2013 D3 or D4?

[TimS]

Hello all,
People seem to say good things about the previous D3 (163, now badged as D4). I'm test driving a new D3 this week (manual), but has anyone direct experience of the D3 vs D4 (current V70 engines)? Is the D3 underpowered? I'm coming from a petrol P2 V70/170 manual, & on paper, the D4 is closer to my current car.

Tim.

[swedishandgerman]

I tried both. For the little difference I noticed, I've ordered the D3 and with the saving in price, ordered a few extras that I wanted. Now the long wait until delivery date.....

[tommyweaves]

Tim, I'm a big fan of the D4 (originally D3) as you'll see from my previous posts on the subject of engine choice but have not had the opportunity to compare it with the lesser powered diesels in real life tests. I'd be interested to hear what your thoughts are if you have the opportunity to compare them on test drives!

[Ryu]

The same as Tommy i have a D4 originally badged D3 can't fault the engine i would imagine the lower powered engine doesn't have the initial punch, what is the price difference? If your going to do some high mileage it might be worth it in the long run.

[TimS]

I've a D3 geartronic demonstrator on loan overnight. This is the SE Lux. Here are some off the cuff things that come to mind.

Interesting to compare with my current P2 V70S (plus leather) manual.

The new V70 feels cheaper inside: The stalks are no longer round (they are rounded rectangular) and the rotary action on the wipers & info switch feels 'clicky' & cheaper. The door rests on the inside are nicer on the P2 - your hand naturally falls onto the grab handle-thing that you use to close the door. That handle is round, & your hand naturally sits around it. On the P3, this handle's rectangular (my fingers aren't), & that arm rest is too high.

Steering wheel controls for cruise feel more course, & are slightly depressed, (in contrast to the P2 where they are bezeled & proud of the wheel), making it slightly harder to press them instantly & accurately. Rear centre armrest is more shelf-like, & the P2 one is better. Luggage area 'shopping holder' is much better on the p2, which has a removable plastic tray ( to catch any spills), & nearly full-width folding-up bit.

Too much fiddling required with everything on the centre screen. I had 'hire-car-syndrome' trying to use the sat-nav & radio, & then gave up. To be fair, I've not read the book, & I know that all cars today eschew buttons for software menus. At least you can turn this screen off when it's dark, but I fear that with the radio on, the screen might remain illuminated?

Electric power steering has a definite 'notch' at the centre. Speedo has no numeric marking for 30,50,70. This is a pain.

I suspect that a manual box with a D3 might be a bit of a pain, but coming from a N/A petrol, I was pleasantly surprised by the rapid response of the D3/auto. In semi-urban driving, it's fine, & sets off from roundabouts etc. far better than older-generation diesels I've driven (actually, it's hard not to set off with a slight rush). It would certainly pull away from my V70 at lower engine speeds. It kind of feels fast, although that's maybe because I'm not really used to turbo-diesels, & when flooring it, the box is keeping the RPM in quite a narrow range. The figures show it must be slower than my P2, but it doesn't feel like it.

Economy was 40MPG on a 10-mile run with about 1 mile in stop-start traffic, & 9 on country roads at 40MPH. Car had 4k miles on clock.

P3 feels wider (on narrow roads) & probably is. Parking is harder (even less corner visibility than my P2) & I was scared of catching something when getting into a restricted parking area at the dealer's. I suspect parking sensors are a useful addition.

I'll go out again when it gets dark, on some faster roads.

Anyway, now thinking about a D4/geartronic with fewer toys. I think that if they made the P2 & P3 together (same-ish money), I'd probably order another P2!

PS - my P2 has 16 inch wheels. The P3 has 16 as standard, 17 (or 18) are cost-options. Is there any advantage to 17 or 18? I don't really care what it looks like. I'd imagine 18s are too hard, but anyone an opinion on 16 vs 17?

Tim