Audi a4 b6 1.9 vs 2.5 tdi

sean1141

Thinking of a b6 a4 for my next car. Looking on done deal etc the 1.9s are being advertised for the same if not more than the 2.5. Would a 2.5 be a better buy than a 1.9?
What are the pros and cons for both?

I know the 1.9 will be cheaper to tax and better mpg but the 2.5 has more power (50bhp) awd and in most cases an extra gear. Plus they are usually better spec inside too, but parts would be harder to get/more expensive to buy.

Any thoughts on this.

Wicklowandy

The 2.5 isnt always awd, lots of 160bhp multitronics and manual fwd got imported in the last few years.

Youve mentioned tax, but i feel the 2.5 is far nicer (drove a 98 150bhp a few years ago for a while) but really is a car for life. 1.9 tdis are always going to be in demand obviously, being the fastest car in the world and insurable for youngish lads;)

The 2.5 i had was nice and smooth compared to a 1.9, and still returned around 40mpg in mixed driving. But id bought it cheap and after 6 months it still wasnt the easiest yoke to resell. If id had the same car with a 1.9 the phone wouldnt have stopped.

I replaced it with a fairly new at the time 110 tdi octy, and you realised hopping from one to the other exactly how agricultural the 1.9 can be.

As for parts, i replaced some bushings, links, a pair of wishbones and service items and bought them from my usual german auto parts supplier, and didnt find them outrageously expensive.(sameish as any other vag parts ive bought pattern)

sean1141

Wicklowandy wrote: »

The 2.5 isnt always awd, lots of 160bhp multitronics and manual fwd got imported in the last few years.

Youve mentioned tax, but i feel the 2.5 is far nicer (drove a 98 150bhp a few years ago for a while) but really is a car for life. 1.9 tdis are always going to be in demand obviously, being the fastest car in the world and insurable for youngish lads;)

The 2.5 i had was nice and smooth compared to a 1.9, and still returned around 40mpg in mixed driving. But id bought it cheap and after 6 months it still wasnt the easiest yoke to resell. If id had the same car with a 1.9 the phone wouldnt have stopped.

I replaced it with a fairly new at the time 110 tdi octy, and you realised hopping from one to the other exactly how agricultural the 1.9 can be.

As for parts, i replaced some bushings, links, a pair of wishbones and service items and bought them from my usual german auto parts supplier, and didnt find them outrageously expensive.(sameish as any other vag parts ive bought pattern)

I thought all the 2.5s were quattro.. my bad. If I went for a 2.5 it would have to be awd.

I had two 1.9s and I found them very quiet compared to the Mondeo I have now.

I was thinking I would have a better chance of dealing with someone selling a 2.5 over a 1.9 but they are not as common either.

Chimaera

Depending on build year and service record, the 2.5s have an appetite for camshafts. There some oiling issues on cars before MY 2004, especially in cases where long-life servicing was followed. For MY 2004 and after, the valvetrain was redesigned with roller rockers which appears to have resolved matters somewhat. For more info do a google search on "V6 TDI camshaft wear".

TURRICAN

Pros and cons.
Same as any other car on the market.
Bigger tax on bigger engine and 4wd will guzzle more juice.

Bean_Flicker

sean1141 wrote: »

Thinking of a b6 a4 for my next car. Looking on done deal etc the 1.9s are being advertised for the same if not more than the 2.5. Would a 2.5 be a better buy than a 1.9?
What are the pros and cons for both?

I know the 1.9 will be cheaper to tax and better mpg but the 2.5 has more power (50bhp) awd and in most cases an extra gear. Plus they are usually better spec inside too, but parts would be harder to get/more expensive to buy.

Any thoughts on this.

I've a 04 6 speed 1.9 130 bhp A4, I love it and could only recommend one and could only imagine how good the 2.5 would be to drive :cool:

I couldn't justify the tax on one though :mad:

savagecabbages

Bean_Flicker wrote: »

I couldn't justify the tax on one though :mad:

Works out at €31 more a month for the 2.5. Doesn't sound too bad when its broken down like that:p
Less than most peoples phone/tv/internet bill.

I agree selling one would be more difficult afterwards, but in my eyes its worth not wishing you got the 2.5 every time you drive a 1.9

Bean_Flicker

savagecabbages wrote: »

Works out at €31 more a month for the 2.5. Doesn't sound too bad when its broken down like that:p
Less than most peoples phone/tv/internet bill.

I agree selling one would be more difficult afterwards, but in my eyes its worth not wishing you got the 2.5 every time you drive a 1.9

I tax my car every 3 months and it's €176 for 3 months, the 2.5 would be €283 for three months tax,

I'm sure it's worth the extra €107 every quarter but I'm struggling to pay for three months tax as it is

allinthehead

i had a 2.5 180 quattro a couple of years ago and it was the best car i have owned. lovely smooth power delivery and pulls like a train, also had a 1.9, absolutely no comparison. the quattro is superb in bad weather even in snow. if your doing mainly urban driving the 2.5 is heavy on fuel about 25-30 mpg, on a run you could expect about 40-45. get the 1.9 if your worried about economy will average about 45-50 mpg. as mentioned above camshafts can be an issue with engines on long life servicing, stay away from anything with an unusual ticking noise, engine should sound smooth. servicing prices would be roughly same for the two but expect to pay about 600 for cambelt change on the 2.5. 3-400 for 1.9. injection pumps can fail on 2.5(big money to fix). of all the cars ive owned the 2.5 is the most reliable. good luck with choice both are great engines. 2.5 would be my choice

savagecabbages

Bean_Flicker wrote: »

I tax my car every 3 months and it's €176 for 3 months, the 2.5 would be €283 for three months tax,

I'm sure it's worth the extra €107 every quarter but I'm struggling to pay for three months tax as it is

Yeah I picked the annual rate to make it sound better:p I tax my car every quarter too and struggle with that...

Just put across a point of view from a friend who did go for a bigger engined car recently, and it was a fairly sensible argument.

Tropheus

I have the 2.5l engine in my allroad and it has been solid. It now has 188k miles on it and has had no major work. I haven't experienced the cam seal issue that impacted this engine, but I've heard that it's related to long life servicing that I never bothered with.

If you can live with the heavier fuel consumption and higher tax then it's definitely the one to go for.

thedarksh1te

I have the 1.9 its a great car, nice and quick and has the 6th gear for the motorway. You'll do well to find one that hasn't been ruined with aftermarket body kits and coilovers. Mine has 127k on the clock now and the only thing i've needed to change are the aircon pulley and belt. Parts are expensive but Audi are doing timing belt/ water pump changes for €399 now, which isnt too bad considering what they were changing them for in the boom.