A2 Concerns

[SteveM]

I'm trying to convince myself that I need an A2. I love the look of the car, the 45 +mpg is very attractive..... however, I keep reading bad reviews on the net. Owners complain about dealers, cars continually breaking down. ECU's seem to be the main complaint. Can someone tell me I'm I doing the right thing.:confused:

[spike]

Hi SteveM, welcome to the A2oc.
There are a few problems with the cars and the Dealers but I'm sure that virtually all our members would recommend buying an A2. I've had my TDi for over 5 years and if it was stolen there would be no hesitation in getting another one.
Out of interest, which model and year you are considering - the 45+ mpg could be from a carefully driven petrol or a thrashed diesel.

Cheers Spike

[Skipton01]

Hi Steve,

Well as someone who has had more than a couple of problems with their A2 (ahem!) I'd still have no hesitation in recommending one to you.

They really are fantastic little motors, and surprisingly large too actually.

I'm in a 2litre TDi A4 at the moment (as a courtesy vehicle whilst mines in for a bit of a fettle) and I can't wait to get my A2 back. Ok so the A4 is more powerful, probably more comfortable if I'm honest and is doing about 45mpg, but there is no character there and the problems I'm having getting used to parking the damned thing are unreal!

If you want a car that's small on the outside, massive on the inside (try getting 2 Pax wardrobes from Ikea inside any other car in the A2s class! - yes inside!) and is cheap to run and insure, as well as having the peace of mind that it'll never rust like a steel car, then get an A2. Go for a diesel if you can, they're much more fun to drive, even though they sound the same on paper as their petrol brothers.

Cheers,

Mike

[Gexx]

Interesting comment on the bad reviews - I haven't read a bad review about them yet! Can you post up where the reviews are, as I'd be interested in reading them.

I have to admit I would not consider getting another car now I have the A2 - it's sooo cheap to run, petrol and tax, and now that I have found a decent independant garage the servicing is cheap too!

The only problem I've had is a rattling dashboard :)

[SteveM]

Hi Gexx, I'd been looking at the Parker guide review site,www.parkers.co.uk. I've test driven a 1.4SE and 1.6 FSI but not a TDI as yet. had trouble finding one in my area. Thanks for the advice so far, just a case of finding the right one now. Edging towards the 1.6 SE had the glass sun roof, which my wife liked. Is there much difference on the motorway between the 1.4 and 1.6?

[ben]

I'm on my third A2. Very happy owner. No problems at all this last one. If I had more money I'd get 3 of them!

[hollyrescue]

I've had mine since new (51plate), I love it. It's easy to park, economical, won't rust, comfortable on long runs, wonderful road holding, try it on some twisting side roads, then try any of it's competitors. I have the glass roof, there has been some criticism of these, I keep mine clean (seals and running gear obviously) and lubricate it with 3 in 1 PTFE spray, I had minor problems before I did this. Yes my dealer is so expensive that it's beyond a joke, £440 for a minor service and brake fluid change, an independant specialist did it for £140 using Audi parts. To sum up, lovely car, many lousy expensive dealers. Perhaps Mr BIG Audi should take a leaf out of Nissans book (what were they before Nissan?), sack the lot and start again.

[toby1]

They are an excellent car, overall. I've had a new gearbox (replaced under dealer warranty) but otherwise all ok. As Mike says, they are unusual and have character.
I've only driven a diesel once so can't really comment, but I can say the petrols are a lot quieter. Depends on your mileage whether a diesel is required although they are more expensive second-hand. More in demand I would say but my FSi averages 43 mpg. OK, not in diesel class but then I don't do many miles and petrol is less per litre.
You pays your money, you takes your choice. I intend to keep mine for a couple of years and then hopefully buy a later one, ideally 2005 model. I can recommend it as a good car.

[SteveM]

OK, I'm convinced. Going to look at an 02 1.4 SE this weekend, panoramic roof, cd, climate contol with 68,000 fsh (audi) priced at £5999. Although seen the same spec 1.6 SE 03 with 47,000 for £7500. I like the idea of the 1.6 engine but not sure it will make that much difference.

