Big Newbie questions???
- Thread starter killa_z
- Start date
The best way to see all the differences is to log on to the Audi UK website - go to New Cars and download the PDF copy of the Prices and Specifications document. This document gives full details of all the differences in specification and details of the different engines available together with all the optional extras.
The Audi UK URL is http://www.audi.co.uk.
The Audi UK URL is http://www.audi.co.uk.
The first thing that I would ask you is what do you want the car for?
If to modify and make super fast then a 2.0 or an S3
If for a run around then a 1.8 perhaps
If to do serious mileage consider a diesel (the 140 is good, the 170 is faster but has some issues, see threads about 170)
Now if you want speed but are never going to mod then consider either an S3 or the 3.2 V6.
Now depending on how old you are will probably determine the next answer. If you like very hard suspension the S3 will suit, if you like hard suspension go for any of the Sport or S-Line cars. If however you want a bit more comfort and a less hard ride but with Sport suspension then I would suggest that you buy the Sport version as it comes with 17" wheels not 18" wheels and it does make a signififcant dfference. You can then spec the car up to S-Line if you wish all bar the bumpers.
Now you need to decide on the next factor which is 3 or 5 door. Basically that is a personal choice but to help you understand my rational for the 3 door it was that I rarely use the rear doors and I wanted a larger door for ease of entry. Whilst the Sportback looks cool, I also thought that the original 3 dooor looked sportier. Just personal opinion.
Another thing to very seriously consider is whether to have the aluminium wing mirrors as although they look cool depending on where you live you may find that you lose wing mirrors as they seem very nickable
I would also think carefully about the opensky roof as there seem to be considerable issue on some cars with it squeeking and rattling.
Hope that helps
If to modify and make super fast then a 2.0 or an S3
If for a run around then a 1.8 perhaps
If to do serious mileage consider a diesel (the 140 is good, the 170 is faster but has some issues, see threads about 170)
Now if you want speed but are never going to mod then consider either an S3 or the 3.2 V6.
Now depending on how old you are will probably determine the next answer. If you like very hard suspension the S3 will suit, if you like hard suspension go for any of the Sport or S-Line cars. If however you want a bit more comfort and a less hard ride but with Sport suspension then I would suggest that you buy the Sport version as it comes with 17" wheels not 18" wheels and it does make a signififcant dfference. You can then spec the car up to S-Line if you wish all bar the bumpers.
Now you need to decide on the next factor which is 3 or 5 door. Basically that is a personal choice but to help you understand my rational for the 3 door it was that I rarely use the rear doors and I wanted a larger door for ease of entry. Whilst the Sportback looks cool, I also thought that the original 3 dooor looked sportier. Just personal opinion.
Another thing to very seriously consider is whether to have the aluminium wing mirrors as although they look cool depending on where you live you may find that you lose wing mirrors as they seem very nickable
I would also think carefully about the opensky roof as there seem to be considerable issue on some cars with it squeeking and rattling.
