400bhp + 600lb ft + 50MPG!? Audi A5 3.0 TDI by Darkside Developments (Review)

My BMW 7 series is currently being worked on by the good people at Darkside Developments. While that is happening, they've given me a very unusual courtesy car - here it is, reviewed for your pleasure.
Thankyou to Ryan and the Team at @Darkside Developments
Want to see your car on the channel? Email me on [e-mail]
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[@cologne2792]

You TOLD your girlfriend to get out of the car to stop it scraping? I've really enjoyed your channel. Where should we all send the flowers?

[@bencritchley2005]

I had to do this in my MX5 the other day, bloody country lanes 🤣

[@AXEMURDERER751]

Is your girlfriend, really your right hand 👌😆😅

[@riskybisness]

I bet she simply said perhaps he should downsize his microphone stand...

[@rhiantaylor3446]

The thing I like about diesels (especially tuned ones) is that fuel consumption can still be pretty good, depending on how heavy you are with the loud pedal. I had a mapped 2 litre BMW that could do either sub-7 secs 0-60 or 60mpg, but not both at the same time.

[@bladerunner6282]

i'm not sure how i would approach (probably with much caution) asking my girlfriend to step out of the car for a moment because her weight was causing it to bottom out.

[@markchip1]

You're so right about that genuinely impressive exhaust tone! Amazing, for a diesel! Your comments about ride height * wheel choice are also very pertinent - especially if you want to maintain your relationship... & avoid commenting about her having to get out to avoid scraping on particular roads!!!

[@stephandolby]

My brother had an XR2 van back in the day, it was pretty low. I got in the car, 8 stone wet through at the time, and we noticed the wheels scraping when we went down a gentle "hill". He had to rethink how low he wanted it after that if he wanted to carry anything at all. :)

[@lkr8013]

James, you are such a true romantic fella, I need tips from you lol

[@paulm114]

That sounds insane for a diesel.

[@fukndrums367]

You should hear a inline 6 Cummins 😤

[@kjp-sy8uf]

@@fukndrums367 more tone in a 3.0tdi tbh, I like the VQ esque brassy sound

[@laardhavemercy807]

Sounds similar to a gtr 🤌🏼

[@jamesengland7461]

All this comment- crying about diesel emissions is hilarious to me. Isn't this an enthusiast channel?

[@carlover4239]

Breaking news: enthusiasts are still humans that inhabit this planet.

[@davidbillyard6629]

The voices of the brainwashed..

[@jouhajohnny]

🤣🤣🤣

[@rufhaus]

Agreed! Doom Mongers can go elsewhere!

[@whatta7793]

Funny thing is, deleting and tuning usually yields better fuel mileage, and they're still mad about a little bit of soot, lol

[@GetUpFalcon]

There's a subtle genius to your work mate. You never, ever reach a conclusion. Which might sound ridiculous but to those who understand cars it's entirely appropriate. We all make up our own minds about every idiosyncrasy and you happily leave it up to us to reach the conclusions.

[@HotTakeHQ]

I’m so grateful for yet another of yer videos. Life has been ROUGH and I’ll happily accept the thirteen minute escape.

[@roadreg1820]

Sounds amazing for a Diesel. Kinda reminds me of the Golf R32. I Totally agree with you on the B58 engine. It actually shares some major components from the B57 3.0l Diesel engine, due to BMW B engines being modular. For example the block is exactly the same as the B57. I’ve always said that engine is like a Diesel and petrol engine combined due to its phenomenal tourqe. Great video Jay :)

[@iamthepotato4312]

Diesels have always been fun if you know what you're doing, these v6 3.0 tdi are beast, probably one of the best sounding diesels you can get, I would buy the estate or saloon models myself for practicality.

[@confounded_feline]

Damn. Followed these guys for a while. Love this car!

[@craigsykes7292]

You'd fit perfectly into top gear. Great vid

[@orvilholness910]

I absolutely Love the sweet Sound! Great car, well executed mods!!

[@danielmarshall4587]

Oh yes please, cheers for another great video.

