2016 A4 3.0TDI Order

[Dan241085]

Well my 2012 A3 Black Edition is now coming to the end of its company car lease, so finally decided on what is going to replace it:

A4 3.0TDI (218ps) S-Line

Some of the specs:
Brilliant Black
Sprint Cloth/Leather Interior
Contrast stitching on seats
Sports Suspension
18" Diamond Cut Wheels
Engine & Model Deletion
Brushed Aluminium Inlay
Flat Bottom Steering Wheel
Extended LED Interior Lighting

Order placed on 21st Dec '15, confirmation was received on 5th Jan, with an expected delivery date of 31st March .

Currently at the assembly stage on the tracker.

 

[ScottishA4B9]

That's going to be an awesome car!

Bet you can't wait for delivery!

 

[Dan241085]

Well look what I collected today
Really impressed with the car.

 

[h1r4]

Very nice!

 

[Stuhil]

Very nice indeed! I'd appreciate some first hand account of the take off from junctions etc regards wheel spin. Deciding between 2wd v6 or 4wd 2.0d

 

[ScottishA4B9]

I've driven the 4wd 2.0d and it took off like a scaled cat! But I opted for the 2wd in the end as it's all you need for 99% of the time.

 

[Dan241085]

Not had any issues with wheel spin, the traction control keeps it under control.
The power is extremely impressive, with the 7 speed box in sport mode it's so smooth it seems effortless.
I had the same decision as you and do not regret going for the 2wd 3.0.

 

[Stuhil]

Not had any issues with wheel spin, the traction control keeps it under control.
The power is extremely impressive, with the 7 speed box in sport mode it's so smooth it seems effortless.
I had the same decision as you and do not regret going for the 2wd 3.0.

Thanks Dan. I've never driven the new 190 however my present manual B8 143d fwd spins at every opportunity in the damp when pulling out from junctions/roundabouts or sinking the foot in 2nd gear on inclines. I don't skimp on tyres and always fit the same tyres as came as factory spec. Because of my experience I was leaning towards the 2.0d 4wd despite longing for a v6, can't afford the v6/4wd combo.

 

[Stuhil]

Too all those pondering the fabric/cloth/leather question. I've had four in a row with alcantara and wouldn't consider anything else. Cool in summer, warm in winter, 'grippy' no sliding in corners etc and they look a bit more special than full leather especially as the door cards are trimmed in alcantara and break up the sea of black plastic and leather surfaces.

 

[ScottishA4B9]

Too all those pondering the fabric/cloth/leather question. I've had four in a row with alcantara and wouldn't consider anything else. Cool in summer, warm in winter, 'grippy' no sliding in corners etc and they look a bit more special than full leather especially as the door cards are trimmed in alcantara and break up the sea of black plastic and leather surfaces.

I've ordered the cloth but I am tempted by the alcantara. The cloth in the B8 is very hard and stains quite easily.
The pics of the alcantara in the B9 don't look much different than the cloth apart from on the door cards. I like the grey alcantara but you can only get that on the Sport model. If I could have had that on the S line, I would have ordered it.

 

[ScottishA4B9]

I was seriously tempted to change my order to the 3.0tdi but I can't really justify the extra £3k. I hear it's a stonking engine.

I think I will just remap my 190 eventually. Not saying that it's lacking in power though.

 

[lada-di-da]

It's interesting to hear from someone who has their 3.0 already as I was debating between quattro or not. In the end I've gone for a lease order for a bog standard 3.0 TDI Non-quattro Avant Sline Stronic due mid June. Mine is in Black with the only option of Auto hold. Adding options on the lease just doesn't make sense.

Currently have a Golf R on lease but that doesn't go back until the end of June. Just the waiting game now!

How is the sport suspension for comfort on the 18" wheels?

 

[h1r4]

I was seriously tempted to change my order to the 3.0tdi but I can't really justify the extra £3k. I hear it's a stonking engine.

I think I will just remap my 190 eventually. Not saying that it's lacking in power though.

