BEST ENGINE? 1.8TFSi (160ps) v 2.0TFSi (211ps) v 2.0TDi (143ps)

ScottishA4B9

ScottishA4B9

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Hi all,

Im jusy in the process off looking for and Audi A4 (B8) S-Line.

Just wondering what people thought were the best engine to have and what owners thoughts were?

I have driven the 1.8 (120ps) and found it to be woefully underpowered, so I discounted it. The only other engine I have driven is the 1.8 (160ps) and it seemed to be really good.

I mainly do town driving during the week (not many miles) so not sure if its worth paying the extra for a TDi, although I do the odd long journey which is a mix of highland roads and some motorways. I need the power for the few chances that I do get to overtake on the Highland roads plus I would like a car that is fun to drive (I had an S3 for my last car so missing the fun aspect!).

I currently have my eye on a 1.8 (160ps) S-Line that has all the extras I want.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and advice ;)
 
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Personally, if you dont need the MPG of a Diesel, get a petrol, diesel are torquey, are better than they were in the past, but are still rattly at idle, and lets face it, the VAG 4 pots arent the most refined.Diesel does not equal fun imo. Plus with the cost of diesel being so high, unless you do 15k pa, its not really worth it.

Get the best petrol you can. But it does depend on the kind of driver you are, if you want lazy power than a diesel may do, if you like driving at the limit, then obv a petrol is the better move.
 
I defo like the idea of some 'fun' driving on the highland roads at the weekend so maybe a petrol is best. I do way less than 15k a year.
The 1.8 (160ps) seems to be quite pokey and if I ever (god forbid) got tired of the power, I suppose I could just chip it.
 
Rattly at idle? Neither my Audi nor my previous Accord 2.2 CDTi rattled at idle.
Although I suit the profile of a diesel driver (travel all over the UK for work) I actually firstly converted to a diesel because I like the torque and the laziness feel of the whole experience. Don't base your diesel/petrol decision just on fuel costs.
 
wassap said:
Personally, if you dont need the MPG of a Diesel, get a petrol, diesel are torquey, are better than they were in the past, but are still rattly at idle, and lets face it, the VAG 4 pots arent the most refined.
Click to expand...

Audi's petrols are very good :

1.8T FSI 320/1400-3700
2.0T FSI 350/1500-4200
1.8TDI (143) 320/1750-2500

So the diesels torque is either the same or less than the petrols and has a much smaller power band.

I've moved from a 395ish bhp B6 S4 to the A4. I didn't want full on power as I wouldn't use it - fun is now had on two wheels ;)

At the same time I didn't want to spend a chunk of cash on something that would frustrate me. The 2.0T was the ideal compromise .... and when remapped (if you believe the figures) then there's some serious improvements to be had.
 
Well the fully loaded A4 S-Line that I had my eye on is gone! :(
I'm having a nightmare trying to find a similar well specced one!!!!
 
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toastyhamster said:
Rattly at idle? Neither my Audi nor my previous Accord 2.2 CDTi rattled at idle.
Although I suit the profile of a diesel driver (travel all over the UK for work) I actually firstly converted to a diesel because I like the torque and the laziness feel of the whole experience. Don't base your diesel/petrol decision just on fuel costs.
Click to expand...

That unmistakable dag dag dag at idle, nice smooth and quiet once they are going.

Ive got a Dtec Accord now and the CDTI imo was a far better engine than the VAG and BMW 4 pots.

Dont get me wrong, for the day to day grind you just cant beat a diesel, nice torquey effortless drive. The petrol is for fun imo.
 
Like Wassap said, if you need mpg get a diesel if not then get a petrol, the 2.0 T in the a4 is an awesome engine and the one I'd go for. Also as a diesel hater if I needed a good mpg figure I'd go for a smaller car with something like the 1.4 TFSI engine which is a good compromise

It pains me to see a nice car, then hear the rattle on start up! I know I'll get a bit of stick for this comment and I know the latest diesel are great engines but not for me.
 
The 3.0 is a v6, dunno if it's VAG original or bought in? Smooth as anyway even when cold :p
 
audi upgrades
That's the other benefit of that engine ..... at least on the Avant ;)

"Exhaust pipes – 4-cylinder models have two exhaust pipes on the left hand side. 6-cylinder models and the 2.0 TFSI Avant model have one exhaust pipe on each side"

That's taken from a pre-facelift brochure.
 
