New Specification across the A3 range

[Vertigo1]

Have to say the dropping of the price of the CD-based nav to £750 but only for the S3 is an interesting move. Looks to me like they've realised that just adding the DVD nav to the S3 puts it near to £30k before you add anything else and that people don't like the idea of spending £27k on a car without any nav at all so they're offering a lower cost option.

I'm also surprised the black styling pack is being offered across the range rather than on just the higher specced models.

 

[alanjonesbath]

I'm the same with leather. It looks the best and is easy to clean but that's it. Cloth is more comfortable to sit on and doesn't get stupidly hot/cold in summer/winter.

If I were to now order the same car I ordered in September I'd end up paying another £235 for the 2.0TDI, £85 for BOSE and £250 for S-Line so I'd be paying an extra £570 and getting nothing but the full leather seats for it. I'm happy I ordered when I did.

Yup, exactly how I feel. I'd be shelling out £485 more and would only be getting the leather seats extra for that money. Glad I ordered when I did, three weeks later and I'd have been paying more for an extra I wouldn't want

 

[steve184]

was gonna order mine tomorrow! now im gonnahave to pay more for the same car!!! Anyone know when official date the price change starts? or is it instant, ie, now!

 

[Vertigo1]

Well someone on here said the full leather was going to be added to all orders placed from the 11th (i.e. today) and given that the new price list is now on the website I'd say the changes are now in force

 

[steve184]

i downloaded the pricelist before and it was the old one - something like par_008 the file was called????

 

[h5djr]

The current A3 price list on Audi UKs website is ...PAR009.pdf as is effective from 10 November 2006, so I assume anything ordered from now on will be to the new specifications and prices.

 

[steve184]

NOT IMPRESSED! Been in to order car today - £26k+ worth and they wouldn't let me off the extra £300 for the sake of one day! Wouldn't mind but i have told them i don't want it until march so although ive left a deposit they are not going to put the order on system until december anyway... had i have gone in two days ago the same procedure would have been the case - the only differnce being the hand written date on the top of the order form! They could have easily fumbled it by writing 9/11/06 on the top rather than 11/11/06 but instead they would rather **** another customer off. £26k+ of car spoilt now cos i feel like i been ripped off!

PLUS! there is the distinct disadvantage of not being able ot see the new sport wheels on a car! you cant tell from a little picture - they might look crap and spoil a £26k car - nothing they can do they say, yetthe first opportunity i have to see them will be first deliveries in 2007 at which time it will be far too late to change my spec.

Audi you are crap at making your customers happy!!!

 

[alanjonesbath]

NOT IMPRESSED! Been in to order car today - £26k+ worth and they wouldn't let me off the extra £300 for the sake of one day! Wouldn't mind but i have told them i don't want it until march so although ive left a deposit they are not going to put the order on system until december anyway... had i have gone in two days ago the same procedure would have been the case - the only differnce being the hand written date on the top of the order form! They could have easily fumbled it by writing 9/11/06 on the top rather than 11/11/06 but instead they would rather **** another customer off. £26k+ of car spoilt now cos i feel like i been ripped off!

PLUS! there is the distinct disadvantage of not being able ot see the new sport wheels on a car! you cant tell from a little picture - they might look crap and spoil a £26k car - nothing they can do they say, yetthe first opportunity i have to see them will be first deliveries in 2007 at which time it will be far too late to change my spec.

Audi you are crap at making your customers happy!!!

Didn't they give you any sort of discount then? I got them to knock 10% off list price for the S-line I ordered 3 weeks ago.

 

[Vertigo1]

If they're genuinely not going to put the order on the system until December then I don't see how they could have held the price had you ordered two days ago tbh.

The official prices affect what the dealer has to forward on to Audi when they order/pay for the vehicle so if they're not going to even put it on the system until December, surely at that point they'd have to pay Audi whatever the current price is?

More likely is that they'd have placed the order with Audi immediately which, had that been 2 days ago, would have secured the old pricing, but with a note not to build the car yet as delivery isn't required until March 2007.

