Kris Hansen

We'd love the chance to answer any questions that people have about the car. Please, by all means, let us know!

So far we're loving it. Monstrous torque, smooth and quiet effortless power. Awesome!

Grapeking

Hey Kris- do you have real world mpg data based on your own usage that you can compare to the 3.0T? Any other straight up comparisons?

Hope you are well.

Superfly_A6

I'd like to see a dyno curve to determine the best shift points

jdong

Do you feel a noise/harshness difference between the TDI and 3.0 TFSI after spending a long time in the car? On the test drive I mostly noticed the extra noise of the TDI clattering, but it didn't really bother me.

A comparison to the 2.0T/3.0T (both in terms of real world fuel economy and perceived performance) would be great.

Brooklyn

I think the bottom line question for me is how long would I need to keep it before the fuel savings make it worth the additional $2-3k over the 3.0t based on real world mpg realized. Hope you guys drive it normally, and not like some of the journalists I've read about recently who basically tried to extract every last bit of juice from the tank in an experiment to see how high they could get the mpg numbers.

Kris Hansen

So far in our "normal" driving we're getting around 30mpg on average, including a fair bit of stationary idling due to cold etc. Also we're most certainly enjoying the thrust from the TDI engine, so not hypermiling by any stretch of the imagination.

by comparison, we'd probably see mid to low 20s with a 333hp trim 3.0T engine in the same driving.

In all fairness, we'd need to conduct back to back tests in the same weather and conditions. The last 333hp A6 we tested was in much warmer weather, and temperature has a huge impact on fuel mileage.

Kris Hansen

We've been averaging 30mpg and up in very local driving which involves low speeds and hilly terrain, stop and go, and lots of idling.

We've also had very cold weather which hurts fuel economy a lot.

I happen to love the power delivery from the TDI engine, and the sound too. But it may not be for everyone.

Kris Hansen

Hopping out of my old A6 with the 2.8 V6 into the TDI I certainly noticed that the TDI engine is a but "busier" sounding, as well as a little bit of vibration at idle. Keep in mind that it was -5F at the time, and the TDI was cold, and the 2.8 not.

It's tricky to compare it directly to the 2.0T and 3.0T since I don't have them handy, but I CAN say that I find the TDI to be very relaxing to drive, thanks to the very sedate nature of the engine, and the ultra low revs it turns at.

jdong

Thank you! This sounds like everything that one would want a diesel to be. Diesels might not be for everyone, but I think the characteristics of this diesel, as well as the compelling range and fuel economy improvement, might tempt more Americans to take a look at diesel.

I only test drove the TDI for a short loop when doing my shopping. Ultimately, the 3.0T's power and responsiveness across the whole rev range won me over, but I liked the TDI a lot more than I had expected myself to!

PJRed2008

What is the diesel exhaust fluid tank all about? I saw mention of this in another review, had to be refilled at every oil change and didn't appear to be cheap.

I haven't had a diesel for quite a few years, but this is something new.