Looking to buy an A6 avant - Advice please

[JimLoskot]

Hi there, I currently have a A4 avant b6 2.5 TDi quattro sport. I am looking to get something slightly bigger and its probably going to be an A6 avant.
I've been having a look around the internet and there are quite a lot of well spec'd ones going for reasonable money. A few questions I have tho:
I'm looking for a 06-07 plate with up to 60k miles and with a budget of around 15k.
I've seen a few 2.0 TDi's S-lines within this budget with good spec. Is the S-line the equvilent of the old sport? ie does the SE drive like a comfy boat and the S-line handle pretty well while not been too uncomfortable?
What s the BHP of the 2.0 TDI is it 140 or 170 and how can I tell?
Is the 2.0 tdi engine big enough for the car or is it sluggish? is the 2.7 or 3.0 tdi worth going for instead?
what sort of realistic mileage do people get with this engine?
Is it a reliable engine?
and finally have many people remapped this engine and how is it compared to the std (eg reliablity, performance, economy)?
thanks in advance for any help and advice :icon_thumright:
Jim

 

[JimLoskot]

no one on here with a 2.0tdi s-line and any opinions or views on it please?

 

[S6 LeMans]

Hi

I've only just joined today - but can advise that my 3.0tdi quattro lemans Avant is quicker than the RR Sport Supercharged I used to have and still returns 26/28mpg arround town - and this is mone on cold stop/start very short journeys to office/schools etc etc. However, on a longer run I can confirm it returns a healthy 35 / 40mpg ....... and thats after lengthy stretches at a constant 80/90mph down the motorways. Its a great engine and I have had mine from new in Oct 07. There are plenty of A6'sout there and with the new facelifted model now out - you should be able to pick up a top spec'd example - be patient and shop around.:thumbsup:

 

[JimLoskot]

thanks for your input, a 3.0tdi Q would be my first choice but it looks like I will probably go with the 2.0tdi as I need more miles to the pound these days unless of course it is considered sluggish and underpowered in which case I will be looking at the 2.7/3.0tdi models

 

[S6 LeMans]

I agree - every penny counts these days. This was the main reason I sold my RR Sport Supercharged and came back to Audi - the RR Sport was only capable of returning 14.6mpg around town - OUCH

The other thought is - have you tried the new 2.0TFSi petrol - very good engine with a good mpg and petrol is still pence cheaper than the black stuff. You have to do an awfull lot of miles to recoup the differance in what dealers charge for the premium of a diesel over a similar petrol car.

 

[elan2s]

If I remember correctly the 2.0 diesel prior to the 2008 range refresh will have the 140bhp engine. After that there are two versions of the new TDi engine (this engine is quieter as it is no longer a PD) the TDie (which I have) which has 134bhp and the "standard" version which has the 170bhp engine. I used to have a 1.8T saloon and recently got my Avant and whilst I would always want more power I do not find the TDie engine lacking compared to the petrol 1.8T. I have also driven an older 140bhp and found that fine as well. Depends what you are looking for.

With regard to the s-line spec, yes this is the equivalent of the old Sport spec, which I had on the 1.8. I have not driven an S-line but have heard reports that the ride is too firm for many, indeed when Autocar ran a 3.0TDi sport they expressed a view that they wished they had the SE instead because of the ride. My current Avant has the Sport suspension with 17" rather than 18" wheels and it is fine. The big loss by not having the S-Line is the lack of the sports seats. Having said that the standard seats are probably as comfortable as the C5 sports seats.

Probably best to try and drive both an SE and an S-Line and see which one suits you best (comfort and budget). At the end of the day the 2.0 diesel is not a sports car so ride comfort is probably more of an issue than ultimate handling. On the mileage front, with mixed driving my friend with the 140 2007 Avant is getting about 550 miles out of each tank. After 2000 miles in the 134 2.0 I am getting about 600 miles out of a tank, but the car is still very new and tight

Having just gone from a C5 to a C6 all I can say is that two cars are like chalk and cheese and the C6 is just so much better in every way. Good luck in your deliberations

 

[JimLoskot]

thanks for your thoughts,
I have read that the s-line is a rather hard ride. Is it due to the 18" wheels? my 2.5tdi Q sport has the perfect balance IMO of ride comfort and handling and that was on 17" wheels. The father in laws a4 b6 1.9 tdi se drives like a boat in comarision and the ride isn't really any more comfortable and the seats in it are terrible compared to the sports seats in mine.
I will be doing a few trips down to paris from manchester each year and quite a lot of 1 hour or so motorway journeys in the uk so I think it would be best to get a diesel. Also I love having loads of torque in the car.