[ULP]

For what it is worth...

The 1.4 petrol is fine on the motorway and more than up to the job, but it is at slower speeds where it seems somewhat underwhelming which I know doesn't appear to make sense. I test drove the 1.4 petrol and discounted the A2 because of this, only by finding a diesel did I eventually buy mine. However, it depends entirely upon your expectations of performance and what you are used to.

I have never driven an FSI so couldn't comment on the difference for this model but I have read that the FSI system can need some quite hefty work doing on it when the miles pile on and I think it is fair to say there have been a few coil packs go on them. Some owners have mentioned the FSI's perfomance 'steps' up at about 3000rpm, being quite tardy below that. My advice is check on the audi used car web site and if there is something you like then ask your local dealer to get hold of it for you - usually a fully refundable deposit will do the trick.

Generally, I think the A2 is more reliable than similar-sized small cars and I wouldn't put £6K into any of the following:

Mk4 Golf, Megane, Xsara, 307 or A-klasse.

Oh, and if you are asking I love my TDI (75) to bits...

[ben]

Hi Steve,

If you are not sure about the 1.6 then try and drive both of them. The 1.6 has a fair amount more oomph if you need it. Sure it has a bit of lag when running in its 'economical' mode - but then that's the whole point. Plus it is actually more economical to fill with fuel than the 1.4.

We're just a sucker for new technology though. My wife has a Honda Jazz which has an 8 spark-plug 1.4 engine. I still get better fuel consumption from the 1.6 FSI that the Jazz - about 48mpg average compared to her 44.

PS Skipton:
(try getting 2 Pax wardrobes from Ikea inside any other car in the A2s class! - yes inside!)
This is where the Jazz scores over the A2. It's magic seats are a superb bit of Honda engineering. 10 seconds and they can be packed away into the floor - leaving a flat load area suitable for an impulse trip to Ikea. You'd have to take the rear seats out of the A2 to match the amount of space. The new Civic has them too I am told. Anyway - offtopic.

Ben.

[hollyrescue]

Last week I met a Mercedes expert, 30 years experience of owning and repairing, he asked if he could inspect the A2 . After some time he said "this is much better than the Merc A series", I of course agreed with him pointing out why I chose the A2 over the A series. It then became apparent that I was talking about the previous model, and he was talking about the current model. Very interesting opinion from an expert (him not me).

[DaveS]

Having had both a 1.4 and a 1.6 petrol A2 the extra power of the 1.6 is worthwhile, especially when loaded and for overtaking on A and B roads, and the economy is about the same.

However, note that the 1.6 is a not a particularly sweet engine, has teh startup clatter of a diesel, and it also runs better on Optimax.

We had ours re-mapped by AMD and that gave a slight benefit.

[Skipton01]

PS Skipton:

You'd have to take the rear seats out of the A2 to match the amount of space. The new Civic has them too I am told. Anyway - offtopic.

Ben.

Ahh, but the rear seats were left in place Ben and we still got 2 wardrobes and 2 occupants in the car.

Mike

[SimonT]

Out of interest how did you squeeze PAX wardrobes in ? Was looking at the same wardrobes in IKEA at the weekend and figured they would be too long!

Know what you mean about the 2.0 TDi A3 - an absolute flyer (much quicker in every day driving than the A3 2.0 Petrol turbo in my opinion), when you sit back in teh A2 you really appreciate the higher quality - it's a much nice place to be!

[Skipton01]

To get the Pax flatpacks in, simply remove the front and rear nearside headrests and slide them in - easy!

They just fit in with the front resting on the dash and the back nestling inside the tailgate. It's great pulling up to the warehouse and watching people gawp in disbelief when you close the boot lid with a smug grin - especially those in off-roaders who struggle to get anything larger than a small bedside cabinet in.

Cheers,

Mike