a4 b7 engine choice - 2.0tdi 170 vs 3.0 tdi vs 2.0TFsi 220bh

[mayerhofenwin]

Hi folks, new to the forum - after some nudging in the right direction !!!!


the wife and i are in the market for a new car, and seem to have settled on 2006ish a4 B7's.

The wife gets 4 doors, so i get S-Line - no choice in the matter there.

only do around 12.5k/year, very mixed driving.

looked at 170bhp 2.0 tdi - but put off by stories of wrecked oil pumps......

seen a 60k mile 2.0 TFSI 220bhp quattro locally, with all the right extras, looked after and belts done etc......£6.2k offers good value, but stories of poor fuel economy worry me ( 30mpg )

And just recently, been thinking of a mix of the 2, the 3.0tdi v6 quattro, in manual. similar money for the same trim spec, slightly better economy than the 2.0t petrol...



Any nudging is welcome...


P.s - The wife will accept an a3....and there is a local 2.0tfsi 200 quattro A3.... i'm guessing that offers no benefit over the a4 220bhp ? save a few kg, but loose 20bhp ?

[Maracus]

Our previous B7 2.0T Q auto only ever saw 30mpg once, and that was a steady motorway journey of 200 miles

I'd go for the 3.0TDI . I had this engine in a C6 A6, mid 30s average and 40 on a run no problem.

[sunbeam alpine]

The 2.0 TFSi has a very bad reputation for oil consumption problems.

We've got a 2.0 tdi A5 which goes very well. My neighbour has an A4 S-Line and I find the suspension to be very hard - much too hard for comfort.

[Maracus]

I've had the 197bhp 2.0T in a Golf and A4, 50k between them and hardly used a drop of oil between them. Both were 2006 cars.

[mayerhofenwin]

Ouch, 30mpg as a single occurrence is a TAD worrying.

that being said, if any of you have ever driven a 02-05 1.4zetec fiesta, then 30mpg will seem reasonable.

Just how serious is the oil pump issue with the 170 2.0tdi ? is it just a rare occurrence that is blown out of proportion because of the large bills a few unfortunate people face ? Or is it a real problem?


So many options, and there is a wad of cash burning a hole in my pocket.....if i can just stay off ebay long enough.... ( goes and searches for sierra cosworths...)

[blade7]

sunbeam alpine said:

The 2.0 TFSi has a very bad reputation for oil consumption problems.

My neighbour has an A4 S-Line and I find the suspension to be very hard - much too hard for comfort.

The 06 B7 doesn't. I've got a quattro S-line, suspension is fine.

[mayerhofenwin]

The b7 2.0tfsi 220bhp quattro s-line i have in mind is : Nogaro Blue, 69k, belt done, 18" special edition alloys, 2 tone leather ( i think they all had that) Solar sunroof ( ?) glovebox fridge, and parking sensors. Appears to be a very clean example, Will check with a dealer on Monday to see if it had any recalls (Coilpacks ?)



Likey cost £30k new with those extras......i reckon i can get it for £6k.

Edited by mayerhofenwin on Saturday 17th January 18:58

[DoubleSix]

blade7 said:

sunbeam alpine said:

The 2.0 TFSi has a very bad reputation for oil consumption problems.

My neighbour has an A4 S-Line and I find the suspension to be very hard - much too hard for comfort.

The 06 B7 doesn't. I've got a quattro S-line, suspension is fine.

Hmm well our '06 is quattro s-line is definitely crashy. I like a firm ride but this the most poorly damped car ive driven.

Fuel consumption also poor.


The sline does look a lot nicer, but riding on 18"s it's hardly comfortable.

[greggy50]

DoubleSix said:

Hmm well our '06 is quattro s-line is definitely crashy. I like a firm ride but this the most poorly damped car ive driven.

Fuel consumption also poor.


The sline does look a lot nicer, but riding on 18"s it's hardly comfortable.

Agree mine is a low mile (48k) example and ride is pretty terrible to be honest at low speed for what is meant to be a luxury car. Its a lot better at speed but low speed damping and ride is pretty poor probably in part due to the big wheels.

I have the 140 TDI myself not particularly fast at all but they map up to 185hp if you get bored so I am told the 170 models have an issue with injectors I recently found out with a free recall by Audi so work checking if that has been done.

Cant see the 2.0T Quattro getting more than 27/28 everyday use to be honest whereas my fwd diesel gets me about 48 driven quite hard if doing sub 18k miles I would say go for the petrol.

[va1o]

Another vote for the 2.0T

If you can live with the economy its a much nicer engine than the diesels. Expect 20s in traffic round town raising to mid 30s on longer runs.

Also the A3 of that generation is a bit bigger inside due to been a hatchback and slighty more modern so worth considering

[DoubleSix]

Oh yeah meant to say, get the petrol if not doing mega miles.

And consider that timing belt, tensioner and water pump are a vital service item on more leggy (+60k) examples.

[blade7]

DoubleSix said:

blade7 said:

sunbeam alpine said:

The 2.0 TFSi has a very bad reputation for oil consumption problems.

My neighbour has an A4 S-Line and I find the suspension to be very hard - much too hard for comfort.

The 06 B7 doesn't. I've got a quattro S-line, suspension is fine.

Hmm well our '06 is quattro s-line is definitely crashy. I like a firm ride but this the most poorly damped car ive driven.

Fuel consumption also poor.


The sline does look a lot nicer, but riding on 18"s it's hardly comfortable.

Hmn indeed, I drove a B6 1.8T quattro S-line and that was very harsh. All I can say is mine is smooth, maybe 80k has softened it up.

[toml555]

I had a 2.0T B7 Avant S-Line Special Edition for 5 years. Fuel economy is very poor (26mpg av), suspension is pretty harsh, tyres are expensive, and at 75k it started using 1l oil/1500mls. After it ate it's coil packs, the power steering pump exploded and the exhaust centre section rusted through, I got rid. Even a well-looked after example is going to need a healthy maintenance budget.

[mayerhofenwin]

Thanks for all the input guys, i genuinely value it.

i'm not OVERLY concerned about the hard ride, its not a biggie for me, nor the wife.

Still fairly undecided. the extra £700 a year for fuel over a 45mpg/12500miles oil burner is hard to overlook.

i think the wife and i need to nip down to the local auctions and have a look at whats going these days.

Until then, i can dream about re-buying some of my old cars......