3.0 TDI 272

[Jelhead]

So i'm currently interested in the new A4 3.0 TDI 272 but have just seen that there is an updated version of this engine coming in to the A5 when it is released with approx 14bhp more and a extra 20 nm of torque. Does anyone know if the update is coming to the A4? I would hate to order then the updated engine appear a short time later.

Thanks

 

[Simonb1975]

Can't help but...

The S3 has a 7 or so BHP increase and + 20NM of torque. No reviewer mentions any noticeable difference.
Have you driven the 272. Does it feel down on power?
What if you've got the car for 3 years and Audi update the engine after another year increasing the power again. Will you feel short changed?

The only main issue is if the car is replaced with a new model (B8.5 to B9 for example) and that ain't gonna happen anytime soon.

drive it, like It, buy it, enjoy it

 

[Jelhead]

I am yet to test drive one, the local dealer had one but sold it the day before I visited. It seems to be to seems to be a uncommon engine, I have also looked at the 218 version as I could put a few more toys on it but that's even rarer to find most dealers have the 2.0 petrol and diesels and the 1.4 not many have the 3.0. I may also wait and see what the S4 is like as it won't be a great difference per month on the 272 would just be nice if they could release some info for it!

 

[syed123]

So i'm currently interested in the new A4 3.0 TDI 272 but have just seen that there is an updated version of this engine coming in to the A5 when it is released with approx 14bhp more and a extra 20 nm of torque. Does anyone know if the update is coming to the A4? I would hate to order then the updated engine appear a short time later.

Thanks

Hey, I've got this engine on order with quite a few options, should be collecting it in just 2 weeks! the excitement is starting to become quite overwhelming

In regards to the difference in power compared to the new A5, I doubt there really is much in it, after reading the review the 0 60 is meant to be the same at 5.3 seconds.

I also don't think they would update the engine until a new model year of facelift tbh..

Are u interested in this engine?? I understand that there's probably not many 272's to test drive I mean when I wanted to the only engine available at my local dealers was the 190 tdi.. but after test driving that and already owning a modified a3 tdi, it wasn't fast enough for my needs so had to go all out

There is also another member @hmy7k who has had his 272 for a while, perhaps he could give u more insight on how the car is etc.

P.s all the reviews say this is the best a4 to buy if u have the budget, but even still they recommend the lower powered v6 tdi which is also meant to be pretty awesome and very comparable to the 190 tdi in terms of economy and emissions

Syed

 

[desertstorm]

There will be little difference in performance between 272bhp and 286 bhp and 20Nm of torque is nothing when the car is probably making 600Nm. I would be very surprised if the higher power engine doesn't make an appearance in the A4. They have always shared the same engines.

 

[hmy7k]

I can't comment on what the difference is between 272 and 286 in real terms.

I can however give you a bit of info on the 272. Coming from a 245 B8 I was surprised how much smoother and more powerful the new car is. Some of that is down to weight loss but the engine is very flexible. In normal driving you really don't need any more power. I was originally waiting for an S4 but in the end I decided not to wait, I came to the view that the higher price, likely small discount, lower mpg and marginal performance gain were not worth it.

The 272 has a tiptronic box and its not as lightning fast as the stronic but if you drive it dynamic its pretty responsive, the S4 has the same box though. The car is happy to cruise all day on long journeys, recently we travelled 475 miles up to North Scotland, never got out of a car so relaxed after a long journey. With the adaptive cruise and speed limit display it also dealt automatically with all average speed cameras all the way up the A9.

If you are coming from a 1.4 A3 you really will be nothing short of amazed at the performance available when you need it. Check out the Audi used car locator to see who has a 272 near you, there are some about, I don't think you will be disappointed.

 

[alFR]

Would agree with all of the above. Only had my 272 for a week so hmy7k has much more experience with it than me, but I'm very pleased with the performance so far. I think the best advice is some I read a few years ago re: buying computers: "If you need it now, buy it now: if you can wait, wait". There will always be something better around the corner, but that means you could potentially wait forever...

 

[Dan241085]

Just to add to this, I have the 218 engine with the STronic box. It is a fantastic engine and extremely smooth. When you plant your foot and it drops down a gear or so the speed that it drops the gears and the sounds is great.

