First 24 hours of ownership...(long) (edited)
04-26-2005, 08:07 PM
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First 24 hours of ownership...(long) (edited)
And I couldn't be happier with my purchase. I'll be the first to admit that I was not happy (still not, actually) with Audi's pricing for the A3. I thought that it was a missed opportunity to get more people into an Audi. By pricing it the way they did, typical buyers are more likely to look at others in the segment, or, as Sal did, decide that the gap between the A3 and A4 may not be as wide in certain financing situations.
That out of the way, I'm still grinning ear to ear about the car. My boss absolutely loved the car. (He's kind of a car nut like me.) I see people taking long looks at the car trying to figure out what it is. Being the first in the area with one has a nice feeling to it.
But about the car itself, here goes:
Love:
1) DSG - What a transmission! Having owned a 5-speed B6 Avant 1.8T, there is no comparison. This DSG blows away any automatic transmission I've ever driven. IMHO, this is worth the price of admission almost by itself.
2) 2.0T - What an improvement over the 1.8T. Granted, the A3 is pushing about 400lbs less than my B6 Avant, but this engine is perfect for this car (and did I say the transmission?).
3) Interior - No let down from my B6. I actually had leatherette in my B6, so the leather surfaces in the Premium Package is a nice upgrade. It looks, feels, and smells Audi, which is great.
4) Handling - I don't profess to be a race car driver, but the handling of the car is almost on par with my B6 Avant with sport package. Obviously, they are totally different cars, engine, transmission, weight, weight distribution, etc. The A3 non-sport would be hard pressed to match it, but it isn't that far behind the way I drive. Although, it has such a bigger advantage in power that it can probably make up what it loses in the turns in the straights.
5) Ride - Perfect for my tastes. Firm, but not bumpy. I believe the sport package would make it firmer than my B6 with sport. It's also quiet, but not tomb-like.
6) Open Sky - I like it and so do the kids. I'm curious how it will be in the summer when it gets really hot.
7) Seats - more comfortable and better bolster than my B6. And as said before, amazingly more legroom in the back than the B6. Good for the kids sitting in their car seats.
Dislikes:
1) Wheel gap - guess that's what a non sport is supposed to look like.
2) No coat hanger hooks - how lame is that? Gotta use the oh-$hit bars to hang stuff from the cleaners.
3) This may sound like it's contradicting #4 above, but one thing that I suppose could be better is the steering. IMO, it's a little over-boosted, less tight and taught than my B6.
I guess the only other things that sort of nag at me are the things that I didn't get because I just had to buy the first A3 in the area. I would have wanted Nav+ and Xenons, and maybe sport package, but they had no demo models with those. Of course, they would have pushed the price well above what my car cost, so maybe that's not so bad.
Sorry for the length of the post. Just wanted to share.
That out of the way, I'm still grinning ear to ear about the car. My boss absolutely loved the car. (He's kind of a car nut like me.) I see people taking long looks at the car trying to figure out what it is. Being the first in the area with one has a nice feeling to it.
But about the car itself, here goes:
Love:
1) DSG - What a transmission! Having owned a 5-speed B6 Avant 1.8T, there is no comparison. This DSG blows away any automatic transmission I've ever driven. IMHO, this is worth the price of admission almost by itself.
2) 2.0T - What an improvement over the 1.8T. Granted, the A3 is pushing about 400lbs less than my B6 Avant, but this engine is perfect for this car (and did I say the transmission?).
3) Interior - No let down from my B6. I actually had leatherette in my B6, so the leather surfaces in the Premium Package is a nice upgrade. It looks, feels, and smells Audi, which is great.
4) Handling - I don't profess to be a race car driver, but the handling of the car is almost on par with my B6 Avant with sport package. Obviously, they are totally different cars, engine, transmission, weight, weight distribution, etc. The A3 non-sport would be hard pressed to match it, but it isn't that far behind the way I drive. Although, it has such a bigger advantage in power that it can probably make up what it loses in the turns in the straights.
5) Ride - Perfect for my tastes. Firm, but not bumpy. I believe the sport package would make it firmer than my B6 with sport. It's also quiet, but not tomb-like.
6) Open Sky - I like it and so do the kids. I'm curious how it will be in the summer when it gets really hot.
7) Seats - more comfortable and better bolster than my B6. And as said before, amazingly more legroom in the back than the B6. Good for the kids sitting in their car seats.
Dislikes:
1) Wheel gap - guess that's what a non sport is supposed to look like.
2) No coat hanger hooks - how lame is that? Gotta use the oh-$hit bars to hang stuff from the cleaners.
3) This may sound like it's contradicting #4 above, but one thing that I suppose could be better is the steering. IMO, it's a little over-boosted, less tight and taught than my B6.
I guess the only other things that sort of nag at me are the things that I didn't get because I just had to buy the first A3 in the area. I would have wanted Nav+ and Xenons, and maybe sport package, but they had no demo models with those. Of course, they would have pushed the price well above what my car cost, so maybe that's not so bad.
Sorry for the length of the post. Just wanted to share.
04-27-2005, 04:18 AM
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Can we de-power the steering boost?
One of the first mods the allroad owners in US do is to pull the relay of the buick-like steering boost; the US allroads come with that extra boost option preinstalled... Could something similar be done to the A3? Or maybe you're just feeling the weight difference from the A4.
Also, it looks like there is such a thing as a car coat hanger. This one is kind of pricey though, and just one of the first hits on Google. There must be simpler solutions out there.
Ali<ul><li><a href="http://www.hangersdirect.com/products_new/HD850005.shtml">Car coat hanger</a></li></ul>
Also, it looks like there is such a thing as a car coat hanger. This one is kind of pricey though, and just one of the first hits on Google. There must be simpler solutions out there.
Ali<ul><li><a href="http://www.hangersdirect.com/products_new/HD850005.shtml">Car coat hanger</a></li></ul>
04-27-2005, 06:39 AM
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It's not just the car's weight...
at low speeds, that steering is definitely over-boosted. Not sure why they did this given that the car does weigh less than the B6/B7. If anything, it would benefit from less boost.
As for the coat hanger, does Audi honestly believe that people won't be using this car to pick up their cleaning at the dry cleaners? Or do they just assume people will use the oh $hit bars to hang those clothes? Just a minor gripe.
As for the coat hanger, does Audi honestly believe that people won't be using this car to pick up their cleaning at the dry cleaners? Or do they just assume people will use the oh $hit bars to hang those clothes? Just a minor gripe.
04-27-2005, 08:16 AM
#7
As others say, it's electricly controlled. However, I seem to recall somebody saying a tech told
them they could use the VAG com to reduce the boost. Of course now the question is that even with reduced boost, will there be any more feedback, or will it just increase the effort?
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04-27-2005, 08:21 AM
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Good question. I guess it wouldn't have been bad to require just a little more effort...
and build just a little more resistance to the steering. I'm sure there's a good compromise point there somewhere. As it stands, it takes too little effort, IMO, to turn the wheel.
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