Have got the A4 Cab in for a quick warranty job at the local Audi dealer (who in all honesty have been great so far 
). When car originally went in for 'diagnosis' they supplied a perfectly nice '05' A6 Saloon for the duration (PM night before - PM the next day, suits my needs.)
This time in order to complete the job (they needed to order a part) I arrived back at the dealer to have the part fitted. As I saw them filling in the paperwork briefly for the loan vehicle, I noticed that it was going to be an A3, which left me at first feeling slightly dissapointed, especially when he asked if I was ok with an Auto (visions of underpowered small 'orrible low spec cheapie came to mind)
I've got to say that it was a pleasant surprise, it's a A3 2.0T FSI Sport, with the DSG gearbox. All I can I say is what an incredible gearbox! In automatic mode it drives very smoothly and civilised as it shifts sensibly through the six ratios, pop it into sports mode and it's an absolute blast. A very eager 200bhp (don't forget that there's not much weight to this thing!
) with an exceptionally quick gear change (something like 0.2 of a second so I am told 
). It isn't even remotely like a conventional auto 'sport' mode, it physically refuses to change up a gear until it's really boiling, and as you bring it to a rapid halt, it shifts down through the box as quickly as you could hope for in a manual, giving exceptional braking.
This DSG 'box should satisfy even the most stubborn of 'auto haters' (getting you back for that hairdressing comment Graham
). AFAIK it has no 'power sapping' torque converter, has two clutches (so it can pre-engage the next gear), can change gear in 0.2 of a second and is quicker than the equivalent manual. 
Ok so it's no sports car, but I was impressed to hear that it's within 0.5 of a second of the 3.2 quattro DSG varient in a 0-60 dash, coming in at 6.9 seconds (vs. 6.4 for the 3.2 or 6.5 for a 3.2 manual ).
Tip function is also fun, but in my opinion, the sport mode auto is so good that you would be unlikely to use this much.
All in all it's a nice car, good spec (sport pack, leather, heated seats, Bose etc etc), but it's still an A3. It's very quick and capable, but I can't work out if the 'anonymity' factor is good or not. You could certainly surprise many people with it's performance, especially being that it's 'only a 2.0T FSI', but I can't help feeling that it blends into a whole image of company cars and has no real identity.
Anyway, not an MB and obviously nothing that exciting for most of you, but I must say that it rapidly changed my opinion of the otherwise 'boring' A3!
Certainly better than it could have been (even though it is a bit small! 
)
Will
). When car originally went in for 'diagnosis' they supplied a perfectly nice '05' A6 Saloon for the duration (PM night before - PM the next day, suits my needs.)This time in order to complete the job (they needed to order a part) I arrived back at the dealer to have the part fitted. As I saw them filling in the paperwork briefly for the loan vehicle, I noticed that it was going to be an A3, which left me at first feeling slightly dissapointed, especially when he asked if I was ok with an Auto (visions of underpowered small 'orrible low spec cheapie came to mind)
I've got to say that it was a pleasant surprise, it's a A3 2.0T FSI Sport, with the DSG gearbox. All I can I say is what an incredible gearbox! In automatic mode it drives very smoothly and civilised as it shifts sensibly through the six ratios, pop it into sports mode and it's an absolute blast. A very eager 200bhp (don't forget that there's not much weight to this thing!
) with an exceptionally quick gear change (something like 0.2 of a second so I am told ). It isn't even remotely like a conventional auto 'sport' mode, it physically refuses to change up a gear until it's really boiling, and as you bring it to a rapid halt, it shifts down through the box as quickly as you could hope for in a manual, giving exceptional braking.This DSG 'box should satisfy even the most stubborn of 'auto haters' (getting you back for that hairdressing comment Graham
). AFAIK it has no 'power sapping' torque converter, has two clutches (so it can pre-engage the next gear), can change gear in 0.2 of a second and is quicker than the equivalent manual. Ok so it's no sports car, but I was impressed to hear that it's within 0.5 of a second of the 3.2 quattro DSG varient in a 0-60 dash, coming in at 6.9 seconds (vs. 6.4 for the 3.2 or 6.5 for a 3.2 manual
).Tip function is also fun, but in my opinion, the sport mode auto is so good that you would be unlikely to use this much.
All in all it's a nice car, good spec (sport pack, leather, heated seats, Bose etc etc), but it's still an A3. It's very quick and capable, but I can't work out if the 'anonymity' factor is good or not. You could certainly surprise many people with it's performance, especially being that it's 'only a 2.0T FSI', but I can't help feeling that it blends into a whole image of company cars and has no real identity.
Anyway, not an MB and obviously nothing that exciting for most of you, but I must say that it rapidly changed my opinion of the otherwise 'boring' A3!
Certainly better than it could have been (even though it is a bit small! )Will
I was like "no thank you..." when salesman offered only £400 discount - there was a used black GTI with 4000 (ish) miles sitting on forecourt and they were only selling it for around 400 (ish) less than a brand new car of equivlent spec... new Golf is a nice car but well over priced....