I originally wanted the 3.0tdi 272 quattro but it was too expensive! , however the 3.0tdi 218 non quattro is 600 quid more than my 2.0tdi 190 quattro. So I'm in two minds here

 

[ScottishA4B9]

I originally wanted the 3.0tdi 272 quattro but it was too expensive! , however the 3.0tdi 218 non quattro is 600 quid more than my 2.0tdi 190 quattro. So I'm in two minds here

If that's the case, I would get the 3.0tdi non Quattro. I only hear good things about that engine. You only need the Quattro for 1% of the time. Granted the 190 is powerful enough.

If I forgo the £6k off extras on mine then I could easily afford the 3.0tdi 272, albeit a standard one with no options.

 

[h1r4]

If that's the case, I would get the 3.0tdi non Quattro. I only hear good things about that engine. You only need the Quattro for 1% of the time. Granted the 190 is powerful enough.

If I forgo the £6k off extras on mine then I could easily afford the 3.0tdi 272, albeit a standard one with no options.

I don't know , I really want the quattro though :/

 

[TunedMassDamper]

I've ordered the cloth but I am tempted by the alcantara. The cloth in the B8 is very hard and stains quite easily.
The pics of the alcantara in the B9 don't look much different than the cloth apart from on the door cards. I like the grey alcantara but you can only get that on the Sport model. If I could have had that on the S line, I would have ordered it.

I've gone for the s-line alcantara over the cloth, was lucky enough that my dealer had all three of the s-line upholstery options available to look at & touch side-by-side in their demonstrator cars.

Some thoughts:

- I probably would have gone for full nappa leather if it wasn't for the hike in cost (~£1K as I would have wanted heated seats with it as well). This along with a couple of other options I managed to hold myself back on meant I could afford the 3.0 218 quattro, on balance I think that was the right call overall.

- The cloth still feels hard in the B9 to me. Visually it looked ok though & seemed a bit darker than the alcantara (both were in black).

- Alcantara feels *way* nicer than the cloth and looks a lot better in the flesh than in the pictures I've found online. Originally thought I strongly prefer the plain alcantara that's available on the sport models but found the diamond texture alcantara on the s-line to be surprisingly appealing when I saw it in a real car. The small sample they had of this alcantara in the showroom sales material really didn't do it justice.

- It still hacks me off that cloth is standard on the s-line and I felt obliged to pay for an upholstery upgrade even when buying a "top of the range" model...even more so given that you can't buy any of the cheaper upholstery upgrades available on the sport in combination with the s-line!

 

[Phil73]

Both me and my Mrs, preferred the cloth when we tried both in the showroom . Found it easier to spin the seat, getting in and out the car in suit and jeans than the alcantara. Horses for courses really I suppose, lad at work on a side note picked his 190 2.0d sline up last week and says it's really good! Still made me jealous as his arrived a week early and mine is delayed until after Easter now! from the same dealer lol

 

[ScottishA4B9]

I don't know , I really want the quattro though :/

Get the Quattro 190 then. Have you driven one? It goes like a scaled cat from a standing start!

 

[Dan241085]

Get the 218 2wd you won't regret it.

Hope myself and @ScottishS3 are helping you make a decision

Get the Quattro 190 then. Have you driven one? It goes like a scaled cat from a standing start!

 

[ScottishA4B9]

Yeah for the extra £600 you would be better off with the 218 2wd.

 

[Dan241085]

It's interesting to hear from someone who has their 3.0 already as I was debating between quattro or not. In the end I've gone for a lease order for a bog standard 3.0 TDI Non-quattro Avant Sline Stronic due mid June. Mine is in Black with the only option of Auto hold. Adding options on the lease just doesn't make sense.

Currently have a Golf R on lease but that doesn't go back until the end of June. Just the waiting game now!

How is the sport suspension for comfort on the 18" wheels?

The suspension is pretty good actually, was a little worried about the 18's with sport suspension, but it is a good balance and doesn't fair to bad over the odd hole in the road

 

[h1r4]

Yeah for the extra £600 you would be better off with the 218 2wd.

