Audi a5 1.8 TFSI -review and opinion

Jesper

I may have an option to buy a '08 1.8 TFSI (Petrol) A5 for about e13,000 (35mpg?). Pretty good value. It's got 120,000 miles on the clock but I do believe it was looked after very well.

I was originally looking for a diesel - I don't do big millage but I do travel from Dublin to Kilkenny weekly.

I am also considering as my other option a Honda Accord '09 (newer) model. 2.2 Diesel gets about 55mpg. This will probably cost around the same with the same mileage but diesel.

Am I crazy to get the Audi A5 or is the specification/driving experience worth it? The age old practicality versus function question!

(I will be doing most of the driving alone so 2 door isn't an issue).

bazz26

First of all you will not get 55mpg from a new shape diesel Accord, mid to high 40s is about right on them but mpg should not be a bit concern if you are not doing a lot of driving.

A regular poster on here called Mickdw has a 1.8 litre TSi A5, don't think he has had any major issues with it but he has mentioned that the car really needs Quattro. Maybe he will be along soon to give you more accurate feedback.

Ilik Urgee

Jesper wrote: »

I may have an option to buy a '08 1.8 TFSI (Petrol) A5 for about e13,000 (35mpg?). Pretty good value. It's got 120,000 miles on the clock but I do believe it was looked after very well.

I was originally looking for a diesel - I don't do big millage but I do travel from Dublin to Kilkenny weekly.

I am also considering as my other option a Honda Accord '09 (newer) model. 2.2 Diesel gets about 55mpg. This will probably cost around the same with the same mileage but diesel.

Am I crazy to get the Audi A5 or is the specification/driving experience worth it? The age old practicality versus function question!

(I will be doing most of the driving alone so 2 door isn't an issue).

I drive one myself and no way that's achievable in mine anyway. Best is 50- ish, average 43 or 44. There's another poster on here who has one too and would agree with those figures.

lightsun

Jesper wrote: »

Am I crazy to get the Audi A5 or is the specification/driving experience worth it? The age old practicality versus function question!

For what it's worth: I find the Audi A5 an incredibly beautiful car looks wise but I was a little dissapointed having driven it for a week. It was a reasonable new rental (about 4000km on the clock) with the 1.8 TFSI engine and I drove roughly 900km with it over a 4 day period. So it was a reasonably limited amount of time spent with it but being honest I was just not impressed with it and I had expected a lot more. The feel and the power of the car was just not what I had in mind when I shelled out the extra few bob a day for it.

I'm not knocking it as a car because I think it's a nice car that drives reasonably well, but if you're hoping for a "driving experience" I (personally) was not impressed.

Jesper

Ilik Urgee wrote: »

I drive one myself and no way that's achievable in mine anyway. Best is 50- ish, average 43 or 44. There's another poster on here who has one too and would agree with those figures.

I'm surprised - I used to own a '05 Accord and regularly got 49MPG. I presumed the new model would have refined this further. That's probably the low 50's you mentioned.

bazz26

Jesper wrote: »

I'm surprised - I used to own a '05 Accord and regularly got 49MPG. I presumed the new model would have refined this further. That's probably the low 50's you mentioned.

Newer model Accord is bigger and heavier than the old model. The 2.2 litre I-DTEC is not as frugal as it's rivals.

Ilik Urgee

bazz26 wrote: »

Newer model Accord is bigger and heavier than the old model. The 2.2 litre I-DTEC is not as frugal as it's rivals.

+1 and maddeningly so,apart from that it's a good all-rounder. Maybe not realistic to your needs if you're a single driver car.(small family here).

I'd take an A5 out for a spin OP, probably not in both guises:pac:
If you're only doing a weekly shortish spin down the motorway there's no requirement for a diesel imo.

My brother had the A5, Nice car, you really can't beat Audi Interiors, they are really nice places to sit.

I found it a bit cramped for my short 5 foot 8 inchs, my legs are 31 inch.

Boot is good.

I did find the road & wind noise more than the A4 and a lot more than the A6. The diesel was good, not the old PD all or nothing wallop of torque but more spread out through the revs. Still not as smooth as I would like and a little rattly. Though anything is noisy coming from a prius but acceleration is quieter in the A5.

The Multitronic was as usual brilliant.

I found the handling to be really good, if you think there is something wrong with that then you are driving stupidly.

The steering had an odd feel to it, but I think you can adjust it in the menu somewhere.

One alternative OP if you want the petrol and it's out of warranty is convert it to LPG if you can find it at a decent price and you do the miles to justify it.

Overall I found the A5 is a really nice car to drive, VAG diesels are not the most economical and with my prius foot I could hardly manage 45 mpg in the A4, A5 and especially the A6 which I was disappointed with. Though 40 odd miles is not a lot to go by.

