Best Engine Cabriolet Choice? & Tuning Questions

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jamespheely

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Hi all,

I am currently looking at replacing my Honda Civic 2.2 Diesel with an Audi A4 Cabriolet but I am struggling to decide which engine to go for. It seems there are 4 engines the 1.8t, 2.4, 3.0 and the 2.5 Diesel. I am ruling out the 2.4 straight away - seems to be a bit of a pointless engine when you look at the alternatives. The 1.8 turbo would be my main choice but seems to be a bit underpowered, I thought it was the same engine which powered the 225 TT's but the A4 only has 163bhp. I have looked into a remap on this engine and looks like it would get close to the power of the 3.0 which is more appealing and would return better fuel consumption - so it looks like a choice between these two... Im really looking for advice/opinions on these engines from you guys who drive them daily.

Thanks all
James
 
1.8t's my favourite out the one's listed, if your interested in performance it's probably most tunable too but I suppose that's debatable.
 
Easy, I love my v8 and the s4 come with everything!:) after having a 2.0 t and a 2.5 Tdi in the past think I'd go with a 1.8t if yr worried about fuel costs! I wouldn't even be looking at a 3.0 or 2.4 petrol . I would also have to say the Quattros are far much nicer to drive that the front wheel drive. Having said that if u can go to a b7 a special edition 2.0t is 220bhp and re maps nicely and you see a return of around 45 mpg
 
I have the 2.4 petrol V6 which I really only bought the car because it had all the toys I wanted and it had a very very low mileage on the clock. It's not exactly quick but it suits me just fine, the cab is a heavy car so compared to the saloon the engine choice is prob more important. If I had my current car but with a different engine it would be the 1.8t the service costs on the v6 isn't worth the lack of extra oommphh.

Roll on summer !

Try and get heated seats by the way they are amazing this time of year. I use mine every day.
 
I've a 1.8t 163 doesn't cut it in the heavier cab .... But remap transforms it and the good lady can regularly get 40+ mpg !
Keep changing the oil & filter .... Heated leather is lovely all year round ... Would only change mine for a later one enjoy !
 
Great topic as thinking the same myself

S4 still on my top list but would be the lower end of the starting used car prices

Does the s4 come with standard equipment the a4 doesn't have?

I used to have the 1.8t 225 remapped in a TT was good, but with the 163 I can only imagine it would struggle with the size and weight

Although the 1.8t balance makes more sense to me than the 3.0 and 2.4
 
p1tse said:
Great topic as thinking the same myself

S4 still on my top list but would be the lower end of the starting used car prices

Does the s4 come with standard equipment the a4 doesn't have?

I used to have the 1.8t 225 remapped in a TT was good, but with the 163 I can only imagine it would struggle with the size and weight

Although the 1.8t balance makes more sense to me than the 3.0 and 2.4
Click to expand...

The s4 doesn't come standard with cruise control, but I had it supplied and fitted for £120 all genuine audi parts and took the guy no more than 40mins.
 
With the mileage I would do cruise isn't required as its on the family wagon tdi :)

To the original OP why was S4 not included in list?
 
I have driven nearly every engine in the range, i would avoid any NA engine apart from the v8 in the s4, even that is boring after a while...talking from experience as i have one already !
 
Dare I say it but the BMW 330ci cabs look a good buy at similar money
 
3.0tdi with map for me, decent performance and fuel economy. Final edition with RS4 style alloys as standard, bose, satnav and leather would be my choice but they don't come up that often. There was a cracking 59 plate on Autotrader about a month ago, 20,000 miles for £13,600, didn't last long though.
 
Had my car 3 years exactly today and I reckon I have only used my cruise control 20 times ever, had it in my last A4 as well. Rather have Bose and heated seats than cruise control personally.
 
The s4 is out of my price range... Is the a4 engine completely different from the Tt engine since the Tt produces more power? It's between the 1.8 and tdi then
 
What's the budget?
Seen some s4 cabs £4-6k

1.8t in the can looks completely different setup to the 225 1.8t TT I had, so I would say yes

Not sure if I could live with a cab and tdi when / if most of the mileage is urban as hearing it tick over isn't for me

I personally would go lesser power but capable petrol over more powerful on paper tdi
 
Looking at spending around 4k I think the 1.8t with a good remap sounds like the best option... A remap will give the power of the 3.0 and the torque of the 2.5tdi with a good sound and fuel consumption... 1.8t it is :)
 
jamespheely said:
Looking at spending around 4k I think the 1.8t with a good remap sounds like the best option... A remap will give the power of the 3.0 and the torque of the 2.5tdi with a good sound and fuel consumption... 1.8t it is :)
Click to expand...