Then again, what do I know?

What spec did you go for in the end Steve?

 

[steve184]

Well thats what they said anyway - the day i order thats the price i pay.

I'm havin a TDI 170 sport S tronic 3 door, in dolphin grey (i think???) pebble/light grey leather with:

Cruise control
Light and rain sensor
Xenon plus lights
Heated front seats
Interior light pack
Front armrest
Storage pack
Symphony III 6CD
BOSE (pah £80 extra for nothing more!)
No smoking pack
Auto dimming and folding door mirrors

..plus before i went in and spoke ot the guy i saw a used A3 outside with light interior with the medial inlasy and they actually looked quite good so had decided to have these too - although now i have to pay nearly 300 quid extra i cant :-(

 

[roadrunner]

Don't get mad... Get even. There could be nothing worse than placing an order and parting with that amount of cash with a bad taste in your mouth. It ruins the whole experience, so don't do it.

If they haven't placed the order on the computer you can justifiably cancel the order and get your deposit back. Then see what happens.

Take your money elsewhere. Get the best internet quote you can and hawk it around or buy online but for goodness sake don't stick with this dealer if they have ****** you off.

With a hike in interest rates things are gonna get more difficult and there's no way you won't be able to save that amount of money.

 

[Vertigo1]

Tend to agree with roadrunner here. Just find another dealer (must be one not too far away) and go to them. Either the other dealer will give you a discount to get the order or the current one will give you one to stay with them.

 

[steve184]

...know what you are saying but noone else can possibly match the deal im getting which equates to about £5,000 off (12.5% + £1650)

however, now someone is going to say.... why you moaning over £300 quid then... cos its just like roadrunner said.... its just left a nasty taste in my mouth now - made the deal a little 'less' sweeter if you know what i mean

 

[roadrunner]

Audi you are crap at making your customers happy!!!

So what you're really saying is that the dealer has given you about 18.5% off and not surprisingly has absoluely no room for any additional discount. That you could have gone ahead and ordered it but decided to delay it cos it suited you and in the meantime they have incraesed the spec and the price slightly and so you want an additional discount... do us a favour!

Don't sulk cos your paying extra... smile cos you still have one amazing deal

 

[steve184]

what the hell you on about 'i delayed it cos it suited me'????? i didn't delay anything - i ordered as soon as i could after i had the financial backing to be in a position to buy! I don't want an additional discount i want to pay the price quoted not an inflated price for nothing extra?????? especially for the sake of one day!!!!!!

FYI the reason i have that discount is due to having so much trouble with my last A3 so it isn't all roses - i was messed about something rotten - and this is compensation which in my opinion should not be eaten into by price increases

And also FYI they havent increased the spec at all - they have changed the spec not increased it - if i had something extra for the money i wouldnt have any prob at all

 

[cdb2]

Steve - remind us briefly what happened with your prev car and how you got the deal you have\what the deal was made of - may help others who jave serious probs.

 

[steve184]

had probs with the wipers hitting the bonnet chipping the paint - two audi dealers between them had 6 attempts at putting it right. went to trading standards wrote loads of letters etc - said they had spoilt my 'experience' with my audi and wanted a new car - they refused to give me a new car but said they would put the best deal together to ge tme in a new car - gave me a low trade in tho so i suggested selling mine privately which i did to get the overall deal better - been a lot of messing about tho cos now had to buy another old car (with problems!!!) to drive until my new one is made.

 

[roadrunner]

Apologies if its my error Steve but my understanding was that if you are not wanting a car until March so you get the 07 reg then the order may be taken by the dealer but would still not be processed and the price guaranteed until it was loaded on the system probably in late December for March delivery, unless you were to have it delivered and pay for it in January and then leave it at the dealers till March. I may be wrong.

You implied that you were paying over £26k for the car, if you had explained the full facts I wouldn’t have bothered replying.

 

[steve184]

ahh don't worry about it - it doesn't matter - my point was i was just ****** of cos for the sake of a day they couldn't waiver the price increase - a month late and i would accept it fine but a day is a bit rough -especially given the reason i'm gettin the new car in the first place.....

