Audi A5 3.0tdi Quattro vs BMW 330D/335D

[GrumpyTwig]

MikeTerry94 said:

Anyone have anymore thoughts on this? Not turning it into a petrol vs diesel debate but wondering if I should be concerned about the future of diesel.. don't wanna go buying one then have the government crank up tax and fuel costs of them!

Also went for a hoon yesterday and even though I only have a 118i I do love the sound of a high revving petrol..

Someone decide for me!

22 is too early to be turning to the dark side, come forth to the light and buy.... a petrol.


Maybe a 130 or 330i? Difficult at that price as everything has lot of miles on it.

[MikeTerry94]

GrumpyTwig said:

MikeTerry94 said:

Anyone have anymore thoughts on this? Not turning it into a petrol vs diesel debate but wondering if I should be concerned about the future of diesel.. don't wanna go buying one then have the government crank up tax and fuel costs of them!

Also went for a hoon yesterday and even though I only have a 118i I do love the sound of a high revving petrol..

Someone decide for me!

22 is too early to be turning to the dark side, come forth to the light and buy.... a petrol.


Maybe a 130 or 330i? Difficult at that price as everything has lot of miles on it.

Haha I am being tempted by the dark side but there is still light in me, I just need persuasion.

A 130 would be too similar to my current car.. but there are plenty of 330is around the 60-80k mile range so isn't that high

[steve-5snwi]

So you budget including your px is 9k (assume you have 6k cash) out of the choices listed I would go for the A5, it's a nicer place to be and the 3.0 is smoother than BMW unit. I find the e9x quite dated inside.

However you will get a much newer and lower mileage mondeo for your money and given your mileage I would be looking at a petrol car. I fear at that age and mileage big bills would be looming.

[cerb4.5lee]

MikeTerry94 said:

Anyone have anymore thoughts on this? Not turning it into a petrol vs diesel debate but wondering if I should be concerned about the future of diesel.. don't wanna go buying one then have the government crank up tax and fuel costs of them!

Also went for a hoon yesterday and even though I only have a 118i I do love the sound of a high revving petrol..

Someone decide for me!

The bottom line is that if you love engines it has to be a petrol full stop for me, however the engine in the 330i is lovely but it's very outdated in terms of it's performance/economy.

If you want performance/economy then the 330d hammers the 330i, and for me the 330i engine isn't special enough to overlook the diesel in this comparison imo.

[MikeTerry94]

cerb4.5lee said:

MikeTerry94 said:

Anyone have anymore thoughts on this? Not turning it into a petrol vs diesel debate but wondering if I should be concerned about the future of diesel.. don't wanna go buying one then have the government crank up tax and fuel costs of them!

Also went for a hoon yesterday and even though I only have a 118i I do love the sound of a high revving petrol..

Someone decide for me!

The bottom line is that if you love engines it has to be a petrol full stop for me, however the engine in the 330i is lovely but it's very outdated in terms of it's performance/economy.

If you want performance/economy then the 330d hammers the 330i, and for me the 330i engine isn't special enough to overlook the diesel in this comparison imo.

Some good points made here. Only thing swaying me towards the i is literally just the sound. The D is the better all rounder I'm just worried about the governments new found dislike of diesel and how that will affect owners in the coming years..

[MikeTerry94]

steve-5snwi said:

So you budget including your px is 9k (assume you have 6k cash) out of the choices listed I would go for the A5, it's a nicer place to be and the 3.0 is smoother than BMW unit. I find the e9x quite dated inside.

However you will get a much newer and lower mileage mondeo for your money and given your mileage I would be looking at a petrol car. I fear at that age and mileage big bills would be looming.

Well I like to think my car is worth more than £3k. It's a 57 plate 2 door black hatchback that's done 73k miles so hoping it's worth closer to 5 still.

A5 is a beautiful car and looks far newer I agree. Will likely be higher mileage though as there aren't many of them.

I don't perceive a Mondeo as being a fun or inspiring vehicle to be honest so wouldn't put that in the running I'm afraid!

[Mike335i]

Plenty of 130i examples within budget, saw an 09 plate with sub 50k on autotrader. That engine, despite its age (or maybe because of it) is a peach with great response, great power and a fantastic sound. The 1 is lighter than a 3 so it is quite a good pairing.

