Torn between 2.0 TDI 150 and 184Q

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cjr

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Hi guys,

I'm wondering whether it is worth paying the extra £6k or so to go from 2.0 TDI 150PS S-Tronic to a 2.0 TDI 184PS Quattro S-Tronic

Here are two nearly new cars I've been keeping an eye on:

The 150 (£23,850)
http://www.sytner.co.uk/audi/search...=-559725&drv=159285&loctn=974924#.VGHgfFOsXmk

The 184 with Quattro (£29,850)
http://www.sytner.co.uk/audi/search...=-559903&drv=162217&loctn=974806#.VGHvKFOsXmk

The pros:
- faster, with 4wd

Cons:
- 6k more!
- Quatto reduces boot space by 40l or so

Any advice/opinions would be really keen to know what people think. Also, do those 2 links I posted look like ok deal for the spec and that they are 'nearly new'?
 
My previous A3 was a 2012 2.0TDI-170 and when I was due to change I had quite a few test drives in both the 150 A3 and Golf 7 and I also 'borrowed' a 184Q for the day. The 184Q was much more fun to drive because of the extra power and the quattro drive. It was the first quattro I had driven and was very impressed. I could take corners that I knew well a lot faster and with much better grip that in my 170.

In the end I ordered a new Sport 184Q and have not been in the least bit disappointed. If you can run to the extra cost I personally think it's well worth it.

With discount and some £4600 worth of options I actually paid £30,325 in March 2014 for my brand new model. If you do buy second hand, make sure the car you buy has all the options you want and they can be either impossible or very expensive to retro-fit.
 
I have the 184 S-Line (but not quattro). My previous car was a 175hp diesel TT, and when I was looking at ordering I didn't really want to drop in power. I test drove the 150bhp A3 a couple of times, but found there was a noticeable difference (apart from the lack of quattro).

Luckily the 184 became available before my order was locked in, and I can echo h5djr in that is noticeably more fun to drive (if you can say that about a diesel!), and you definitely notice the extra horses. I do miss the quattro slightly on the damp winter days, but not a lot otherwise. I would def agree with his comment to check all the spec you want on a secondhand. Have a look on a couple of the brokers websites (orangewheels, carwow etc), as you might be suprised as to how much you can save. I ended up with ~8% list saving on mine after a bit of careful negotiating, and at the time there weren't a great deal of used ones about, so fairly pleased!

If boot space is an issue - go for the non-quattro, apart from occasionally I barely notice the lack of a FWD (even if its not a true one).
 
Note that if you want an auto and 184PS you are forced to go quattro (which is what I've just got). Similarly can only get a manual 184 as a non quattro.

Definitely look at the new option, as discounts are significant and can make nearly new look expensive (and better APR on new etc).

Best to drive each and see what you think. You'll get better economy out of the 150 ( my friend is getting an average of 58 on his mostly motorway commute in a manual 150), but the 184 is noticeably quicker.
 
I have the 150ps diesel and love it. I haven't had a time when I wish it had more power, I'm 22 so not quite out of the boy racer days if you get me. I've had the car nearly 2 months and it's seems more than capeable whatever the task motorway, slow traffic etc.

Daytona is a great colour too however my a3 wasn't much more than the used one but it is manual, have a look on broker websites for the best deal. Coventry Audi are notorious for giving huge discounts off new cars. Finally if it's power that's the concern companies like DTUK produce a tuning box for the 150ps engine that can up power to 180ish, there about £400 and can be removed quickly (sub 10 mins) when it goes back to the dealer, lots of people have them on here.

I'll be happy to answer any questions you have
 
I went for the 184 S-Line front wheel drive only like smk82. At the moment I need the boot space and just couldn't justify the extra expense for a Quattro.

But next time it will be a new order and I will get all the extras I want
 
I have on order a 184 S-Line. I did fancy the Quattro but the additional cost and the loss of space in the boot was a big factor for me. Also the on going costs with servicing the Haldex system and a quicker wear rate on the rear tyres was a factor too. I couldn't justify it but could justify a heap of other options :)
 
Quattro. Just been out driving the 184 from home in the torrential rain we've been having. No loss of grip/tyre slip when accelerating at all. I bet the non-quattro boys would be squirming everywhere trying to get the power down quickly today.

/smug....
 
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+1 for Quattro. Definitely. Absolutely no regrets. Complete security and all that power gets to the road with no wheel spinning! Don't notice the (slight) loss of boot space. How often do you really need the entire boot capacity!
 
I can recommend a manual fwd 184. Try one and make your own mind up.
 
A3Kent said:
I have on order a 184 S-Line. I did fancy the Quattro but the additional cost and the loss of space in the boot was a big factor for me. Also the on going costs with servicing the Haldex system and a quicker wear rate on the rear tyres was a factor too. I couldn't justify it but could justify a heap of other options :)
Click to expand...
I had quattro on my old car and while the rears do wear quicker, that is offset by the fronts wearing slower. FWD cars, especially with a fair bit of power are hard on the front tyres. I was getting about 25k miles from a set of 4 tyres (with even wear front and back) on my 200 bhp 8P, I would expect the 184 quattro to be fairly similar. Not sure how the S3 is as I've not had it long enough to replace tyres.
Haldex servicing is not a large ongoing cost IMO, it's an oil change every 40k miles.
 
The discussion seems to have shifted slightly to FWD vs Quattro but the OP seems set on s-tronic so he would have to get Quattro if he went with the 184, so that argument is moot.
So going back to comparing the 150 with the 184, most reviews recommend the 150 as being the best all-rounder, with decent performance and good economy. So if you want the best all-rounder get the 150. But...I wanted something a bit more special and the 184 gives GTi-like performance and the Quattro handles that extra power really well. If I had the 150 I'd always have the feeling I was missing out on something a little bit better and more fun. So, for me, the extra price and extra running costs are well worth it but £6k is certainly not to be sniffed at if budget is tight.
I suggest if you can afford it go for the 184 for sure but if you can't you can be sure that the 150 is still a great choice.
 
Unless your budget is (effectively) unlimited, I'd be inclined to go with the 150.

There are a lot of options that most people will tell you are pretty much essential (see the other thread running on that!) but even allowing for a healthy selection you'll probably get the 150 cheaper than the 184 with no options.

Obviously there's no right or wrong option but for me, adding the 'required' options to the 184 would just make it too expensive (which is why I stayed FWD...).
 
Hi guys,

Thanks so much for the opinions, I know a lot of you have suggested going for the quattro and of course I would love to with the 184, however it is the missus car and she doesn't want to budge on the S-tronic. I suppose we can always add the DTUK box later if we want an extra 50PS or so.

Wonder if anyone thinks this is a good deal - http://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threads/good-deal.231131/
 
Interestingly, if you go for a new 2.0TDI Sport s-tronic the difference in price between a 150 and a 184Q is only £2,700. Money well spent in my opinion.
 
The 184 engine is an absolute peach. Worth the extra and you don't have to tune it......... with all the implications of extra insurance and warranty.
 
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h5djr said:
Interestingly, if you go for a new 2.0TDI Sport s-tronic the difference in price between a 150 and a 184Q is only £2,700. Money well spent in my opinion.
Click to expand...

I agree but personally would go for the s-line as a minimum, better wheels, grill, seats, body kit, xenons etc make it look a lot better. Also there's the option of having to have monsoon grey that isn't as nice as Daytona
 
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