I'm still unsure lol , I'll email my dealer and see how much extra it is. Would love quattro on the 3.0tdi. But has anyone driven a 2.0tdi and 3.0 to compare?

 

[Dan241085]

See if your dealer has both the 2 and 3 litre in to compare. I haven't driven the 2 litre so can't help on this one.

 

[kenny_boon]

I would always recommend the Quattro. So much easier to drive at junctions etc. Specially with the diesel torque

 

[hmy7k]

As well as being faster the 3.0 has a very smooth and refined engine.

I would prefer a basic spec 3.0 than a high spec 2.0 personally.

 

[h1r4]

I don't want it wheel spinning out of junctions tbh. My a3 1.6tdi seems to do it a lot. So anyone got any experience with this with the 3.0?

 

[TunedMassDamper]

I originally wanted the 3.0tdi 272 quattro but it was too expensive! , however the 3.0tdi 218 non quattro is 600 quid more than my 2.0tdi 190 quattro. So I'm in two minds here

Not sure how long your planning to keep the car but looking at the online finance calculators it would seem Audi reckon the 3.0 non-quattro is worth about £200 more than the 2.0 quattro after three years so the real difference in that case is only £400.....

 

[ScottishA4B9]

Yeah the 3.0TDI's do depreciate more but that doesnt't seem too bad. Don't know how that fares in the real world though.

 

[h1r4]

Not sure how long your planning to keep the car but looking at the online finance calculators it would seem Audi reckon the 3.0 non-quattro is worth about £200 more than the 2.0 quattro after three years so the real difference in that case is only £400.....

Yeah I thought it was 600 , but then I looked just now it's 200 my bad oops

 

[TunedMassDamper]

I don't want it wheel spinning out of junctions tbh. My a3 1.6tdi seems to do it a lot. So anyone got any experience with this with the 3.0?

I took an overnight loan of a 2.0 FWD and noticed it did spin the wheels at junctions my current RWD BMW or the wife's FWD S-Max has never had any problems with....although its worth noting that the traction control kicked in with the B9 as you'd expect and it still pulled away smoothly with minimal hesitation. Given this I wouldn't really call it a big problem but I was very aware of it happening, could possibly be avoided with a bit more care on the throttle.

 

[Dan241085]

Let me have a bit of a play today and I will give you specific feedback on the wheel spin.

One thing to also note is that when in D and not S on the auto box generally you set off in 2nd gear, I have noticed that it doesn't really use 1st unless you are in S mode. I am assuming this would reduce wheel spin while in D atleast.

 

[Dan241085]

Well after an eventful drive to and from work today, from my experience if you absolutely boot it from a standing start there is an element of wheel spin/traction control kicking in. However, say when you want to get away from a junction quickly then there really isn't any problem with the wheels maintaining grip.
If your intending to boot the car everywhere then sounds like Quattro is the way to go, but the 2wd gives everything you need and more (3ltrs)

 

[kenny_boon]

I'm guessing that was in dry roads? Our fwd 184ps tdi spins wheels in 2nd gear giving it some on damp or wet roads

 

[Dan241085]

Yes it was on dry roads.

 

[Dan241085]

Might just be me not being used to an automatic, but for some reason there seems to be a delay when pulling away from a round about or junction. When pressing the accelerator sometimes it seems to take a couple of seconds to set off, anyone else found this with the auto box?

 

[A4B9]

yeah, it's annoying but you grow to get used to it. Mine revs a lot before it starts moving from a standstill

 

[Simonb1975]

Gather that's a trait of S Tronics. Something you get used to

 

[Dan241085]

Thanks guys. I have found its less of an issue when in sport mode, so just have to remember to drop it down to S when I may need to get away a little sharper.

 

[scotty76]

Is it an S Tronic? If so I've had that happen occasionally from a slow rolling start. Not had it from stationary. I think it's when the gearbox brain gets confused about your intent. There was a good thread on this, let me see if I can find it.

 

[Dan241085]

Yeah the S tronic. From memory it does it when stationary and rolling slowly. Will be interested if you can find something.