vw passat cc 2011 vs audi a4 b8 2011vs toyota avensis 2.0

the respectful prowler

Hi everyone i was wondering whice one is the better choice? My main concern is that i want something that will be reliable and wont cost an arm and a leg to maintain Thank you

bazz26

The Avensis would probably be less likely to break down from that list but the Mk3 Avensis is not a great all round car. Other than being reliable they really don't have much going for them. The Passat CC and Audi A4 share a good bit of DNA between them so reliability will be similar. Overall both would be a better package than the Avensis. I have a Passat CC and chose it over a similar A4 because it was a more striking design, roomier, better speced than most A4s on the road and less common too.

Something like an Accord, Mondeo or Insignia would both be better cars than the Avensis while probably offering the same in terms of reliability if reliability is your primary concern.

the respectful prowler

bazz26 wrote: »

The Avensis would probably be less likely to break down from that list but the Mk3 Avensis is not a great all round car. Other than being reliable they really don't have much going for them. The Passat CC and Audi A4 share a good bit of DNA between them so reliability will be similar. Overall both would be a better package than the Avensis. I have a Passat CC and chose it over a similar A4 because it was a more striking design, roomier, better speced than most A4s on the road and less common too.

Something like an Accord, Mondeo or Insignia would both be better cars than the Avensis while probably offering the same in terms of reliability if reliability is your primary concern.

Thank you for the reply yes the cc would be my first choice also i think the body looks very slick and i like the coupe rear and you can also get nice interior choices with the cc.. has your cc been troublesome? How long have you owned it?

J.pilkington

bazz26 wrote: »

The Avensis would probably be less likely to break down from that list but the Mk3 Avensis is not a great all round car. Other than being reliable they really don't have much going for them. The Passat CC and Audi A4 share a good bit of DNA between them so reliability will be similar. Overall both would be a better package than the Avensis. I have a Passat CC and chose it over a similar A4 because it was a more striking design, roomier, better speced than most A4s on the road and less common too.

Something like an Accord, Mondeo or Insignia would both be better cars than the Avensis while probably offering the same in terms of reliability if reliability is your primary concern.

That 2.0 Toyota engine gives a lot more trouble than you seem to realise. Google it. Pig of an engine that's not even that efficient

bazz26

J.pilkington wrote: »

That 2.0 Toyota engine gives a lot more trouble than you seem to realise. Google it. Pig of an engine that's not even that efficient

I know they are not without their issues but the question was which one of the 3 listed would be the most reliable. There is probably a smaller chance of finding an Avensis broke down at the side of the road than the other two though. It's also why I offered the other cars as alternatives.

the respectful prowler

bazz26 wrote: »

I know they are not without their issues but the question was which one of the 3 listed would be the most reliable. There is probably a smaller chance of finding an Avensis broke down at the side of the road than the other two though. It's also why I offered the other cars as alternatives.

Has your cc given you much hastle in the past 12 months?

bazz26

the respectful prowler wrote: »

Thank you for the reply yes the cc would be my first choice also i think the body looks very slick and i like the coupe rear and you can also get nice interior choices with the cc.. has your cc been troublesome? How long have you owned it?

I had it for 2 years and it developed a serious problem that required a new gearbox, clutch and flywheel. Luckily they were covered under VW warranty. However those issues are not common with all of them and once they were replaced in mine the car didn't give me any trouble after that. A cousin of mine has a 2010 model and hasn't had any issues with it.

the respectful prowler

bazz26 wrote: »

I had it for 2 years and it developed a serious problem that required a new gearbox, clutch and flywheel. Luckily they were covered under VW warranty. However those issues are not common with all of them and once they were replaced in mine the car didn't give me any trouble after that. A cousin of mine has a 2010 model and hasn't had any issues with it.

Oh wow you were lucky it was covered tho..How long has your cousin had hes so far? Im just wondering because id love a cc but i dont want to be putting crazy money into it to maintain it. Has the electric handbrake given you any problems and lastly what would be better considering the cc 140bhp or the 170bhp? Ive read that the 170bhp puts to much pressure on the injectors making them to fail quicker than the 140bhp

bazz26

Cousin has his over 2 years and it's a 170bhp DSG model. He bought it privately. Biggest problem with them like most diesel cars will be the flywheel which tends to need replacing around 100,000 miles. EGR valves and air conditioning compressor can give trouble on them too. Timing belt needs changing every 100,000 miles or 5 years.