 

[syed123]

@hmy I completely forgot to ask u this before, but what is the initial throttle response like? and how much lag is there? knowing that this is not the twin turbo like the bitdi version was really curious to know how the initial response is like.. especially that I have a pedal box on my current a3 tdi which makes it super responsive and silly easy to make effortless pace very quickly, I was also considering putting that on the a4 which would probably sound crazy to most [/QUOTE]

 

[DEWCATI]

I've just traded from SQ5 (313) with the twin turbo to a 272 a4 b9
The engine in the 4 is far and a way more smoother and a nice surge of power that just keeps pushing to the red line
I don't think it's much slower if at all ,due to the weight .
Sq5 maybe revved harder at the top end

Several people I know think I took a step back going to a4 ,but I totally disagree and after they have been in my car they change there mind

A4 272 FEELS LIKE A SMOOTH MAGIC CARPET .....

 

[cuke2u]

I thought the a4 is based upon a newer platform than the sq5, thus it is more refined and certainly not a step backwards...

 

[hmy7k]

@hmy I completely forgot to ask u this before, but what is the initial throttle response like? and how much lag is there? knowing that this is not the twin turbo like the bitdi version was really curious to know how the initial response is like.. especially that I have a pedal box on my current a3 tdi which makes it super responsive and silly easy to make effortless pace very quickly, I was also considering putting that on the a4 which would probably sound crazy to most

[/QUOTE]

You wont be disappointed with lag, its barely noticeable. Take off from the lights is pretty good, there is a small delay while the tiptronic builds torque and then its all go, I have total confidence pulling out from a junction. In D mode the box changes up early, if you put it in S it holds the gears longer and is much more responsive. If I am overtaking I always slip it in to S and if I am really pushing it I use the paddles to knock it down a couple of gears. Its not a sports car by any means but its a very rapid way of getting from A to B in comfort.

If in any doubt you should scour the country for a car and get a drive in one. I was very pleasantly surprised when I first drove one.

 

[syed123]

You wont be disappointed with lag, its barely noticeable. Take off from the lights is pretty good, there is a small delay while the tiptronic builds torque and then its all go, I have total confidence pulling out from a junction. In D mode the box changes up early, if you put it in S it holds the gears longer and is much more responsive. If I am overtaking I always slip it in to S and if I am really pushing it I use the paddles to knock it down a couple of gears. Its not a sports car by any means but its a very rapid way of getting from A to B in comfort.

If in any doubt you should scour the country for a car and get a drive in one. I was very pleasantly surprised when I first drove one.[/QUOTE]

That's great to hear I am coming from a 1.6tdi at the end of the day so the difference will defo be huge despite the the way it feels with my mods a v6tdi will always be in another league.. tbh I only have about 2 weeks left till collection so I'm better off waiting

On the Audi car tracker it's currently ' on the way to the UK' so I'm assuming it should get to the dealers later on this week or the next..

Anyone have any ideas how long I should have to wait now?

 

[syed123]

I've just traded from SQ5 (313) with the twin turbo to a 272 a4 b9
The engine in the 4 is far and a way more smoother and a nice surge of power that just keeps pushing to the red line
I don't think it's much slower if at all ,due to the weight .
Sq5 maybe revved harder at the top end

Several people I know think I took a step back going to a4 ,but I totally disagree and after they have been in my car they change there mind

A4 272 FEELS LIKE A SMOOTH MAGIC CARPET .....

Hey, which suspension did u go for?

 

[syed123]

There will be little difference in performance between 272bhp and 286 bhp and 20Nm of torque is nothing when the car is probably making 600Nm. I would be very surprised if the higher power engine doesn't make an appearance in the A4. They have always shared the same engines.

Looking at your screen name you seem to have transformed your motor into a beast of a car what would u reckon the tuning potential is for a very decent ECU tune on the new 272?

0 60 times etc, and what's yours?

 

[DEWCATI]

Hey, which suspension did u go for?

mine is on 19" with adaptive sports suspension,which is fine as far as I am concerned

This was one reason to change from the SQ I wanted a better ride ,SQ was firm going slow but great when sending it on
The A4 when in auto seems to get the ride about right,you can always put it in dynamic to firm it up.