[@sheeshulex]

This video made me get a 3.0 TDI A5, Darkside Developments are not very far away from me, I sure hope I will manage to pay them a visit this year for a tune up.

[@davidkelly2542]

Really good chanel this, it's like watching old 90's episodes of top gear. Also the fact that you are brutally honest, even when the owner is sat next to you.

[@sparky4878]

Thought I recognised Darkside’s name. Jared, wrench everyday, bought a load of stuff from them for Jetta diesel engine.

[@pure_awareness]

The 1st gen A5 Coupe is a great looking car still, it has a slight classic muscle car look . I want one as a daily.

[@Nialletto]

Try a Sepang Blue A5 Black Edition Plus with Quattro - I have one, although I tend to only use it for longer journeys. It has black piano wood trim inside and definitely gets a move on.

[@markwright3161]

"The little dinky new sheep", do you mean lambs? :) . Being from a farming background, being taught the conventional names from before I could walk, I got a giggle out of that.

[@WhiteMouse77]

...if JayEmm compliments such re-work (considering how many cars he tested) then it is certainly top achievement among tuners....in this case the Darkside doen't naturally mean the wrong side...

[@RT_Gaming01]

Such a timeless design and an engine to match. I would buy one in a heart beat but with ULEZ here in London and very fast going nationwide cities it’s sad to not be able to get one unless it’s 99% 2015- Top content 😎

[@illegalopinions4082]

ULEZ only goes nation wide if you're too lazy to tell your elected representative to not back such a stupid initiative.

[@hristohristov8787]

Amazing video!!!

[@Dave14071989]

Always time for a quick trip down Blakey road, especially when you only live 10 minutes away from where it starts.

[@josefgordon7712]

Damn, just damn, that's a one hot ride. That power train in a wagon would make me one happy puppy.

[@4fluxsake]

Dream daily, except pre-facelift and with a manual.

[@SabretoothBarnacle]

Are you sure you don't want to rephrase that sentence about your girlfriend?😬

[@jordanc07]

Hahaha I about pissed my self when he said that 😂

[@js00065]

My thoughts exactly hahaha! 😬😆

[@DamoDrives]

I am sure she must really appreciate that comment and being told to get out the car

[@1965vw]

After he said that (and after I stopped laughing), I scrolled down to the comments knowing I would find some great comments. Needless to say, I wasn't disappointed! 😂

[@stuartmansfield9k]

He's going to get a whipping tonight.

[@askaribr1]

it has amazing sound, fuel economy top notch, beautiful, fast sport car ... wow

[@wackyrc1394]

Everything is just a tad bit better in Yorkshire, a part from it being the birthplace of modern civilisation, offcourse, and that's tea, terriers and now, TDI's. Thank you JayEmm on Cars, a super video 👍

[@sparky4878]

wacky rc best thing in Yorkshire is the road back to civilised Lancashire. Yet to see the tea plantations all the “Yorkshire” tea comes from. 😉

[@wackyrc1394]

@@sparky4878 Good one and rather sharp 😁

[@AWMJoeyjoejoe]

Yorkshire isn't bad for a foreign country. Not a patch on Lancashire though. 😉

[@120poundsound2]

That's one sexy sounding diesel

[@grahamnutt8958]

I do have a soft spot for Audi..... the original urQuattro; 90; 200....... some great cars produced over the years. This reworked A5; really impressive for many reasons. I am inclined to agree that 19" rims & a slightly raised ride height would be of some benefit but that is just my opinion. When a car produces more Torque than JM 😆😆😆...... (sorry, couldn't resist that). Great review. Cheers 👍👍

[@poovaneswaransupramaniam19]

Nice video and wonderful car

[@sebastianforbes1]

good save on the black smoke !

[@rosserd1234]

I've got a work trip up in York later in the year and would love to see these roads

[@lukearmsby5507]

The road you drove on is one of my favourite motorcycle roads! :) it’s great at higher speeds just look out for sheep :) the pub there the lion in is fantastic

[@waynestewart8704]

Not too bad an attempt at Yorkshire accent there jay🤣

[@onkedilz198]

I own one, the 2.0TFSI quattro though. Great car, still a great looker. The foot paddles are off center on right hand drive vehicles and you feel it on long distances. There is also a big hump that reduces space for foot rest.

