[2003/53] Audi A4 PD130 Vs. BMW 530D Vs. Volvo S80 D5

[Dibble]

I had a 530i which cost me a lot of money in repairs - overheating, cylinder head gasket. Couldn't sit in a queue of traffic without overheating. Wouldn't have another. Audi I have always found to be a good car and would disagree with most of the views on this thread about the Audi. Good performance, good consumption, good build quality and, in fact, if I was not a Volvo man I would have an Audi. I owned a 2.9 S80 for 3 years and loved it. Comfort far superior to the BMW and the reliability. Consumption wasn't so good and I could do an easy 130mph if I wanted but not recommended these days.
Now have a D5 (163) S60 which is very good. It has been trouble free over the last two and a half years. Consumption very good as is comfort but doesn't have the interior space of the S80.
In your position I would have the Volvo.

[Jabe]

Originally Posted by Dibble

I had a 530i which cost me a lot of money in repairs - overheating, cylinder head gasket. Couldn't sit in a queue of traffic without overheating. Wouldn't have another. Audi I have always found to be a good car and would disagree with most of the views on this thread about the Audi. Good performance, good consumption, good build quality and, in fact, if I was not a Volvo man I would have an Audi. I owned a 2.9 S80 for 3 years and loved it. Comfort far superior to the BMW and the reliability. Consumption wasn't so good and I could do an easy 130mph if I wanted but not recommended these days.
Now have a D5 (163) S60 which is very good. It has been trouble free over the last two and a half years. Consumption very good as is comfort but doesn't have the interior space of the S80.
In your position I would have the Volvo.

Finally, someone who's owned both.

Regarding the problems you had with the 530i, was it mostly the engine or was it the car itself that was hard to up keep? If it was the engine, how would it compare with the 530d?

I'd really love to own the S80, if it wasn't for the ugly looking rear end. It's the only thing stopping me. The S60 looks pretty good, but it's no s80 when it comes to interior space which is why I scratched the s60 off my list some time ago.

One thing to keep in mind is I live in South East London, it has probably some of the poorest maintained streets in London. So ride comfort and the ability to absorb all those nasty shocks is one reason for wanting a bigger car. I feel my poor S40 can't cope with the pressure anymore. Lol.

[foggyjames]

Avoid anything with "Sport" in the description...! To be fair, even my parents standard V40 is pretty crashy over bumps, but does handle well.

My V70 D5 has one of the two "squishy" suspension packs (not sure which one...merely soft, or super-soft), and it rides very nicely indeed. The V70R it replaces would take corners better (in feel, if not actual speed), but it was unforgiving on badly maintained roads.

cheers

James

[Dibble]

It was mostly the engine. No real problems with rest of the car. Just couldn't rely on it. Never had any problems like that with any of my Volvos or Audis. Local Constabulary had a 530d which for no apparent reason would just cut out and when they were going somewhere in a hurry (lights and horns job) it was very disconcerting when out on an overtake. Their own garage couldn't find out what was wrong and neither could the local BMW dealer. BMW took it away and gave them an X5 in its absence. Returned it after about 4 months and couldn't find out what was wrong either. Perhaps just a one off.
S80 gave me much more driving pleasure. It was smooth, roomy and could get off its butt when it had to. You will not be disappointed and might just end up liking its back end. Because of its shape there is plenty room in the boot.
You could, of course, be like everyone else and buy a BMW!
Cheers
Dibble