Autobahn top speed

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leosayer1

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I can personally confirm that today, in temperatures of 33c, my A3 Sportback 1.4CoD 140 S-tronic did an indicated 150mph on the autobahn.

According to the sat-nav based app on my phone, it was 143mph.

I was well impressed.
 
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An item on my bucket list is to go to Germany and drive on the Autobahn.
 
Scary -
 
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Blackwhite said:
An item on my bucket list is to go to Germany and drive on the Autobahn.
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mine too, except haven't worked out how to get my S3 half-way round the world :friendly wink:..... can't afford air cargo...
 
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Don't you just love that German LANE DISCIPLINE!

Please take note UK & Ireland drivers!
 
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I driven my 2.0TDI-184 at 140mph (GPS Speed according to my TomTom). The speedo indicated higher than that but it tends to read around 8% more than the GPS. I agree about the lane discipline on the Autobahn. Personally I have found that on the Autobahn in particular, German drivers tend to drive fast but well and when there is a speed limit, they do slow down because they know it is there for a good reason. They have to do at least at least 135 minutes on the Autobahn with each journey lasting at least 45 minutes with a qualified driving instructor before than can even take their driving test. I'm quite sure a lot of UK drivers would have 'kittens' if they were to drive on the Autobahn.

Do you know if your headlights come on automatically at 90mph. They did on my previous A3 but I've not been able to check on my current one. Most German drivers tend to put their headlights on if they are driving fast in the outside lane on the Autobahn. It gives other drivers in the lane plenty of time to get out of their way, providing of course they both to look in the mirrors!!
 
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Ive hit the old 155 a few times. Love the feeling of it! onwards nearer to 200mph in bigger beasts must feel so good!!
 
It's far from easy to do. You need clear, dry, fairly straight and smooth roads that are derestricted...quite a difficult combination to achieve.

With the A3, 8pm on Friday evening seemed to be the best time. I think I was on the '1' at the time, I'll have to confirm this.

Yesterday was quite a day....I visited the Porsche museum in Stuttgart, did a lap of the 'Ring and V-Maxed the A3 :). All with my wife and son in the car and a boot rammed full of luggage.

Home now....the A3 is looking quite bug splattered but otherwise in perfect order after 2,700 miles in 2 weeks through France, Italy, Austria and Germany. It averaged around 43mpg according to the DIS, which seemed to match my own tank to tank calculations.

The worst economy from a tank was 37mpg which included the 'Ring lap, V-Max and lots of 100mph+ driving in very warm temperatures. The best was 47mpg from a tank driving mainly motorway and sedate country roads. I don't think I've ever managed 500 miles from the A3 before, but I've done it now.
 
h5djr said:
Do you know if your headlights come on automatically at 90mph. They did on my previous A3 but I've not been able to check on my current one. Most German drivers tend to put their headlights on if they are driving fast in the outside lane on the Autobahn. It gives other drivers in the lane plenty of time to get out of their way, providing of course they both to look in the mirrors!!
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I have no idea if they do or not, but I find the DRLs are generally pretty bright and noticeable.

I agree the lane discipline was good, although I did have to alert one driver in lane 2 to my presence by flashing the headlights and he moved over into the empty lane 1 without delay.

Whilst lane discipline is good, I find they almost all tend to drive way too close in the 'fast' lane when it's busy, either lane 2 or 3 depending on the road. On busy 2 lane autobahns this is a right pain because you either get stuck at 55mph in lane 1 between HGVs or you do 65mph in lane 2 with a BMW up your chuff when you have no way to go faster because of traffic in front.

I also noticed some strange 'weaving about' that some driver do to either intimidate the car in front or prevent 'undertakers'.
 
I've maxed out both the A3 and the Cougar on the autobahn. The A3 ran out of puff at an indicated 125 MPH - quite respectable for a 1.6 TDI, I thought - and the Cougar bounced off a limiter at an indicated 145 MPH. The Fiesta 1.4 TDCi we had previous to the A3 managed a heroic 106 MPH!
 
I maxed my 8P3 CR170 at 141mph GPS speed on the Autobahn on the way back from the Nurburgring.

The problem at those speeds is other people. Whilst lane discipline and awareness there is generally good, it only takes one idiot to pull out without looking and you're dead. It did happen to me once, when an 18-wheeler pulled out ahead of me whilst I was doing about 120mph. Literally stood on the brake pedal and didn't think I was going to make it for a while.

Now I'll only attempt it on a three-lane section which is quiet enough not to have any cars in the middle lane.
 
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The best time I've found for driving a high speed on the Autobahn is early on a Sunday morning. Last year I spent a week near Hamburg and then the following week in the Mosel Valley and the drive down the A7 on the Sunday was great as the Autobahn was very quiet and, of course, being Germany, no lorries allowed out on Sundays.