[@aidan9522]

My dad still has his 2012 Audi A6 3.0tdi, with almost a third of the original cost's worth of extras but he bought it as a 2nd hand demo car for an absolute steal, night vision, 19"ers and all. And I had the same experience, I thought the thing was a weapon as a teen. When it outdrove its warranty dad had it remapped to 200kW and 580Nm. Its on 300 00km now and still going strong and Im dead sure it would gap the 2019 Volvo XC60 T6 polestar we have too.

[@LMAO2510]

Reliable car ?

[@Cody-zd2ye]

I love my AUDI A5 still the sexiest car on the road.dont ever stop oil

[@FuelwithDave]

Sshhheeeppp! Sounds awesome for a diesel 👍

[@scottcowan6798]

Great review.. on the subject of noise.. try a previous gen Cayenne S Diesel with the 4.2 V8 diesel.. it’s better still!

[@davidcassidy2731]

Great cars my mate has the s6 quattro the supercharged model properly fast!

[@MrFlazz99]

Good PR for Darkside - food for thought for a dedicated diesel driver wanting a bit more of the antisocial element. As for the smoke, that's half the fun - overtake some roadhog slowcoach and give them a facefull of disapproval.

[@illegalopinions4082]

My old Vectra used to dump a cloud if I really gave it the beans. I still remember one guy who'd been humping my bumper braking and almost swerving out of lane because of it lol. 10/10 would do again.

[@Graham_Wideman]

7:30 "the new sheep... the little dinky ones" hahaha one imagines James not being familiar with how sheep are made. or that the "new" ones are called lambs. :-) Either that or he's really good at deadpan.

[@sparky4878]

Oh is that what the snack size ones are called?

[@1965vw]

4:33 edit: former girlfriend 🤣

[@radionautomatic]

Your impression of Ryan was dead on 😏😂

[@mcspooney]

one of my fave driving roads, blakey ridge road

[@robdavis4331]

I have a 2011 Audi C6 A6 3.0tdi Avant (manual) and it's without a doubt the best 'daily' I have ever owned. I would be very interested to see what the guys at DD would be able to do to the old girl!

[@musoseven8218]

I'd love me one of those, always liked the OEM version, Sportbsck or Coupe. I agree re the exhaust issue and ride height (especially with UK roads - shocking, our government needs a public flogging on that aspect alone). All that aside they've done a great job of it✌️💜😊👍

[@jayjackson1272]

YES

[@haydenstevens9746]

Haha no way! This is my old car. I sold it to Darkside Developments and just saw this pop up on KZbin recommended.

[@gingerbrown]

No way thats my older car, what a car it was, glad you had a chance to get some good miles out of it for a couple of years. Was more than enough fun when I owned it 🙌

[@stephandolby]

Infinitely preferable to the Ibiza even in its unfinished state. Beautiful part of the country, too - driving around Goathland was always quite interesting with all the sheep roaming freely, especially in the village itself.

[@matthewtemprell5422]

I have the 3l TDI in my a4 b9 and it's a great lump. I need to mod it a bit. It's the 3l TDI 272bhp 600nm engine.

[@SSC0815]

340hp and 820nm is possible with custom tune.

[@madeinengland6784]

I have the B7 3.0tdi Quattro A4 sline but is the early 2006 version which has a different engine to the later 2006. It has no DPF and is chain driven, the later 2006 cars had the restrictive DPF and use timing belts. I will never sell it, absolutely love it. I have the rear silencers deleted and makes a lovely noise now that is not imposing but you certainly wouldn’t think it’s a diesel, tempted to take it to DD as it’s not far from me and the cars mint, lowered on coil overs.

[@Mr_Whippy92]

You wont regret it

[@OfficialAnekito]

And how is it going?

[@benjamincottle8500]

My girlfriend would batter me for saying that let alone putting it on KZbin 😂 Tuned diesels are surprisingly rapid - I had a mate get properly upset having shelled out for an Astra VXR (back in 2008) and having it beaten by a tuned diesel Astra of similar vintage. Point to point the dirty derv won hands down, the torque was immense

[@JelloTypeR]

That’s like no diesel I’ve ever heard before.