Anyway, when i get it i'll race ya - see whats quicker a quattro or a DSG!!!! (same colour btw!!!!)

 

[vagman]

see whats quicker a quattro or a DSG!!!! (same colour btw!!!!)

It's a pity that one couldn't spec a quattro DSG.

I really wanted both, but given that the choice was one or t'other, I opted for what I regarded as 'must have', i.e. DSG.

 

[steve184]

and do you still class it as a 'must-have'?????? now you have it?

 

[vagman]

and do you still class it as a 'must-have'?????? now you have it?

Yep.............I had it on two previous TTs.

I ruled out the S3 because it was only available as a manual.

 

[Vertigo1]

DSG is a great convenience feature and provides smooth changes but it's hopeless in a sporty car such as the S3. Just way too hesitant.

 

[vagman]

DSG is a great convenience feature and provides smooth changes but it's hopeless in a sporty car such as the S3. Just way too hesitant.

Dunno where hesitancy comes into it.

It worked a treat on the TT, and still does, so why not on the S3.

In order to utilise DSG to it's full potential, you've just got to learn to use the paddles.

Gear changes are instant and a damn sight better that you can do with a clutch and a gear stick.

Or stick it in Sport and sit back and enjoy the ride.

When was the last time you drove a manual car to it's potential the way that you can in a DSG equipped car.

 

[Vertigo1]

Hesitancy comes into it whenever you stamp on the accelerator! Cruise along at a steady speed then stamp on it because you want a sudden burst of acceleration and there's a second or so of delay whilst the box works out what the hell to do. You also get the same problem trying to pull away sharply from a standstill at junctions.

Once you're pressing on the changes are perfectly smooth yes but that's not the issue. I'd had a very brief potter about in a DSG car a while ago and was sure I wanted it for my next one as I loved the convenience, the smoothness of the changes and the fun of the paddles but I made a point of booking a couple of hours in one to give it a proper test and at the end of it I was positive I didn't want it any more.

The problem is that, no matter how clever the electronics are, they can't read your mind. If you're cruising along and want to gun it for an overtake then you know what you're about to do and can make a decision on whether to shift down or not and, if you do, make the change ahead of time so you're in the right gear and ready to go. The DSG box can't do this and so has to react to your stamp on the pedal. Even given that it has to react you'd think it'd be able to use it's lightning changes to shift down the second you hit the accelerator and then take off instantly but it doesn't. It ponders for a half second or so before shifting down for a second then shifting straight back up again as the revs rise quickly. Found it all a bit of a mess tbh.

The pulling out of junctions thing is even more of a pain. The problem here is that, in a manual, you can raise the revs and then drop the clutch to go instantly but you can't do this with DSG. When you stamp on it the revs have to be allowed to rise for a half second before it releases the clutch. I suppose this is what launch control was supposed to circumvent but it's a lot of palaver to use and apparently doesn't even exist on the diesels.

Don't get me wrong, DSG is better than a standard auto in many ways, with the ultra smooth changes but it still has the big hesitancy issues that plague all autos and I was just expecting more.

 

[Spook]

Hesitancy comes into it whenever you stamp on the accelerator! Cruise along at a steady speed then stamp on it because you want a sudden burst of acceleration and there's a second or so of delay whilst the box works out what the hell to do. You also get the same problem trying to pull away sharply from a standstill at junctions.

Once you're pressing on the changes are perfectly smooth yes but that's not the issue. I'd had a very brief potter about in a DSG car a while ago and was sure I wanted it for my next one as I loved the convenience, the smoothness of the changes and the fun of the paddles but I made a point of booking a couple of hours in one to give it a proper test and at the end of it I was positive I didn't want it any more.

