Audi A4 Avant - Advice replacing estate car

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Tue 16 Feb 2016 15:57
Audi A4 Avant - Advice replacing estate car - pelethar

Currently have a 2010 (60 reg) black A4 estate, diesel stop/start 2.0L model. Guess probably worth £9k ish now (70k miles, FSH).

Considering swapping for a petrol estate car as the diesel is not working in our favour in terms of economy, with most use being short trips.

Anyone have any recommendations for what we could feasibly get for the same money in terms of a nice, economical petrol model of similar size etc?

cheers

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Tue 16 Feb 2016 16:07
Audi A4 Avant - Advice replacing estate car - gordonbennet

You'd get a very decent Avensis Tourer for that money, though it will have an electric parking brake if that's an issue.

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Tue 16 Feb 2016 16:25
Audi A4 Avant - Advice replacing estate car - Avant

For £9k you want something that hasn't held its value too well from new, so that you get a newer car than you would if you went for, say, a petrol Audi.

The Toyota Avensis makes perfect sense, or there's the smaller Auris estate, or Tourer as they call it. This has a proper handbrake.

Also try Ford Focus, Skoda Octavia, Mazda 6 and Kia Ceed petrol estates. There's a SEAT Leon estate but it may not have been out for long enough for prices to drop to £9k.

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Tue 16 Feb 2016 16:38
Audi A4 Avant - Advice replacing estate car - skidpan

You have been driving a turbo diesel with a torquey engine and I can garantee you will find any non-turbo petrol rubbish.

We tried an Avensis Tourer 1.8 petrol when we sold our 1.6 diesel C-Max and found the Toyota geologically slow plus the hand brake button was in the daftest place imaginable.

We tried the 2010 Skoda Octavia estate with the 1.4 TSi, it went well enough but the road noise was deafening on the first one we tried, the second was a little better. A car in your budget will possibly have the old chain cam engine.

The Kia Ceed Estate in the current shape is only available with a 1.4 in the petrol version, hate to think how slow that is.

The Mazda 6 is at least available with a 2 litre petrol which should be better.

Despite reservations my choice would still be the Skoda but it would have to be the current 2013 onwards model with the 1.4 TSi belt cam engine. Should be better for road noise and the engine is superb. If you cannot stretch to that try and find the up to 2013 Octavia estate with the 1.8 turbo petrol, its a rock solid motor but beware road noise.

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Tue 16 Feb 2016 16:56
Audi A4 Avant - Advice replacing estate car - pd

If you're doing lots of short trips then any diesel will not achieve great figures.

If you're doing lots of short trips then any petrol will not achieve great figures.

Are you really sure it is worth changing? A cold petrol engine won't be a lot better than a cold diesel engine.

Even a lot of the newer, smaller petrol engines (e.g. Ford's 1.0) are no where near as economical as the figures imply and certainly not when cold and in a large car - even if they do warm up quite quickly.

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Tue 16 Feb 2016 21:23
Audi A4 Avant - Advice replacing estate car - Big John

I bought a low mileage 14 month old Skoda Superb II 1.4 petrol for just over £10k and love it - As there is a mkiii model of the Superb now the end of the line mkii's are good value used

Very quiet indeed whether stationary (silent at tickover) or on the move (engine, wind and road noise )

Economy:- www.spritmonitor.de/en/detail/720963.html

Edited by Big John on 16/02/2016 at 21:25

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Wed 17 Feb 2016 10:32
Audi A4 Avant - Advice replacing estate car - skidpan

Even a lot of the newer, smaller petrol engines (e.g. Ford's 1.0) are no where near as economical as the figures imply

You have obviously never owned one of the latest VAG 1.4 TSi's. My 140 PS in a Leon has averaged 45 mpg (calculated) for almost 3 years which whilst not the 54 mpg as suggested by the official combined is still excellent IMHO.

The BMW 118D I had before the Leon averaged almost 48 mpg over 5 1/2 years gainst the 63 mpg of the official combined in exactly the same usage.

The BMW was 24% short of the official wheras the leon is 17% short.

I know which is the best.

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Wed 17 Feb 2016 12:30
Audi A4 Avant - Advice replacing estate car - Cyd

As other correspondents have pointed out, the OP needs to know that if (s)he is mostly making short commuting-type journeys then no engine (no matter what fuel or type) will ever give its best in terms of performance, economy or longevity. As oil adverts have pointed out for many years (think Castrol) the vast majority of engine wear occurs when the engine is cold. Also, when cold, engines use fuel enrichment to give smooth running and reasonable performance. Also the conversion of heat into motive power cannot happen efficiently until the engine is warm.

However, under these operating conditions a petrol engine is likely to perform better overall than a diesel, particularly a modern diesel. This is primarily for two reasons. A petrol engine usually has less material in the engine than a diesel of similar capacity - this helps the engine warm up quicker. Also, a petrol engine, is not as efficient overall (ie energy content to motive power conversion) thus there is more 'waste' heat to warm the engine through. Thus, a petrol will warm quicker so it will reach an economic running state sooner and the car will be more comfortable in cold weather as the cabin can be warmed quicker. It also has benefits for the engine longevity. A modern diesel also has other disadvantages under these conditions. The DPF and EGR systems are likely to suffer and are expensive to repair/replace. So, what to get instead? I would make two suggestions, either a Skoda Octavia or Saab 9-3. I have a Saab 9-3 Aero 2.0T, and find on cold mornings that the engine is usually just up to normal temp by about 2 miles from home (easy driving). I rate this as pretty good - my wifes C1 with its tiny 3 cylinder engine takes about 1 1/2 miles. In the Saab, you have a choice of three engines, 1.8t (150hp), 2.0t (175hp) or 2.0T (210hp). The most economic is likely to be the 1.8t, though it's also likely to be a bit pedestrian performance wise. My Aero has a Maptun tune to 270hp/370Nm and can pull a house from little above 2000rpm if you wanted massive urge! Yet will still do 40mpg on the motorway with a light foot at about 70, 30+ round town if similarly careful. You should also be able to find one with heated seats - again a big help on those short journeys in the winter months. For what your Audi is worth, you should be able to find a late built example (2010-2011) and maybe even pocket some change - with Saabs demise secondhand values have fallen and you can get an awful lot of car for your money. I have no direct experience of the Octavia, but am eyeing up the VRS 230 as a replacement for the Saab in a few years. For your purposes, as suggested, you might prefer to look at a 1.4TSi. There are a couple of people at work who have them and they seem very pleased. I've ridden as a passenger in a diesel VRS DSG and thought it very good. Another point: gearbox choice? With the Saab it's 6 speed manual or an (torque convertor) automatic. With the Octavia, the auto is DSG. You don't say if your short journeys are through slow traffic, but if they are you might be better with an auto (and again I'd suggest the Saab here rather than a DSG) as such driving is hard on the clutch of a manual. At the very least keep an eye on the usual outlets and go and try both cars. Whatever you get, also remember that under your driving cycle oil changes are your friend (especially for engine longevity). Follow HJs advice and change twice a year. Also don't forget the gearbox - change it at least once soon after you get it. Similarly, the brake fluid and coolant. For winter use, you might want to consider an engine pre heater.
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