Have you tried the V6 diesel yet, 2.7 or 3.0, going by my 2.7 TDI, I am very impressed, lots of power good mpg (42.8mpg), at the moment, although Im still in economy mode and quiet too.
 
+1 for the 2.7 v6 one of my dads customers has the le mans special edition and i was very very impressed with that.....
 
I had a 1.8 160 tfsi a4 avant black edition when my a3 was in for a service last month, unless the saloon is a considerable amount lighter then to me the 1.8 160 engine felt very gutless compared to my 170 diesel. I know the weight of the a3 compared to an a4 avant is huge but I found that it just wasnt very exiting. The 2.0 i can imagine would be much better looking at the figures.

I would however have one of the v6 dervs in a heartbeat. Last week i had an a5 3.0 tdi v6 and it was amazing and delivered reasonable economy. Went like a rocket and rev'd like a petrol would, the power was there all the way up to the redline.
 
The one big issues with the V6 3.0TDI is the cost of it when buying new. When I was looking it was only £800 cheaper than the S4. Add on the extras your get with the S4 (light pack etc) and the cost is even closer.

When I was test driving them I found the V6 made the car feel much heavier. I don't know if that's the power delivery of the actual weight of the lump.
 
scoTTy said:
The one big issues with the V6 3.0TDI is the cost of it when buying new. When I was looking it was only £800 cheaper than the S4. Add on the extras your get with the S4 (light pack etc) and the cost is even closer.

When I was test driving them I found the V6 made the car feel much heavier. I don't know if that's the power delivery of the actual weight of the lump.
Click to expand...

I found that out too when speccing a 3lt tdi, but id still go for the diesel.My 2009 b8 17 tdi needs replacing but having driven a facelift its not the car for me.Absolutely love the engine but the servotronic steering is the ****tiest ive ever tried.No feel and tightens up in bends...yuk.I havent found a dealer that has a car with dynamic steering in to try yet whether that is any better.Shame i cant have the normal power steering.But the 3ltr engine is superb
 
I have a 2.0TFSi Avant and average between 34-40mpg a week. Mid 40's on a run. The 2.0tfsi has a good amount of torque for a petrol at 258ftlbs, the same pretty much as the 2.0TDi's Very quiet engine. One downer- its uses 1L of oil every 4000miles.
 
Hi, I owned a 1.8T (160ps) and although I loved the car, I did feel that it was a little under powered and had to keep it as high revs all the time to get any sort of response from it, a bit gutless as someone else has said. A lovely car to drive round town in and also mile after mile steady motorway driving, but in my opinion not too much fun when you want to have fun (if you know what I mean).

I had a 2.0 TFSI as a lone car and that was much better!
 
So seem to have won you over on the colour and the engine ..... will converting you to the better looking Avant be a step too far ?


;) :)
 
audi upgrades
scoTTy said:
So seem to have won you over on the colour and the engine ..... will converting you to the better looking Avant be a step too far ?


;) :)
Click to expand...
I wouldn't need much converting scoTTy. My missus LOVES the shape of the Avant. If I found the right mileage/spec/colour it wouldn't matter if its a saloon or avant.
 
ScottishS3 said:
I wouldn't need much converting scoTTy. My missus LOVES the shape of the Avant. If I found the right mileage/spec/colour it wouldn't matter if its a saloon or avant.
Click to expand...

Not only is it nicer to look at, the avant will also make you look like less of a sales rep lol
 
i have had 3 litre deisels and now have a 2 litre tfsi (211). The deisels chipped have fantastic mid range torque. Very addictive. But the cost of deisel etc and the fact you need to do almost 50K a year to warrant it kind of drove me to the 2 l tfsi. I love it especially woth the remap.

Plenty torque and lots of power. Best pf both worlds and i still get mid 30's mpg on a normal run 40 if i play safe and be good.
 
Depends what you want in my opinion. I have had sports cars all my life but you just can't use them on UK roads, except on the motorway, but that is straight line speed and it's boring IMHO! I now have an A4 Avant FL 2.0TDI 177 BE Quattro and it is more than enough power on UK roads but if you want the straight line speed, go for the 3.0 TDI, the pull on that engine is amazing. If you are buying an A4, you need the space otherwise you would go for the TT or other...sporty cars. Petrol 160PS on a car as heavy as the A4 sounds like a 1.0 petrol in a VW Polo to me. 2.0 TFSI should be the minimum I would say. Anyhow, I've finished my rant, you seem to be on the right track...but you should go for the Avant ;) For driving pleasure get yourself a cheap track day car ;)
 
I love my 3.0. This morning I did Nottingham to Bolton to drop the car at a mates to repair the pheasant damaged front bumper. Brilliant on the M1 and great fun on Woodhead even though it was a blizzard at about 6am. Nice trundle (ahem) back M62->M1 this evening, can't think of a car I'd rather have. Also picked up a load of mbike paint he did for me, sat in the boot with loads of space. Awesome engine.