 

[syed123]

@DEWCATI

Nice car mate
Il prob keep my car in comfort most of the time then when I want to have abit of fun il use dynamic, the a4 190 tdi I test drove back in March had lifeless steering and even in dynamic it felt too light at high speed
How do u find the steering at high speed? Is it stable enough? Knowing it's a quattro and v6 I would assume so..
My a3 tdi is surprisingly very driver orientated for an audi, in comfort it's light but it's direct and feels nicely weighted, not artificial in the slightest, in dynamic it's very meaty, almost bmw like which I prefer.. except I just feel audi do a better package overall ‎

 

[ScottishA4B9]

My 190tdi drives great in dynamic. It makes the steering heavier and gives you more feel.

 

[syed123]

My 190tdi drives great in dynamic. It makes the steering heavier and gives you more feel.

Strange, the 190tdi I test drove felt overly light.. perhaps the engine was not fully warmed up or I needed more time to get used to the different settings on drive select..

 

[desertstorm]

Looking at your screen name you seem to have transformed your motor into a beast of a car what would u reckon the tuning potential is for a very decent ECU tune on the new 272?

0 60 times etc, and what's yours?

Had a quick look around at tuners who have maps for the 272bhp engine and they seem to be around 315-320bhp and 660-680Nm .
This would probably take a few tenths off the 0-60 so get it somewhere closer to 5.0 s if the standard is 5.3 s .
There are a few calculators on the net that will convert the figures from a 1/4 mile time slip into an estimated 0-60 and my car comes out around 4.8-4.9 seconds, auto's are so much more consistent though. The problem trying to do 0-60 in a manual diesel is trying to do quick gearchanges as you have to get into 3rd so there are 2 gearchanges in about 3.5 seconds.

 

[DEWCATI]

@DEWCATI

Nice car mate
Il prob keep my car in comfort most of the time then when I want to have abit of fun il use dynamic, the a4 190 tdi I test drove back in March had lifeless steering and even in dynamic it felt too light at high speed
How do u find the steering at high speed? Is it stable enough? Knowing it's a quattro and v6 I would assume so..
My a3 tdi is surprisingly very driver orientated for an audi, in comfort it's light but it's direct and feels nicely weighted, not artificial in the slightest, in dynamic it's very meaty, almost bmw like which I prefer.. except I just feel audi do a better package overall ‎

Steering and handling are all about feel ,so far I like it but have not really pushed it too far just letting the car get bedded in a bit
I've only got about 800 miles on it .
It feels a lot different to drive than the Sq5 as the weight is lower down so you drive it differently you can carry more mid corner speed in the A4 ,I had the SQ for 3 years so you are more in tune with it.
The only thing is my car is on 'hankooks ' which is a first for me I've mostly had Bridgestone or Michelin.
There is quite a range of tyre pressures quoted on the doorpiller so just trying them with a little more pressure as from this week
I also believe the Quattro is different ? ... There is several types of Quattro Sq was more 4x4 if you know what I mean .

Sum up ...neither were slow ,grip is good and you only feel the difference when really pushing at "too fast speed " if you know what I mean.

 

[Jelhead]

Thanks for all your comments. Very helpful and informative. Seems that it will be very quick either way however slight spanner in the works I've just seen that the new Q5 is being unveiled at the Paris motor show next month so I'm going to hold of any purchase until then at the earliest. Soon to be wife prefers SUVs so may be easier to convince to change cars if the Q5 is nice looking also she's said any car I buy has to be future proof

 

[mroute]

In my Audi life I have had an RS4 hhhhmmm, and a couple of 2.0 TDIs the 170 and the 177 followed by the new 3.0 Quattro Avant.

I have to say that the latest 3.0 Quattro is a truly excellent car. It is slightly slower than the RS4, half a second or so to 60 but hey I can live with that as that's not where it wins. It wins in the fuel economy, I have to be honest I don't have the lightest foot in the world, how can you with 272bhp clambering to get out from under the bonnet, but having owned the car now for 3 months or so I am routinely getting 45+ mpg.

There is a bit of a lag in eco mode but as someone said earlier if you put it in dynamic mode it is an animal and the lag is a distant memory literally.

Owning the RS4 resulted in a permanently open cheque book when it came to fuel (19mpg) that was only superseded by a big grin because it was such fun to drive!

As for the 170 and the 177 TDIs they were great very economical but dare I say it boring.

If you are thinking about the 3.0 Quattro 272 whether saloon or avant take my advice and go for it you won't be disappointed and I will leave the tech upgrades as a nice surprise for delivery day. ;-)