How good was/is the Audi A2?
Discussion
Looking for something economical and small, but nice inside, for about £4-5K and preferably with a diesel engine which can be massaged for a few extra ponies.
I can't think past the Audi A2 TDi at the moment. Has anyone had one? There's a low mileage 90 bhp diesel 1.4 at £4,500 in lovely condition available.
I can't think past the Audi A2 TDi at the moment. Has anyone had one? There's a low mileage 90 bhp diesel 1.4 at £4,500 in lovely condition available.
The 3cyl tdis are quite thrummy, but very economical. The wife had a 1.6FSi which was quite nippy and still did late 40s to the gallon.
They are quite spacious and comfy, although the ride on anything other than 16" wheels is quite harsh.
Build quality is pretty good although the soft touch effect on the plastics tends to rub off on older cars.
Reliability wise, the only thing that went wrong on the wife's was ignition coils and a lambda sensor, not something to worry about with a diesel.
They are quite spacious and comfy, although the ride on anything other than 16" wheels is quite harsh.
Build quality is pretty good although the soft touch effect on the plastics tends to rub off on older cars.
Reliability wise, the only thing that went wrong on the wife's was ignition coils and a lambda sensor, not something to worry about with a diesel.
stevesingo said:
The 3cyl tdis are quite thrummy, but very economical. The wife had a 1.6FSi which was quite nippy and still did late 40s to the gallon.
They are quite spacious and comfy, although the ride on anything other than 16" wheels is quite harsh.
Build quality is pretty good although the soft touch effect on the plastics tends to rub off on older cars.
Reliability wise, the only thing that went wrong on the wife's was ignition coils and a lambda sensor, not something to worry about with a diesel.
We had a TDI for about five years, the above is a pretty good summary. £30 tax and mpg an easy 50/60mpg were good, and apart from an engine wiring loom problem it was totally reliable. The ride (even on 16" for ours) was prob the worst feature, it was a good cruiser but a bit harsh around town (3pot pretty vibey also). If I had another I'd want 15" and soft side walled tyres, and would perhaps look into upgraded suspension.They are quite spacious and comfy, although the ride on anything other than 16" wheels is quite harsh.
Build quality is pretty good although the soft touch effect on the plastics tends to rub off on older cars.
Reliability wise, the only thing that went wrong on the wife's was ignition coils and a lambda sensor, not something to worry about with a diesel.
A2oc.net should give you lots of info. It was good but they are getting pretty old now, I'm sure more modern stuff can better them in most ways but I liked the fact that it was a bit different.
Edited by danp on Monday 21st December 21:16
danp said:
We had a TDI for about five years, the above is a pretty good summary. £30 tax and mpg an easy 50/60mpg were good, and apart from an engine wiring loom problem it was totally reliable. The ride (even on 16" for ours) was prob the worst feature, it was a good cruiser but a bit harsh around town (3pot pretty vibey also). If I had another I'd want 15" and soft side walled tyres, and would perhaps look into upgraded suspension.
A2oc.net should give you lots of info. It was good but they are getting pretty old now, I'm sure more modern stuff can better them in most ways but I liked the fact that it was a bit different.
Agree with all that, plus A pillars which obstruct visibility and windows you can't open without nasty vibration / turbulence - needs aircon. Plus sides are economy and trendiness in the eyes of some, if you're bothered by that.A2oc.net should give you lots of info. It was good but they are getting pretty old now, I'm sure more modern stuff can better them in most ways but I liked the fact that it was a bit different.
I would be buying something newer these days, unless I fancied tinkering with the Audi now and then. Bear in mind the newest is ca 10 years old.
Great little cars, quite simple rule of thumb - keep it early, keep it simple, avoid later ones with the glass roof, avoid the bigger wheels due to dreadful S-Line esque ride. Finding one with everything top spec working will be hard!
Small wheels for ride comfort, no daft leaky non worky sunroof, a stereo system that anyone other than a NASA astronaut can fathom out, & working window switches in typical VAG non working style are a bonus.