[@EvoraGT430]

Apart from the smoke-screen....

[@davidbillyard6629]

You need to remove the dpf and delete the rear exhaust boxes to unleash the harmonic’s..

[@jakubwojcik628]

Would get one in a blink of an eye if not for Khan’s ULEZ in London, gotta be one of my favourite Audi’s

[@qaza007qaza]

I want one chose a focus st over another diesel but that sounds savage

[@robbanjac5553]

Finally on some 'proper roads' up North 😉

[@imyeg6]

Indeed, Dales?

[@kyleb5518]

A modern 6 banger diesel has no right to sound this good

[@JohnDoe_333]

incredible that the first a5's are 13 years old now.

[@vernon44427]

If I could build a 3.0 like this and swap it into my STI chassis ......dreams

[@billymania11]

That was a European version of rolling coal.

[@abithampi9474]

Love how the entire comments section is about the fellas comments. Poor guy probably came home single 😂😂

[@Twentymacc]

Darkside....put this up forsale so i can buy it! ❤

[@Englad666]

'New sheep, little dinky ones' The word you're looking for is Lambs :)

[@alextorkelson]

What road/area is that? Looks like a damn fun area to explore

[@RealGX]

How does this compare to the S4 TDI you drove?

[@Drunken_Hamster]

Imagine a 120-degree bank angle hot-V dual volute single turbo diesel V6 with a 100mm bore and 90mm stroke powering an FM-R or FM-AWD GT coupe with a transaxle for optimum weight and mass distribution. And gull-wing doors. With a liftback fastback design and enough rear space to hold two full-size luggage, two carry-ons, and two 15-inch subwoofers in a roughly 7 cubic foot enclosure.

[@pondhead]

Wonder if there’s a solution for the cam chain tensioner that fails potentially writing the engine off?

[@sr71blackbirddr]

30! did you have a paper round on the N york moors 🤪

[@venom5809]

So how’s single life treating you? 😂

[@eclectic_gamer]

The cars still scraping 🤣

[@darbyogill8383]

Cant believe I'm 3 years older than jay emm🤔

[@Rhowhat]

Tempting, the local asthmatic kids have been annoying me. A few launches as I got past should do it. Have you reviewed a B9 S4 in Avant or saloon?

[@thedetailingdoctor5746]

Flossy 😂😂 keep it up jay

[@stevengreenley1649]

Can't believe he's only 30!!!

[@kevinpedersen5290]

is it 800 nm on stock transmission? Cus mine does 750nm on stock transmission and im a bit afraid of going higher as the specifications I can find states 750 nm as the limit

[@Prakgreat]

Great vid! Love powerful deisels. You're 31? Lose some weight mate, please, be good for you

[@imchris5000]

I would of got a a5 tdi if I could of found one in manual in the usa

[@love90s54]

J can you try an old Fiat Punto GT Turbo from the '90s? Thanks

[@testpilot2184]

If he can find one.

[@love90s54]

@@testpilot2184 For sure if he wanna. In Italy is still common

[@GadgetMart]

Look at that cloud of death

[@EvoraGT430]

Indeed

[@anyau]

Death is fun

[@GadgetMart]

Dogs Bollocks it’s the particulates in the smoke that do the most harm to the body. The particles are so tiny they can pass from the lungs into the blood stream. Try cycling behind a badly smoking diesel. In fact I’m 48, never smoked and I’ve got emphysema. I cycled to work in rush hour traffic for 20 years...

[@jonno94]

@@GadgetMart point taken, cycling is bad for you 🤪

[@alexdalgleish1061]

Assuming this the 225 bhp engine, 275 with standard suspension and alloys would be nice.

[@Mr_Whippy92]

"245" claimed by audi

[@eddyb3179]

You're only 30?!

[@vergecryptocurrency4552]

Stone

[@Roadwarrior92]

@@vergecryptocurrency4552 ffs lol

[@JamieR1988]

That's what I was thinking!! I thought he was about 40+

[@khuzram]

@@JamieR1988 same

[@JamieR1988]

@@khuzram Haha he genuinely does look like he's in his 40s How someone can look that old at 30 is beyond me.