The problem is that, no matter how clever the electronics are, they can't read your mind. If you're cruising along and want to gun it for an overtake then you know what you're about to do and can make a decision on whether to shift down or not and, if you do, make the change ahead of time so you're in the right gear and ready to go. The DSG box can't do this and so has to react to your stamp on the pedal. Even given that it has to react you'd think it'd be able to use it's lightning changes to shift down the second you hit the accelerator and then take off instantly but it doesn't. It ponders for a half second or so before shifting down for a second then shifting straight back up again as the revs rise quickly. Found it all a bit of a mess tbh.

The pulling out of junctions thing is even more of a pain. The problem here is that, in a manual, you can raise the revs and then drop the clutch to go instantly but you can't do this with DSG. When you stamp on it the revs have to be allowed to rise for a half second before it releases the clutch. I suppose this is what launch control was supposed to circumvent but it's a lot of palaver to use and apparently doesn't even exist on the diesels.

Don't get me wrong, DSG is better than a standard auto in many ways, with the ultra smooth changes but it still has the big hesitancy issues that plague all autos and I was just expecting more.

Vertigo1, got it in one. Too much stamping on the pedal required in normal driving for me. The DSG/S-tronic is a nice try, but no cigar as far as I'm concerned just yet. I'm sure the next version will be a lot nearer to where it needs to be, though.

 

[h5djr]

If you're cruising along and want to gun it for an overtake then you know what you're about to do and can make a decision on whether to shift down or not and, if you do, make the change ahead of time so you're in the right gear and ready to go. The DSG box can't do this and so has to react to your stamp on the pedal.

This assumes your in D or S mode. If you select tip-tronic mode you can change down ready for the overtake in just the same way as you would with a manual only with just the click of a paddle or the flick of the lever. Even in D or S you can click the down paddle and get the same effect. I use my DSG in tip-tronic mode almost all the time and only change to D in queueing traffic. Much more enjoyable than D or S with the DSG and just as good and rewarding as a manual box but without having to use the clutch.

 

[roadrunner]

I also had the same experience as Vertigo1 and decided to stick with manual.

However, I came to the conclusion that driving a DSG vehicle is something you have to get used to and when you do it's probably great. In my case I've been driving a manual for too long to make the change easily and while getting used to it it would be like my test drive... I would never feel totally in control of the vehicle. DSG maybe great but its such a different drive I reckon it would take a while to be part of my driving habit.

 

[h5djr]

I found it reasonably easy to adapt to the DSG. It was quite fun having to learn a few new techniques. My current A3 was my first diesel and first 'auto' in 41 years of driving. Prior to that all my previous 18 cars had been petrol and manual. You can teach an old dog new tricks!

I think the main thing is to use tip-tronic as much as possible. It makes for a much more enjoyable experience that sticking to D or S.

 

[Vertigo1]

This assumes your in D or S mode. If you select tip-tronic mode you can change down ready for the overtake in just the same way as you would with a manual only with just the click of a paddle or the flick of the lever. Even in D or S you can click the down paddle and get the same effect. I use my DSG in tip-tronic mode almost all the time and only change to D in queueing traffic. Much more enjoyable than D or S with the DSG and just as good and rewarding as a manual box but without having to use the clutch.

Well yes you can use the paddles to take manual control of it but then you're effectively driving a manual again. Ok so you've got the advantages of an auto when you want it and a manual when you need it but the box should be able to work better than it does without having to take manual control of it. They make so much fuss about the instant changes yet the box doesn't change instantly when you need it to - you have to do it yourself ahead of time.

Also, you say you stay in manual mode most of the time - err, how? The box will change back to D or S by itself if you don't use the paddles for a while and also won't hold a gear right to the red light but will change up even if you don't want it to.

Speaking of D and S modes, I found D was far too lazy and changed up ridiculously early, thus every time I prodded the accelerator even the slightest amount it was changing down. S alleviated this a lot but did it by simply holding one gear lower most of the time, so when you're cruising in S you're using a load more fuel because you're one gear lower than you "should" be.

All in all, DSG is just not quite there yet. It has the potential to be superb but I think the software lets it down.

