Chat What’s the best ULEZ compliant A2 for us? 1.4 vs FSi…

Malcyb

Malcyb

Member
Just throwing this question out there… much as we’re quite attached to Gracie, when London’s ULEZ undergoes a huge expansion in 12 months time, that will be the point that it will no longer be economically viable to continue to own her as it’ll cover a lot of the journeys she routinely does. So my thoughts have been idly turning to what I’d replace her with. I’d consider other options besides an A2 but it would be really nice to stay in the family if possible. We’ve got a 65 reg Polo GTI that scratches my performance itch and is great for long journeys, so the 2nd car is mostly Mrs Malcyb’s, mostly for shorter trips with the occasional longer one. Outright performance or load-lugging isn’t too important, but it needs to be quick enough away from the lights to be stress-free in busy traffic and not too bad on a motorway cruise.

So it’s a petrol 1.4 vs FSi question really. I’m torn as to which would be the better bet. I’ve always been slightly scared of the FSi, however does the proboost remap make it as reliable proposition as a 1.4 for someone who’s not mechanically savvy? I found a thread by @A2Steve from a few years back singing the praises of a good 1.4 AUA.

https://www.a2oc.net/community/index.php?threads/1-4-petrol-aua-i-retract-my-statement.39503/

I was a passenger in @PlasticMac ’s FSi a few years back, before I bought Gracie, and was very impressed, but actually probably has a little more performance than we really need.

I’m tending to think that either could work for us, it would just be a case of waiting for the best car to come along. Come the right time I’d be happy to pay a premium for a really good lowish mileage high spec example and would naturally consider something which involved a swap within A2OC with Gracie. We probably wouldn’t start looking in earnest until next year as we haven’t really squeezed the goodness out of all the work we had done to Gracie but I’d be interested in the thoughts of those in the know, and in the meantime if the perfect car emerged we’d probably be foolish to ignore it just because it was a bit too soon.
 
I love my FSI, but for an everyday in town commuter, I'd go for a 1.4. Care needed to avoid camshaft and follower wear and consequent noise (a friend took his for MoT, and they refused to run fast idle, for fear of engine self destructing). Also the mystery cylinder 3 misfire. Service record, and a caring PO is important too, as with any car.
Later cars with individual coil packs would be my choice.
I'd hope to do a scan, and a compression test before parting with the hard earned pennies.
Certainly not the GTi of the A2 range, but reliable, no turbo etc.
Good luck Sir.
Mac.
 
PlasticMac said:
I love my FSI, but for an everyday in town commuter, I'd go for a 1.4. Care needed to avoid camshaft and follower wear and consequent noise (a friend took his for MoT, and they refused to run fast idle, for fear of engine self destructing). Also the mystery cylinder 3 misfire. Service record, and a caring PO is important too, as with any car.
Later cars with individual coil packs would be my choice.
I'd hope to do a scan, and a compression test before parting with the hard earned pennies.
Certainly not the GTi of the A2 range, but reliable, no turbo etc.
Good luck Sir.
Mac.
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Are you implying that, in spite of these issues to be checked for in the 1.4, there’s still less to go wrong on it than the FSi, even with the proboost remap apparently resolving its worst issues? I‘d certainly assume that insurance, tax and economy would work in the 1.4‘s favour - I’d need to be confident that it’s not hopelessly out of its depth on the motorway before I was persuaded.
 
So I have been running a 2001 1.4 AUA for about 6 months now as a daily driver doing mostly short journeys. It’s been totally reliable and I am getting 45 to 48 mpg. @Ami kindly did a cam belt water pump change soon after I got it and I have been working my way through other routine service bits such as plugs, air filter, oil changes and so forth as the service history was somewhat ambiguous. Although I don’t have a point of reference as to how it compares to an FSI I certainly find it nippy enough for my needs. Totally hooked!
 
I bought 1.4 BBY engine A2 last October.
I have now bought a new engine which only did 18k miles and now car drive like a new car part from Anti-roll bar squeak.
I get about 42mpg which is not too bad considering my other daughter is not be able to go in 5th gear yet!
I think service history is must as my car was bit iffy with it until I bought it. It did have many issues with noisy tappets, mis fire and EGR valve issues. But this car did 146k miles when I bought it.
 
Malcyb said:
Just throwing this question out there… much as we’re quite attached to Gracie, when London’s ULEZ undergoes a huge expansion in 12 months time, that will be the point that it will no longer be economically viable to continue to own her as it’ll cover a lot of the journeys she routinely does. So my thoughts have been idly turning to what I’d replace her with. I’d consider other options besides an A2 but it would be really nice to stay in the family if possible. We’ve got a 65 reg Polo GTI that scratches my performance itch and is great for long journeys, so the 2nd car is mostly Mrs Malcyb’s, mostly for shorter trips with the occasional longer one. Outright performance or load-lugging isn’t too important, but it needs to be quick enough away from the lights to be stress-free in busy traffic and not too bad on a motorway cruise.