Hope that helps
thanks for the replies so far, the audi site did seem the obvious, guess i was being lazy and needed a quick sum up of the main differences between them, will check the site in a bit
im 19 and basically need the car for around town driving for a school/job and social commute and motorways every couple months or so, i was already thinking of a 2.0TDI 140 for the fuel efficiency as well as the power it offers above the 1.9TDI and 1.6 petrol, because of my age and of course the price, i cant go to a 2.0TDI 170, a 3.2 V6 or an S3, ive already decided 3 door aswel as for the same reason as you, in my opinion it looks better (sportier)
as far as the wing mirrors go, that will be a later decision when im ready to mod along with wheels, remap etc, should be safe though parked in a driveway with a clifford alarm
am currently looking on ebay, autotrader, pistonheads and will pay a vist to my local dealer soon too
anymore help appreciated
im 19 and basically need the car for around town driving for a school/job and social commute and motorways every couple months or so, i was already thinking of a 2.0TDI 140 for the fuel efficiency as well as the power it offers above the 1.9TDI and 1.6 petrol, because of my age and of course the price, i cant go to a 2.0TDI 170, a 3.2 V6 or an S3, ive already decided 3 door aswel as for the same reason as you, in my opinion it looks better (sportier)
as far as the wing mirrors go, that will be a later decision when im ready to mod along with wheels, remap etc, should be safe though parked in a driveway with a clifford alarm
am currently looking on ebay, autotrader, pistonheads and will pay a vist to my local dealer soon too
anymore help appreciated
the 2.0tdi isnt that economical around town to be honest
the 1.9tdi 130 is a more economical engine but sounds more like a tractor
from what i have experienced the leather isnt as comfortable as the cloth interior
if you are definately going to get an a3 make sure its a 2005+ as this i the face lift model with a few changes to the body
the 1.9tdi 130 is a more economical engine but sounds more like a tractor
from what i have experienced the leather isnt as comfortable as the cloth interior
if you are definately going to get an a3 make sure its a 2005+ as this i the face lift model with a few changes to the body
The new 1.4T has replaced the 1.6 and is more powerful, see http://www.audi-sport.net/vb/showthread.php?t=43483&highlight=1.4
to be completely honest im not to bothered about economical efficiency, just that i cant get insured on a petrol 2.0 Turbo for a decent price, the diesels price is a big difference with these companies
the new 1.4T seems cool but still is not as powerful as the 2.0 and probably not as tunable an engine the 2.0T is - my old man has an 800BHP skyline so the power hunger is genetic im afraid
thanks for the tip on the 2005+ models being facelift, can you be more specfic on the difference between the 2003-2004 and the 2005+ pre-facelift and facelift models?
thanks
the new 1.4T seems cool but still is not as powerful as the 2.0 and probably not as tunable an engine the 2.0T is - my old man has an 800BHP skyline so the power hunger is genetic im afraid
thanks for the tip on the 2005+ models being facelift, can you be more specfic on the difference between the 2003-2004 and the 2005+ pre-facelift and facelift models?
thanks
Also done my homework and found the differences in standard equipment between the SE, Sport and Sline models compared to the standard model
will post here as a somewhat 'buying guide model help'
S-Line Standard Equipment
-front fog lights
-automatic air conditioning with separate driver and front passenger controls
-black headlining and add-on parts
-driver information system
-illuminated vanity mirrors
-outside temperature gauge
-sun screen
-inlays brush alluminium
-washer fluid level indicator
-S line 3-spoke leather-covered sports steering wheel, perforated leather
-S line door sill trims in the door cutouts
-S line exterior package (quattro GmbH)
-S line roof spoiler (quattro GmbH)
-S line sports package plus (quattro GmbH)
-S line sports suspension front damping
-S line sports suspension rear damping
-seat upholstery in Vienna leather with embossed S line logo in the front seat backs (quattro GmbH)
-sports bumpers
-sports comfort seats front, left
-sports comfort seats front, right
-type sign at rear and "Quattro" nameplates respectively
Sport Standard Equipment
-front fog lights
-automatic air conditioning with separate driver and front passenger controls
-driver information system
-outside temperature gauge
-sun screen
-inlays gloss finish
-washer fluid level indicator
-leather-covered sports steering wheel, 3-spoke
-seat upholstery in "Matrix" cloth
-sports comfort seats front, left
-sports comfort seats front, right
-sports suspension -- optimised ride height for 1.9 TDIe
SE Standard Equipment
-windscreen with grey tinted strip
-interior lighting package
