Hey guys, I'm new to the forum
I got my B9 2 weeks ago and done just over 600 miles in it so far (been going on random drives to get the miles up haha) thought id throw in my 10 cents in the hope that someone may find it useful.
It's a 3.0TDI (218) S-Tronic, Quattro in sport trim, Black, no other extras apart from tinted tinted/sound insulated side/rear windows & flat bottomed steering wheel. This is my first Audi coming from a BMW 1 series 2.0 twin turbo diesel.
Exterior - Nice enough! I have the sport (not sure what the visual difference is between SE&sport apart from the wheels) it doesn't jump out at you like a C class does but you can definitely tell thats it's an expensive motor. Looks much better in S-line trim though with those side skirts. Love the Quattro badging, the positioning of the wing mirrors and the way the door handles lift upwards, (makes perfect sense,) Audi seem to be the masters when it comes to the little touches.
Interior - love it! looks great, very well put together, everything's where it should be and buttons/switchgear all feel great. MMI works nicely, (i've yet to test apple car play/android auto) sports seats are very supportive but not overly comfortable (i'm 6'4) driving position was easy to find. Storage space could be a little better but no big deal.
The Drive - It's nice. Steering feel is a little lighter than what I'm used to but still feels well balanced. The engine is smooth and quiet (at idle & cruise speeds you don't hear anything from it.) doesn't sound like a diesel at all! Torque is there and its available way lower down and its a good thing really as this thing loves to get through the gears as quickly as possible especially in efficiency mode (5th gear @ 25mph). Engine never really revs beyond 2.5k revs unless you floor it or use the paddles. The gear shifts are rapid, power delivery is more seamless than exciting, not a bad thing but just never really feels that fast to me, has more than enough shove for most everyday situations though.
This cars clearly built for the motorway, sits at just under 2,000 rpm @ 90mph, not a sound from the engine and hardly any wind noise. However its not the super quiet cabin that all these online reviews lead you to believe. Even with the sound insulated glass I still find theres still a lot of tyre noise and external noise like traffic/cars passing etc. (anyone else experienced this??) On a better note this car handles FANTASTIC! sticks to the road like glue in any situation! We've had ice & heavy rain here over the last few weeks and the Quattro system does its job VERY well not an ounce of slip or traction lost.
Fuel economy - filled her up twice so far £66 to fill the tank from empty, averaged around 39 mpg with a mixture of city/motorway driving mostly in its comfort setting, could easily get low 40's in efficiency mode which is far from Audis claimed figure of 64 but still not bad at all for a 3litre v6!
Things I don't like:
- Suspension feels a little bit fidgety and unsettled sometimes, if I had the budget I would have added the adaptive suspension
- Still getting used to the dual clutch gearbox, not a massive fan of it so far, feels a bit laggy/jerky when pulling away and at slower speeds and it gives itself a lot to do on kickdown as it shuffles through the gears so quickly, would have preferred a standard ZF auto like you get in the bigger 3.0 272 and in most beamers.
-Air con is noisy. From fan speed setting 2 you can hear the fan motor and ruins the cars quiet demenor. I find myself turning it down to its lowest setting a lot of the time, (warms up very quickly though)
- The way the stop/start kicks in before the car completely stops, means you always stop quite abruptly very annoying!
- Sat nav sometimes takes a good 20 seconds to load up from start. Not a massive issue but can be annoying if you're in a bit of a rush.
- The sound system is TERRIBLE! The worst iv'e even experienced in a car of this calibre! distorts at higher volume, there's No bass and the sound never really fills the cabin, always sounds distant. This car has the upgraded version with 10 speakers would hate to hear what the standard one sounds like. Massive disappointment as I love my music! Again would of ticked the option for the B&O system if my budget allowed for it.
- Audi are stingy *******lol. Should get a LOT more standard equipment for near 40k car! Would of been nice to at least have a colour display in-between the dials (not monochrome) and adaptive cruise (which comes as standard in most Golfs)
Overall
A very nice car. Lacks the sparkle of the beamer despite its engine size but rides way more smoothly/quietly especially at higher speed. In hindsight I probably would have chose the 2.0TDI 190 with a few option boxes ticked or would have tested a BMW 5 series or a Jag XE against this before I made a decision but it is what it is! Only done 600+ miles so hopefully things will change.
Ok rant over Would love to hear your thoughts especially from those who have the same engine.