So it’s a petrol 1.4 vs FSi question really. I’m torn as to which would be the better bet. I’ve always been slightly scared of the FSi, however does the proboost remap make it as reliable proposition as a 1.4 for someone who’s not mechanically savvy? I found a thread by @A2Steve from a few years back singing the praises of a good 1.4 AUA.

https://www.a2oc.net/community/index.php?threads/1-4-petrol-aua-i-retract-my-statement.39503/

I was a passenger in @PlasticMac ’s FSi a few years back, before I bought Gracie, and was very impressed, but actually probably has a little more performance than we really need.

I’m tending to think that either could work for us, it would just be a case of waiting for the best car to come along. Come the right time I’d be happy to pay a premium for a really good lowish mileage high spec example and would naturally consider something which involved a swap within A2OC with Gracie. We probably wouldn’t start looking in earnest until next year as we haven’t really squeezed the goodness out of all the work we had done to Gracie but I’d be interested in the thoughts of those in the know, and in the meantime if the perfect car emerged we’d probably be foolish to ignore it just because it was a bit too soon.
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I've found my 1.4 to be lovely in city driving and does feel quite spritly over 3.5k rpm. She's been very reliable too other than recently rear drum cylinder is leaking but that's nothing special.
 
Thanks for the replies… I’ll definitely be looking for just about the best one (probably 1.4) money can buy so certainly be looking for the best possible provenance and ideally a reasonably low mileage. I’d hope that Gracie will be worth a fair bit to somebody who is less affected by urban emissions zones than we will be, which would be a decent down-payment on her replacement.
 
I`ve been a 1.4 owner for 10 years, I only do 2k miles a year, but because I ride bikes I just wanted something that I can park up for weeks, and do the occasional trip, especially in the winter.
They`re brilliant round town, I`ve always found driving a low powered car more fun than a powerful car, But they are a bit gutless on motorways, especially on inclines, 85mph downhill easy that will drop to 70 on an incline but you adjust your driving skills. to compensate.
As for repairs, I`ve changed the cambelt once, (its on the to do list} and I`ve had 2 coil packs fail on cylinder 1. And then the usual wear and tear; Petrol Flap Button, Boot Lock mechanism, and a couple of wiper blades and thats about it.

You see a lot more petrol A2`s with low mileages, than Diesels

Happy Hunting.
 
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Malcyb said:
Are you implying that, in spite of these issues to be checked for in the 1.4, there’s still less to go wrong on it than the FSi, even with the proboost remap apparently resolving its worst issues? I‘d certainly assume that insurance, tax and economy would work in the 1.4‘s favour - I’d need to be confident that it’s not hopelessly out of its depth on the motorway before I was persuaded.
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I can't comment on it's M-Way performance, but the impression I get is that while the 1.4 petrol may not win the traffic light GP, it cruises around the speed limit, no problem, and is ULEZ/Euro 4 compliant. The perfect commuter?
Mac.
 
PlasticMac said:
I can't comment on it's M-Way performance, but the impression I get is that while the 1.4 petrol may not win the traffic light GP, it cruises around the speed limit, no problem, and is ULEZ/Euro 4 compliant. The perfect commuter?
Mac.
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That sounds about right. Mind you, though I wouldn’t be bothered about it winning the traffic light GP, I’d want it to be quick enough off the mark to get out of junctions and onto roundabouts safely. That said, I’ve driven much more powerful VAG cars whose DSG gearboxes have been so slow at engaging at standstill as to be downright dangerous at times, I’m sure it would be better than that.
 
I have a 1.4 and 1.6 fsi. I love my1.6 for the performance but they don't like lots of shorter journeys, so it does sound like the 1.4 may be best for you.
Insurance wise, I pay very slightly more for my 1.4 than my 1.6🤷‍♀️ tax is the same for both. MPG my 1.6 is slightly better.
1.4 is fine on a motorway. The main benefit of a 1.4 if you aren't looking for the performance of an Fsi, is that parts can be easier to come by (eg exhaust systems and garages may find them easier to work on)
I drove my FSi around the North Circular yesterday and she was starting to get right narky until I got on the M11. My 1.4 would have been happier with that type of driving
 
Teresa said:
I have a 1.4 and 1.6 fsi. I love my1.6 for the performance but they don't like lots of shorter journeys, so it does sound like the 1.4 may be best for you.
Insurance wise, I pay very slightly more for my 1.4 than my 1.6🤷‍♀️ tax is the same for both. MPG my 1.6 is slightly better.
1.4 is fine on a motorway. The main benefit of a 1.4 if you aren't looking for the performance of an Fsi, is that parts can be easier to come by (eg exhaust systems and garages may find them easier to work on)
I drove my FSi around the North Circular yesterday and she was starting to get right narky until I got on the M11. My 1.4 would have been happier with that type of driving
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Seems like there’s an awful lot in favour of the 1.4 over the FSi as far as our needs are concerned. It seems from other threads that the AUA is a slightly more reliable proposition than the BBY, would that be correct? Or would they be much of a muchness so long as their history is good?

