2006 Audi A4 SE 2.0 TDI turbo diesel

Summary:

Lovely car - still not convinced it is worth any more than a Passat, which it basically is!!!

Faults:

Oil level sensor replaced under warranty twice. Pesky low oil warning keeps coming on, even when the dipstick is at Max, and gets worse as the oil ages and the car is close to a service. Have been subsequently told that "they all do this"... annoying nevertheless.

Oil consumption heavy - about 1.5L per 10,000 miles - hasn't settled down yet, even after 50,000.

Rear brake pads gone at 53,000 - strange booming noise coming from the rear of the car was the warning sign.

Front tyres wear out after 12,000 miles, rears last about 20,000.

General Comments:

Very nippy - uses the 140bhp 2.0 TDI. Usual Audi nose-heavy handling, never going to be a BMW chaser unless it's a quattro. Gearshift graunchy when cold - but is very slick otherwise.

Saloon practicality poor. Boot lid has a narrow opening, and for some bizarre reason, a folding rear seat is an optional extra (yet standard on new shape A4...).

Interior nice place to be, spoilt only by harsh ride - feels like the tyres are filled with cement (SE is bad enough - what's the S-Line like???). Mechanic told me this is a lot to do with the tyre spec.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th September, 2010

13th Sep 2010, 14:14

Nope, it's not based on the Passat.

15th Sep 2010, 06:12

It's a common misconception, as the original pre-2002 A4 shared the same (VAG B5) platform as the Passat of the time. Apart from the interior trim and body panels, they were virtually identical. They even suffered the same common faults as they get older, and you can virtually strip and rebuild either with the same workshop manual.

The 2002 on A4 moved to the VAG B6 platform, while the Passat, in 2005, moved to a stretched Golf/Jetta platform, where it remains today. The OPs car uses the B7, which is a mild revision of the B6, but both are/were exclusive to the A4, putting the Seat Exeo (A4 clone) aside of course.

From 2002 onwards, when the A4 moved away from the old B5 platform, the Passat and A4 became quite different cars, and remain so to this day.

Of course, whether the A4 is significantly better than the Passat remains a perfectly valid question.

2006 Audi A4 Avant SE 2.0 petrol

Summary:

Uncomfortable, indeed painful to drive

General Comments:

Picked up my car on Friday. It's the first Audi I have had since an Audi 80 back in the Eighties. I had severe backache problems with that one, but thought "they must have got it right by now!".

A short test drive was fine, but the first longer trip of an hour caused severe backache, and this morning's trip to work was the same. It seems Audi still can't make car seats - and now I am saddled with this discomfort for 3 years - shame on Audi - the rest of the car is first class.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 30th January, 2006

30th Jan 2006, 09:42

I'm on my third Audi, and have never had a problem with the seats, may be its you with the problem and not the car.

30th Jan 2006, 11:48

Yeah, it's a tough one. I had extra-cost sport seats on my BMW 528i and they felt great on the test drive. But after a six hour drive from LA to San Francisco I was in pain.

With all the technology around (plus cars makers like Volvo building perfect seats) you figure an upscale maker like Audi would get it right.

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