A6 Avant - 2.0TDI Enough?
Discussion
Chaps,
Looking to get a relatively new Black Edition A6, or possibly A4 Avant with a diesel motor. Simple question really, is the 2 litre sufficient, or should I look toward the 3.0? Almost exclusively motorway miles, averaging about 20k per annum.
The obvious answer is of course to test drive them both, which I'm planning to do, but any early advice, about engines or otherwise, very welcome.
Bins
Looking to get a relatively new Black Edition A6, or possibly A4 Avant with a diesel motor. Simple question really, is the 2 litre sufficient, or should I look toward the 3.0? Almost exclusively motorway miles, averaging about 20k per annum.
The obvious answer is of course to test drive them both, which I'm planning to do, but any early advice, about engines or otherwise, very welcome.
Bins
I have done 30k in two years in mine .
I got a massive discount through a 'Drive the deal ' offer .
The 2. ltr engine is fine , plenty of go ..though it's just not the kind of car to push hard .
The trip computer says I get 42 mpg overall and that's with the manual box .
No reliability issues .
Only complaint is with the sat nav - ice interface . Complex !
I got a massive discount through a 'Drive the deal ' offer .
The 2. ltr engine is fine , plenty of go ..though it's just not the kind of car to push hard .
The trip computer says I get 42 mpg overall and that's with the manual box .
No reliability issues .
Only complaint is with the sat nav - ice interface . Complex !
I had a 177 2.0. It was nothing special IMHO. You could never describe it as quick thats for sure but it's OK. Have a good drive of it before you decide. Due to reliability issues I got rid and have abandoned VAG for good. Nice place to be when it was working though.
(yes, yes, I know all car brands can be trouble at times, you'll probably be fine with one)
(yes, yes, I know all car brands can be trouble at times, you'll probably be fine with one)
humpy999 said:
I had to get mine remapped. Loaded up with kids and a roofbox it wouldn't pull enough for me up hills and when joining motorways. A Revo map gives 180bhp and almost 400Nm if you believe the hype, it certainly made the difference between selling and keeping for me.
Assuming this is an older c6 with the 140 engine? Think OP will be looking at a 177 or 190. I've got a BE avant ultra and it's a great car 99% of the time. Fast enough to do anything you reasonably need to in day to day driving, lovely place to be, huge boot, loads of room and loads of toys. The one thing it doesn't have is any real excitement. It rides well and for a massive boat, it even turns in pretty well, it never feels 'sporty' though and that's what I'm missing. I've had it a year now, my wife loves it, the dsg box is great and I also love the looks, but I've decided that diesels just don't do it for me. Have therefore just ordered an S4 avant so mine will be going up for sale (if I don't trade it) shortly.
I had a box-fresh (500 mile) 190 bhp Ultra edition as a courtesy car recently. I was quite impressed overall, once up-to-speed it cruised nicely and I managed an indicated 52mpg on a gentle motorway commute (though oddly only 39 mpg for the journey in the opposite direction?!). My normal car is a C6 3.0 TFSI, however, so any mpg figure beginning with a 3 seems impressive!
The one I had was a manual, and while it was a pleasing novelty to have a lever to stir in a big bus like an A6, I think it would be much better with DSG.
Three other things I noted FWIW:
Firstly the throttle mapping and pedal springing: It felt as though the pedal had an awful lot of resistance to the initial motion, presumably to encourage light throttle loads in the name of economy. However, combined with an eco-focused throttle map, it didn't feel at all lively until you (literally) pushed past that resistance, at which point the turbo spooled up and you got a bit of oomph.
Secondly, the ride quality of the C7 was very impressive compared to the C6. My courtesy car was a Black Edition running on S-Line suspension with 20" wheels, yet the ride was much more relaxing on broken surfaces than the 19" / Sport set-up I have day-to-day in my C6.
Thirdly (and trivially!), the "Driver's Information System" screen between the dials on the dashboard was in black-and-white and looked distinctly less impressive than the colour version shown in all the brochures. Turns out it's an optional extra, which feels a bit mean on a £30k+ car...
The one I had was a manual, and while it was a pleasing novelty to have a lever to stir in a big bus like an A6, I think it would be much better with DSG.
Three other things I noted FWIW:
Firstly the throttle mapping and pedal springing: It felt as though the pedal had an awful lot of resistance to the initial motion, presumably to encourage light throttle loads in the name of economy. However, combined with an eco-focused throttle map, it didn't feel at all lively until you (literally) pushed past that resistance, at which point the turbo spooled up and you got a bit of oomph.
Secondly, the ride quality of the C7 was very impressive compared to the C6. My courtesy car was a Black Edition running on S-Line suspension with 20" wheels, yet the ride was much more relaxing on broken surfaces than the 19" / Sport set-up I have day-to-day in my C6.