Engine in either 75 tdi with the simpler turbo are great, 90's go better if they work
A2 3L is the sweet spot though, skinny tyres, uber eco, comfy ride, super lightweight, super aero, manual windows but rare as & LHD only.
Small wheels for ride comfort, no daft leaky non worky sunroof, a stereo system that anyone other than a NASA astronaut can fathom out, & working window switches in typical VAG non working style are a bonus.
Engine in either 75 tdi with the simpler turbo are great, 90's go better if they work
A2 3L is the sweet spot though, skinny tyres, uber eco, comfy ride, super lightweight, super aero, manual windows but rare as & LHD only.
I had an 05 plate TDI sport (90bhp) for around 3 years and I have to say it was a great car. They are far more practical than their size would have you believe - indeed, the boot has a bigger volume than the Audi A3. The TDI engine is punchy rather than outright quick but they are very economic. The chassis is nice and with them being so light they are really quite lively to chuck around on the road.
The ride on my sport model with 17" alloys and the optimistically titled "Quattro GmbH sports suspension" was essentially atrocious - the 17" wheels whilst very attractive are also very fragile and prone to damage from potholes - they were so useless I switched mine to 15" forged a2 wheels and it transformed the car.
The quality is great and the finish of the aluminium space frame is genuinely fantastic. Added bonus is you will never see a rusty one
The reliability is good. They are prone to gearbox problems and the clutch wear, the finish on the buttons on the dash is prone to wear, hand brakes seize and parts are on back order and hard to get hold of this is worse on the sport models as they have rear disc brakes rather than the standard drums and these are less effective as a handbrake.
The engine to avoid is the 1.6 FSI - they run well but require a lot of fettling and specialist care and best avoided. The 1.4 petrol is ok but really the diesel is the one everyone wants. They hold their value, still look modern and good cars so I'd say go for it
My TDI with the 15" alloys fitted:
The ride on my sport model with 17" alloys and the optimistically titled "Quattro GmbH sports suspension" was essentially atrocious - the 17" wheels whilst very attractive are also very fragile and prone to damage from potholes - they were so useless I switched mine to 15" forged a2 wheels and it transformed the car.
The quality is great and the finish of the aluminium space frame is genuinely fantastic. Added bonus is you will never see a rusty one
The reliability is good. They are prone to gearbox problems and the clutch wear, the finish on the buttons on the dash is prone to wear, hand brakes seize and parts are on back order and hard to get hold of this is worse on the sport models as they have rear disc brakes rather than the standard drums and these are less effective as a handbrake.
The engine to avoid is the 1.6 FSI - they run well but require a lot of fettling and specialist care and best avoided. The 1.4 petrol is ok but really the diesel is the one everyone wants. They hold their value, still look modern and good cars so I'd say go for it
My TDI with the 15" alloys fitted:
Edited by morgrp on Monday 21st December 22:40
After owning an A2 1.6FSI I`d not even entertain owning another.
A2 specific spares are expensive. There is a convenience module that controls stuff like central locking, electric windows etc. These are a known weakness, mine failed and was a pain to get sorted.
The 17 inch wheels gave the car an unacceptable ride. The wheels also had the annoying habit of wearing the cable to the front ABS sensors through, giving an ABS warning on the dash.
Economy hovered around 38 mpg.
The interior wasn`t very hard wearing, the air-con and radio buttons all lost their coating which left them looking tatty.
The reality is that the Honda Jazz my wife has now does everything better than the A2.
A2 specific spares are expensive. There is a convenience module that controls stuff like central locking, electric windows etc. These are a known weakness, mine failed and was a pain to get sorted.
The 17 inch wheels gave the car an unacceptable ride. The wheels also had the annoying habit of wearing the cable to the front ABS sensors through, giving an ABS warning on the dash.
Economy hovered around 38 mpg.
The interior wasn`t very hard wearing, the air-con and radio buttons all lost their coating which left them looking tatty.
The reality is that the Honda Jazz my wife has now does everything better than the A2.
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