Clearly he meant the previous iterations of the cars; are you deliberatly obtuse or just dense Bob?
VW Golf GT or A3 Sportback S-Line
- Thread starter bobwilson
- Start date
Clearly he meant the previous iterations of the cars; are you deliberatly obtuse or just dense Bob?
number3
Registered User
Gotta say it came down to a lot more for me, and I had the new 1 series in the mix as well. Not trying to be argumentative , but I wouldn't pick a car on whether I preferred pop up to touch screen, if the overall drive of the car ,exterior looks, comfort in the cabin etc; outshone all others, and it had a screen or dash I didn't like, to be honest I'd learn to like it !
Mark.
Exactly.
It's a fairly minor thing and to be fair, most people could live with either system and adjust quite well. However, as h5djr has said previously, the A3 doesn't provide enough boot space for his needs which I would consider a major deal breaker. Everyone 'weights' different factors in their car purchase.... I can't think of many that would heavily 'weight' a media interface.
number3
Registered User
Iâll be honest and say Iâve tried to keep off the whole A3 vs Golf related threads, as the points being discussed are all down to personal opinion, and therefore sooooooo subjective.
H5djr reasons, as said, are a deal breaker, not much to discuss , just not big enough!! And he does sound genuinely disappointed that heâll be going a different route this time round, his past motors speak for themselves really.
But, and Iâll apologise if wrong, Bobs posts whether he means them to be or not do come across a little argumentative, like he has already made up his mind and so is posting negatively in general about the A3 to confirm this in his own mind, what answers youâd except to receive on an Audi forum by posting those types of threads I donât really know, you canât expect an unbiased reply from somebody who has just laid out thousands of pounds on a car to then agree and say yep your right its pants, should have gone to speck savers!! also It flows both ways you canât expect people to agree with your view if youâre not willing to do the same with theirs, and of course you are going to upset people, and replying âsorry if Iâve upsetâ is just red rag to a bull and Iâm sorry, is just said to wind people up in my opinion.
You see lots of these types of threads across the internet,Sky Vs Virgin, Iphone vs Android, etc, some genuinely after advice, others not so much, you can usually tell, as when they get their answers they thank the poster and move on, others donât and start pushing their point.
When I was picking between cars my last time round I went to both forums for both cars asked my questions, do you like the car, is there any problems with it etc, took my answers and made my choice, job done, then returning to the site as an owner.!
Anyway â¦.lolâ¦. ask your questions make your choice and stick by it. Once youâve bought the ****** thing then come back and start complaining if you donât like this or thatâ¦.lolâ¦.we are British we all love a moan.!!
Mark
When I first read that the new A3 Sportback was going to be a bit longer than the existing model I thought it would possibly have a slightly larger luggage area, but in fact all the extra space has, probably quite correctly, gone into the cabin area. This is where most more people will get the best use of the extra space. The luggage area in the new Sportback is actual smaller front to back than my present Sportback, which is why I will need to look elsewhere which does in some ways disappoint me.
Having said that, the design of the interior is to me one of the most important parts of the car. The number of cars I look at in showrooms and just walk away as soon as I look inside. I have always linked an 'under stated' interior which is one of the main reasons I liked the A3 in the first place some 13 years ago. The original was, to me, even better than my current one, because there was a lot less chrome involved. The rings round the vents were black as were the air-con controls. But appearance is only part of it. Everything must work in a way I like, the switches and stalks must work and feel good for eaxample. The things you touch and use are important to me. In the case of the Golf and the A3 they are both basically from the same mould and many are even exactly the same parts, and a lot of whats inside and the technology used is exactly the same. But the 'deal maker or braker' for me would still be the MMI v touch screen. Some people say I could get used to either, but personally I dislike the MMI setup so much that it would annoy me every time I was in the car. To me a touch screen setup is ideal - you just touch the thing you want to activate, just like on a tablet, smartphone or kindle. If the A3 had been designed to have had a similar touch screen setup to the Golf I would even consider another A3 with possibly part of the rear seat folded down to accommodate my mobility scooter because I like Audi in general and the A3 in particular, but I don't see any point in spending £12-13k on something I just don't like.
It would as bad as having to have a manual gearbox or a 'normal' automatic compared to a DSG!!
Having said that, the design of the interior is to me one of the most important parts of the car. The number of cars I look at in showrooms and just walk away as soon as I look inside. I have always linked an 'under stated' interior which is one of the main reasons I liked the A3 in the first place some 13 years ago. The original was, to me, even better than my current one, because there was a lot less chrome involved. The rings round the vents were black as were the air-con controls. But appearance is only part of it. Everything must work in a way I like, the switches and stalks must work and feel good for eaxample. The things you touch and use are important to me. In the case of the Golf and the A3 they are both basically from the same mould and many are even exactly the same parts, and a lot of whats inside and the technology used is exactly the same. But the 'deal maker or braker' for me would still be the MMI v touch screen. Some people say I could get used to either, but personally I dislike the MMI setup so much that it would annoy me every time I was in the car. To me a touch screen setup is ideal - you just touch the thing you want to activate, just like on a tablet, smartphone or kindle. If the A3 had been designed to have had a similar touch screen setup to the Golf I would even consider another A3 with possibly part of the rear seat folded down to accommodate my mobility scooter because I like Audi in general and the A3 in particular, but I don't see any point in spending £12-13k on something I just don't like.
It would as bad as having to have a manual gearbox or a 'normal' automatic compared to a DSG!!
