A3 and tall drivers

[nothingness]

Hi there.

Looking at buying an a3, and im 6ft8. I dont fit in a sportback, cant press the clutch pedal due to these silly triangular dash support things. Not sat in a 3door yet, but hoping there is more room.

my question is could you take these off ? They are there in a family members mk1 TT, and they appear to unbolt, though worried dashboard might fall down if you do so (in either a3 or TT)??

Even just the drivers side and leave the passenger side would do.

Also, does anyone have the 2.0 FSI, do i really need the 2.0t FSI for every day normal driving?

Thanks!

 

[chrisb72]

You say you don't fit in an A3 Sportback, then I question whether you'd fit in a 3 door A3 seeing as they are roughly the same size.

Without looking at any figures I think the Sportback is actually a few cms longer in length, but this is found in the boot space.

I don't know about the dash sections being removed, but I'm sure an expert will be along to answer that part of your question soon.

 

[cloughy]

seats aren't great either if you are tall

 

[paddy]

I'm 6ft 4" and bought the S3 because of the space. 3 door is 100x easier to get in and out of over a SB I can drive it all day. Regularly do 8 hours in a day and its the best comfort i have had i a car. Yes the supports come out and i agree they are a silly design and bash you knee to bits . Considering i cant get in a A4 it just shows how models vary in size and bigger outside is not bigger inside as you will know if you try a Micra ...more room than a S3 .

 

[moag]

3 door is probably easier for taller people, the seats slide really far back so you should be fine. I'm 6'1" and when i first bought the car my knee was always banging off those supports but to be honest i don't even notice it now.

Definitely buy an audi of some sort, you'll never want to drive anything else!

 

[Ads]

Also, does anyone have the 2.0 FSI, do i really need the 2.0t FSI for every day normal driving?

I've owned both.
Don't believe what everyone says (most of who haven't even owned the car) about the the 2.0 FSI being rubbish, because it's not. Economy is pretty good, and its got enough poke to get your around comfortably and for good overtaking. Its good on the motorway too, pretty speedy actually, even up in the 90-100's.
At lower revs it is a bit lacking though, so nipping off quickly is not so swift. You need to wait a bit until mid range before you get a bit of power. For this reason it's not the best in town when you need to make quick moves in traffic.

However, the 2.0 TFSI is A LOT better, and to be honest does make the 2.0 FSI feel pretty bad and very sluggish.
It's very quick throughout pretty much the entire rev range and suffers from hardly any turbo lag. Overtaking, nipping on to roundabouts, weaving through traffic are all effortless.

On average you'll get about 100 miles to a tank less in a 2.0 TFSI compared to the 2.0 FSI. I get somewhere between 250 and 350 miles to the tank in my TFSI. The 250 miles per tank comes from all London driving. I'll get 350 if I throw in quite a few dual carriageway or motorway miles. All motorway and I'll probably see 400 to the tank.
The 2.0FSI gave me about 350 in town and about 450 or so on the motorway.

So if you want an engine that gets you around well, with no fuss but is not much fun then go for the 2.0 FSI.
If you want an engine that gets you around quickly and allows you to have some fun when you feel like it then go for the 2.0 TFSI.

Bottom line... if fuel doesn't bother you then its a no-brainer really..... TFSI all the way.

 

[jonnyb289]

im 6'5 and drive my 3 door with the seat about two clicks from all the way back and all the way to the floor, so at 6'8 you shoud be alright.

 

[FranA3]

agree there is a bit more room in the 3 door A3 but not a lot in it tbh , I'm so glad I'm a short **** at 5 ' 11" lol

 

[N8]

I'm 6'4, and the SB is comfy to drive for me

 

[FranA3]

thats because of the buckets you have

 

[N8]

 

[Farhan]

op buy a q7

 

[FranA3]

op buy a q7

or a A6 lol

 

[1inchpunch]

Get DSG and you won't need to worry about pressing the clutch. I'm a tiny 6ft but find the a3 uncomfortable on long journeys due to having long legs and a lack of base tilt and extending thigh support on the seat. Lumbar support does little.

 

[mrpeng]

6ft 3 here got the 3 door does take some getting use to tbh your not sat there as if you where on your sofa but you do get use to it and can get annoying at times

 

[nothingness]

So rather mixed opinions then?

I drive a passat atm as its the only car I fit in for the budget back then.

The bit where the support for the dash is is the crucial part... can you explain abit more about unbolting them? Does anyone know the official name for them so i can research them?

Thanks

 

[PhilPD]

I am 6ft 5 and fit in my 3 door ok. It's more snug than a passat (I also owned one) but by no means cramped.

Those supports can be removed. There is a bolt going up through the centre into the dash and from memory, one other one going down into the central console at the rear end. They don't serve any real structural purpose, I think the only reason they are actually bolted into place is because people are likely to grab them during cornering etc.

The central console will look unfinished without the support as there is a cut out to accept it. You could probably improvise to improve this, though.

I have quite a long back and have a few inches above my head, so I would imagine you would be ok on that front.

 

[bug]

I'm 6'5" and when I went on a test drive of a 3 door the other day I had no issues what so ever. Plenty of leg room and head room. To be honest it felt as though I was putting on an old glove! Also I have ridiculously big feet (size 16) and the pedal spacing was no problem what so ever

 

[nothingness]

Test drove one yesturday, PD140 which I think was a cat D, the vent at the top of the dash looked to have come out almost as if the airbags had gone off, and there was water in the headlights and the front screen wouldnt demist!

It was a diesel DSG and i loved the gearbox but it didnt drive right, long test drive 35mpg average, lots of lag and then a massive shove of unusable power.

Going to try another one.

Dont fit in a manual, the grab handle gets in the way, dsg one i can stretch out where the clutch should be

Also looking at 2.0 FSI however not sure if this is DSG or 5 speed tiptronic and no flappy paddles?!!?!?!

 

[paddy]

Its either manaual or DSG, DSG has paddles regardless. The box was developed by Porsche who call it tiptronic.

 

[Rogue-24-84]

Just take the drivers seat out and sit on the back seat?! lol at least that way you get to drive the car you want?

 

[c_w]

One of the most stupid design aspects of the A3 are those "bars" whatever they are supposed to be! I'm surprised AUDI didn't ditch them in one of the facelifts by simply replacing them with a simple L-shape side piece, it would make access to the lowered climate controls easier too. They are just there to get in the way and be scratched!! lol

The Sportback seat goes really far back, as in almost feel like sitting in the back, I'd be very surprised if there is anything in it apart from the 3-dr has a larger door opening.

 

[S.]

bunch of giants in small cars

 

[bug]

I actually found the triangle a nice leg rest on my journey back from the garage today..!

 

[JoeD]

How tall are you?? I'm 6'3 and have never found any issues with space when driving.

 

[c_w]

Interestingly looking at a brochure the 3dr is listed as having slightly more headroom from the base of the seat (something like 6mm) and overall width at he centrepoint of the car (again a few mm). The roofline is slightly lower (as well as longer) on the Sportback it seems, and the width difference must be down to the thicker B-post with the additional doors hanging off it?

However, there are no measurements for legroom which I bet are the same.

 

[nothingness]

Thanks all I am going to try removing them and having someone make up some brackets for support, hell, if i can pull it off to an oem spec finish I can just sell the new brackets!!!

Am activly looking for an a3 now