Calling all 190 TFSI STronic Drivers, opinions wanted

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Simonb1975

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After pulling out of an A4 TDi a while ago I have been mulling over the TFSi's.
With such a price difference between the 190 and the 252 Quattro, I think the 190 might suite me more (The wallet anyway :welcoming:)
I will of course stick with the Stronic and would like to know other owners opinions of this combo. How does it handle pulling in the wet etc.
 
Im very ,very pleased with my choice of the petrol over the diesel.Refinement is up and its so quiet.No diesel vibration,no adblue to carry and top up,
Still £30 per year road tax (at the moment)
Not as heavy as the diesel version and easier on tyre wear.Also shouldnt use oil as much
I had a 100 mile round trip recently on A and B roads .Left it in efficiency and checked the mpg when i got home out of interest,,,48.9 mpg.Its costing me no more really for fuel over my previous A3 1.2 which is remarkable.Still only 1000 miles in so should improve further.I would add im light with the throttle and im no Stirling Moss.I prefer a more relaxed drive now.However i think most of us are rather more aware of fuel costs and have adapted their driving styles.
I would highly recommend the petrol version. The 190 version is more than enough for most i would imagine.
I also think there could be additional tax hikes etc for diesels looming in the UK very soon...as there seems to be a general frowning on diesel power recently.
 
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Good to hear.
I've always had a bee in my bonnet regarding having an auto box with Fwd. I imagine that having no clutch to fine tune power delivery would be a hassle on slippery roads. At least when starting from a standstill
 
I cant really comment on this as i leave the car to do the fine tuning.I love the stronic box though and i cant see me returning to a manual.
Currently on winter wheels and tyres.
 
I wouldn't have diesel and I don't cover many miles in a year (10,000-ish) so I don't need it for economy reasons. The 190 tfsi s tronic is so smooth it is a delight to drive. I don't drive it in a way that is likely to be critical in the wet so I haven't had any roadholding problems in 3000 miles. One thing I do like doing is giving it a bit extra throttle when pulling away; it accelerates quickly and smoothly and it's just like taking off. On long journeys fuel consumption is excellent considering the performance (44 mpg on a motorway cruise is typical) but I am finding that nipping to the shops is very heavy on fuel. I filled up earlier this week and most of the previous tankful was short journeys, giving an overall consumption of 32 mpg. With a variety of journeys it's usually more like 37 or 38 which I think is quite respectable for a car of that size and engine capacity. If performance in the wet were not an important criterion for you, I'd say go for the 190 - you're sure to love it, but you can only test the aspect you are interested in by test driving one on a rainy day. I gather 190 tfsi's are not easy to come by as demonstrators, but I was lucky and after a 30 minute drive I was sold.
 
I have the 2.o TDi 190 S-Tronic, non-Quattro. I love the S-Tronic. It's the first I have owned (I drive a LR Discovery 3.0 Auto for work but that's a different beast). My A4 is great, however I must admit that it can wheel spin when pulling away from a junction relatively easily. It does depend on how gently you feather the accelerator and my technique has improved. I do wonder if it is related to the tyres as well though. Mine came with Hankooks fitted, which is a brand I've never had before. It is definitely worse in the wet, HOWEVER it is really not a big issue and I would happily spec this car again. If money was no issue then I would consider ordering a Quattro next time to avoid the issue, but to be fair the wheel spin only happens very occasionally and it doesn't bother me. Don't let it put you off the S-Tronic, or the TDi 190, as both are fantastic choices.
 
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I've got a 190 TFSI Stronic. It is fantastic.

MPG can be seen on my fuelly link before. It's relevantly low but I do a lot of short journeys. My last tank was 24mpg (only short 2 mile trips to work / gym). I've got 50mpg on long motorway runs.

Pulling off in the wet can be hit and miss. Sometimes its fine, sometimes it will struggle. I've seen the traction light flicker in 2nd and 3rd under heavy acceleration pulling off from stand. I live in Stoke so its practically raining every day. All depends on how heavy footed you are.

I keep saying to the misses on my next lease I might go for Quattro, but then its a big difference in price. The traction has never caused any actual problems and its never lost grip when at a speed which cause issues.
 
holly35 said:
Remember a standard A4 on a set of winter tyres is better than a Quattro on summer tyres.......
Click to expand...

In winter yeah. In summer, winter tyres on non-quattro would be crap :)

Point is, yeah its all conditional, how you drive, tyres, weather etc etc.

OP, If you can afford a 252, go for it! If your worried about the 190. Get another test drive, But I probably speak for the majority of us 190 tfsi owners and say we are happy with the car / engine-gearbox combo.
 