Thirdly (and trivially!), the "Driver's Information System" screen between the dials on the dashboard was in black-and-white and looked distinctly less impressive than the colour version shown in all the brochures. Turns out it's an optional extra, which feels a bit mean on a £30k+ car...
Really appreciate the info chaps, thank you for the responses so far. Clearly the requirement to test drive is gaining momentum. Interesting to hear about the ride quality of the Black Edition, as this stood out as a criticism on most of the reviews I'd read. I'm coming from a reasonably quick sports car but have had a Focus as a DD, which simply doesn't cut the commute from the Midlands to Cornwall or North Wales where I'm based.
I'm leaning toward the tiptronic rather than manual, as stirring a stick in traffic is painful. Somewhere in the back of my mind is the thought of an S4, I had the 4.2 version which was mighty, but economy will have priority. Any thoughts on A4 chassis versus A6? Clearly bigger, heavier, but does the A4 have a more sporty feel? Essentially load space and passenger comfort is largely irrelevant to me, but the interior of the A6 appears to have a slightly more luxurious interior.
Keep it coming, all really useful.
I'm leaning toward the tiptronic rather than manual, as stirring a stick in traffic is painful. Somewhere in the back of my mind is the thought of an S4, I had the 4.2 version which was mighty, but economy will have priority. Any thoughts on A4 chassis versus A6? Clearly bigger, heavier, but does the A4 have a more sporty feel? Essentially load space and passenger comfort is largely irrelevant to me, but the interior of the A6 appears to have a slightly more luxurious interior.
Keep it coming, all really useful.
Bincenzo said:
I'm leaning toward the tiptronic rather than manual, as stirring a stick in traffic is painful. Somewhere in the back of my mind is the thought of an S4, I had the 4.2 version which was mighty, but economy will have priority. Any thoughts on A4 chassis versus A6? Clearly bigger, heavier, but does the A4 have a more sporty feel? Essentially load space and passenger comfort is largely irrelevant to me, but the interior of the A6 appears to have a slightly more luxurious interior.
Keep it coming, all really useful.
FFS bins. As you know Stronic will leave you atrophied down the left hand side and lead to much derision from "friends".Keep it coming, all really useful.
Get an S4 Avant... you know it makes sense..... it did to us
With a manual B8 you'll get about 28 on a long run.... if you cane it though it'll do somewhat less.
I've had a 2.0 177 auto version from new. It's done 19k in 2 years. Also got a big discount through Drive the Deal.
No problems so far. I find it powerful enough. Have pulled some big boat trailers with it. Definitely not exciting, just a comfortable load logger.
If you test one make sure you try the different engine settings. Dynamic/comfort/efficiency are very different. Efficiency feels like about 80bhp.
No problems so far. I find it powerful enough. Have pulled some big boat trailers with it. Definitely not exciting, just a comfortable load logger.
If you test one make sure you try the different engine settings. Dynamic/comfort/efficiency are very different. Efficiency feels like about 80bhp.
peterr96 said:
FFS bins. As you know Stronic will leave you atrophied down the left hand side and lead to much derision from "friends".
Get an S4 Avant... you know it makes sense..... it did to us
With a manual B8 you'll get about 28 on a long run.... if you cane it though it'll do somewhat less.
Pedro, you are a pest. Can't a man make some subtle enquiries with being called a bender? I'm still looking at the S4 but Charlotte will chop 'em off if the petrol bills mount. Otherwise I'd have kept the 'other' car, you muppet. XxGet an S4 Avant... you know it makes sense..... it did to us
With a manual B8 you'll get about 28 on a long run.... if you cane it though it'll do somewhat less.
To answer OP question it does of course depend what you are coming from and your personal driving style.
I tested a 170 A6 when I changed mine 18 months ago & it felt quite underpowered for my driving style & quite coarse revving above 3k, so I would have to adapt my driving style in which case it would do everything just fine but I'd be looking around in a short space of time.
Eventually opted for 3.0 tdi 240hp which suited size & weight of A6 better, although 18 months on I'm considering a remap to keep me smiling. Tiptronic suits the 6cyl quite well for an auto.
FWIW also had a 2.0 tdi 140 in a Passat brand new as a co car - also found that quite underpowered but adequate.
Also consider far more reliability issues in 2.0 than 3.0 - ask any independant....
I tested a 170 A6 when I changed mine 18 months ago & it felt quite underpowered for my driving style & quite coarse revving above 3k, so I would have to adapt my driving style in which case it would do everything just fine but I'd be looking around in a short space of time.
Eventually opted for 3.0 tdi 240hp which suited size & weight of A6 better, although 18 months on I'm considering a remap to keep me smiling. Tiptronic suits the 6cyl quite well for an auto.
