Audi A4 or Passat TDI

The wife and I are looking at getting either an A4 estate TDI or a Passat Estate TDI. I' not sure which were going to get but I figured I see what everone has to say and which engine to go for.

 

Both are the same, the finish in the Audi is better

I'd go with a TDI 130 personally

 

if you carry passengers in the back then go for the passat everytime
the passat uses the Audi A6 shortened floorpan and hence has more interior space than an A4

 

interesting as I will be back in the market for an estate too

 

Can I throw the Skoda Octavia in there?

To my mind the choice is between:

A suberb Audi Gearbox, in the north/south engined A4 or Passat. But the aweful multilink front suspension puts me off.

Versus:

The simple strut front suspension of the Skoda. But the transverse box puts me off, compared to the slick almost un-burstable, Audi box.

Are the brakes the same?

 

The wife's not sold on Skoda

 

Don't be put off by the multilink suspension, it's not as bad as people make out,
actually very easy to work on

I replaced the whole front suspension (all 8 arms) in a couple of hours for my last MOT.
Not bad though as they had lasted 13 years and 130,000 miles

Complete kit of arms and tie-rods is under 200 delivered

 

I had a Passat 20V Turbo Sport and that was a nice car, an estate would be just as good, Very roomy as you say.

What year did they revise the styling? As the older models do look a bit dated

 

I've personally changed half a dozen Audi gearboxes, not that good IMO, 2nd and 3rd syncro's go as well as diff bearings, only ever had to change one transverse box and that was in a mk4 gti tdi that had had a hard life

 

Oh and Audi's are a far nicer car to look at and be in

 

are they worth the premium?

any petrol models to consider for cheap running costs?

 

must be easier than the A4 B5/B6 as the 'death bolt' that pinches the upper arms is a complete pain in the ass..

Loads more room in the passat..The newer passats are horrible inside IMO..too plasticy ..and the residuals are, as usual poor, you can get a 2.0 tdi '56 plate with FSH for 5.5k, the equivalent audi would be twice that

 

I haven't really looked at the new passat too much. Also know that if it's got 4 rings the price can double. As for working on them, I'm not too bothered as I have access to a nice shop...

 

Passat has the identical setup to the A4/A6, pinch bolt is easy to remove if you know how

 

lots of heat..not so handy for your average joe without garage facilities

 

I just cut through the length of the bolt, theres a convenient slot for the hacksaw in the upper suspension arm, rotate the head of the bolt a few times, put the steering on full lock to gain easier access and then use a pin punch to drive out the old bolt

 

honestly, it must be a different story on A4s, they ALL seize and no amount of hammering or cutting will get it out unless your incredibly fortunate!

The dealers dont even try to remove it without first heating the area to cherry red, ruining the upper arm bj's,but theyre usually changing them anyway..ive done this twice now.
Heard of people actually drilling the stuck bolt out, going off centre and having to replace the whole hub carrier, one guy tried to use a stud extractor, which broke in the arm! try drilling that out!

 

Depends what ticks your box , if its space as a priority its a no brainer passat every time , if its just front passenger and hatchback versatility go the a4 , it is more stylish otherwise very similar .

 

which engine aside from the TDI would be cheap to run but not too slow?

 

1.8T is more economical than any of the other petrol engines, especially if the ecu is chipped believe it or not