I will be doing a similar two weeks in October this year.
 
illingworth22 said:
Don't you just love that German LANE DISCIPLINE!

Please take note UK & Ireland drivers!
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It's not always that disciplined mate, generally yes motorway discipline is very good in Germany, but I find I still get just as frustrated at other road users in Germany as I do in the UK and equally as often.

I find France and Belgium are terrible (no offence to anyone from there) and Holland isn't too bad.

Next month me and the other half are going on holiday to Calabria in the south of Italy - we're driving there in the S3 :-o in total it will be about a 2500 miles round trip from our home in Germany to Calabria and back with s few excursions. I will be interested to see how the motorways are through Austria and Italy, not made a final decision yet as to what route we take but looking to take some more country routes away from the motorway, especially when we cross the Alps :)

Will really miss doing stuff like this when we move back home to Blighty next year!
 
Only got 90 so far in my 1.4 COD. I lost my b*ll*cks to continue on the M1, don't fancy a ticket. It just pulls to 90 like it's no problem at all though, and it's still quiet... Impressed to say the least.

I'd love to go to the autobahn also, that'd give the car a run for it's money lol.


+ that RS3 video, I love the new RS3. Supercar power + noise in a normal everyday car = awesome. Easily specced to 50k though, thats a big price for the car, but however I think it is worth that in a way, the power and the noise... Quite fond of the styling as long as it doesn't have those silver lines on front and rear, I think that looks a little weird.. shame i'll never be able to afford one though :p
 
In my S3 I hit an indicated speed of 160mph on the speedo, felt like I could have had some more out of it but I bottled it!
 
h5djr said:
I driven my 2.0TDI-184 at 140mph (GPS Speed according to my TomTom). The speedo indicated higher than that but it tends to read around 8% more than the GPS. I agree about the lane discipline on the Autobahn. Personally I have found that on the Autobahn in particular, German drivers tend to drive fast but well and when there is a speed limit, they do slow down because they know it is there for a good reason. They have to do at least at least 135 minutes on the Autobahn with each journey lasting at least 45 minutes with a qualified driving instructor before than can even take their driving test. I'm quite sure a lot of UK drivers would have 'kittens' if they were to drive on the Autobahn.

Do you know if your headlights come on automatically at 90mph. They did on my previous A3 but I've not been able to check on my current one. Most German drivers tend to put their headlights on if they are driving fast in the outside lane on the Autobahn. It gives other drivers in the lane plenty of time to get out of their way, providing of course they both to look in the mirrors!!
Click to expand...


I agree. I've driven on the Autobahn quite a few times now as I have friends in Germany. First time I went out there in a A3 1.4TFSI (takes so long to get up to the max of about 250kph, such an underpowered engine), second time was in a A3 2.0 TDI, bit better, but still slow car. Then I took a BMW 420d last year but in Bavaria and it was better.

Not once have I had any problems with any German drivers. The only problem I've ever had there was one person cutting me up, and it was a dickhead in a Zafira with GB plates glued to the fast lane doing 70mph in unlimited zone with plenty of space to pull over into.

The simple fact of the matter is, few British people can drive well, and competently.
 
mfl said:
mine too, except haven't worked out how to get my S3 half-way round the world :friendly wink:..... can't afford air cargo...
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Ferry mate.... Air cargo, lol.


or just drive Eurotunnel to France and then onwards.
 
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J4MMYz said:
Only got 90 so far in my 1.4 COD. I lost my b*ll*cks to continue on the M1, don't fancy a ticket. It just pulls to 90 like it's no problem at all though, and it's still quiet... Impressed to say the least.

I'd love to go to the autobahn also, that'd give the car a run for it's money lol.


+ that RS3 video, I love the new RS3. Supercar power + noise in a normal everyday car = awesome. Easily specced to 50k though, thats a big price for the car, but however I think it is worth that in a way, the power and the noise... Quite fond of the styling as long as it doesn't have those silver lines on front and rear, I think that looks a little weird.. shame i'll never be able to afford one though :p
Click to expand...

I hit 100 on the M25 in my 1.4 COD - this was midnight and following a 1-Series. The funny thing is, I didn't even realise I was at 100 until I looked at the speedo - all I was doing was trying to keep the same (safe) distance between me and the BMW but wasn't looking at my speed. (Honest truth constable).

It's so smooth - couldn't hear any engine noise, revs were sitting at 3,000.

I'd never say never about affording an RS3. One day you might be spec'ing an RS7!

 
4K said:
Oh right. In that case, emigrate.
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lol....but bringing the S3 with me might still be a problem. The last time I drove though some very interesting Alpine roads in Italy, was in a 1.1l Escort....... talk about heart breaking..
 