[@JamieR1988]

I'm really not a fan of TDi's no matter which brand. I'm definitely a petrol head. But this one sounds fantastic!! And that MPG is insane!! I may actually go test drive one of these, and maybe buy one lol.

[@rustybaws5313]

Trust me mate from owning a bmw 335d the power out of them is PHENOMENAL!!! Once you experience how powerful these modern diesels are and how capable they are youl not go back to petrol. I was the same until getting a highly tuned diesel like this

[@davidbillyard6629]

You can expect around 30 mpg if you use the power, certainly not 50 mpg.

[@termit520]

there's a smoke behind that car like behind of a steam machine.....hopefully guys are going to sort that, and 50 mpg is really hard to believe for a 2 tons 400 HP car. That car is heavy almost like a normal SUV. Anyway, a nice video, a nice road. Good job Jay

[@JR19k]

Take it you either didn't watch the whole video 0r you ignored what he said about the smoke is temporary

[@davidbillyard6629]

My A5 3.0 tdi weighs 1620 kg standard..

[@danh2310]

@davidbillyard6629 what's it like to drive mate? Boring on corners?.

[@termit520]

@@danh2310 foggy and a bit wavy today

[@benjibradshaw69]

That road is Hutton-le-Hole to Castleton. Great road and the pub halfway along does cracking food.

[@928DAVEH]

I hope the girlfriend comment didn't land you in hot water😂

[@vukiam]

Wow, in 2022 that much polution coming out of the back is unforgivable. Also Nox emissions will be off the scale. Amazing car though

[@donaldescobar9977]

Wait...that’s a Diesel!!!😳😳😳

[@i.c.d.-videos1901]

I see a diesel exhaust, but damn that does not sound like one! Wonder what the compromise is to the vehicles emissions?

[@illegalopinions4082]

Who cares about the emissions? Find yourself a friendly mechanic and don't bother yourself with nonsense

[@coyotesmokey7447]

Sounds the clutch is slipping a bit . Is it ?

[@marcakko2010]

Iv just travelled 1000 miles in my audi a5 5 door 3.0 quattro 2009 , 300bhp, 7 speed triptronic , dpf still in place , iv just got 50.4 mpg motor way miles and little country lanes too with car full with family and suitcases . Through town only driving its around 35mpg . 20 mile trip Work and back mixed single road 50mph ,back roads and though villages I get (max 47.5mpg) (min 30 mpg) amy average is is usually around 38mpg . Incase anyone would like to know roughly the economy of these for a daily.

[@oussama4629]

thanks

[@OfficialAnekito]

Thanks

[@VladoT]

Having a similar setup in my manual A4 I can tell you that the manual transmission (clutch) cannot cope with 800Nm so unfortunately I've had to dial it down to about 720Nm.

[@RealGX]

Stop with the misinformation, the gearbox KMU can absolutely handle 800Nm, in fact it can take up to 900Nm depending on clutch condition.

[@SSC0815]

@@RealGX Correct. I run mine with 840nm. Original clutch no prob.

[@SSC0815]

What car do you have? A4 b7?

[@VladoT]

@@SSC0815 A4 B8 however there are 2 types of clutches available Sachs and Luk so I guess they are different in their torque handling

[@SSC0815]

@@VladoT Series comes with LUK only. Go with original and you dont get a problem.

[@paulross7955]

Was this shot in the eighties?

[@laostiia1000]

Does anyone know the reliability after the tune is done ?

[@Jesus_Iced]

How much do the mods cost?

[@anthonygheysen6579]

How much hp was it stock?

[@subevo35]

My 2008 3.0 A5 tdi done 30-35 mpg with 240hp the auto box was slow to change down when I floored it unless in sport mode Which was annoying .mine was pre DSG.

[@keenan3201]

Which year model is this

[@MrAaronb400]

Looks like the roads near hawes? But as I want an estate id choose a mapped 335d touring with intercooler/downpipe to about 400bhp