 

[h5djr]

Also, you say you stay in manual mode most of the time - err, how? The box will change back to D or S by itself if you don't use the paddles for a while and also won't hold a gear right to the red light but will change up even if you don't want it to.

If you use the paddles while in D or S then Yes it will change back to fully auto but not if you are in tip-tronic mode. Also in tip-tronic it will change up automatically when the red line is reached, but not before. Cannot see any reason to run right up to the red line personally as maximum power is produced at 4000 on the 140 TDI.

I personally feel the DSG as an 'almost' manual gearbox but with an automatic clutch. It allows me to drive very similar to a manual but without having to keep playing with a clutch pedal. As I said I very rarely use D or S. The first car of this type a drove was a loan A4 with multi-tronic and I liked it apart from the fact that the engine note does not always match the speed which seem a little odd. When I first borrowed a demonstrator with a DSG for the week-end I enjoyed it so much that I decided that was for me. I should hate to have to go back to a normal manual again. Another reason for choosing the DSG was having had 3 previous A3s (8L) the manual gearbox on each one was not very good. Perhaps they have now improved.

When I have driven my wife's manual Polo it's been OK but no where near as enjoyable as just flicking the lever to change gear. I never forgot to put the clutch down, but I did forget on a couple of occasions that a manual box does not automatically change into first gear when you stop!

Still each to his own - at least Audi offer most A3s with the option of either manual or DSG so giving each of us the choice. Another reason

 

[Spook]

This assumes your in D or S mode. If you select tip-tronic mode you can change down ready for the overtake in just the same way as you would with a manual only with just the click of a paddle or the flick of the lever. Even in D or S you can click the down paddle and get the same effect. I use my DSG in tip-tronic mode almost all the time and only change to D in queueing traffic. Much more enjoyable than D or S with the DSG and just as good and rewarding as a manual box but without having to use the clutch.

Yes, leaving it in "Tiptronic" mode is better, but you can still catch it out badly sometimes if you attempt a double downshift when pressing on. If you do this (e.g. 6th, double-click straight down to 4th) there is often a huge pregnant pause while, for example, the gearbox thinks about, looks for, then engages 4th from 5th. The DSG is very quick if the gear you want is on the same layshaft as the one you've just had, but if it's on the other layshaft, watch out, as you'll just have to wait while the software sorts it out - often so long that a downchange with a manual box would be quicker. Not good on a performance car, IMHO.

 

[Vertigo1]

I think the DSG gives you 95% of the advantages of an auto and 80% of the advantages of a manual. That's a great combination for many but for some the 95% of the advantages of an auto won't be enough to compensate for the loss of 20% of the advantages of a manual.

 

[vagman]

I think the DSG gives you 95% of the advantages of an auto and 80% of the advantages of a manual. That's a great combination for many but for some the 95% of the advantages of an auto won't be enough to compensate for the loss of 20% of the advantages of a manual.

What is the 5% where a standard automatic is superior over DSG?

If you are driving a manual @ say 60mph and wanted to floor it, it would take a eternity to get any speed up.................you would have to undertake the tedious operation of depresssing the clutch and scrabble about with a stick desperately trying to find an appropriate gear.

In a similar situation with a DSG equipped car, you simply click down a couple of gears and whoooooooosh, you're away.

So, I dunno where a manual gearbox is superior.

DSG equipped cars have +/- paddles for a reason.

 

[Vertigo1]

What is the 5% where a standard automatic is superior over DSG?

Maybe it isn't but I thought I'd give myself 5% of room incase someone came up with a good reason a normal auto was better

If you are driving a manual @ say 60mph and wanted to floor it, it would take a eternity to get any speed up.................you would have to undertake the tedious operation of depresssing the clutch and scrabble about with a stick desperately trying to find an appropriate gear.

Oh please! If you're trying to draw comparisons between changing gears in a DSG equipped car and with a manual don't try make out DSG is superior by using phrases like "scrabble about with a stick desperately trying to find an appropriate gear". Of course it can change gear a lot faster than a human could but how often is this actually relevant?

