Dad is now looking to replace his 51 plate Audi A4 1.9TDi and doesnt know what to go for. Choices hes narrowed down to are:
BMW 320D
Audi A4/A6 2.0TDi
Alfa 157 JTD - may have to keep Audi a bit longer for this!
He will be doing 40K a year and running costs are not that important as company pays, however he only gets 9 pence a mile for his diesel so needs to at least break even with this.
Current Audi has been faultless however he ran Rover 800s for years so wont be too bothered about reliability!!
Anyone have any experience/opinions on these..obviously will do test drives but that doesnt give a true ownership experience.
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The best thing he can do is try both an A4 2.0 TDI and a 320d and see which he prefers. It may be a matter of how he drives - road testers always prefer the BMW because it's better when driven to the limit, but in ordinary driving there are lots of other factors which bring it down to personal preference.
I love my A4 2.5 TDI, but at 9p a mile he'll prefer the economy of the 2.0. If he doesn't need the space, he's better off with an A4 than an A6 as it'll use less fuel.
Alfa - probably a gamble, depending on whether you get a good one. Not sure what a 157 is - the 156 (A4 size) is about to be replaced by the 159.
If Alan ($till $skint) sees this he will tell you about his Alfa 156, which I think is a diesel.
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>>Not sure what a 157 is - the 156 (A4 size) is about to be replaced by the 159
Sorry, meant the 159, dont know where 157 came from!
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I extensively test drove the A6 2.0tdi and my wife drives the A4 2.0tdi. They were both very impressive and you can read more on these threads:
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=32905
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=28323
I also spent a fair old time testing the last shape 320d, the E46 I think and whilst a hoot to drive hard on A roads, I couldn't get on with the cabin or ride and felt wiped out after long motorway hauls. IMO it did however look the business which is more than I can say for the new model. Definitely worth a test drive though.
It might not be relevant to the 159 but my last car was a Sportwagon JTD and in almost all respects it was beautiful and great to drive but it spent a lot of time in the workshop with a multitude of faults and I chalked up thousands of miles in hire cars which mercifully our fleet guys sorted out. It turns out that my experience was not uncommon and Alfas have been off our list for about 2 years now. I also do about 40k miles per year and would have been screwed if I hadn't had fleet cover.
The Lexus IS220d is out in January and looks like it might be a fantastic alternative to the A4 and 320d.
As Avant rightly says it depends on what your dad wants from the car and only a lengthy test drive will give him the answer. He should contact the corporate sales teams and insist on getting the cars for at least a couple of days to see what they're like on regular working haul.
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Read HJ's test drive of the SAAB 9-3 before you make a final choice
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I am very impressed with the performance and economy of my Volvo S60 D5. Worth considering as an alternative to the BMWs and Audis that everyone else on the company car list has.
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Read HJ's test drive of the SAAB 9-3 before you make a final choice
Agreed having tested one along with x-type, A4, Accord etc I am ordering a 9-3 saloon today
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The BMW is much more characterful than the Audi, the Saab is a bit lacking in torque, I agree that the new IS should be a cracking car, I have read about the IS250/350 that is avialable in the US and it sounds great.
How about the X-Type 2.2d, stonking?
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Volvo S60 or S40? Both with excellent derv drinking engines.
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Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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