A4 3.0 Quattro Sport (tip) – advice…?
Discussion
Has anyone got any experiences/own a new(ish) 51/02/52 type reg A4 Quattro 3.0 (Sport) tip. I’m off to test one this weekend, as a replacement for my current A4.
Although the 0-60 for the 3.0 Quatt tip doesn’t seem that impressive, on a daily drive, I assume they are OK – i.e does it shift on it’s own OK and in tip mode…? Anyone got any advice, nice options to have or avoid, things to look out for, any experiences… etc…
Cheers in advance
jj
Although the 0-60 for the 3.0 Quatt tip doesn’t seem that impressive, on a daily drive, I assume they are OK – i.e does it shift on it’s own OK and in tip mode…? Anyone got any advice, nice options to have or avoid, things to look out for, any experiences… etc…
Cheers in advance
jj
The only 3.0 I've driven is the Cabrio, which was luvvverly. Smooth engine, but with a bit of weight over the front axle.
The 3.0 is the top of the range, so should be have been pretty highly spec'd by the previous owner. Standard would have been sports suspension, sports seats and 17" wheels. It wasn't until this year that that they added the gmbh body kit and ramped the kit count.
Tip is like a standard auto box (multitronic fitted to non quattros is a CVT
), so shouldn't give you any surprises.
Let us know the spec ...
>> Edited by Big_Dan on Wednesday 21st January 20:55
The 3.0 is the top of the range, so should be have been pretty highly spec'd by the previous owner. Standard would have been sports suspension, sports seats and 17" wheels. It wasn't until this year that that they added the gmbh body kit and ramped the kit count.
Tip is like a standard auto box (multitronic fitted to non quattros is a CVT
), so shouldn't give you any surprises. Let us know the spec ...
>> Edited by Big_Dan on Wednesday 21st January 20:55
I have a manual 3.0 quattro sport (avant).
I don't find the engine particularly smooth despite being run on Optimax from new.
The fuel consumption on it is appalling, fortunately I don't pay for it. According to the monthly fuel returns I have to fill in, it is averaging 21mpg - it has never returned better than 24mpg and regularly drops to 18 - and that is just in general mixed driving. It is better on long motorway runs (the 24mpg was on a two week holiday last year to the south of France).
It isn't particularly fast from standstill (I got thoroughly beaten by a 2.0 TS Alfa 147 recently), although it gets much better at higher speeds.
I don't think the quattro drivetrain is as good as other 4wd cars I have owned.
Recently I had a graunching noise on tightish lock in car parks etc. I had the tyres checked and the rears were 1.6mm, nsf 2mm and osf 3mm (due to a replacement on the osf after a mishap in the snow last year). I had all 4 replaced, but deduce from this that like many 4wd cars the rolling diameter of the tyres needs to be kept the same.
On the positive side it is very well built and comfortable. Whenever I drive something else and get back in the Audi it feels good to be 'home' (if that makes sense).
I don't find the engine particularly smooth despite being run on Optimax from new.
The fuel consumption on it is appalling, fortunately I don't pay for it. According to the monthly fuel returns I have to fill in, it is averaging 21mpg - it has never returned better than 24mpg and regularly drops to 18 - and that is just in general mixed driving. It is better on long motorway runs (the 24mpg was on a two week holiday last year to the south of France).
It isn't particularly fast from standstill (I got thoroughly beaten by a 2.0 TS Alfa 147 recently), although it gets much better at higher speeds.
I don't think the quattro drivetrain is as good as other 4wd cars I have owned.
Recently I had a graunching noise on tightish lock in car parks etc. I had the tyres checked and the rears were 1.6mm, nsf 2mm and osf 3mm (due to a replacement on the osf after a mishap in the snow last year). I had all 4 replaced, but deduce from this that like many 4wd cars the rolling diameter of the tyres needs to be kept the same.
On the positive side it is very well built and comfortable. Whenever I drive something else and get back in the Audi it feels good to be 'home' (if that makes sense).
I'm sure the 3.0 is a nice engine, but apart from the smoothness of a 6 cylinder motor what does it give you?
I've noticed that you need to look at the weight of these Audis (TT 255 vs TT V6 is an example). I was looking to trade up my A6 1.8T for something a bit more interesting speed-wise (but still for commuting with my own fuel payments). I decided it wasn't worth going for anything less than an S6 in my case (RS6 is too expensive to buy/insure). One major reason was they're all going to give low 20s to the gallon and the S6 gives you the best power to weigh ratio.
