Quangvan

hey guys i have a little question to ask... in your opinion what car do you think is better ... in the sense of performance, modding, reliability etc.. i have noticed theres not much performance parts for the volve but it has a better platform number wise 218HP @ 5900 and 246 tourque @ 1900 but they are just numbers before you put the whole car into play. any feed back would be great have a chance to buy either of them

whoace

Volvo runs on a Haldex system where the rear tires only engage if the front slips. You can always chip your 1.8T and produce similar numbers. I think this is more a choice of personal preference. One thing about Volvo, their seats are just incredibly comfortable. IMO, Volvo have a more comfortable ride where as Audi has a sportier ride. I also can't stand the interiors in Volvo's.

marcj

I'm sure you'll get plenty of advice to buy a Volvo on an Audi forum

But seriously the 1.8T is a rock solid engine with a 10 year+ track record and lots of possibility for upgrading, both software (chip tuning) and hardware (e.g., bigger injectors, fuel rail & turbo). When comparing torque and hp, realize that $500 buys you a stage 1 chip upgrade that can get you to 200 hp and 220 ftlb torque, at a somewhat lower rpm than stock.

Also the Audi interior beats pretty much anything else out there (though I am partial to Lexus interiors too). Plenty of updated parts out there too including the S-line steering wheel, RNS-E satnav stereo, and so on.

The downside is maintenance costs on the 1.8T are higher: special syntetic oil is needed, there is a sludging issue if previous owner didn't heed the oil type/change interval, and a timing belt change can cost up to $1000 or ore at the dealership.

The T5 is a somewhat newer engine and I don't know what the performance modding community is like. I think you'll find the interior is nice but it's no Audi.