Thinking of a new car...

hellarda

hellarda

hellarda

Soldato
Joined
4 Mar 2008
Posts
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Location
Wandsworth
Hi all,

I am finding myself doing a lot more driving than I was expecting (mostly for work, but a lot of leisure too) and finding that my current 2011 TFSI A4 is a bit thirsty.

So I have been thinking of swapping it in for something a bit more economical, but not 100% sure where to start, as I have a fairly picky list of requirements. It would be grand if you wouldn't mind me picking your brains for some recommendations. So, looking at around £13/14k (but can go above if it is worth it), what would fit into these:

Absolute musts:
  • Petrol
  • 45ish+mpg on motorways (I currently get around 31/32)
  • Upgraded sound system
  • Xenons
  • Tech pack (nav/bluetooth etc.
  • Similar power
  • Practical, similar size
Would be great, but not essiential:
  • 4wd
  • Automatic
  • Newer
Again, I have no idea if there is actually something that would fit these or not - feel free to shoot me down if there isnt!

Cheers
 
What kind of mileage are you doing?

It could simply be that changing your driving style is going to make more financial sense than changing your car. I used to get well over 40MPG average out of my 2.0 TFSI A6. A motorway run would easily be 45+ so long as you aren't expecting to be sitting at 80+ mph.

Hell, I managed 46MPG out of my S3 from Manchester to Edinburgh.
 
You want an economical petrol that's 4wd and automatic, but find a petrol A4 too thirsty.

Don't think what you want exists in your budget!
 
You want a petrol car thats the same size as an Audi A4 4 pot but 50% more efficient and potentially 4wd too?

Forget it. Even a 13k diesel with 4wd probably isn't going to do that.
 
Yep diesel I think.

You might just squeeze a BMW 320d into that budget which has 190 bhp and you can find it with an auto box, Xenons, M-Sport Plus pack (Upgraded speakers & wheels), bluetooth and Nav. I'm currently averaging 57mpg in my 120d :) X-Drive is also available but comes with a 10% economy hit.
 
hellarda said:
Hi all,

I am finding myself doing a lot more driving than I was expecting (mostly for work, but a lot of leisure too) and finding that my current 2011 TFSI A4 is a bit thirsty.

45ish+mpg on motorways (I currently get around 31/32)
Click to expand...

As others are saying, something seems off here. I have a 2010 Octavia VRS that I would wager has the same engine as yours. I get 32MPG on my normal stop start 5 mile commute into work. On a recent trip to Scotland up / down the M1 I averaged 38MPG and I wasn't particularly trying for an Eco drive.
 
SDK^ said:
Yep diesel I think.

You might just squeeze a BMW 320d into that budget which has 190 bhp and you can find it with an auto box, Xenons, M-Sport Plus pack (Upgraded speakers & wheels), bluetooth and Nav. I'm currently averaging 57mpg in my 120d :) X-Drive is also available but comes with a 10% economy hit.
Click to expand...

A 320d xDrive M sport plus for 14k is going to be fairly scabby.
 
Apologies I didn't provide enough info.

Mileage wise I'm doing around 15,000 a year. I have the 2.0 TFSI (211PS version), if I drive very carefully on a long motorway run I can hit 35, but thats sitting at 67/68. If I am just cruising and not thinking about it I get 32/33 ish. Around town is a nightmare, I was based in York and I'd average 18/19mpg around town because of the traffic/lights etc.

I did say I had no idea whether the requirements were realistic, so if 4wd is out of the question in that price point, it seems like petrol is too? I'm just cautious about going to a diesel with all the talk of these new diesel tax and the fact that I do do quite a lot of short runs (so DPF issues) as well as long ones.

If its not realistic and I'm dreaming then I'll just keep the A4, its only just about to hit 60k miles so has plenty of life left :)
 
Diesels arent an issue if you do long runs and short runs, they are an issue if you only do short runs.

It sounds like you really need a diesel to make a noticeable dent in running costs, although that MPG figure does sound low currently.
On a long motorway run in a half decent diesel you will go 50+, probably into the 60s MPG.

For motorway running there is no real reason to have AWD/4WD
 
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