Ask the Car People.SM


Audi A4 vs Acura TL vs Volvo S60 vs VW Passat

90 messages,  Last post on Sep 03, 2010 at 2:09 AM

You are in the Volvo S60 Forum.

What is this discussion about? Audi A4, Acura TL, Volvo S60, Volkswagen Passat, Sedan

Messages Page 1 of 9

#1 of 90 Audi A4 vs Acura TL vs Volvo S60 vs VW Passat by strato435

Aug 01, 2005 (1:28 pm)

I've pretty much narrowed by purchase down to these four cars. I'm in the market for a mid-sized near luxury vehicle.
 
I have an Audi A4 1.8T now, and very much like it! However, it hasn't proven as reliable at 75k as I might have hoped. That's opened up the floodgates to me, and am looking at VW, Acura and Volvo (am I missing anything?). If going with Audi, I'd get the 2.0T Quattro.
 
I'm hoping to keep the price to about $32k; what's mandatory for me is a navigation system, 5 or 6 speed manual transmission, CD player. I'd like AWD, but living in the mid-Atlantic doesn't make that mandatory.
 
I am quite concerned about fuel consumption, but these sedans really all have about the same mileage -- and all recommend premium fuel. I'd really be interested in the new Passat if it were available as a diesel, but I'm told it's not
 
Finally, I enjoyed Audi's free maintenance for 4 years -- and it appears that Audi stands alone in offering this perk?
 
Any and all comments are welcome!
 
Thanks,

#2 of 90 Re: Audi A4 vs Acura TL vs Volvo S60 vs VW Passat [strato435] by frisconick

Aug 01, 2005 (7:17 pm)

Replying to: strato435 (Aug 01, 2005 1:28 pm)
The TL gets very good highway mileage, and 50% fewer emissions than most cars in it's class.

#3 of 90 Re: Audi A4 vs Acura TL vs Volvo S60 vs VW Passat [strato435] by dulnev

Aug 04, 2005 (5:59 am)

Replying to: strato435 (Aug 01, 2005 1:28 pm)
I'm in an unique position to answer your question because I've owned 3 Acura TL (currently own the 2004 model) and have recently shopped the other three vehicles that you mentioned for my mother. We ended up buying 2005 VW Passat GLX with 4Motion for her. By the way, I hope you're aware that the 2005 Passat is not available with NAVI; I don't know about the 2006 model. We ended up getting a Garmin c320 navigation for this car and she loves it.
 
Here are the models and my opinions:
 
1. Acura TL: absolutelly the best car in this group, in my opinion. Tremendous power and great handling, great ergonomics and luxury. Really perfect all around except for one thing: big turning circle. It's hard to park this car because of this. The navigation system in the TL is the onle one in this group that is trully usable and great. Plus don't forget voice control and presence of Bluetooth Hands Free Link system. The stereo is also by far the best in the group.
 
2. Audi A4 2.0T. Absolute piece of junk and poor value compared to the other cars in this group. I don't know why Audi thought it was Ok to screw with the great car like A4 1.8T to turn it into this crap. We actually turned around after 3 minutes into the test drive and said this is not a car for us. The engine was loud, slow and unrefined. The materials inside were poor quality (worse than in the Passat). The NAVI was junk and in a bad spot. And the price was ludicrous!
 
3. 2005 Volvo S60 2.5T with AWD is a great car and a decent value now that there are about $5,000 worth of incentives on it. It makes the price only about $2,000 more than the TL; without AWD it's probably comparable in price. I certainly wouldn't pay more for S60 than for TL; in fact I would buy TL if it were $2,000 more. S60 2.5T is quite underpowered and it's also the worst handling car of this group. It does have couple luxury features that TL doesn't have, but they're not important to me. There was absolutelly no 2005 models that could be found with NAVI anymore, which was one of the reasons we didn't get this car. The fact that it was $5,000 more than the Passat GLX 4Motion was the other reason. This car is noticeably smaller than the TL, but comparable to the A4 and Passat in size.
 
4. 2005 Passat GLX 4Motion is a great car with a ton of luxury features that can typically be found in cars $10,000 more expensive. It handles great, is quite comfortable, offers nice materials and ergonomics inside. We paid $28,750 for this car, which is a great deal. But it is really not comparable to the TL. The TL beats Passat in pretty much every category, especially in engine power and space. TL is also a lot more luxurious and will be a LOT more reliable.
 