I would go an test drive one before ruling out the 130i. If after testing you are swayed back to diesel, then again go test an A5. They are cruisers rather than sports cars, so if you appreciate them for what they are they are quite good.

[MikeTerry94]

Mike335i said:

Plenty of 130i examples within budget, saw an 09 plate with sub 50k on autotrader. That engine, despite its age (or maybe because of it) is a peach with great response, great power and a fantastic sound. The 1 is lighter than a 3 so it is quite a good pairing.

I would go an test drive one before ruling out the 130i. If after testing you are swayed back to diesel, then again go test an A5. They are cruisers rather than sports cars, so if you appreciate them for what they are they are quite good.

I just think that a 130i will be like I never bought a new car it will have the same interior, same looks, just a different engine.. I want to try something new hence 3 series / A5.

But yeah I think I should test an A5 as I do want some sporty emotion there but then with the tech + looks of the A5 I'd be willing to overlook some things.

Still not really heard any opinions on buying a diesel at the moment though, am I the only one slightly concerned?

[MikeTerry94]

[redacted]

[MikeTerry94]

[redacted]

[cerb4.5lee]

MikeTerry94 said:

Only thing swaying me towards the i is literally just the sound.

Inside the 330i the engine is incredibly muted though but don't get me wrong if you drop a window you can enjoy it a little more, strangely I think the 330d engine sounds more meaty from inside but obviously you wouldn't want to drop the window to listen to it.

[steve-5snwi]

Aspirational a mondeo might not be, but driving wise it will run rings around the A5. It will also be much newer. Don't forget to check for gearbox fluid and Haldex fluid changes on the A5, also I'm not sure if some of them have a timing belt. Lots of owners skimp on servicing

[MikeTerry94]

cerb4.5lee said:

MikeTerry94 said:

Only thing swaying me towards the i is literally just the sound.

Inside the 330i the engine is incredibly muted though but don't get me wrong if you drop a window you can enjoy it a little more, strangely I think the 330d engine sounds more meaty from inside but obviously you wouldn't want to drop the window to listen to it.

That's true it does only really make noise when you're flooring it! I did test drive a 330D so didn't really get to put my foot down as the dealer came with me but impressed at how quiet it was for a diesel and how smooth the delivery was.

[MikeTerry94]

[redacted]

[steve-5snwi]

Aspirational a mondeo might not be, but driving wise it will run rings around the A5. It will also be much newer. Don't forget to check for gearbox fluid and Haldex fluid changes on the A5, also I'm not sure if some of them have a timing belt. Lots of owners skimp on servicing

[Steveives]

keo said:

I agree Tiggsy, my old man has got a 3.0 tdi a4 avant and he is the same. Thinks its a really quick car. It is a nice car, but my brothers m3 for example destroys it

Nearly as funny as the people who think that can take a little family saloon and make a sports car by binging in a big engine. The number of boy racers in M3s that try to take on my son when he gets his Aventador out...

[Pistonheader101]

Steveives said:

keo said:

I agree Tiggsy, my old man has got a 3.0 tdi a4 avant and he is the same. Thinks its a really quick car. It is a nice car, but my brothers m3 for example destroys it

Nearly as funny as the people who think that can take a little family saloon and make a sports car by binging in a big engine. The number of boy racers in M3s that try to take on my son when he gets his Aventador out...

Seen a fair few E63s keep up

[UglyPhsycoPath]

Tiggsy said:

Make's me laugh the owners of the bigger diesels who think they can keep up with properly quick cars...this thread just made me chuckle.

Lol the 335d xdrive/435d will blow nearly the majority of petrol cars away. Hahaha

[ZX10R NIN]

UglyPhsycoPath said:

Lol the 335d xdrive/435d will blow nearly the majority of petrol cars away. Hahaha

In what way if you're comparing apples with apples will a 335d blow away a 335i?

[Flashgordonsalive]

Mike335i said:

Depending on mileage, I would really consider petrol. My brother in law sold his z4si and bought a 320d for economy reasons.

I calculated that over the course of 20k miles (assuming 30mpg and 50mpg respectively), he would only save approximately £1200 per year. I would pay the extra and enjoy the petrol!

That’s a decent Saving though. Some times mortgages need paying.