No worries about pulling away in the wet here, you just drive to the conditions and it's fine. If you're coming from a diesel then the urban mpg will not be as good, expect the 30 to late 29's, but that's not bad for a car of the size. The equivalent mondeo is even lower and I would expect better on a run where the gearbox and engine will come into its own. The engine is fantastically refined, quiet and has plenty of low down grunt so it can be driven quite lazily..
 
In winter yeah. In summer, winter tyres on non-quattro would be **** :)

Thats right ,but no one drives with winter tyres out of season, thats the whole point of them.However i think is a cheaper option than buying a quattro version.Also cheaper insurance/servicing and fuel costs by taking the standard car and fitting winter tires as winter closes in.i wonder how many people buy the quattro and realise this? I would bet many people buy the quattro thinking it doesnt need to be fitted with winter grips,
 
Always thought about the Winter tyres. Though I got in my S3 from a focus ST estate and never had any problems come rain, shine or snow in that (Not that we'll see much in northants).

Cuke, I've been following you're experiences on here although my worry lied with the lack of a clutch and not being able to fine tune the power delivery.
My worries would appear to be over played in my head.

Out of interest, in the ST in wintery conditions I would pull away in 2nd. Does the S Tronic have this ability. Never gave it any thought in the S3
 
I've heard this before,
If winter tyres grip better than summer on snow then the Quattro on summer tyres would surely still lack the better grip 4 driven wheels or not

No expert though
 
out of interest, in the ST in wintery conditions I would pull away in 2nd. Does the S Tronic have this ability. Never gave it any thought in the S3[/QUOTE]
yes in comfort mode
 
Interesting point if you're looking at contract hire through a limited company.... Although the TFSI 190 has a lower list price, it actually works out more expensive to lease per month than the TDI 190.
 
Sure

I've done my Carwow sums. I could actually get a 190 TDI stronic Quattro for a lot less than the Quattro TFSI and only a bit more than the 190 Tfsi but is's petrol I want. I have too many short journeys and would have to have a blast here and there to keep the DPF happy. Petrol is just nicer to have !
 
holly35 said:
out of interest, in the ST in wintery conditions I would pull away in 2nd. Does the S Tronic have this ability. Never gave it any thought in the S3
Click to expand...
yes in comfort mode[/QUOTE]

Might have to download the A4 manual then for a detailed read. Would eco mode help further (Just for the odd time)
 
holly35 said:
Remember a standard A4 on a set of winter tyres is better than a Quattro on summer tyres.......
Click to expand...
Only better than summer tyres when the temperature is below 7c, above that they are not better. So if you live in a part of UK where the temperature is consistently below 7c changing them over every October and March is probably the optimum solution.
 
I don't bother with them living on the south east coast but they're not called winter tyres for nothing...
 
I put winter tyres on my wife's car (Honda Jazz) and leave the A4 as is.
On the rare occasion it gets icy or snows we use the Jazz.
Simples.
 
audi upgrades
Anyway, to get back on topic. I have a 160 mile journey tomorrow that, despite it being probably one of the busiest day of the year for traffic, I am looking forward too. I will then be able to get some good feedback from the car on a trip I do three or four times a year and thus be able to compare the A4 to other cars I have done this in. The best average mpg in a car of comparable size I had is around 44 in a mk4 2.0l diesel mondeo. However the bestest mpg I have ever done was in our 1.0l fiesta at 58, average speeds and time for the journey being similar..
 
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Journey done and this car, engine, gearbox combo really showed its mettle and what the car is designed for. Driven using the ACC & traffic jam assist on in sport mode and averaged 41mpg according to the DIS which isn't too shabby at all. Very impressed andcI think I would have exeeded 44mpg if I turned off the cruise...
 
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Hey,

Am a 190 TFSI S-Tronic owner with currently 5500 miles in just over 2 months! If you are interested in economy you can see my stats in my sig. I am mainly motorway driving, so it varies depending on how heavy footed I feel!

As for the car, I switched from owning diesels for the past 10 years back to petrol with the A4, and do around 35k pa. Reasons I switched to petrol was like many here have said - lower cost, weight, hassle of Ad-blue, and low CO2 / BIK rate was appealing to me over the 190TDI.

I did test drives of both the TDI and TFSI, and felt that the TDI had the low down grunt you come to expect from a Diesel, but the TFSI feels more spirited to drive. I personally have no issues with handling, only times I have got the traction control to flash at me is if I accelerate hard from standstill in the wet, but burying your foot coming out of a corner and it will just happily pull and go!

I feel the car is best in Dymanic, it's OK with Auto but can be hesitant at times, whereas Dynamic always instantly responsive. Teh acceleration still puts a smile on my face so no complaints there.

No complaints engine wise, but can say for sure that the economy does continue to get better as the miles increase.
 
