Hey guys. I'm at a crossroad and cant decide. I owned '01 2.7T that I traded in couple of years ago, so I know all of the problems (or baggage as you may call it) that it carries. Its a delicate setup, needs a lot of babying, but as I always say, warm the audi in the morning, then f...k it all day and it will last. Once I hit 100K on it, tie rods went out, torque converter went out, cv joints, and steering column. I had extended warranty that covered all, once steering went out i decided its time for it to go.
Now im thinking of getting either 04' 2.7T or 03' 4.2. Both have under 20k miles on it and are qualified for extended 5yr/100K miles bumper to bumper warranty which I will most likely get. I know even though 4.2 has more HP and TQ, somehow its got slower 0-60 time.
My main question is, how reliable is 4.2 compared to 2.7? I wont be doing any chipping or etc mods other than some simple looks and audio upgrades, so that wont affect my decision. I only want to compare the realibility of the 4.2 vs 2.7 (not counting the fact that turbos tend to go out at around 100K or less).
Any feedback will help.

 

From a pure reliability standpoint I would say 4.2 for the simple reason that you avoid all the turbo concerns. Outside of the turbos (and perhaps cam seals leaking)they will experience all of the same problems and will still require a timing belt change down the road.

The other thing to consideris fuel economy. I've been very impressed with the highway economy of the 2.7T. When I have driven 4.2's they tend to get about 15% less MPG or so on the highway. Not a major deal, but can be real money if you do a lot of highway driving.

 

I agree with the above, turbos aside they are both expensive to maintain and a lot of stuff just goes on both models. But then again some have original turbos with 120k miles, I know one at 190k+ miles on stock KO3's. And if you'll have an extended warranty then no concerns really, especially if you don't mod it, wqranty will work just fine on either car. Both cars have 20kmiles so it is good.
I like the 2.7T for its mod potential (but not a factor for you you say... now ), lighter front end and better fuel economy, a big plus these days at $/gallon
On the other end, I you are DEFINITELY not gonna mod it, then I would go for the 4.2 as it comes with more power out of the box and is quicker on hwy, 0-60 is really not that important and they are really close anyway. Moreover, it looks better with the wide body, that a$$ is so sexy!!! It'll just get 3-5MPG less so take that into account.

 

4.2 hands down a better engine. Don't worry about mileage, the 4.2 will do slightly better overall over the 2.7t. The 4.2 V8 is smoother and nicer to drive overall. My 4.2 averages about 1.5-2 MPG better than my old 2.7t 4.2 will prove more reliable. When I programed the added HP in the 2.7 it ate a transmission. I ended up going back to stock programing, but had lots and lots of issues with the V6. The V8 just smokes it for reliability. Sold the 2.7t cheap, just to get rid of the headaches.

 

If you are going to mod, pickthe 2.7. If you arenot goingto mod, pickthe 4.2.

 

I am in the same boat as you but I'm about to close the deal on a 04 2.7t with <60k, I'm kind of a turbo guy and I know people that rave about the 2.7t in their S4. It has a better powerband than the 4.2 and it lighter, done deal for me. As for the 4.2, its an award winning engine! Probably because its reliable and makes pretty decent horsepower for its size. As stated negavtives are gas mileage and weight. Also there really isn't a way to get more power out of it later on. The problems you listed above will affect any a6 no matter the engine so its more of a mileage thing.

 

Thanks for info guys. I'm not going to mod it at least for 4-5 years.. Then i might do a bi-turbo 4.2

 

Might be easier to do a Supercharger....

 

go with the v8 man.. 2.7t lots of problems lot more can go wrong i know. mine sucked. and the worst part is their more of a bitch to work on then a v8

 

I'm happy with my 2001 4.2. I average >20 mpg, about 4 mpg less than my old Volvo S-40. I bought the car with ~82,000 miles less than a year ago and it is approaching 107,000 miles. I have replaced the TB etal, had it aligned, and changed the oil.

Next week I'm having the tip serviced and crossing my fingers it won't result in problems.