In the meantime I’ll watch the marketplace and spotted threads with interest, though I’m in no hurry… but if anyone in possession of a really good 1.4 would be interested in any kind of swap deal with Gracie who, for those who don’t know, is an extremely rare breed of A2 - and well cared for - then i might be interested to hear from you.
 
Malcyb said:
Seems like there’s an awful lot in favour of the 1.4 over the FSi as far as our needs are concerned. It seems from other threads that the AUA is a slightly more reliable proposition than the BBY, would that be correct? Or would they be much of a muchness so long as their history is good?

In the meantime I’ll watch the marketplace and spotted threads with interest, though I’m in no hurry… but if anyone in possession of a really good 1.4 would be interested in any kind of swap deal with Gracie who, for those who don’t know, is an extremely rare breed of A2 - and well cared for - then i might be interested to hear from you.
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I don't think there's much reliability difference, my bby has always been excellent and was owned from new by my grandmother before me, currently has full audi history and I can't find and work carried out to the engine other and cambelts and oil filler tube. I vaguely remember reading that the later 1.4 petrol had better wearing oil rings.
 
I have a 1.4 Sport BBY and have loved owning it. I always use Vpower and this has resulted in an extended useable torque spread. I recently did a trip north to Perth coming back via Hawick to the A1 at Newcastle (over hills and dales!) to the East Riding of Yorkshire and then back to Sussex . I had me, my wife and dog and lots of cargo and I was usually behind someone going slower than me!

I got 44.7 mpg to Perth (massive traffic jam on the way and thrashing the last bit north of the border to make up time). 50.2 from Perth to Hawick. 49.6 from Hawick to East Riding and 47.3 back to Sussex.
 
I should add that as a town car it is fast enough. As Charles says, giving it some revs makes a huge difference. It can match most other cars out there if you're not afraid to use the top end. I went from a 1.4 TDi and had to learn to drive again! I was changing up too early and the petrol engine doesn't have much about it between 1000 and 2500 RPM but it will chug along in 5th at 30 or less as long as you don't need quick acceleration!

If you want a town car AFIAK you would want it small but with capacity for cargo and people. I stand to be corrected but I don't think there's any car with packaging equal to the A2 out there. Particularly with regard to the width. Everthing these days seems to be at least 6 inches wider than an A2.
 
Providence said:
I should add that as a town car it is fast enough. As Charles says, giving it some revs makes a huge difference. It can match most other cars out there if you're not afraid to use the top end. I went from a 1.4 TDi and had to learn to drive again! I was changing up too early and the petrol engine doesn't have much about it between 1000 and 2500 RPM but it will chug along in 5th at 30 or less as long as you don't need quick acceleration!

If you want a town car AFIAK you would want it small but with capacity for cargo and people. I stand to be corrected but I don't think there's any car with packaging equal to the A2 out there. Particularly with regard to the width. Everthing these days seems to be at least 6 inches wider than an A2.
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It certainly feels weird going between my a2s, diesels have a much heavier and more confidence inducing clutch, backed up with more torque they can very easily set off without and throttle. My petrol on the other hand requires a little bit to set off smoothly and are quite easy to stall, they have a very light clutch but the gear changes feel excellent as the shifting is connected by rods rather than cables in the diesels. I can "flick" my petrol gear stick to change from 1st to 2nd, 3rd to 4th etc. When I first drove the diesels I thought it was quite stiff, but all the diesels I tried feel the same. I can on a flat do 120 in my 1.4 compared to 114 in my 1.4 tdi 75. I think the gearbox is the same as the fsi so more the car runs out of puff than revs.
 

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Charles said:
... they have a very light clutch but the gear changes feel excellent as the shifting is connected by rods rather than cables in the diesels. I can "flick" my petrol gear stick to change from 1st to 2nd, 3rd to 4th etc.
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trust me - it's cables just like the diesel. All A2s are. Parts 40/41 (combination dual cable assembly) on the following diagram, different versions for petrol (1.4&1.6), and two variants of the Tdi cables (early / late). Agreed that it is lighter in feel than the Tdi gearboxes.

selector mechanism Audi A2 (A2) 2003 year Audi EUROPA 711030

selector mechanism Audi A2 (A2) 2003 year Audi EUROPA 711030 spare parts
audi.7zap.com audi.7zap.com
 
Robin_Cox said:
trust me - it's cables just like the diesel. All A2s are. Parts 40/41 (combination dual cable assembly) on the following diagram, different versions for petrol (1.4&1.6), and two variants of the Tdi cables (early / late). Agreed that it is lighter in feel than the Tdi gearboxes.

selector mechanism Audi A2 (A2) 2003 year Audi EUROPA 711030

selector mechanism Audi A2 (A2) 2003 year Audi EUROPA 711030 spare parts
audi.7zap.com audi.7zap.com
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I was told by timmus they where rods as that's why you don't have to adjust the cables on the petrol compared to the diesel as they don't stretch?
 
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