I'm not sure anyone can beat BMW diesel economy ?

Tea 1000

Deleted User wrote: »

My brother had the A5, Nice car, you really can't beat Audi Interiors, they are really nice places to sit.

I found it a bit cramped for my short 5 foot 8 inchs, my legs are 31 inch.

Boot is good.

I did find the road & wind noise more than the A4 and a lot more than the A6. The diesel was good, not the old PD all or nothing wallop of torque but more spread out through the revs. Still not as smooth as I would like and a little rattly. Though anything is noisy coming from a prius but acceleration is quieter in the A5.

The Multitronic was as usual brilliant.

I found the handling to be really good, if you think there is something wrong with that then you are driving stupidly.

The steering had an odd feel to it, but I think you can adjust it in the menu somewhere.

One alternative OP if you want the petrol and it's out of warranty is convert it to LPG if you can find it at a decent price and you do the miles to justify it.

Overall I found the A5 is a really nice car to drive, VAG diesels are not the most economical and with my prius foot I could hardly manage 45 mpg in the A4, A5 and especially the A6 which I was disappointed with. Though 40 odd miles is not a lot to go by.

I'm not sure anyone can beat BMW diesel economy ?

Handling isn't about grip, it's about feel, and the Audi does lack in that department. The steering is fairly poor and numb on all but the older RS4 and the R8's.
But the VAG new 2 litre 140bhp diesel is certainly a match for the BMW diesel. It's easily possible to get 4.5l/100kms in the Passat, which is a match for the BMW 320d ED.

mickdw

At 13000, it would be worth while imo.
I've 78k miles on my 08 one now and they really are very cheap to maintasin.
No timing belt to worry about and in the 1.8 I've not heard too many timing chain problems.
Spark plugs are good for 50k miles, no big service items to worry about really.
I will say that you should really drive it thoroughly before you buy. They are a bit of a pig in certain ways. On uneven roads, it will pull you all over the road. If the car has the non standard active steering, it is improved. Mine doesn't have this. Most 1.8 from that era won't have it either.
I've had an aircon seal done under warranty when fairly new and also the ignition key slot had to be changed as a fault appeared. Both window regulators failed and the water pump developed a slow leak and needed changing at 60k. Water pump is a simple job on these thankfully. I did it diy as I did the window regulators. Audi are giving some goodwill towards the regulators.
In its favour, it is completely as new currently, no suspension bits needed whatsoever and considering I drive fast on mayo roads, that's an achievement. I do drive with a degree of mechanical sympathy though.
I will be changing soon hopefully but not at all in favour of buying into the diesel madness and all the expensive bills that are likely. A bit puzzled to be honest as to what to buy next.

Jesper

OSI wrote: »

You're the only person I've ever heard describe the multitronic as anything but a ball of ****.

Is the Multitronic that bad? The A5 I'm looking at is Multitronic brought over from England 16months ago. It is the SAT NAV incorporated model so has a lot of nice extras.
I test drove the standard 1.8TFSI along with a 2.0TDI and both were nice. I haven't test drove the Multitronic - should this be a deal breaker? Do the Multitronic give trouble?

Jesper

mickdw wrote: »

At 13000, it would be worth while imo.
I've 78k miles on my 08 one now and they really are very cheap to maintasin.
No timing belt to worry about and in the 1.8 I've not heard too many timing chain problems.

The Audi has nearly 120 K miles on it. The seller has told me that he's recently done the timing belt. Did he mean service the 'chain' or was he picking up on my lack of knowledge and presuming it would be some kind of a selling doing to be 'fully serviced'?
I don't think he is a con because he actually put the car in for auction (Merlin) last night. I went knowing what the reserve was and it didn't reach reserve. But then I felt there was excellent value to be had on all petrol 'prestigious' models there. So it does look like he is trying to sell it and isn't a 'dealer'.

Jesper

Jesper wrote: »

mickdw wrote: »

At 13000, it would be worth while imo.
I've 78k miles on my 08 one now and they really are very cheap to maintasin.
No timing belt to worry about and in the 1.8 I've not heard too many timing chain problems.

The Audi has nearly 120 K miles on it. The seller has told me that he's recently done the timing belt. Did he mean service the 'chain' or was he picking up on my lack of knowledge and presuming it would be some kind of a selling doing to be 'fully serviced'?
I don't think he is a con because he actually put the car in for auction (Merlin) last night. I went knowing what the reserve was and it didn't reach reserve. But then I felt there was excellent value to be had on all petrol 'prestigious' models there. So it does look like he is trying to sell it and isn't a 'dealer'.

