The 'New' Audi A3....

[PNH80]

So far i've seen a few photos of the so called 'new' or facelift A3. Can someone just clear this up for me... What have Audi actually changed about this car?
Yes i know it's designed to tie in with the new A3 cabriolet with the lower slot type rear lights and the new LED running lights at the front end. The split lines on the car and general contours seem slightly re-arranged but that's it....Or is it?!
I understood that there was a totally new A3 arriving mid to late '09, so is this latest 'new' A3 simply ANOTHER cosmetic facelift? Does it have anything technically new at all?

Sorry if i sound a little slow but i think i must be missing something here. Some one enlighten me please!

 

[L60N]

From what i can see. A facelift comes mid life of the model, to try rejuvenate interest in the car at a very low cost.

Panels are rarely touched due to the huge asscociated manufacturing costs, so they may slap some chrome where is was once rubber, revise the grille and swap the lights. It does change the look but not at a massive cost.

A by product of this is it totally p1$$es off current owners, and quite rightly too!

 

[PNH80]

Yes but is there still a totally NEW A3 coming next year? To be honest i think releasing a facelift model 1 year before a totally new car is released is nothing short of taking the **** quite frankly!
However on a positive....Will the new headlights with daytime running LED's fit the current model?

 

[Amchlolor]

Yes but is there still a totally NEW A3 coming next year? To be honest i think releasing a facelift model 1 year before a totally new car is released is nothing short of taking the **** quite frankly!

Lots of manufacturers do this though, it's not restricted to Audi.
The next move will be throwing incentives at A3's, like they did with the outgoing A4.
Satnav for £500 etc.etc.
TBH though, is the 'all new' A3 going to be vastly different?
They said the A4 would be a major step forward, but some of the press say it's hardly any better than the existing one.

 

[mfspen]

I believe the facelifted A3 (along with the new cabrio) will be shown at the Geneva show in March, so you won't have long to wait.

AFAIK, the only significant mechanical change is that the oil burners get the new 143bhp CR engine, as fitted to the new A4.

 

[PNH80]

I really don't think the A3 looks dated at all in it's current form. There's easily a year left in it til the new model appears. Giving the same model 2 facelifts just seems excessive to me. Although like i say... If Audi introduce some nice little design features which can be fitted to the existing model (LED lights, maybe new alloy designs etc) then maybe there are some positives.

 

[h5djr]

The latest I've read said the 'New A3' won't be seen until mid to late 2009 ready for the 2010 model year. So the 'facelift' will probably be in production for a couple of years.

 

[PNH80]

The latest I've read said the 'New A3' won't be seen until mid to late 2009 ready for the 2010 model year. So the 'facelift' will probably be in production for a couple of years.

Christ they're really milking this platform dry...

 

[h5djr]

Christ they're really milking this platform dry...

I think the delay may be related to VW and the changes for the new Golf 6. At least from Audi's point of view the current A3 is still selling well.

According to the presentations at the Audi Press Conference in March 2007 the A3 sold 20,000 more units in 2006 than 2005 which was a 26% share of the total Audi production.

It will be interesting to see what the position is for 2007 at this year's Press Conference.

 

[MarcQuinlivan]

from what I've been led to believe the "all new" a3 will be on sale in mid 2010. I'm due a change in Jan 2010, and from what I hear it won't be on sale by then, so I'm left to decide whether to change after 2 years in Jan 09, and then go for the all new model in Jan 11, rather than buying the last of the "new" A3s in Jan 09. I can't be the only one having this concern.

From what I can tell by looking at the pictures, apart from the lights, the only change appears to be a slightly narrower front grill and a reprofiled front bumper (although this may just be a new S-Line front bumper as the photo was of a beige s-line SB).

 

[Trev241]

Just got the spring edition of Vision (in house mag) from Teeside Audi stating that the S3 Cabriolet will be available in 2009, I think the full facelift is some way off yet.

 

[sat1983]

I'd like to buy the facelift at some point at the end of year/beginning of 2008 but then again what puts me off is the common rail technology in the diesel. They're not known for their 100% reliability and as noisy as the PD engines are they are ****** reliable **touch wood**

 

[L60N]

To be honest i dont give much of a crap, i buy what i like at the time, at the right price.

Its pointless trying to keep up with the latest gear.

This applies to most consumer products im my experience..

 

[bacardi]

Lots of manufacturers do this though, it's not restricted to Audi.
.

Agree here, though in my view, no one does it more than BMW,

I'd never buy a brand new release model from BMW as they always pitch it out with orange indicators and caster wheels for alloys, usually takes them two or three attempts to make it look like a proper car (Unless of course you blow 1000's on options)

FWIW One thing I do like about my A3 is that apart from the reg plate you can't say much has changed in the model for 3-4 years

 

[MarcQuinlivan]

Its pointless trying to keep up with the latest gear.

Agreed, however it would not make sense to buy a car when it is going to be replaced with an "all new" model 6 or 8 months later and you are then left driving the old model for two or three years.

Apart from driving around in the old model, you are also going to lose more money on it when you go to sell as it is the old model.

 

[PNH80]

Well to be honest i'm really glad i've just bought the current model and got a good deal. I definitely will not be suckered into buying the 2nd facelift of the same model. Hopefully the all new A3 will be worth waiting for!
Then again by that time i'd probably rather have a used, well spec'd S5....Who knows!

 

[mister.c.]

Perhaps others recall seeing like I do the Audi Model Rollout schedule; that thing that was leaked & plotted out a number of models from 2008 to 2011.

Not that it is definitive of course & clearly is subject to change (or debate as to whether it was / is accurate or legitimate).

If I recall correctly that said October 2010 for the full facelift which gives the mini faclift 2 years. Personally whilst that will probably prove to be wrong, I can't see Audi being any earlier than say May 2010 with the brand new A3 when the facelift is being done later on this year.

Also - Common rail technology doesn't worry me half as much as the DPF!