FWIW also had a 2.0 tdi 140 in a Passat brand new as a co car - also found that quite underpowered but adequate.
Also consider far more reliability issues in 2.0 than 3.0 - ask any independant....
Andy JB said:
To answer OP question it does of course depend what you are coming from and your personal driving style.
I tested a 170 A6 when I changed mine 18 months ago & it felt quite underpowered for my driving style & quite coarse revving above 3k, so I would have to adapt my driving style in which case it would do everything just fine but I'd be looking around in a short space of time.
Eventually opted for 3.0 tdi 240hp which suited size & weight of A6 better, although 18 months on I'm considering a remap to keep me smiling. Tiptronic suits the 6cyl quite well for an auto.
FWIW also had a 2.0 tdi 140 in a Passat brand new as a co car - also found that quite underpowered but adequate.
Also consider far more reliability issues in 2.0 than 3.0 - ask any independant....
Except you are talking about the c6 with the PD engine not the c7 with the reliable and much better CR/SCR engines. So your opinions are not valid.I tested a 170 A6 when I changed mine 18 months ago & it felt quite underpowered for my driving style & quite coarse revving above 3k, so I would have to adapt my driving style in which case it would do everything just fine but I'd be looking around in a short space of time.
Eventually opted for 3.0 tdi 240hp which suited size & weight of A6 better, although 18 months on I'm considering a remap to keep me smiling. Tiptronic suits the 6cyl quite well for an auto.
FWIW also had a 2.0 tdi 140 in a Passat brand new as a co car - also found that quite underpowered but adequate.
Also consider far more reliability issues in 2.0 than 3.0 - ask any independant....
The 2.0 cr170/177 and the SCR 190 "ultra" are generally good engines
Chaps, thank you. I'm coming from a Focus 1.6 Zetec as my daily driver, so despite the relative weight of the A6 and the 190ps engine that comes with it, it will still have significantly more comfort than my current DD.The purpose of my question was whether the 2.0 feels massively underpowered or does it hold its own? I'm struggling to get spare time for a test drive, but will clearly have to do that prior to deciding. I need economy, a car that doesn't feel laboured in any circumstance and most importantly it needs to be fully equipped and extremely comfortable. From what I've seen, it fits the bill interior wise, but time will tell.
I am in the process of also selling my Aston Martin V8 Vantage. I need not compare that with the Audi, as there is simply no comparison; the Audi will be streets ahead in options, but is a different prospect (apples and oranges) in performance.
For the avoidance of doubt, it will be the 15MY 2.0Tdi Black Ultra Edition (190 ps) that I'm looking at.
I am in the process of also selling my Aston Martin V8 Vantage. I need not compare that with the Audi, as there is simply no comparison; the Audi will be streets ahead in options, but is a different prospect (apples and oranges) in performance.
For the avoidance of doubt, it will be the 15MY 2.0Tdi Black Ultra Edition (190 ps) that I'm looking at.
We have a 6 week old A6 Avant 2.0 TDI 190 Ultra S-Tronic and there's plenty of power there for a mixture of driving, we came from an E60 520d auto and the A6 feels much faster and more responsive.
My only real gripe is the incredibly invasive stop / start which ruins the driving experience around town in a bid for CO2 - but you can disable it with ease.
My only real gripe is the incredibly invasive stop / start which ruins the driving experience around town in a bid for CO2 - but you can disable it with ease.
PistonTim said:
We have a 6 week old A6 Avant 2.0 TDI 190 Ultra S-Tronic and there's plenty of power there for a mixture of driving, we came from an E60 520d auto and the A6 feels much faster and more responsive.
My only real gripe is the incredibly invasive stop / start which ruins the driving experience around town in a bid for CO2 - but you can disable it with ease.
I really struggled with the start/stop for the first few weeks, but you'll find that your driving style adjusts fairly quickly. If you don't fully depress the brake, the start/stop won't kick in and you can actually hold it with a very light touch. My only real gripe is the incredibly invasive stop / start which ruins the driving experience around town in a bid for CO2 - but you can disable it with ease.
Chiefbadger said:
PistonTim said:
We have a 6 week old A6 Avant 2.0 TDI 190 Ultra S-Tronic and there's plenty of power there for a mixture of driving, we came from an E60 520d auto and the A6 feels much faster and more responsive.
My only real gripe is the incredibly invasive stop / start which ruins the driving experience around town in a bid for CO2 - but you can disable it with ease.
I really struggled with the start/stop for the first few weeks, but you'll find that your driving style adjusts fairly quickly. If you don't fully depress the brake, the start/stop won't kick in and you can actually hold it with a very light touch. My only real gripe is the incredibly invasive stop / start which ruins the driving experience around town in a bid for CO2 - but you can disable it with ease.
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