a4 2.0 TDi 170 SE review

[alfaspiderman2]

got one as a loan car whilst mine is in for repair

2 key points for me

1) 170 is comfortably quicker and quieter than the 140 (but a bit thirstier)...a pleasant surprise

2) SE roadholding & handling is rubbish compared to the sportline...how do people cope with such vague steering and bouncey ride?

[hot66]

alfaspiderman2 said:

got one as a loan car whilst mine is in for repair

2 key points for me

1) 170 is comfortably quicker and quieter than the 140 (but a bit thirstier)...a pleasant surprise

2) SE roadholding & handling is rubbish compared to the sportline...how do people cope with such vague steering and bouncey ride?

I have the 170 SE Avant.. actually chose this over the sportline. Reasons i chose it was I spend most of my driving (25000 miles per year) on poorly maintained bumpy Yorkshire dales roads & farmers tracks. The Sportline was too low & far too harsh for these roads. I admit the SE suspension needs more control.

BUT I didn't get the A4 to be a replacement for a sportscar ( I have the Porsche for that ) , the A4 is a powerful , comfortable business / family car.

If you want a sharp handling drivers car get a BMW

[alfaspiderman2]

fair enough

have to say that I'm very impressed with the engine though - feels much more 'petrol like' than the 140 i.e it revs more keenly, is less torquey but more top end and more refined

[hot66]

it is a nice engine isn't it & apart from the rear twin exhausts looks just like any other tdi

I'm getting about 37 mpg on the country roads & about 42mpg on long motorway runs.

I did originally test a quatrro sportline and I feel the extra traction suited this engine well, but the quattro knocked the economy down quite a bit.

I must admit at times I do think the s-line would be more satisfying when really pressing on but I don't regret selecting the SE

[Roley130]

I'm probably going to go for one of these after XMAS but I will steer clear of the sportline for the reasons of suspension harshness and also because the s-line doesnt get cruise control as standard for some reason.