If I were to rank these cars, I'd put the TL in first place, the S60 in the second, but with a recognition that there is a LARGE gap between the 1st and the 2nd place. The Passat would be in 3rd place and A4 in the 4th; and there'd be a LARGE gap between the 3rd and the 4th place.
 
Again, I don't know anything about 2006 Passat except that it's supposed to be a lot bigger. This would actually be a big negative for my mother, so we didn't even consider it.

#4 of 90 Re: Audi A4 vs Acura TL vs Volvo S60 vs VW Passat [strato435] by tomatopie

Aug 04, 2005 (8:24 am)

Replying to: strato435 (Aug 01, 2005 1:28 pm)
In seeking a car in the same category, I shared your fuel mileage concern, and that steered me to buy the 2005 Passat TDI. I know it won't be as reliable as the Acura Legend it replaces, though.....

#5 of 90 Those Passat TDI's are very nice... by byronwalter

Aug 04, 2005 (11:03 am)

...a friend recently bought one and he's getting mid to upper thirties at 75 mph with AC on.
 
As for the others, I've driven the Acura TL and the A4. The B7 platform A4 has essentially the same interior as the B6 (my current ride) and the interior is excellent and is usually considered a "best in class". As for the engine being rough at idle, that's true but the engine is great when cruising at 80 mph (and very good mpg as well). And it's reasonably quick to boot. I can also verify that the steering, brakes and handling are all improved on the new A4.
 
I drove a manually equipped TL on some damp roads and pushed the car in the curves. The TL had what I felt to be excessive oversteer and even exhibited some wheel hop (I've read that the auto-equipped TLs are better in this respect). The A4 "feels" much more stable in similar situations. For me the difference in handling pretty much sealed the deal and I ordered another A4 (my third). But my priorities may very well be different from yours (I live in NE Ohio and appreciate AWD).
 
Another point for me is that I don't keep cars beyond the warranty period. While my present '02 A4 Avant has been virtually perfect and a model of stellar behavior I might have second thoughts if I was going to have and extended automotive relationship.
 
In any case, the TL is an excellent vehicle and would hardly qualify as a bad choice for most of us.
 
Byron

#6 of 90 Re: Audi A4 vs Acura TL vs Volvo S60 vs VW Passat [tomatopie] by strato435

Aug 04, 2005 (2:15 pm)

Replying to: tomatopie (Aug 04, 2005 8:24 am)
I'd certainly be inclined towards the TDI Passat -- if it were available! I'm told that VW doesn't plan to import diesel Passats in 2006, but will likely do so in 2007. In fact, VW makes my patronage even more difficult since the only Passat with the nav system in 2006 will be the 6 cylinder -- and as I've said, fuel economy does matter to me.
 
BTW, I just returned from a vacation in Germany where I rented a diesel Mercedes Vaneo, a mid-sized minivan. It drove quite nicely! Pick-up was so-so, and that was a frustration for me, but once you get up to 150 kpm on the autobahn, you're really having fun!

#7 of 90 Re: Those Passat TDI's are very nice... [byronwalter] by bodble2

Aug 06, 2005 (9:51 am)

Replying to: byronwalter (Aug 04, 2005 11:03 am)
"The TL had what I felt to be excessive oversteer..."
 
You mean understeer?

#8 of 90 Re: Audi A4 vs Acura TL vs Volvo S60 vs VW Passat [dulnev] by bodble2

Aug 06, 2005 (9:54 am)

Replying to: dulnev (Aug 04, 2005 5:59 am)
Your impression of the Audi's 2.0 turbo motor is surprising since most car mags have lauded the engine for its power and smoothness. Maybe their point of reference was the old 1.8T, which was a rather loud and rough motor.

#9 of 90 Re: Those Passat TDI's are very nice... [bodble2] by byronwalter

Aug 06, 2005 (12:55 pm)

Replying to: bodble2 (Aug 06, 2005 9:51 am)
...oops!... So sorry... thanks for the correction

#10 of 90 I think I will test drive an A6 by frisconick

Aug 06, 2005 (2:21 pm)

I never liked the exterion look of the A6, but I think I will test drive on next weekend, it seems it has a lot of fans.

Messages Page 1 of 9

To POST a message, please Sign In.

Advertisement

Browse by Category

Browse by Vehicle
   View All Vehicles

Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
View All Topics

Edmunds Community

Advertisement