IanPG said:
holy moly - australia's top speed 110km/hr on country roads - license gone with those speeds, as well a little bit of pee from excitement/scared shitless
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what it also shows is just how stupidly low our speed limits are and they haven't changed in the last 40 years, except gotten lower ! even though cars have become safer.

It also shows inadequate driver training and cretinous politicians who can only mouth off 'speeds kills' and lets put speeds cameras everywhere.

what really scares me shitless is driving on aussie freeways, where keeping left unless overtaking is foreign concept.
 
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mfl said:
lol....but bringing the S3 with me might still be a problem. The last time I drove though some very interesting Alpine roads in Italy, was in a 1.1l Escort....... talk about heart breaking..
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You brave man. My grandmother lives in Italy, and I would never drive there.. it is absolutely nuts.. The roads are great, the people don't have a clue... Even worse than the UK.
 
4K said:
You brave man. My grandmother lives in Italy, and I would never drive there.. it is absolutely nuts.. The roads are great, the people don't have a clue... Even worse than the UK.
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lol.. it was many, many years ago, but simply if I drove in Sydney the way I drove in Italy I would have lost my license in less than 24 hours.

I made the mistake of obeying the speed limit in Rome, it only happened once, but the screaming car horns soon alerted me to my mistake.

I have family in Milan, and was dumfounded when my cousin said it was okay to overtake the Highway Patrol car on the autostrada ! ( in Aus, try that and go directly to jail, do not pass Go ) and yes a 1.1l Escort does an indicated 160km/h on a slight downhill and about 110km/h going up the hill if not steep and no more than 2 people in the car. Overtaking on the wider country roads was an eye opener - drivers actually moved to the right to give you room to overtake, here in Australia the morons speed up because you have offend their manhood because you have dared to overtake them !

although my last trip to Italy, I used public transport !
 
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mfl said:
lol.. it was many, many years ago, but simply if I drove in Sydney the way I drove in Italy I would have lost my license in less than 24 hours.

I made the mistake of obeying the speed limit in Rome, it only happened once, but the screaming car horns soon alerted me to my mistake.

I have family in Milan, and was dumfounded when my cousin said it was okay to overtake the Highway Patrol car on the autostrada ! ( in Aus, try that and go directly to jail, do not pass Go ) and yes a 1.1l Escort does an indicated 160km/h on a slight downhill and about 110km/h going up the hill if not steep and no more than 2 people in the car. Overtaking on the wider country roads was an eye opener - drivers actually moved to the right to give you room to overtake, here in Australia the morons speed up because you have offend their manhood because you have dared to overtake them !

although my last trip to Italy, I used public transport !
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Hahaha!! What a coincidence man, my grandmother lives in Milan too! Citta studi area! I know, it's ridiculous, they beep on red lights if you don't go! I think the stats are something like a person dies every day there due to road related accident, it's insane.
 
4K said:
Hahaha!! What a coincidence man, my grandmother lives in Milan too! Citta studi area! I know, it's ridiculous, they beep on red lights if you don't go! I think the stats are something like a person dies every day there due to road related accident, it's insane.
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Yes it is coincidence, my uncle and his family lived in Sesto San Giovanni, not exactly the most uplifting, heavy industrial area I have visited, back then.....not quite the postcard setting as other parts of Milan are.
 
When driving in Italy I find the best way to avoid stress is to never look in the rear view mirror. That way you don't see the guy straddling 2 lanes, talking on his cellphone, an inch off your bumper. My last trip to Rome they reversed the direction of most of the one-way streets so you couldn't see the street name signs on the side of the buildings until after you were through the intersection. Even the taxi drivers were lost. The Europcar sign on the garage where I had to drop my rental car was about the size of an envelope. I'm surprised I'm not still there looking for it.

I did enjoy my time driving in Germany though. We booked a VW Golf but it wasn't available so they substituted a Merc turbo diesel at the same price. Woot! Driving legally at over twice the speed limit here in Canada was a blast, and felt perfectly safe due to the general lane discipline.
 
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Not looking forward to driving to Calabria in the south of Italy now lol
 
Fastest ive done in my A3 2.0TDI 2004 (Mapped) is 145mph according to GPS not speedo.. it had some more revs left but didn't push further...

would love to see what it does on autobahn.
 
Tony1982 said:
Not looking forward to driving to Calabria in the south of Italy now lol
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just drive like everyone else does there and not like you would at home and you'll be fine.

and an aside my daughter just got back from a holiday which included Italy.

They had arranged a shuttle from Rome to Sorrento, but the shuttle service sent a Mercedes sedan instead. She said she was shocked when she saw the driver doing 180km/h on the Autostrada, apparently the 4 hr trip, took about 2.5hrs instead :laughing:
 
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