to everyone for mentioning a Ford, I didn't mean to offend!
Cheers,
GW
I owned a 2003 A4 2.5 Tdi Quattro SE Tiptronic with an option list as long as my arm a few years ago. It was a real head turner and an absolute pleasure to sit in - while stationary! As soon as you pressed the go pedal, the engine purred into life while the gearbox sat and pondered what to do next.. Eventually you were off and life was all good again.
Occasionally I had the urge to use the 180 horses that were looking for any excuse to start a stampede, again, the gearbox would have a think, kick down which made the engine rev higher but alas, it was some time before anything noticeable happened!
The final nail in the coffin was the cams wearing and a sudden misfire. £1600 later and we were moving again. Also worthy of note was the very poor fuel economy. Four wheel drive and that god awful gearbox took it's toll, 30 mpg combined and about 35mpg following Miss Daisy.
Time has moved on and so has the A4 along with a beautiful olive green TT 225 which replaced the A4. I'm now borrowing the missus's A3 2.0 Tdi Quattro 170 with panoramic roof, etc, etc for fun but plodding around in an A6 1.9 Tdi 110 as I'm doing a loft conversion and needed something practical. The car is truly amazing, nearly 2 tonnes but reports 50.9 mpg combined, 59 on a steady run.
My dilemma has come about as I've ended up owning a caravan, a big twin axle one at that. The A6 can legally pull it, and it's not far off the 85% recommended 'safe towing' guideline. The reality is somewhat different and occasionally there's a bit of a wobble when passing lorries if there is any kind of side wind. Also, Transit's etc. flying past at 90mph wakes me up too. So, I need a better tow car. My current thoughts are that I can either sell the A3 and get a Ford Kuga or a VW Tiguan or keep the A3 (which tows the caravan miles better but can't carry all the stuff that a 6 month, a 7 year old and a Missus comes with) and buy a cheap replacement for the 1.9 A6.
So, after my ramble I'd like to hear your thoughts on, or experiences with the C5 2.5 Tdi Allroad. Having owned the A4 which I believe shares the same awful Tiptronic gearbox as the Allroad, I would be looking at the manual 6 speed. I know all about the cam wear issue and I've read that the suspension on these beasts can be another money pit but apart (?) from that I quite fancy owing one. I'd be interested to see what mpg to expect and if anyone does tow a 1600 kg caravan any info on mpg and stability would be appreciated.
Apologies to everyone for mentioning a Ford, I didn't mean to offend!
Cheers,
GW
