TDI for city short trips?
09-06-2015, 10:02 PM
#21
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I drive a 2014 A6 TDI (37.3 mpg/34K miles) but I would go electric or a hybrid if I lived in a city or did a lot of stop and go driving in a city. Diesels have no advantage there; where they excel as others have said, is the open road.
I don't know how Audi diesels last compared to their gas engines but one of the reasons you see diesels in all sorts of commercial and utility applications is that, in addition to better efficiency, they tend to last longer and cost less to maintain and repair. Now whether this is true for a performance luxury car like an Audi I cannot say. I do know old Mercedes diesel cars were bulletproof, if somewhat under-powered. My brother-in-law put over 500K miles (800K Km) on one without any major repairs. I'd be interested in knowing how Audi diesels compare to gasoline versions on long-term durability and maintenance costs. Has anybody every seen any data on that?
I don't know how Audi diesels last compared to their gas engines but one of the reasons you see diesels in all sorts of commercial and utility applications is that, in addition to better efficiency, they tend to last longer and cost less to maintain and repair. Now whether this is true for a performance luxury car like an Audi I cannot say. I do know old Mercedes diesel cars were bulletproof, if somewhat under-powered. My brother-in-law put over 500K miles (800K Km) on one without any major repairs. I'd be interested in knowing how Audi diesels compare to gasoline versions on long-term durability and maintenance costs. Has anybody every seen any data on that?
09-07-2015, 06:09 AM
#23
AudiWorld Senior Member
Just remember with short trips, your engine may not get warm enough and the dpf won't get warm enough to regen. If your DPF won't regen, it's gonna clog and may fail prematurely. Diesels love long distance driving and staying on, even at idle.
like another poster said, even gas engines suck at short distance, electric cars, they do well for short trips. If you have a diesel, you better like road trips once in a while to really get her running and warm.
like another poster said, even gas engines suck at short distance, electric cars, they do well for short trips. If you have a diesel, you better like road trips once in a while to really get her running and warm.
09-07-2015, 12:27 PM
#24
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I get about 28-30ish for in-town trips with my TDI and the auto start/stop enabled. I'm used to the auto system now so I don't notice it but people do. I always pretend the car broke down to freak them out lol.
I got my TDI because I drive about 30k a year and hate HATE getting gas because it's such a time waster
If I didn't drive a lot I would probably still get the TDI because it's basically the same price as the 3.0T with the same power but far superior efficiency. The 2.0T isn't a good fit for my lead foot but if I wasn't a speed demon the 2.0T would be the most economical choice
I got my TDI because I drive about 30k a year and hate HATE getting gas because it's such a time waster
If I didn't drive a lot I would probably still get the TDI because it's basically the same price as the 3.0T with the same power but far superior efficiency. The 2.0T isn't a good fit for my lead foot but if I wasn't a speed demon the 2.0T would be the most economical choice
09-07-2015, 02:07 PM
#25
AudiWorld Member
Mine's a '12 Q5 2.0. Current mileage is 52K. I should be driving a TDI because I do a lot of distance driving.
On the other hand, I've had zero problems in any way with this one. I run the thing and it runs well. With gear (and a big dog for many of my trips) I steadily average 28.6 mph. I'm through hills and mountains (east coast size) regularly. There are times when I could use the extra power but not often.
Still.. I'm a candidate for the 'more better' fun factor Q5 TDI next time..
On the other hand, I've had zero problems in any way with this one. I run the thing and it runs well. With gear (and a big dog for many of my trips) I steadily average 28.6 mph. I'm through hills and mountains (east coast size) regularly. There are times when I could use the extra power but not often.
Still.. I'm a candidate for the 'more better' fun factor Q5 TDI next time..
09-08-2015, 03:05 PM
#26
My other concern, personally, is the availability of diesel. I have two gas stations within a mile of my house but neither sells diesel so it would have been a 10-mile round trip to refuel in a TDI. Of course, that would only have been maybe once a month, but still.
09-08-2015, 06:09 PM
#29
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I know this was true in the past, but does it still hold true with modern turbo diesels? People on here report that they actually warm up very quickly.
Wife's 3.0T gas takes a really long time to get up to operating temp (I'm talking oil temp, not coolant temp). It's hard to fathom diesel takes significantly longer than that.
Wife's 3.0T gas takes a really long time to get up to operating temp (I'm talking oil temp, not coolant temp). It's hard to fathom diesel takes significantly longer than that.
In fact, the new owner of my X5 is now getting 24.5 MPG when i was getting 18-19, and the difference is that she has no stop/go or hills on her commute, significantly less traffic, and a more "straight shot" commute, of about the same distance as i was doing.
Every situation si different, but that's my real world experience with a modern turbo diesel vs gas.
btw- i'm getting crap mileage on my 2.0T on the same commute, but the 2.0T has less than 500 miles on it so far and NY/NJ traffic has been complete crap these days.
09-09-2015, 06:25 AM
#30
AudiWorld Super User
I have noticed that many new (remodeled) stations are configured for diesel. So my belief is that as older stations remodel you will see more diesel availability.