Thanks for reading
I got my B9 2 weeks ago and done just over 600 miles in it so far (been going on random drives to get the miles up haha) thought id throw in my 10 cents in the hope that someone may find it useful.
It's a 3.0TDI (218) S-Tronic, Quattro in sport trim, Black, no other extras apart from tinted tinted/sound insulated side/rear windows & flat bottomed steering wheel. This is my first Audi coming from a BMW 1 series 2.0 twin turbo diesel.
Exterior - Nice enough! I have the sport (not sure what the visual difference is between SE&sport apart from the wheels) it doesn't jump out at you like a C class does but you can definitely tell thats it's an expensive motor. Looks much better in S-line trim though with those side skirts. Love the Quattro badging, the positioning of the wing mirrors and the way the door handles lift upwards, (makes perfect sense,) Audi seem to be the masters when it comes to the little touches.
Interior - love it! looks great, very well put together, everything's where it should be and buttons/switchgear all feel great. MMI works nicely, (i've yet to test apple car play/android auto) sports seats are very supportive but not overly comfortable (i'm 6'4) driving position was easy to find. Storage space could be a little better but no big deal.
The Drive - It's nice. Steering feel is a little lighter than what I'm used to but still feels well balanced. The engine is smooth and quiet (at idle & cruise speeds you don't hear anything from it.) doesn't sound like a diesel at all! Torque is there and its available way lower down and its a good thing really as this thing loves to get through the gears as quickly as possible especially in efficiency mode (5th gear @ 25mph). Engine never really revs beyond 2.5k revs unless you floor it or use the paddles. The gear shifts are rapid, power delivery is more seamless than exciting, not a bad thing but just never really feels that fast to me, has more than enough shove for most everyday situations though.
This cars clearly built for the motorway, sits at just under 2,000 rpm @ 90mph, not a sound from the engine and hardly any wind noise. However its not the super quiet cabin that all these online reviews lead you to believe. Even with the sound insulated glass I still find theres still a lot of tyre noise and external noise like traffic/cars passing etc. (anyone else experienced this??) On a better note this car handles FANTASTIC! sticks to the road like glue in any situation! We've had ice & heavy rain here over the last few weeks and the Quattro system does its job VERY well not an ounce of slip or traction lost.
Fuel economy - filled her up twice so far £66 to fill the tank from empty, averaged around 39 mpg with a mixture of city/motorway driving mostly in its comfort setting, could easily get low 40's in efficiency mode which is far from Audis claimed figure of 64 but still not bad at all for a 3litre v6!
Things I don't like:
- Suspension feels a little bit fidgety and unsettled sometimes, if I had the budget I would have added the adaptive suspension
- Still getting used to the dual clutch gearbox, not a massive fan of it so far, feels a bit laggy/jerky when pulling away and at slower speeds and it gives itself a lot to do on kickdown as it shuffles through the gears so quickly, would have preferred a standard ZF auto like you get in the bigger 3.0 272 and in most beamers.
-Air con is noisy. From fan speed setting 2 you can hear the fan motor and ruins the cars quiet demenor. I find myself turning it down to its lowest setting a lot of the time, (warms up very quickly though)
- The way the stop/start kicks in before the car completely stops, means you always stop quite abruptly very annoying!
- Sat nav sometimes takes a good 20 seconds to load up from start. Not a massive issue but can be annoying if you're in a bit of a rush.
- The sound system is TERRIBLE! The worst iv'e even experienced in a car of this calibre! distorts at higher volume, there's No bass and the sound never really fills the cabin, always sounds distant. This car has the upgraded version with 10 speakers would hate to hear what the standard one sounds like. Massive disappointment as I love my music! Again would of ticked the option for the B&O system if my budget allowed for it.
- Audi are stingy *******lol. Should get a LOT more standard equipment for near 40k car! Would of been nice to at least have a colour display in-between the dials (not monochrome) and adaptive cruise (which comes as standard in most Golfs)
Overall
A very nice car. Lacks the sparkle of the beamer despite its engine size but rides way more smoothly/quietly especially at higher speed. In hindsight I probably would have chose the 2.0TDI 190 with a few option boxes ticked or would have tested a BMW 5 series or a Jag XE against this before I made a decision but it is what it is! Only done 600+ miles so hopefully things will change.
Ok rant over Would love to hear your thoughts especially from those who have the same engine.
Thanks for reading
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