-Vavona wood insert "amber", high-gloss
-automatic air conditioning with separate driver and front passenger controls
-front centre armrest
-outside temperature gauge
-storage package
-leather-covered steering wheel, 4-spoke
-seat upholstery in "Metric" cloth
-cruise control
-interior mirror with automatic anti-glare action, with light/rain sensor
Optional Extras
-audi parking system
-electric glass sunroof
-headlight washers
-heated exterior mirrors, electrically folding incl. heated washer jets / heated exterior mirrors, automatic anti-glare action incl. heated washer jets / heated exterior mirrors, electrically folding and with automatic anti-glare action, including heated washer jets
-towing bracket, removable
-tyre pressure monitoring display
-front centre armrest
-reversible mat
-electric lumbar support for the front seats
-seat heating for front seats / seat heating for front seats and outer rear seats
-adaptive light
-Audi hill hold assist
-xenon plus
-symphony radio
-navigation system with MMI operating logic (BNS 5.0) / navigation system plus (RNS-E) with MMI operating logic and DVD (Europe)
-mobile phone preparation (Bluetooth) with hands-free operation for the centre armrest
-BOSE sound system
-CD changer for 6 CDs, located in the glove box
-TV reception, analog
forgive me if i missed a detail or two such as the radio systems but most is there,
i think the list would be a big and easy help to those looking into an audi and needed a summary of the main differences between the respective models ( like me
)
will post here as a somewhat 'buying guide model help'
S-Line Standard Equipment
-front fog lights
-automatic air conditioning with separate driver and front passenger controls
-black headlining and add-on parts
-driver information system
-illuminated vanity mirrors
-outside temperature gauge
-sun screen
-inlays brush alluminium
-washer fluid level indicator
-S line 3-spoke leather-covered sports steering wheel, perforated leather
-S line door sill trims in the door cutouts
-S line exterior package (quattro GmbH)
-S line roof spoiler (quattro GmbH)
-S line sports package plus (quattro GmbH)
-S line sports suspension front damping
-S line sports suspension rear damping
-seat upholstery in Vienna leather with embossed S line logo in the front seat backs (quattro GmbH)
-sports bumpers
-sports comfort seats front, left
-sports comfort seats front, right
-type sign at rear and "Quattro" nameplates respectively
Sport Standard Equipment
-front fog lights
-automatic air conditioning with separate driver and front passenger controls
-driver information system
-outside temperature gauge
-sun screen
-inlays gloss finish
-washer fluid level indicator
-leather-covered sports steering wheel, 3-spoke
-seat upholstery in "Matrix" cloth
-sports comfort seats front, left
-sports comfort seats front, right
-sports suspension -- optimised ride height for 1.9 TDIe
SE Standard Equipment
-windscreen with grey tinted strip
-interior lighting package
-Vavona wood insert "amber", high-gloss
-automatic air conditioning with separate driver and front passenger controls
-front centre armrest
-outside temperature gauge
-storage package
-leather-covered steering wheel, 4-spoke
-seat upholstery in "Metric" cloth
-cruise control
-interior mirror with automatic anti-glare action, with light/rain sensor
Optional Extras
-audi parking system
-electric glass sunroof
-headlight washers
-heated exterior mirrors, electrically folding incl. heated washer jets / heated exterior mirrors, automatic anti-glare action incl. heated washer jets / heated exterior mirrors, electrically folding and with automatic anti-glare action, including heated washer jets
-towing bracket, removable
-tyre pressure monitoring display
-front centre armrest
-reversible mat
-electric lumbar support for the front seats
-seat heating for front seats / seat heating for front seats and outer rear seats
-adaptive light
-Audi hill hold assist
-xenon plus
-symphony radio
-navigation system with MMI operating logic (BNS 5.0) / navigation system plus (RNS-E) with MMI operating logic and DVD (Europe)
-mobile phone preparation (Bluetooth) with hands-free operation for the centre armrest
-BOSE sound system
-CD changer for 6 CDs, located in the glove box
-TV reception, analog
forgive me if i missed a detail or two such as the radio systems but most is there,
i think the list would be a big and easy help to those looking into an audi and needed a summary of the main differences between the respective models ( like me
)
TDI-line
Uber Post Whore
If you don't mind the pre-facelift grille that is - personally I think they look rather dated now (I used to have one myself).killa_z said:
If you can, make sure you get one with a double-DIN stereo head unit, which basically means the Symphony. You can then do a pretty much straight swap-out for the RNS-E nav unit. BOSE is also useful if you like music loud and don't want to retro-fit an after market system.
