michaelr Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 Got to order my new company car this weekend and I am really undecided what I should go for over the 1.9TDI or 2.5 TDI. The main thing going in the 1.9 favour is the lower rate of tax I would have to pay (around £600 per year less) and I would be able to have a few more extras. Anybody had lenghty experiance of both and can give me some advice as to the power differences, I will specify Multitronic on either car. Thanks Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hants_Cruiser_UK Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 Have a quick read of this weeks AutoExpress before you make a decision on which to go for. It might help you choose Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brn7y Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 Go for the 1.9TDI and spend the difference between the two on options or possibly quattro. You can then chip the 130 up to 150 with will make it as quick as the 163 with the heavier V6 engine. Also you save the £600 on TAX, don't give the goverment anymore than they deserve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A4PD130 Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 I've been running a 1.9 PD130 for 2.5 yrs now and am just coming up to 60k miles. I would say the engine and performance are fine and the economy of the 1.9 is good too with up to 60mpg on a motorway run at a steady speed of 60-70 mph. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audikid Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 The 163 is a lot more money for a nicer noise!!! Had my 130TDI Sport for nearly 2 years and done 42K, its not getting much use since I collected the cab in April but if the suns not shining I'll always take the TDI. I looked at both before I chose the 130 - I found the car feels much more nimble with the lighter engine and the economy is in a different league. Mine is manual as I found the delay in pick up on the multi too much with the TDI engine - there is a (seemingly) long pause if you want to make a quick getaway from standstill. Its still there with a petrol engine and the multi but much more pronouced with the TDI. My TDI (unlike my ropey cab) has been faultless in 42K and I still get a smile out the huge mid range pull. I keep meaning to move it on - really need a Golf sized second car that is a bit more practical but cant get motivated to wave goodbye. Used it yesterday for the 1st time in nearly 7 weeks - it had just sat in our London street and it started immediatly and seemed so fast after my heavy 1.8T Cab. In terms of extras - you must get the aluminum window frames and I'm really glad I specced leather and BOSE. A friend has the same car and similar mileage with cloth seats and they are looking a bit shabby. I wonder when Audi will the replace the 1.9TDI with the new 2.0TDI 140?? Obviously got a big stockpile of 1.9's to get through.. Good Luck. AK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian_C Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 Go for the PD130. The economy is amazing, although really depends on how you drive it, even more so than rival modern diesels. Many of the forum PD drivers are getting 50 average and over 60 on long runs. The V6 is much more thirsty and the 2.5 TDI 180 quattro weighs a surprising 195 kg more than the 130 SE according to evo. The Fwd V6 163 is pointless imo. Pick the 130 SE, add some options like 17 wheels, sport seats and Bose and enjoy the change in your pocket on the tax, purchase price not to mention the vastly better economy. Re:Audikid, I guess they will save the 2.0 PD 140 for the facelift. Ian C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
18ME Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 I went for the 1.9tdi and didn't even consider the 2.5tdi, knowing that I was going to have it remapped straight away. Its running 190bhp and 295ftlbs and this suits the car perfectly. IMO of course Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Braytak Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 [ QUOTE ] 2.5 TDI 180 quattro weighs a surprising 195 kg more than the 130 SE according to evo. [/ QUOTE ] No reason to doubt that but there is a world of difference in the power output, torque and refinement. I guess you have to weigh up what your buying priorities are because comparing like for like, it's no contest in the performance and refinement stakes. Chipping the 4 pot is a viable option but I can't see that it would benefit in terms of refinement. Great performance gains though 18ME often points out his gorgeous Avant is not that economical. Avoid the 163 though,if not the 180 then opt for the 130 IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s4dreamer Posted July 9, 2004 Report Share Posted July 9, 2004 I had the 2.5TDi 180. Fuel economy was in the low 30's most of the time (although I mostly did town driving), and mid 30's on a long motorway run at 85-ish. There's bugger all torque below 1200 rpm, which means you have to work the gears to get anywhere. If you're up for the multitronic though, this won't be a problem for you. The 2.5 is definitely much smoother