The A6 1.8T weighs something like 300kg less than an A6 2.7T (which I also like the idea of). The 3.0 Quattro is 250+kg heavier at least. Apart from the rear diff stuff the rest of the weight is over the nose. Not good for nimbleness.
I then thought about buying a nearly new 1.8T and taking it to AMD. Might still do that.
I've noticed that you need to look at the weight of these Audis (TT 255 vs TT V6 is an example). I was looking to trade up my A6 1.8T for something a bit more interesting speed-wise (but still for commuting with my own fuel payments). I decided it wasn't worth going for anything less than an S6 in my case (RS6 is too expensive to buy/insure). One major reason was they're all going to give low 20s to the gallon and the S6 gives you the best power to weigh ratio.
The A6 1.8T weighs something like 300kg less than an A6 2.7T (which I also like the idea of). The 3.0 Quattro is 250+kg heavier at least. Apart from the rear diff stuff the rest of the weight is over the nose. Not good for nimbleness.
I then thought about buying a nearly new 1.8T and taking it to AMD. Might still do that.
Andy, cheers for the response. I drove a 3.0 quat Sport (tip) on Saturday. I’m currently of mixed reactions! The car drove lovely, the build superb and can not fault anything with the particular model I drove. It was slightly lacking in options (for a current £20k 2 yr old car) apart from Leather/Heated Seats and CD that was it. No folding mirrors, parking sensor’s, cruise control, etc.
I’m just not sure about that tip(auto) box. Although it went OK, it never had much of an urgency to it’s pace, that I thought a 3.0 would have. I’ve currently an older A4 2.6 V6 (manual), and I’m sure mine is faster in every gear. I think I need to go and drive a manual, just to see what extra performance you do get, the book figures state that the 0-60 time is nearly 2secs quicker on the manual. After playing with the tip box for a couple of months, I might be hankering after that little bit extra the manual has to give.
Did you drive the tip… if so how do you think it compared to your current (performance wise) manual…?
jj
I’m just not sure about that tip(auto) box. Although it went OK, it never had much of an urgency to it’s pace, that I thought a 3.0 would have. I’ve currently an older A4 2.6 V6 (manual), and I’m sure mine is faster in every gear. I think I need to go and drive a manual, just to see what extra performance you do get, the book figures state that the 0-60 time is nearly 2secs quicker on the manual. After playing with the tip box for a couple of months, I might be hankering after that little bit extra the manual has to give.
Did you drive the tip… if so how do you think it compared to your current (performance wise) manual…?
jj
jj. said:
Andy, cheers for the response. I drove a 3.0 quat Sport (tip) on Saturday. I’m currently of mixed reactions!
Did you drive the tip… if so how do you think it compared to your current (performance wise) manual…?
jj
Yes I did drive a tip car, but only because it was the only 3.0 I could find at the time, and didn't really take much notice of performance. The manual is faster, but isn't very quick off the line, once it is rolling however it goes fairly well.
I didn't comment on it before, but if you are considering a manual, I find it the most difficult car to drive smoothly. Not sure why but it is very 'jerky', could be the drive by wire throttle. Also it doesn't need 6 gears, I can easily go 1st, 2nd 4th & 6th with only marginal loss of performance. It will pull smoothly (although not particulary quickly) from 1500rpm in top, which is about 40mph.
I had to change my private Nissan Primera GT for a company car and didn't feel any of the demo cars I drove were as fast, however mine has now done 20k miles and is definitely faster than the nissan (which I still have). There is a lot more torque.
andyparrott said:
I didn't comment on it before, but if you are considering a manual, I find it the most difficult car to drive smoothly.
Yeah strange that. Of the 19 or so I can find for sale (@ main dealer sites) only 2 of them are manual.!! I know the tip box was a couple of grand option, so I would have expected more manual’s for sale, unless there is a very good reason everyone paid an extra £2k for less performance.? Especially when this is a 3.0 Quat, I would have thought everyone would have wanted to maximise the performance (step forward Mr manual – but no!).
A very nice/extremely capable car, especially when I was placing it around the Sheffield country side in all this rain we had on Saturday, very capable indeed. Definitely will have to get one, just need to drive a manual first to put my mind at rest.