On the subject of trim levels, be aware that, whilst S-Line is a single model now, it used to be two separate items - the S-Line model itself and then a seperate S-Line styling pack on top of this which gave you the different front and rear bumpers. You'll see a lot of S-Lines without this option which will look just like a Sport with different wheels.
Regards models generally, stay away from the base "poverty spec" model - this is for sad gits who must have the badge at all costs and so stretch their Astra/Focus budget to a base 1.6 A3. The SE and Sport are the same price and basically the SE is biased towards comfort with things like cruise, front armrest, auto wipers & rear view mirror whereas the Sport is biased towards sportiness (duh!
) with things like front fogs, bigger alloys, DIS, three spoke steering wheel etc. The S-Line is basically a "super sport" model with some extra trimmings and bigger wheels still.Note that, when buying a used car, it can be misleading reading the current specs of the website. As with the S-Line differences mentioned above, things like wheels are now different, not just styles but sizes as the SE now comes with 17s like the Sport but on older cars it used to have 16s.
Any other questions just ask - I've had both a 53 plate SE and a 56 plate S-Line so I'm pretty familiar with the differences.
now im feeling a little confused.....
can you not buy an A3 with the big front grill before 2005?
if not, can you not do a grill conversion with a model before 2005?
ive put pictures of what i percieve as a small and large grill front to save misunderstanding
small grille
large grille
much appreciation if someone could clear this up for me
can you not buy an A3 with the big front grill before 2005?
if not, can you not do a grill conversion with a model before 2005?
ive put pictures of what i percieve as a small and large grill front to save misunderstanding
small grille
large grille
much appreciation if someone could clear this up for me
The original 3-door A3, launched in 2003, had the "small" grille. They then introduced the Sportback 5-door in either 2004 or 2005 which had the "large" grille. The 3-door was then face-lifted a little later to add the new "large" grille.
As for retrofitting - you can just swap the grille and bumper as the new "large" one is narrower than the old "small" one and thus the shape of the leading edge of the bonnet is different. There are third party companies, like ABT and Oettinger, who do either a "look-alike" large grille or provide a kind of adapter which fits around the new grille so you don't have to change the bonnet.
Load of grief tbh - if you want the new grille then get a car which already has it although I'd imagine the old style would be cheaper for a similar spec, as it'll be older and looks a bit more dated.
As for retrofitting - you can just swap the grille and bumper as the new "large" one is narrower than the old "small" one and thus the shape of the leading edge of the bonnet is different. There are third party companies, like ABT and Oettinger, who do either a "look-alike" large grille or provide a kind of adapter which fits around the new grille so you don't have to change the bonnet.
Load of grief tbh - if you want the new grille then get a car which already has it although I'd imagine the old style would be cheaper for a similar spec, as it'll be older and looks a bit more dated.
i couldnt help but imagine the pre-facelift small grill was upgradeable to the facelift big grill owing to the lines outlined in the pic below
is this not a straight forward pop out and replacement for a bigger newer lookalike grill which involves no bumper or bonnet changing?
thanks for the replies so far
is this not a straight forward pop out and replacement for a bigger newer lookalike grill which involves no bumper or bonnet changing?
thanks for the replies so far
No, if you look at the two pics you posted, you can see that, on the new style, there's more "bumper" between the headlights and the grille, as it's narrower. The straight front edge of the bonnet therefore extends further "inwards" before the "cutout" for the top of the grille.
You're not alone in thinking it'll swap straight over, many people have made the same mistake as, until you look closely, the bonnet looks the same
You're not alone in thinking it'll swap straight over, many people have made the same mistake as, until you look closely, the bonnet looks the same
killa_z said:i couldnt help but imagine the pre-facelift small grill was upgradeable to the facelift big grill owing to the lines outlined in the pic below
is this not a straight forward pop out and replacement for a bigger newer lookalike grill which involves no bumper or bonnet changing?
thanks for the replies so far
Unfortunately not. As Vertigo mentioned you have to change the bonnet.