and much more refined that the 1.9, but there isn't a great deal of difference in power on the road (certainly in the Quattro versions anyway). If I had to make the same choice now, I'd probably opt for the TDI130, have some extra options on it and get it chipped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizze Posted July 9, 2004 Report Share Posted July 9, 2004 This is a reply I put in the OIL BURNERS section of the forum the other day. [ QUOTE ] Really, really enjoying the 2.5tdi with the multi, I took my mates remapped 130 (190bhp) for a day, did about 100 miles in it, along main road then round the north norfolk coast and back into Norwich, it had plenty of go in it but as soon as I got back into the city I remembered why I don't like manuals and diesels together, you are constantly changing gear as there is such a small band of usable power, 2k to 4k rpm. I then took a demonstrator multi tdi out in the afternoon, but they only had a 2.5 and not the 1.9, which at the time I was a bit gutted about, however, straight away I knew I had to have the V6. It was so smooth and the power just seemed to go and go. It definitely felt alot quicker than his re mapped 1.9tdi and so so so much smoother. Only slight concern with the multi is the lag when you first pull away, I have had 2 bmw steptronics and a Merc and they didn't have the lag of the multi, although after a few days I was completely used to it. Also I get 35mpg round town and about 48 on a run, which can't be bad [/ QUOTE ] I sold my ML270cdi to get a PD130 avant and ended up with the 2.5tdi. If I was buying brand new though my money would be on the 1.9. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simkna Posted July 9, 2004 Report Share Posted July 9, 2004 I have the 2.5tdi Quattro Sport, which certainly doesn't get the fuel consumption of the 1.9, but then that isn't why I bought it. What's great is the stonk factor - it pulls like a train. More annoying is the clutch action problem which I haven't quite put my finger on yet, but it makes it bloody hard to drive smoothly. Not sure if it's just my car, or all 2.5TDiQS are the same, anyone? Have been wondering if a remapped throttle curve might help. I am very glad I bought the V6 though, especially as I got it at a nice price, but if I was buying new, I *might* go for a 1.9 and get it chipped. I do love the quattro though, and I'm sure a 1.9Q would be a lot less economical than the 1.9FWD. Si. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s4dreamer Posted July 9, 2004 Report Share Posted July 9, 2004 The clutch on my 2.5TDi QS was absolutely appalling - it was almost impossible to balance because it didn't start to bite until it was 2/3 of the way up the (very long) pedal travel. I complained to Audi about it, and they just said that the clutches are hydraulic with no adjustability in them. From what I can gather they're all pretty similar too. It definitely did pull like a train, though, but it's a pity that the useful power band was so narrow, and the clutch was so crap. A couple of people who are occasionally on here had theirs remapped, but from what I could gather, there wasn't much improvement at the low end - it was more mid-range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GCab Posted July 9, 2004 Report Share Posted July 9, 2004 [ QUOTE ] absolutely appalling [/ QUOTE ] Are you Prince Charles, by any chance ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaunty Posted July 9, 2004 Report Share Posted July 9, 2004 its a close call dude, get yourself down to the Audi showroom and take them both for a spin, S4Dreamer and I compared ours and couldn't tell much difference, his was quattro and mine was fwd so the weight and efficiency kind of ballanced the power loss out to a big extent. Got to admit it though, for a diesel his did sound great. I think you've got to make your own mind up on this, ask if you can take a blind test and see which you prefer without any bias. Both of them will chip but if its a company car its not really a sensible option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmmacauley Posted July 10, 2004 Report Share Posted July 10, 2004 [ QUOTE ] More annoying is the clutch action problem which I haven't quite put my finger on yet, but it makes it bloody hard to drive smoothly. [/ QUOTE ] My wife's Passat tdi130 estate also has a difficult clutch - sometimes there is a rough feeling through the pedal when it is depressed and it is difficult to move away smoothly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
18ME Posted July 10, 2004 Report Share Posted July 10, 2004 [ QUOTE ] Chipping the 4 pot is a viable option but I can't see that it would benefit in terms of refinement. Great performance gains though 18ME often points out his gorgeous Avant is not that economical. [/ QUOTE ] Very true, I think i'm averaging 37-38 now. I'll have a look at the DIS next time I'm in it. If refinement is the main requesit then the V6 will be far better I would have thought, and IMO the multitronic or auto would not suit a remapped 130. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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