252 Petrol or 272 Diesel Avant?

[dts439]

Still confused Simon!

...so now it's between the 218 and 272 diesels.

...I originally tested the 190 diesel and was very impressed by the power, so going for the 218 would more than likely be powerful enough, and smoother to boot. Plus it's £1900 cheaper and a bit more economical. Don't think I'd have any hesitation going for that if there wasn't a 272 available...but there is!???
So I'm hoping to arrange test drives this Saturday of the 218 and the 272.
I'll report my findings!...

Test drive is the way to go. I'd suggest trying the 218 first and then the 272, just to get a feel for how much power you get with the 218 and if that is impressive enough.

What you don't want to do is get a 218 and then miss the power of the 272. I could only test drive the 272 so my 218 does feels a bit slow in comparison.

I'd suggest that you will get around 10% more mileage out of the 218 over the 272 (which was important to me and why I did not go 272 - may not be for you).

If you are buying on PCP then you should compare like for like specs in both cars to see how much more you are paying overall for a 272, may not be much if the GFV is better on the 272.

I've had auto gearbox issues on both S-tronic and torque converter so I'd not want to run either car out of warranty.

 

[phil-LFC]

Thanks for that, yes I'll try and test both. I'm just trying to arrange it right now actually, but it's not that easy! I either can't find a demo or I get hassled by Approved Used Salesmen!!!

 

[phil-LFC]

So I drove both 6 Cylinder diesels yesterday. Drove the 218 first - it was very smooth, quiet and pretty powerful and the S-Tronic gearbox was fine.
Then went out in a 272. I have had a drive of one before but the test route was severely restricted by bad traffic. This time I went out on a variety of roads. The 272 is fantastic, it felt so much more responsive and quicker overall, so as long as the figures stack up we'll be going for that. The Tiptronic was absolutely fine. Overall it was a superbly impressive car. My wife hadn't been in the A4 until yesterday, and she was very impressed, commenting that it was much quieter and more refined than our current 3 year old BMW 5 Series Touring, a 2.0d SE. The ride on Sports suspension and 19" wheels was also better than the 5.
So we've just got some final decisions to make now before putting an order in. Mainly colour (Scuba Blue or Daytona), wheels, and whether to go for black or chrome trim look. We like the black edition option but not the wheel choice, the rotors are a bit dull and we don't like the black gloss. So we may stick with an S-Line.
Even though the ride was ok, I'd prefer adaptive suspension and then I'd be a little happier going for 19" wheels if she prefers them. I understand they do look better to be fair.
Then finally we've just got to get a good deal, but the dealers we visited were really good and both indicated they'd compete with any CarWow deals we got.

 

[Simonb1975]

nice one, remember to let us know what deal you get. We are all a little nosey!

 

[NicoS85]

Yeah! Welcome to the 3.0tdi 272 club! And the A4 B9 club in general.

 

[phil-LFC]

Thanks. Seems to be some good deals at the moment, around 17% discount and 3.9% APR on PCP.

The 3.9% and the dealer contribution (£3150) is on until 3rd July, so I'm conscious of ordering before then, unless it's likely to get better! ?

Still trying to decide on colour and wheels. We like Scuba and Daytona. We like the black edition look but not the (poor) choice of only 2 different wheels. I'm also concerned about ride quality, so would prefer 17's, so just trying to figure out which looks best with the 17's.....Current favourite is Daytona with 17" 5 Star Spoke wheels. I'll have to go and have a look at some in the flesh before deciding I think.

Which colour would be best for not showing stone chips /swirls etc as much?

And does anyone know how much initial deposit you have to put down?

 

[Kestrel]

With regard to your colour requirements...defo White for hiding swirls and to a lesser degree stone chips.

 

[Simonb1975]

I'd go 18" with adaptive suspension. I like the 19" but to be honest 900-1200 quid, nah rather spend it on some toys.
I tested with 18" and standard sport suspension and it was perfectly ok.

Don't forget privacy glass because I think that adds acoustic glass for sound insulation ?

White and silver are the king colours for lazy car owners like me. Had a black focus once. after 6 or so months lost interest in going to town on the cleaning. White/silver and let the albanians jet wash it. If spending 3+ hours cleaning your car is your thing then fair enough. Life's to short for me.