Black Edition models

[sl89]

Hi, first post on here, have been reading the forum a while but only just got round to signing up.

I am wanting to buy a 5dr black edition in black. I've looked at a couple so far, one a 170PS version and one a 140.
Was just wondering from people who actually own one (rather than Audi figures) what sort of MPG you are getting out of the 140 version? is it anywhere near the combined 67MPG that Audi claim? Also from test driving it's hard to gauge but is the ride quite firm?

I do around 15k a year mostly on A roads, drive fairly steady but the type of roads I'm on involves a bit of braking and changing gear. I currently have an 04 Golf GT 2.0 TDI which I get 53-55MPG which is pretty good to me for the age of the car and the sort of driving. Just wondering how this compares to anyone with the 140 or 170 A3?

I know their is also a 140 STOP START version but the thing that puts me off with that is the single exhaust, doesn't look as sporty from behind although I imagine it could be easily (and cheaply enough) replaced with a twin pipe?

Cheers
Scott

 

[danb986]

Welcome to the forum!

Sounds like you've got exactly the same tastes as me.
I've just bought a 2010 5 door black edition in black. Mine is the 140 stop start model and I had the same concerns as you.

I went from an A3 Sport with the same engine as your Golf, so can give a pretty good guide as to the difference in mpg. It obviously varies from winter to summer, but if you're getting 53-55mpg at the moment, then I'd say in a stop start 140 you'd get around 60mpg without using the stop start function. I'm getting about an extra 5mpg and most of my journey doesn't involve stopping for any length of time, so I hardly use the stop start to be honest.
The facelift A3's all have the newer common rail tdi engine, which your Golf wouldn't have had, so you'll get an improvement because of that alone. I'm not sure if the stop start cars have other extras to help with economy, but the mpg figures for the stop start are higher than the non stop starters. I know they have the energy recuperation, which is supposed to help with the mpg too.
See here:
Audi efficiency < Audi innovation < Audi UK

The other benefit of the stop start is that the road tax is a lot cheaper - £30 for a year.
The stop starts came out in 2010, so to get a non stop start model you'd have to go 59 plate or older. Personally I'm glad I went for the model I did.

The suspension isn't that hard at all. I had a Sport on 17" wheels before my black edition, so this was probably much the same as your Golf. The ride is a little firmer, but it doesn't go with a bang over pot holes or anything and my wife actually said it seems more comfortable. The big test was when my mum got in the car, but she said it was actually very smooth. She's got a brand new Zafira and it's a much better ride than that.

As for the exhaust, I've got a 3.5" stainless steel slash cut tailpipe fitted on mine instead of the standard 3" slash cut one. You wouldn't think 1/2" extra would make much of a difference, but it looks really good now and not like a base model like the old one did. It's not too big as I didn't want it to look aftermarket, and it looks like it should be there. It actually fits the cut-out in the diffuser perfectly now. It's a cheap mod (probably around £20 from ebay) although I was lucky enough to get a free Aston Martin one as my brother works for them. Don't let the tailpipe thing be an issue, it's easy to sort out, even if you want a twin pipe.


If there are any more questions you need help with then let me know and I'll see if I can help. It seems like you're taking the same path as me, and you won't regret it.

 

[G111MDS]

according to the computer thingy, i got just short of 50mpg average on mine from new over 25k miles. mixture of roads and driving, but certainly not sore on it. change of jobs meant it went a couple of weeks back. really nice spec car to have.

 

[~dadam02~]

We've had our 170 Black Edition for about 5 weeks and so far have clocked up 850 miles on a tank and a half of diesel. I couldn't for the life of my tell you how many litres on a tank though.

 

[~dadam02~]

Actually that can't be right, oh who knows sorry OP

 

[danb986]

Actually that can't be right, oh who knows sorry OP

That could be right. I get about 600 miles from a tank, so 850 is about right for a tank and a half.
I think its a 55L tank.

It's hard to compare one persons mpg to another's as we all drive differently and on different roads etc.
You can't really go by other peoples mpg because they're not driving the same as you and doing the same trip's.
That's why I gave you how much mine changed by, in comparison with my previous A3. This is a fair test as all the other variables remain the same.

 

[964kevin]

Answers from a two time owner.

Ride is firm, but not too harsh. Somewhat firmer than most normal models though.

MPG, don't believe the DIS, it lies. Mine often states 65mpg plus, it has on occasion stated when I drove back from Sunderland once 82mpg.....really.....( see it lies) I when driving slowly on motorway journeys will get up to 64mpg/tank, brim to brim, the most I've had out of this one on a tank is 800miles, normal driving i will get 58-62 real world mpg.

Regards.

K

 

[sl89]

Cheers for the replies everyone. It is hard to compare but looking at Kevin and Dans figures they are quite impressive for a car that still has enough power when you need to get past something. As you say it depends on driving styles but I never really thrash cars so I would say I'll be looking at something not too disimilar.

Another quick question, do they have built in ipod player as standard? The last one I looked at the Audi dealer said it supported MP3 players but not my iphone 4?