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Petrol or Diesel? - That old chestnut again

5K views 53 replies 13 participants last post by  Ianhp1 
I have always firmly been a petrol head, and at one time would have vehemently defended petrol against diesel. However the diesel game has moved on so far in the last 10 years that it's now a viable alternative for those seeking the performance angle.

For me, the very close performance times between the A5 3.0TDi and my old S4 4.2 V8 combined with 40mpg vs 20mpg was the deciding factor. Sadly I also could not have afforded any options on an S5 if I had ordered one - it would have had to have been just the basic S5 car (i.e. no B&O, no Nav, no cruise, non-metallic, etc, etc...) as £40k was an absolute limit to my finances. Then there's the issue of the insurance, which for my A5 is less than half what I used to pay for my S4.

Of course, I am missing the free-revving V8 as well as the endless acceleration - the diesel does give an enormous shove from the torque, but the rev limit is a bit of a restriction.
I chose the V8 for its power delivery and mostly down to its sound. I've had Diesel for the last 6 years and have no complaints about it, except I wish it sounded better and it reved a bit higher.

That said, if I was buying a 335 Coupe it would be the D and not the I, just thought the diesel was soo much better.
 
Ahhh... but I'm still riding on my hunch that the remapped 3.0tdi will prove the quicker car and cheaper (for me) long term... but... I do have my hat and tomato ketchup at the ready!
I don't think the re-map will make the car quicker than the S. Adding 30bhp-40bhp to it will not even bring its 0 - 62 mph time down by 0.5 secs. Then if you bring 0 - 100 mph into it there is a big difference between the V8 and the TDI. After 60mph the V8 really starts to fly.

I'm not a 0-60mph fanatic but here are sometimes I found...

S5: (0 - 60mph = 4.8 secs) 0 - 100 mph = 12.1 sec
3.0 TDI: (0 - 60 mph = 6.4 secs) 0 - 100 mph = 16.6 sec
(Times are from Road & Track so people may find differenet times elsewhere, these were just the first ones I came across)

Main reason is that the quattro system seems to eat alot of the extra power a re-map gives. The only upgrade I think that will bring the TDI in line with the V8 is the ABT upgrade which includes the addition of the ABT turbo and you get 300bhp. But I'm sure mpg will also take a big hit from that too....not as much as the V8 but still. And the V8 rumble will always be missing from it.
 
The debate finally starts to smoulder...! Or is it my hat under the toasting grill?

Thanks for the stats SAJ. Those are the first comparatives I've seen, so thank you. I don't want to dismiss those stats, but I am more interested in the 50mph - 100mph... real life driving...

And where's JohnyM? His diesel should have had the treatment by now... help! I'm being surrounded by petrolheads. :eek:

;)
I think 50 - 70mph in 4th they will be pretty similar, but 50 - 100mph stock TDI vs V8 I think the V8 is still going to come out on top, but not by much.
 
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