If you need to change gear for an imminent acceleration manouver then the vast majority of the time you'll do so ahead of the event to prepare. In this scenario it doesn't matter that DSG can do it in milliseconds whereas it takes a human with a manual a full second. If you're driving correctly then you allow yourself the time to do this.

In cases where you need sudden acceleration without prior warning then DSG hunts about for a second, working out what on earth to do. I can drop a gear in a manual and floor it in the same time it takes the DSG box to work out what's going on and this is the problem. With its instant changes it could be so much better but it just isn't. When you floor it, it should shift down instantly but there's a pause - why?

DSG equipped cars have +/- paddles for a reason.

Even these aren't instant. When I test drove a DSG car and tried the paddles, there was still a split-second delay between clicking the paddle and the gear actually changing. Maybe only a quarter to a half-second but it was there and it gave me a feeling of "disconnection", as if the gears weren't under my direct control like they are in a manual.

At the end of the day everyone is different, both in their driving style & habits and their expectations of a manual, auto or semi-auto gearbox. For me personally, a manual felt far better than the DSG. The advantages of DSG, which are genuine and very valuable to many, did not outweight the negatives and the loss of control I felt compared to a manual, thus I stuck with self-shifting for my next car.

Each to their own

 

[vagman]

As you say Vertigo, each to their own.

Enjoy your car when it comes..................before manual transmissions are consigned to the British Museum.

 

[h5djr]

thus I stuck with self-shifting for my next car.

Personally I think the greatest asset of the DSG is that you can choose to use it as an automatic when it's an advantage, such as in slow moving heavy traffic or you can put it into tip-tronic and 'self-shift', but without an old fashioned clutch. Just a flick of a lever or paddle. The only time the DSG overrides you in tip-tronic is if you are doing something that is basically bad for the engine such as over-reving or in too higher gear for you speed.

Quite honestly if you ever 'need sudden acceleration without prior warning' then you are not driving very well. One of the main aspects of safe driving is anticipation and being in the right gear at the right time and giving yourself time to react.

 

[southpaw66]

Just to add my two pence.

1. Ths DSG is a fantastic piece of engineering and the engineer in me is deeply impressed with what it can do and I want one, but...

2. I get a strange satisfaction from changing gears manually and doing it well - and yes it is still deeply annoying in heavy traffic.

In this case; head says DSG, heart says Manual.

 

[h5djr]

I know how you feel southpaw66. I have been driving for 41 years - 39 of them using a manual gearbox, first with only 4 gears, then five and then six. I also used to get a real buzz from getting all the gear changes right.

Then I decided to try the DSG and have never looked back. I now much prefer the DSG to a manual but I now get my buzz from using the DSG in tip-tronic mode and feeling the DSG getting the gear changes right every time and in a split second. My poor old knees are much better now that I don't have to keeping pressing a clutch pedal and driving is still very enjoyable.

My car has just this morning gone into an Audi bodyshop to have some minor work done following a car park incident a week ago. My insurance provides me with a courtesy car and the hire company have given me an automatic Toyota Corolla 1.6. The auto on the Toyota is not a patch on the DSG and if it was a choice between this type of 'normal' automatic box and a manual I would choose the manual every time.

 

[Amchlolor]

As you say Vertigo, each to their own.

Enjoy your car when it comes..................before manual transmissions are consigned to the British Museum.

Don't make me laugh !
Check how many DSG's sell compared with manuals.
DSG is,without a doubt,the single worst aspect of my car.
It sucks.
It's a stupid toy.
To suggest it gives anywhere near the control of a manual is the funniest thing I've heard on here !
If it gives me the control of a manual,how come I daren't try and nip into free flowing traffic like I can in a manual ?
Because,if I do,I'm left sitting there like a spaz,screaming at the car to ****** do something.
If it gives the same control as a manual,how come it changes up for me halfway round a corner,just because it thinks I'm being a bit naughty with the revs ?

If you like it,fair enough,but don't try and suggest it gives the same control as a manual or will,LOL,replace manuals altogether !