120 k miles is a lot but it should go for 250k if looked after.

Any car can give problems with that kind of mileage.

The Multitronics must have the oil replaced every 40 k miles and this should be reflected in the service history.

The multitronics are pretty sound these days but as with all automatics they are very complex and can fail, some last the life of the car.

The timing belt I think on the new a4 should be replaced along with the water pump at 90k miles afaik, but if it has been done earlier then that's good if it was actually replaced.

The multitronics doesn't suit everyone, you will always get the manual fan that will simply tar all automatics with the one brush, and feel superior for driving a manual, but each to their own.

Some automatics are better than others but most are much better with 130+ hp IMHO, with lower power engines autos seem to keep the engine reving high because it thinks you need,more power. A slight tap of the accelerator and it drops a gear or two. But with a lot more power this is far less of a problem.

Most autos these days you can select manual mode so it would be lessmofmamproblem a problem even for low power engines.

mickdw

There's is no timing belt. I'd walk away from any seller who attempts to con you in such a manner. If also suggests that there's is little history with the car and also that he is either taking you asa fool or he is a fool himself.
How many owners had it had?

Yes of course it's the tfsi not tdi :-)

Slattsy

mickdw wrote: »

At 13000, it would be worth while imo.
I've 78k miles on my 08 one now and they really are very cheap to maintasin.
No timing belt to worry about and in the 1.8 I've not heard too many timing chain problems.
Spark plugs are good for 50k miles, no big service items to worry about really.
I will say that you should really drive it thoroughly before you buy. They are a bit of a pig in certain ways. On uneven roads, it will pull you all over the road. If the car has the non standard active steering, it is improved. Mine doesn't have this. Most 1.8 from that era won't have it either.
I've had an aircon seal done under warranty when fairly new and also the ignition key slot had to be changed as a fault appeared. Both window regulators failed and the water pump developed a slow leak and needed changing at 60k. Water pump is a simple job on these thankfully. I did it diy as I did the window regulators. Audi are giving some goodwill towards the regulators.
In its favour, it is completely as new currently, no suspension bits needed whatsoever and considering I drive fast on mayo roads, that's an achievement. I do drive with a degree of mechanical sympathy though.
I will be changing soon hopefully but not at all in favour of buying into the diesel madness and all the expensive bills that are likely. A bit puzzled to be honest as to what to buy next.

Agree with most of the above.
Mine has just over 100k on the clock, i only have it since November 2012. Its actually in Audi at the moment for a service but nothing out of the ordinary.
Thankfully no issue with the window regulators but i did need to get the water pump done. Audi did give a goodwill gesture towards this as its a common fault.

I couldnt put anyone off getting one and the price you stated seems good. Fuel economy is good, especially on longer drives (i go West every odd weekend) but it can be thirsty in stop start Dublin traffic.

Personally i love driving it, its not a common car and its a real head turner.
Would love a quattro though - maybe one day !

And for the love of god stay away from Diesels

galwaytt

Jesper wrote: »

I haven't test drove the Multitronic - should this be a deal breaker? Do the Multitronic give trouble?

Its not the greatest box in fairness. Anecdotally at least, they have issues. Including an 09 A6 that I know of. It's also not an economical box - a manual or S-Tronic ( DSG) would be better.

The DSG also has issues which made the U.S and Chinese courts force a 10 year, 100,000 mile warranty.

Most Multitronics are sound from 08.

All automatics (can) have issues.

I wasn't fond of the DSG with it's constant hunting for gears and changing down to too low a gear with a slight press of the accelerator and I didn't find it too economical. I found myself having to use manual mode while on the open road especially climbing hills or mountains. I found it to be crap to be honest. That was an 06 maybe they are better now.

The multitronic at least knows when you go up or down a steep hill and adjusts accordingly, I found it to be much more relaxing to drive. Again I was in a car with 130 hp v 104, it makes a difference with automatics, they are just not suited to small engines, and having to use manual mode is not an answer.

Jesper

I looked at the car last Friday - spotless clean and looks well maintained but the occasional 'ding' on the door panel etc.

Drove nice. With the owner beside me I couldn't do to much 'testing'.

Full Audi service history until 105K Miles where he got it down from someone he 'knew' in northern Ireland. In fairness he does own a newer A5 Diesel so I do believe he likes the car. It has been registered and NCT'd for the last 14 months in Ireland.

He has no problem with me bringing it to be checked out so I've found a garage near by that will put it through it's paces for what it's worth on Thursday and if they don't come back with anything big I'll take it for a bit below 13k.

Can't think of anything else to be skeptical about. But then if he wasn't legit he would not have these bases covered.

Nice car so think I'll drive the 2 door while I still can.