I thought like you to begin with, but I ended up with a 3.0l petrol V6. It has 300 torques, only 10 less than the 2.5tdi? Mine will do 32mpg on a long run despite being a quattro. Depends on your mileage I guess, I calculated my (low mileage) yearly fuel costs and the extra cost of fuel for the v6 was surprisingly small. Prices and kit levels seemed better value on the v6s when I was looking.
I love the way the V6 pulls like a train in all gears and the way the quattro digs in as you exit a bend.

I do agree that the 2.4 is best avoided though.
+1 for heated seats and Bose, but check the bootlid radio aerial connection isn't busted (mine was, still not properly resolved).
 
jamespheely said:
Looking at spending around 4k I think the 1.8t with a good remap sounds like the best option... A remap will give the power of the 3.0 and the torque of the 2.5tdi with a good sound and fuel consumption... 1.8t it is :)
Click to expand...
Would not believe all marketing tosh you read about, i have yet to see a 1.8T that does over 500 miles on a tank full...Had a couple of 1.8TQS and they were drinking fuel like there was no tomorrow...did not drive them particularly hard either.
 
At £4k yeah the 1.8t probably a better bet for a mix

But at that money don't dismiss the v6 as above due to kit level
 
I picked up a 3.0 sport last week (my first ever Audi) and absolutely love the silky smooth V6 and the noises it makes.
Have you considered keeping a run around for Monday to Friday and going for the 3.0? I suggest this because my Mondeo averages 51mpg and my A4 does about 26mpg (that about £8 per day difference in fuel alone for me) . NFU gave me 5yrs introductory no claims discount on the 2nd car - £350 for remaining 8 months (parked on drive, protected no claims, break down cover and wife to drive too).

I second the above comment about heated seats, I wasn't bothered about them until my first winter sun and the top down...Brrr!
 
Last edited:
Markinoxn
Is yours an auto?

Original poster, have you considered 3 series convertible?
 
p1tse said:
Markinoxn
Is yours an auto?

Original poster, have you considered 3 series convertible?
Click to expand...

Hi p1tse,
No, it's a 5 speed manual. I wanted a 2wd, manual, V6 petrol in the hope that less would go wrong over the next few years. It's only done 35k but is 10 years old.
 
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Markinoxon said:
Hi p1tse,
No, it's a 5 speed manual. I wanted a 2wd, manual, V6 petrol in the hope that less would go wrong over the next few years. It's only done 35k but is 10 years old.
Click to expand...

VERY good point about the manual transmission, CVT horror stories put manual transmission number one priority for me. Maybe some CVT owners here think differently?

6 speed manual on the quattro seems very pleasant to use and I am weirdly re-assured by the fact that it is all mechanical- there is apparently no need for sensors?
 
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I had a TT with the Quattro running by haldex which just needs servicing but I don't think a4 Quattro is the same

Does it need servicing?
 
The Torsen system is sealed for life, although some people do change the diff oil once in a while. By and large it's pretty bombproof.
 
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BMW 3 series convertible.... Ewww I think they look like a pram with the roof up and they tend to be driven by a certain kind of person lol
 
I asked my local indi the same question and he suggest the 1.8T as being the best in terms of balancing reliability, cost of maintenance, performance and economy.
Up till today I was regularly getting 40 mpg (50mpg on one 200 mile motorway run). It is more of a cruiser though and not a terribly quick car. My 1987 2.2 Lotus Excel is a much quicker car despite only 20bhp more when new, but I think that's because of the weight difference, the Lotus is only 1100 kgs compared to 1540kgs for the A4 Cabriolet.
I'd love the chain driven 3.0 (or is it 3.1 ?) diesel if I were to get another but in the mean time I'm happy with my 1.8T.
A former girl friend had a 2.5 V6 diesel which pulled like a train but didn't do much better than my 1.8T in terms of economy and you also need to factor in the additional purchase price for a diesel.
Good luck
David
 
OP, which ever you get check when the cam belt needs doing. I bought mine knowing it was due (only 35k but on 03 plate) and thought "how bad can it be?". MD quotes ranged from £750 to £950...so it's off to a vag specialist on Monday instead.
 
Thanks for all the replies guys whilst I am still undecided between the 1.8 and the 2.5 it's been really useful... I'm leaning towards the 1.8 is love the better mpg in the 2.5 but I think iv had enough of listening to a diesel for a while.
 
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Don't dismiss the 2.5 for sounding like a diesel, it's a sweet V6 lump.
 
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Personally I would go for the 1.8T.
I will probably get slated for this but the 2.5TDi can be a problematic & expensive engine if not maintained correctly.

If your worried about it being underpowered then have it remapped - if you still crave more there are plenty of reliable tuning options out there.
 
The 1.8T is just as problematic, just look for faulty recirculating valves, failing coils, Lambda sensors, cats, injectors ans so on...personally to me a petrol lump is more complicated than a diesel engine with far more sensors and emission restrictions !
 
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