Oettinger make this grill though:
http://www.fourtitude.com/news/publish/Features/article_2388.shtml
Looks better than the standard crome!
in a bit of a predicament now.....
sounding expensive to replace the bumper and bonnet to the length that it would cost the same to just buy a newer model outright with the big facelift grill standard
the oettinger idea sounds good and something i may go for although im still unsure about the mesh of the actuall grille and wondered if its changable to go with the frame
are there any other 3rd party companies which offer something else like this?
Vertigo i presume the post by Staz is the oettinger one you mentioned? i cant find these products on their websites nor can i on ABT, a link if anyone has one would be a great help
thanks
sounding expensive to replace the bumper and bonnet to the length that it would cost the same to just buy a newer model outright with the big facelift grill standard
the oettinger idea sounds good and something i may go for although im still unsure about the mesh of the actuall grille and wondered if its changable to go with the frame
are there any other 3rd party companies which offer something else like this?
Vertigo i presume the post by Staz is the oettinger one you mentioned? i cant find these products on their websites nor can i on ABT, a link if anyone has one would be a great help
thanks
the Oettinger one I have seen for sale before doesn't look the same, it's not as nice. If you can find that one then get it! Try emailing the guy from the site.
Not sure. Someone did a kind of "adapter" for the new grille, which basically fitted around the new-style grille and allowed the standard new-style Audi grille to be fitted to an older car with the older shaped bonnet. Sure there are pics on here somewhere but can't find them right now.
am searching but still cant seem to find a decent looking 'adapter' or big facelift grill lookalike
as this is the newbie question thread i thought i'd confirm my thoughts my asking if these rear lights only come on the sportback 5 door A3 models exclusivly?
as this is the newbie question thread i thought i'd confirm my thoughts my asking if these rear lights only come on the sportback 5 door A3 models exclusivly?
killa_z said:am searching but still cant seem to find a decent looking 'adapter' or big facelift grill lookalike
as this is the newbie question thread i thought i'd confirm my thoughts my asking if these rear lights only come on the sportback 5 door A3 models exclusivly?
Yep!
RogueElement
Registered User
am going to see a 2.0TDi today but the thing is, its a 2004 model, is a pre facelift not worth buying to save some money?
i would very much like a 3.2 with quattro but according to the £9000 insurance quotes i got yesterday under my old mans name with maximum ncb its not gonna happen, was a laugh though
another question... ive seen some 2005 models but they do not have the large front grill, is this changeable on its own without changing the bumper/bonnet like you would have to on a pre facelift model?
i would very much like a 3.2 with quattro but according to the £9000 insurance quotes i got yesterday under my old mans name with maximum ncb its not gonna happen, was a laugh though
another question... ive seen some 2005 models but they do not have the large front grill, is this changeable on its own without changing the bumper/bonnet like you would have to on a pre facelift model?
The 2005 model with double-frame grille is the same as the 2004 with double-frame grille. You will have the same issues with changing the bonnet/bumper to 'update' it.
They didn't change it at the stroke of 2005, y'know!
They didn't change it at the stroke of 2005, y'know!
thanks, also found out aswell that the facelift was in 2005 but it was on the '55 reg plate
still looking for an 'adapter' or big grill lookalike but cant seem to find one, not even that oettinger one....
another question.... why are 99% of the slines i see for sale a dsg transmission gearbox? do they come like that or isit mainly coincidence? i've noticed it on the 2.0TDI's aswel as the 3.2's
still looking for an 'adapter' or big grill lookalike but cant seem to find one, not even that oettinger one....
another question.... why are 99% of the slines i see for sale a dsg transmission gearbox? do they come like that or isit mainly coincidence? i've noticed it on the 2.0TDI's aswel as the 3.2's