Strange you commented about the smoothness, as the auto (tip) had some of the smoothest changes (apart from kick-down) I’ve known from an auto. Pulling away from rest, to about 60 was ultra smoooooooooth. I would have expected a manual to be as smoooooooth.
jj
I have been thinking about it this morning and I think the problem could be that 1st is very short, so if you are driving it hard off the line you need to change immediately into 2nd (and 3rd before you hit 60). Which is possibly why it feels so much faster when it is rolling. I didn't consider the auto because I don't like autos. However a friend of mine drove a multitronic (I think that's right) 1.8 and raved about it. You might be able to find a 3.0 with that box. I seem to recall Autocar (or one of the mags) who ran a 2.4 test car, commented on how hard it was to drive smoothly. Also they chose the 2.4 because they thought the 3.0 was a bit harsh when pushed. That doesn't bother me and no doubt the 3.0 is faster. I also considered the X Type but preferred the A4.
jj. said:
Yeah strange that. Of the 19 or so I can find for sale (@ main dealer sites) only 2 of them are manual.!! I know the tip box was a couple of grand option, so I would have expected more manual’s for sale, unless there is a very good reason everyone paid an extra £2k for less performance.? Especially when this is a 3.0 Quat, I would have thought everyone would have wanted to maximise the performance (step forward Mr manual – but no!).
Could be that for the age of car you're looking for, those with the manual 'box are still happy with it, but those with the Tip want rid! Just a thought.
andyparrott said:
I also considered the X Type but preferred the A4.
I went and looked at the X-Type. I got as far as sitting behind the wheel of one. The sales chap said, 'shall we take it out for a little spin then?' I don't think he was too impressed when I said, 'nope', remarked that 'it wasn't for me, and I'll leave it there', and walked off back to my car.
It just didn't feel as nice behind the wheel, as the Audi's do.
jj
andyparrott said:
I find it the most difficult car to drive smoothly. Not sure why but it is very 'jerky', could be the drive by wire throttle.
Andy,
Strange that you should mention this. I found and drove a manual at the weekend. Only 16 months old. And for some reason, I couldn’t be smooth in it either. It seemed like that after every gear change, the minute you first apply a little bit of throttle, the engine seemed to be hesitant, and almost provide you with jerky acceleration. But only on the first ¼ inch of throttle travel, after that it pulled cleanly. I kept thinking it was me, but it was definitely a hesitant car. I can’t believe all manuals are like this.
Going to have to go and find another manual this weekend to compare, if another one’s the same, then I’ll be going for the tip.
jj
Hi I'm Andy's Friend who drove the 1.8 Multitronic
Firstly I had an A8 3.7 with Tiptronic and the Tiptronic was superb, very slick shifting automatically and could be shifted in 'manual mode' Found I didn't use 'Manual Mode' very often, usually only when overtaking on single carraigeway roads when you wanted to avoid the kickdown.
I have also driven a A6 1.8Turbo with the Multronic Box. I had this for a few days whilst my A8 was in the stealership (yes you did read that right, I'm afraid I don't rate Audi's unless someone else is paying the bills!!!). The Multitronic was fantastic, almost seamless and returned amazing fuel economy, mid thirties in general driving, however I think there is an issue with this box and torque which is why its not offered on the bigger engined cars.
I've not driven a current A4, but liked the cabin from sitting in one at the dealership.
The above may help or it may not. Best of luck with finding your desired motor.
davidy
Firstly I had an A8 3.7 with Tiptronic and the Tiptronic was superb, very slick shifting automatically and could be shifted in 'manual mode' Found I didn't use 'Manual Mode' very often, usually only when overtaking on single carraigeway roads when you wanted to avoid the kickdown.
I have also driven a A6 1.8Turbo with the Multronic Box. I had this for a few days whilst my A8 was in the stealership (yes you did read that right, I'm afraid I don't rate Audi's unless someone else is paying the bills!!!). The Multitronic was fantastic, almost seamless and returned amazing fuel economy, mid thirties in general driving, however I think there is an issue with this box and torque which is why its not offered on the bigger engined cars.
I've not driven a current A4, but liked the cabin from sitting in one at the dealership.
The above may help or it may not. Best of luck with finding your desired motor.
davidy
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