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Don't listen to the diesel haters on here as they have clearly never driven the new diesel.
I came from a B8 2.0tfsi 211 and my B9 190 tdi is easily as quick and very refined. I don't have any diesel rattle and it's whisper quiet. As for Ad Blue, having to top up £12 worth of Ad Blue every 8000+ miles is hardly a chore!!!
Also with a DTUK box fitted pushing it up to 500nm torque and 240bhp, it's faster than the 252 TFSI and on par with the 270 3.0tdi but gets better mpg! Always worth a thought. However the 190 is more than enough in the real world. So forget what you know about previous diesels as it will genuinely surprise you. It certainly did for me to drag me away from a petrol!

Yes the diesel is more £ but residuals are far better than the TFSI so it more than makes up for it.
 
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Scottisha4b9 - I agree. In fact when I did my test drive I checked with the salesman that we were in a diesel and not a petrol it was that smooth and quiet.
 
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I had every intention of never buying a diesel until I tried the 190ps TDI. Totally changed my opinion.
 
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It's a shame to be labelled a diesel hater when in reality that's what it isn't about. However in stepping from a A4 diesel back to my a3 petrol the differences are very very apparent. The oil burner has all the qualities a diesel engine has and all the negatives so it is down to personal preferences and if you do the mileage I do each year then the oil burner is totally unsuitable. If that makes me a 'hater' then so be it.
However Simon asked the question to 2.0l TFSI owners, thus we are just responding to his request...
 
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All the positives of a diesel car are well known and documented.
There are though, for some, very definite negatives.
I for one would like to run a diesel but don't do enough miles (or the ability to go faster than 50mph (no motorways or duel carriageways around here)) to look after the DPF.
As a side...there is talk of a DPF being developed for petrol engines...maybe then I will have no reason not to go back to diesel. (sorry about the double negative!)
In the meantime I'll enjoy my Petrol `Limo`.
 
Most people's thoughts on DPF are very out of date. The car will regen itself, whilst parked up if necessary. They're a lot more tolerant to shorter trips now. Chatting with an Audi engineer suggests it's not something they have to deal with in the workshop.
 
basegreen said:
Most people's thoughts on DPF are very out of date. The car will regen itself, whilst parked up if necessary. They're a lot more tolerant to shorter trips now. Chatting with an Audi engineer suggests it's not something they have to deal with in the workshop.
Click to expand...

Agree that DPFs have moved on - I had a 'first gen' DPF in a Mazda and it has been a headache at times with short journeys my wife does!

With my mileage, and the effect that Diesel emissions are having on the environment I do feel I am doing my piece having moved to petrol. Sure it's a drop in the ocean however there is more stringent regulations on the horizon for Diesels. Also I could get more toys with with the lower priced petrol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
The over half does 4 miles each way to work in a diesel Mondeo. She gives it a 20-30min drive every 2 weeks and it has been as good as gold for one and half years.
DPF's are no problem if you look after them.
As for the DTUK box, those numbers are the same as the Tiguan Bi-turbo I tried. Most definitely quick enough and then some.

I'm keeping an open mind on what I want. TFSI190/252 TDI190/218 or even an S4 saloon (Maybe a little overkill for me) or the aforementioned Tiguan bit turbo. Incidentally I'd like the higher ground clearance if possible. The Tiguan aslo has the advantage of more standard kit (SEL trim) meaning less options to get where I want. Either way plenty to ponder in the new year
 
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Kestrel said:
All the positives of a diesel car are well known and documented.
There are though, for some, very definite negatives.
I for one would like to run a diesel but don't do enough miles (or the ability to go faster than 50mph (no motorways or duel carriageways around here)) to look after the DPF.
As a side...there is talk of a DPF being developed for petrol engines...maybe then I will have no reason not to go back to diesel. (sorry about the double negative!)
In the meantime I'll enjoy my Petrol `Limo`.
Click to expand...
The petrol dpf will not have the same 'issues' as the diesel version has as a petrol engine runs hotter, thus a regen will never have to be forced in any fashion, and no injection of 'pee' is needed either. One other thing, diesel dpf's do need to have a forced regen, it cannot perform a regen if the engine is off either and if you constantly interupt the process you will get a warning on your dashboard. So taking the car out for a run, as I had to do when I had one in 2008-2011, totally destroys one of the advantages of having a diesel...
 
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basegreen said:
Most people's thoughts on DPF are very out of date. The car will regen itself, whilst parked up if necessary. They're a lot more tolerant to shorter trips now. Chatting with an Audi engineer suggests it's not something they have to deal with in the workshop.
Click to expand...
Ha! I wish, that's what Audi told me when I bought my oil burner, one knackered diesel later and it's a change back to petrol for me. Having to "blast it" twice a week to make up for the short mile hops really isnt my idea of enjoyable car ownership!
 
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then again, if I get an S4 I'd be going out for some blasts all the time :welcoming:
 
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