Mine was a 140bhp but had it remapped with gave it a nice bit of extra torque.

the respectful prowler

bazz26 wrote: »

Cousin has his over 2 years and it's a 170bhp DSG model. He bought it privately. Biggest problem with them like most diesel cars will be the flywheel which tends to need replacing around 100,000 miles. EGR valves and air conditioning compressor can give trouble on them too. Timing belt needs changing every 100,000 miles or 5 years.

Mine was a 140bhp but had it remapped with gave it a nice bit of extra torque.

I was told to stay from dsg gear boxes as they tend to give trouble and can result in expensive repair bills.. so ive heard. How much would a flywheel replacement be on a car like this? Im thinking of getting the cc now because besides the trouble you got at the start you and your cousin didnt seem to have much trouble? Also how often would the EGR valve tend to give trouble.. and also I really appreciate all the info you have given me

Harcrid

I have a cc for over 2 and a half years. I had to do a few small jobs to it like turbo actuator and secondary coolant pump (approx 250 ish each to fix) but outside of that its been very reliable and I have put 60K miles on it since I got it. . I have the GT 170 and there are no known injector issues that I am aware of. As Bazz has said, clutch and flywheel could be an issue but thats no different to any other diesel really.

the respectful prowler

.ok thanks for all the comments guys i say its looking like a cc which i wanted in the first place anyways i just wanted to make sure that i wouldnt be investing like a 1000€ into it like evey 10000 miles Ha lol for parts that could have been avoided if i had purchased a different car so as long as im not unlucky and get a car with a dodgy gear box etc. I should be in the clear as id be only doing 8000 - 10000 miles a year anyways so it shouldnt be too expensive to maintain it for the year and my best bet is to buy one with about 130000 miles on it because that way i can avoid a flywheel replacement like bazz was talking about earlier when he said they tend to give up around the 100000 mark

Harcrid

the respectful prowler wrote: »

.my best bet is to buy one with about 130000 miles on it because that way i can avoid a flywheel replacement like bazz was talking about earlier when he said they tend to give up around the 100000 mark

Thats not really how to look at it. Flywheel is something to be aware of, but they dont all magically fail at the 100K mile mark and just because a car has 130K miles does not mean it has already had it replaced. Mine has 112K and there is not even the hint of it going yet.

Irishder

Looking at a Passat CC also, what are the signs of a fly wheel being on the way out?

the respectful prowler

Harcrid wrote: »

Thats not really how to look at it. Flywheel is something to be aware of, but they dont all magically fail at the 100K mile mark and just because a car has 130K miles does not mean it has already had it replaced. Mine has 112K and there is not even the hint of it going yet.

Ya well that makes sense when you said they just dont magically fail at the 100k.. and i know you have a cc but would you still recommend them over the audi a4 b8 2011 as bazz said a few comments back that they share pretty much the same internals so from what he said it really comes down to looks when your comparing the two but id like another opinion on it

the respectful prowler

Irishder wrote: »

Looking at a Passat CC also, what are the signs of a fly wheel being on the way out?

As far as im aware they would be a noise coming from it and that will raise red flags' in saying that i never had any flywheel go on me yet (touch wood) but im sure its only a matter of time

Harcrid

I bought mine for pretty much the same reasons as mentioned by others. The A4 was never on my list to be honest. It was between an Accord or a CC but I felt the CC was the better package. It's a car that always gets comments on how good it looks and is still relatively rare on Irish roads compared to an A4 or 5 series. Don't skimp on spec though. They can be bland in base spec form and there are enough high spec ones out there to choose. I bought mine in the UK but you should find one here easily enough.

the respectful prowler

Harcrid wrote: »

I bought mine for pretty much the same reasons as mentioned by others. The A4 was never on my list to be honest. It was between an Accord or a CC but I felt the CC was the better package. It's a car that always gets comments on how good it looks and is still relatively rare on Irish roads compared to an A4 or 5 series. Don't skimp on spec though. They can be bland in base spec form and there are enough high spec ones out there to choose. I bought mine in the UK but you should find one here easily enough.

Yes i do agree that there rare compared to the a4. For my price range on donedeal i only found like 80 vw passat cc's for sale compared to 300 odd a4's. Yes high spec is what i want if possible id like to get a clean white cc with leather seats or put the seats in myself but theres not many white cc's for sale at the moment would you recommend the 140bhp or the 170bhp?

Harcrid

Factory 170 versions are rare so I would not let that be the deciding factor. The 140 can easily be remapped to 170 in any case if you feel you need the extra power.

the respectful prowler

Harcrid wrote: »

Factory 170 versions are rare so I would not let that be the deciding factor. The 140 can easily be remapped to 170 in any case if you feel you need the extra power.