Pity I need to buy some tyres now!
 
ScottishS3 said:
Does the 2.0TFSI come with an exhaust at each side of the rear bumper?
Click to expand...

I've driven all 3 and feel I made the right decision. The 1.8T is a nice smooth drive, but feels a little underpowered after driving the 2.0T. The TDI is fine but doesn't feel as refined as the petrol engines and I dislike the dump of power over a limited rev range.

The 2.0T has good performance with similar maximum torque to the 170ps TDI, but just feels so much nicer to drive, in my opinion. If you are on the motorway all the time, you wont notice the difference, but get the car off the motorway and its petrol turbo for me! Less turbo lag and 6500rpm worth of pulling power:)

The Avant has the single exhausts on either side, whereas the saloon has the twin pipes on the left hand side. The fuel consumption is pretty good as well for a petrol with motorway runs ranging from 37 to 42 mpg depending on how you drive it. I average about 20-25k per year.
 
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Well that seems that I'm now sold on the 2.0TFSi. Problem is, they seem to the hardest to come by on the Used Car Market! :(
 
Well a few weeks down the line and it seems like 2.0 TFSI's are like rocking horse sh*t!!!!
I cant find one anywhere with decent mileage.
I've tried Pistonheads, eBay, Autotrader and Audi, but no luck!
 
make your search even harder: try finding a 2.0TFSI quattro... and the A4 has proper quattro, rather than the on-off quattro of an S3...

2.0TDI is very nice for long haul motorway cruising and feels reasonably quick in normal day-to-day driving, but having driven an A4 S-Line and a 2012 A6 with the 2.0TDI for a few days each: even in the latest 177PS tune, that 2.0TDI a very lazy spool up and then boost when you are trying to "make good progress".... even my 2.5 V6 TDI felt really alive and responsive compared to those 2.0TDI's: really gave my car a new lease of life - it felt like stepping back into a nimble little hot-hatch: like I used to feel when I went from my A4 to my heavily re-worked Golf GTI convertible... 'cept the A4 is the "hot hatch" now :)
 
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audi upgrades
ScottishS3 said:
Looks like I need to get a 2.0TFSi then! I need some fun after selling my S3!!!! :(
Click to expand...

The 2.0 tfsi is a great engine but you'll need to tinker with it to get the fun factor that you had with your S3. The diesels would not even come close but you need to decide which is more important, fuel costs or fun.
 
Defo Fun as I dont do alot of miles and I need the overtaking power for Highland roads.
Interesting in the comment on the Quattro as I found the S3 handled GREAT!!!!
 
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....S3 handled GREAT!!!!
Click to expand...

don't get me wrong - it sticks to the road nicely enough, but I didn't like the way it felt - the Haldex didn't seem to know if it was fwd or 4wd when you were just short of or slightly over the limit of traction: I know the torsen quattro has a lot of drawbacks (rear can feel awkward and there's the extra resistance that saps power + fuel economy), but at least it KNOWS that it's a quattro.... you need snow to really feel it, but when you power slide a proper quattro, you'll know the difference! Only tricky bit with mine is trying to keep the TDI turbo boost even to balance the slide: not easy with 325lb/ft of torque that;s fairly on/off... S4/RS4 would be a LOT easier :D
 
Well I would really like a 2.0 TFSI with mileage below 30k with Bluetooth (and Sat Nav if pos! and defo not black or Dark Grey!) but I cant seem to find one!!!!!
I've tried Autotrader/eBay/Audi/Pistonheads but no luck! I really need a new car NOW! :(
 
couldn't tempt you with a 2012 Audi A4 Dynamik 2.0 TDi 170 Avant?
 
I'm also looking at buying a 2.0T FSi. Can anyone advise what the service intervals are on these engines please?
 
Depends how you drive it and how many miles you rack up.

i.e.
variable (up to about 17k miles I think) or
fixed (10k I think)
 
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