perlfather

I was also surprised at the number of diesels in Norway. When I asked I was told that something like 75% of all cars sold nowadays are diesels. Not surprising if one drives a new diesel. Audi sales in the US for 2013 seem to indicate about a 12% fraction for diesels for the A6, and A7 which is quite high given that the diesels were not available until the fall of 2013.
No starting problems at low temperatures as the owners in Canada seem to indicate.

Superfly_A6

I talked to a local APR dealer and the word is that its not available for the A6(C7) yet because they are working out some bugs. It should come out end of Jan, mid Feb.

I'll look into other manufacturers too.
Thanks.

in2dwww

This may surprise you then:

"Last year, the Volkswagen brand sold 95,823 diesel passenger vehicles in the U.S., an increase of 6.1 percent over its 2012 total of 90,294. Its TDI diesels represented 23.5 percent of the 407,704 VWs sold in the country last year."

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/...100000-in-2013

And this next article is almost 5 years old. VW may have a new (and worse) Jetta, but they still make the wagon:
http://www.thecarconnection.com/news...ieved-52-4-mpg

feralc

I am not sold with Diesel engines, I like the performance of the gas engine, in Europe gas is so expensive that the Diesel engines makes more sense, but in the United States/Mexico where I live the gas prices are not that expensive, I do not like the sound of the Diesel engine and the lack of performance, even if the torque is higher, that will make more sense in a Q7 if I would be hauling something, not the case in an A6/A7
I tested Q7 models side by side and I preferred the gas over diesel.
The 3.0 tfsi is really good engine, the consumption is very good, and if I wanted better economy. I would have purchased a hybrid or an electric.
Nobody buys a sports car like a Ferrari based on economy, I know these are not Ferraris but I like my cars to perform, and if I need to pay a little more I do not care.

I read this test today and it is pretty impressive what Diesel engines are doing nowadays, but for saving $72.57 for a 1184 mile trip, getting there 43 minutes later and sacrificing acceleration (6.5 vs 8.1 0-62mph) and top speed (155 mph vs 142 mph advertised) and losing 36 hp for gaining 22 ftlbs, is in my book not worth it.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-revi...treaks-roa0214

in2dwww

I read that article also. If they did a test with an average speed of 70mph, then I would be interested in the results.

While the TFSI is superb, what Audi has done with the TDI in the A6 is something quite astonishing for diesel fans... pulling off that much torque with AWD and netting 38+ mpg is astonishing - all while pulling off 0-60 in under 6 seconds.

Granted, the BMW M550D is going to be more ***** out, and the bi-turbo TDI is not here in the states either, so we have just a taste of what Europe has.

There are some who like to play the cost card... "you'll have to own it for x years or n miles before the price difference will play out," etc. etc.. Well, the cost difference is nearly $2500, which is right up there with LED lights and Night Vision/HUD... how far do you have do drive to make up the difference in fuel consumption saved by LED headlights? I doubt any dealer will care about HUD on any trade-in. In my mind, foregoing LED and HUD and going TDI will net a better long-term position.

I like the supercharged engine and I really like the new S8. For now, the TDI works on paper for me. Unless Tesla makes an A6 competitor, I'm going to stick with diesel.

gatorguy7

I think diesel makes sense for different people. I think you were the one who drives 40k miles a year, yes? The main reason people compare the breakeven point for the higher cost diesel is because almost everyone buys diesel to save money on gas. It is a simple cost benefit decision which can be calculated easily.

I prefer the higher performing gas engines, but lucky for us, Audi has given outstanding engines that make us both happy.

feralc

The tesla model s could be an A6 competitor, of course it is more expensive (just like the gran coupe and cls are more expensive than the a7 but still competitors)
But the difference in price could be offset in X years by the diesel you could save in the tesla.
I think the diesel vs gas analogy could be used in a diesel vs electric comparison.
I think just like gatorguy7 diesel makes sense for some people, in my case I tuned my car to be as fast as a S7 because S7 were not available when I got my A7 and I like performance (and trading in my new car didn't make sense), I couldn't care less if by doing so the consumption got worse (which by the way it didn't)
S6/S7/S7 model owners (just like gatorguy7) don't buy their cars for the good economy, but for the performance, and if the car that performs well comes with a 4 cylinder deactivation system and consumes less fuel, that is just the icing of the cake.
No R models have Diesel engines, different models for different needs.

in2dwww

In terms of a daily driver, I see no harm in going for a TDI. The choice between TDI or TFSI is like the old days of choosing between automatic or manual.

I don't think a TDI will ever suit the needs of a track day or a weekend car, and that's where I'd go with a TFSI. I'm struggling to think of any manual gas options other than the R8, TT, A5, S4, etc... for a weekend car.

I suppose you could argue that I wouldn't need a weekend car if I didn't go with a TDI. I'd agree with that.

perlfather

By lack of performance you mean 0.1s difference 0 to 60 mph? Many of us do not care about top speeds in excess of 100mph. In the US? Why? I care about acceleration - like 40 to 65mph and that is exactly where the diesels are superior. Most of us did NOT buy the diesel for our DD to save money, but because we liked the high torque engine and perhaps the ability to fill the tank less frequently. Even at premium gas selling at the same price as diesel the gain in range (fuel economy) is more than 30% (A6, A7)! That is significant when it comes to fill ups.

gatorguy7

.1 seconds? C&D put the 3.0t at 5.1 secs and the TDI at 6.1 and S6 at 3.7. I am a fan of diesel, especially in SUV's. They fit a great purpose for many people and I wish they were far more popular in the U.S. A diesel engine is a far better option than hybrids. You can still drive them like a real car and get great mileage. Diesel does sell for about 30 cents more than premium, but that is only around 8% more, which is still well below the 30% increase in fuel economy that you gain. Diesel engines also typically last longer because they operate at lower rpm's which equal less wear and tear.