I did hear 'actually' here on boards (not me that was asking the question) awhile back that remapping is bad for the engine?

Harcrid

I wouldn't necessarily agree with that. As long as the remap is carried out by a reputable guy and you don't hammer the car afterward (like foot to the floor takeoffs in first gear) then it should not cause any problems. Of course if the car already has underlying issues with a clutch or turbo then the remap might make them more obvious.

bazz26

Just remember that the Passat CC interior got a mild facelift in 2011. This added a rear centre seat. Up to that point they only came with 2 rear seats and a storage compartment in between them.

Also flywheels are a wear and tear item so no set mileage interval on when they need replacing but the general rule of thumb is that there is higher probability of the flywheel coming to the end of it's useful life from 100k miles onwards.

the respectful prowler

bazz26 wrote: »

Just remember that the Passat CC interior got a mild facelift in 2011. This added a rear centre seat. Up to that point they only came with 2 rear seats and a storage compartment in between them.

Also flywheels are a wear and tear item so no set mileage interval on when they need replacing but the general rule of thumb is that there is higher probability of the flywheel coming to the end of it's useful life from 100k miles onwards.

Oh i wasnt aware that all of the 2011 models had 5 seats i figured that they came in 4 and 5 seats.! Id personally like the 5 seats more anyways. Ya i think your right about the flywheel as i just seen a white cc (face lift 2012 type not the one im after) on donedeal and the add said that the clutch and flywheel were just done and it has 115k on it

the respectful prowler

Harcrid wrote: »

I bought mine for pretty much the same reasons as mentioned by others. The A4 was never on my list to be honest. It was between an Accord or a CC but I felt the CC was the better package. It's a car that always gets comments on how good it looks and is still relatively rare on Irish roads compared to an A4 or 5 series. Don't skimp on spec though. They can be bland in base spec form and there are enough high spec ones out there to choose. I bought mine in the UK but you should find one here easily enough.

Also what would the vrt be on a cc 3500-4000? Because im really wanting a white cc with the cream and black 2tone interior which could be hard to find so my best bet might be to go over to england myself and bring it back

bazz26

Mine was a 2011 one with the facelifted interior and rear middle seat but to be honest that middle seat was more suitable for a small child or only an adult if you were doing a short journey. The coupe style roofline is low and sloping for rear passengers and the middle rear seat was awkward. Other than that they are very practical, front and rear legroom is very generous and they have a deep big boot that even comes with a full size spare alloy wheel.

Base Irish models were higher spec than base UK models but top spec UK models were definitely better speced than top spec Irish models. Mine was a UK imported GT model with the Tech pack which included rear privacy glass, sat nav, bluetooth, dynamic chassis control and full leather seats.

the respectful prowler

bazz26 wrote: »

Mine was a 2011 one with the facelifted interior and rear middle seat but to be honest that middle seat was more suitable for a small child or only an adult if you were doing a short journey. The coupe style roofline is low and sloping for rear passengers and the middle rear seat was awkward. Other than that they are very practical, front and rear legroom is very generous and they have a deep big boot that even comes with a full size spare alloy wheel.

Base Irish models were higher spec than base UK models but top spec UK models were definitely better speced than top spec Irish models. Mine was a UK imported GT model with the Tech pack which included rear privacy glass, sat nav, bluetooth, dynamic chassis control and full leather seats.

Ya i was actually made aware of the low roof i heard its a nightmare fore the rear passengers but at the end of the day thats not my problem haha do the cc's come standard with the scirocco alloys yes? Well a high spec is what id desire as the privacy glass, satnav, parking sensors, and 2 tone leather interior would make a lovely package in a clean white cc

vkid

Bought a 2011 cc gt 170 recently. I can't say much about reliability yet but its a really nice car to drive. Good fun and nice spec. Much prefer it to any of the a4s I tested. The inside of the avensis is awful IMO.

bazz26

The 18" Turbine alloy wheels were standard on the GT model.

the respectful prowler

vkid wrote: »

Bought a 2011 cc gt 170 recently. I can't say much about reliability yet but its a really nice car to drive. Good fun and nice spec. Much prefer it to any of the a4s I tested. The inside of the avensis is awful IMO.

I know ha i only mentioned the avensis because i knew the older shapes were very reliable but they just dont compare to the cc in anyway. Yes id prefer the cc instead of the a4's also' as i feel that the a4's havent changed too much from 06-11 but the cc's look totally different from the passat b6 and plus they look alot more sportier and slicker than the a4