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There's the problem for me. Phones and cars aren't comparable. Touch screen is great on a phone, but in a car where I want to do stuff while keeping my eyes on the road, touchscreen makes no sense to me. There's no tactile feedback and therefore I have to take my eyes off the road. As has been said before (by me and others), I can use the A3 MMI perfectly without having to look at the buttons. Its intuitive and tactile.
Touchscreen means similar probs with smartphones of course. You have to look at the screen to text or complete virtually any task. I could text blind with my old nokias ten years ago. The thing is though, smartphones bring so much more to the table that this becomes a minor or basically non-issue.
Unlike smartphones, there's no upside with the VW system that I can see that makes the tradeoff worth it. It doesn't bring any extra functionality over the A3s MMI system.
Well each to his own, but personally I would not be using the screen whilst I was driving anyway so the fact that I would have to look at the screen is not a problem. My colleagues who have the MMI system on other Audi models say they have stopped using it whilst driving because they find themselves looking down at the MMI control.
I have a touch screen on my Sat/Nav and the only time I use that whilst actually driving is to Cancel a Route. The only time I need to use the Sat/Nav is for long journies to places I've not been before and I set it up before I start. If anything needs to be changed I remove unclip it from it mount and pass it to my wife and she does any changes. Being about to touch the item you need to access is much more logical and it means she does not have work work out how to access items from a MMI system. The same applies to the radio/cd. If I do decide to listern to anything whilst I'm driving, which is rare, I set it up before I start and usually the only control I need is the volume control, which is on the steering wheel, or the OFF button.
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I agree entirely that touchscreen technology is infinitely more intuitive, but until there's physical feedback from touchscreens (i'd imagine that cars will get it a few years after phones/tablets) I don't think they're suitable for cars - in fact many articles have labeled them as dangerous.
The A3's MMI is different to other models - your colleagues might have a different opinion to the 8V. Its laid out in a way that the contols become second nature within 2 or 3 journeys. I can input destinations into the Nav whilst driving thanks to the touchpad (a good implementation of touch tech in a car) while audio feedback negates the need to look at the screen. I could never dream of doing that in my old A3. Weirdly I don't think the golf's touchscreen allows you to input destinations by writing out letters with your finger...
The A3's MMI is different to other models - your colleagues might have a different opinion to the 8V. Its laid out in a way that the contols become second nature within 2 or 3 journeys. I can input destinations into the Nav whilst driving thanks to the touchpad (a good implementation of touch tech in a car) while audio feedback negates the need to look at the screen. I could never dream of doing that in my old A3. Weirdly I don't think the golf's touchscreen allows you to input destinations by writing out letters with your finger...
The front to back at cill level on the Golf is 760mm whereas on the 3-door A3 it's 770 and on the Sportback 778mm, so the A3 is 10/18mm bigger than the Golf. This is the measurement that is important for me to get my mobility scooter into the luggage area. On my existing Sportback the same measurement is 810mm so 32mm smaller. This one of the main rearsons I think I will be looking for an Estate next time. The A4 would be no good because, apart from being a lot more expensive, only the quattro models have the s-tronic, the rest having the multi-tronic which is no where near as nice to drive.
Would you but an Octavia estate H5djr?
I did consider at one stage buying an Octavia as VRS estate looked smart but preferred A3 SB dimensions and styling.
Certainly lots of luggage space with an Octavia but no idea of s-tronic options.
Curious if you would be tempted away from Audi and VW badge?
I sat in the golf VII today and have to say I was impressed. It was an SE spec and it was a good quality car! I thought the quality of the cabin, soft touch plastics was good and over and beyond my 8P. This is understandable seeing as the 8P is now ancient.
I then took a drive to the seat garage to look at the Leon and was just as impressed. I preferred the exterior of the Leon by far. The golf for me doesn't actually look different enough for the VI. I understand thats the golf way but in SE spec I didn't realise until I sat inside.
I did think both the Golf and Leon's were extremely similar so much so they've used practically the same switches everywhere bar a few. Oh and a whacking big plasticy handbrake in the Leon. The one negative I then saw in the golf is the screen position. It's too low In the dash, whereas the Leon's is higher up. The screens more inline with the dials than the Golf.
Anyway that's my comments. I went and ordered my favourite just over a month ago. A3 Sline in Glacier. Uniqueness at its best!
I then took a drive to the seat garage to look at the Leon and was just as impressed. I preferred the exterior of the Leon by far. The golf for me doesn't actually look different enough for the VI. I understand thats the golf way but in SE spec I didn't realise until I sat inside.
I did think both the Golf and Leon's were extremely similar so much so they've used practically the same switches everywhere bar a few. Oh and a whacking big plasticy handbrake in the Leon. The one negative I then saw in the golf is the screen position. It's too low In the dash, whereas the Leon's is higher up. The screens more inline with the dials than the Golf.
Anyway that's my comments. I went and ordered my favourite just over a month ago. A3 Sline in Glacier
. Uniqueness at its best!
Yes the badge on the front is not that important to me but I would like to stay with a VAG car so the new Octavia Estate is a possibility. When they are available at the dealers I will certainly go for a test drive. The engine and gearbox will be the same as the A3 and Golf and all the 'technology items' are just the same and no doubt from the same source. It will be interesting to compare the Golf Estate and the Octavia Estate.
The 2.0TDI engine in both models will almost certainly be offered with the 6-speed DSG, the same combination as I have in my current A3 Sportback.
I have just been looking at the Skoda website and they have basic details of the new Octavia Estate and one feature I do like the sound of is the Electrical powered tailgate. I seen this used on some of upper range Audi Avants and it always appealed. I wonder if the new Golf Estate will also have it.
