Well I've had my car for about 3 days now. Couldn't drive it very much at the weekend because my insurance cover note hadn't turned up so I couldn't tax it and didn't want to get caught out. I did have a sneaky go though as needs dictated ;-)
So, tonight was the first chance I had to give it a proper run. I took in a few different road types. including some motorway, A-roads, and some town driving. What has impressed me the most is the V6 TDi is a very smooth engine. Acceleration in 6th on the motorway @70mph is pretty good and it cruises very well. Apart from the relatively narrow power band, it is hard to tell it's a diesel to be honest. Nice little turbo whirr with the window open.
I'm still getting used to the clutch, and now and again the diesel engine catches me out when I've not realized the revs have dropped to 1100 or so, meaning I need to snatch a lower gear before it will accelerate (this is my first diesel car).
Brakes feel solid but there is some vibration coming from the fronts. I think it needs a new set of discs. Anyone suggest where to buy? I can fit them myself.
It isn't as nimble as my Impreza was - to be expected of course - the front end is noticeably heavier. Strangely though it isn't one of those cars that encourages you to throw it around anyway. I find it quite relaxing to drive compared to the balls-out Impreza which sort of beckons you to drive it hard.
Build quality wise it is streets ahead of the Jap car, which had quite nasty plastics, and the door slam is a nice "thunk" rather than "ding" if you see what I mean. It reminds me very much of the big BMW I used to have in that sense.
Other stuff:
Xenon's are great - I love the pureness of the light that comes from them. Had a Mitsubishi Evo 8 FQ320 for a while with these and I'd forgotten how great they are. Daylight sensor is good too. It also has the auto mirror and rain sensor pack. Auto dimming mirror is simply brilliant.
Coming home feature is nice, but when I walk away from the car in the morning to enter my place of work, people keep telling me I've left my lights on.
SatNav is a bit fiddly to enter a destination (I'm used to touch screen devices which are generally much quicker). But it's a good system. Could do with a 2008 map though but they look a bit pricey on ebay. I think I have a 2006 map at the moment.
Telly is a nice toy but having had a 740 with TV in the past, I suspect the novelty will wear off soon. I'm assuming it isn't normal for the TV to stay on when you get moving, and that someone has had it altered in the past. Who knows what else they've done?
Bluetooth support is working a treat with my trusty old v525. I notice when I switch the ignition on, the car still picks the phone up even if I've left it inside the house! And there's a note in the user manual that says the phone signal may be degraded if the phone is kept in your pocket ;-)
I have Alcantara & Half leather seats in my car. Originally I thought I'd go for full leather but once I saw these I rather liked them. Has the benefit of being a bit warmer on these cold winter mornings (no heated seats in this one).
All in all I'm very impressed. I haven't used it to tow the car trailer yet, but I imagine it'll be fine. First test will be on March 7th - trip to Abingdon airfield.
Big thumbs up for the A4 Avant 3.0TDi S-line :thumbsup:
So, tonight was the first chance I had to give it a proper run. I took in a few different road types. including some motorway, A-roads, and some town driving. What has impressed me the most is the V6 TDi is a very smooth engine. Acceleration in 6th on the motorway @70mph is pretty good and it cruises very well. Apart from the relatively narrow power band, it is hard to tell it's a diesel to be honest. Nice little turbo whirr with the window open.
I'm still getting used to the clutch, and now and again the diesel engine catches me out when I've not realized the revs have dropped to 1100 or so, meaning I need to snatch a lower gear before it will accelerate (this is my first diesel car).
Brakes feel solid but there is some vibration coming from the fronts. I think it needs a new set of discs. Anyone suggest where to buy? I can fit them myself.
It isn't as nimble as my Impreza was - to be expected of course - the front end is noticeably heavier. Strangely though it isn't one of those cars that encourages you to throw it around anyway. I find it quite relaxing to drive compared to the balls-out Impreza which sort of beckons you to drive it hard.
Build quality wise it is streets ahead of the Jap car, which had quite nasty plastics, and the door slam is a nice "thunk" rather than "ding" if you see what I mean. It reminds me very much of the big BMW I used to have in that sense.
Other stuff:
Xenon's are great - I love the pureness of the light that comes from them. Had a Mitsubishi Evo 8 FQ320 for a while with these and I'd forgotten how great they are. Daylight sensor is good too. It also has the auto mirror and rain sensor pack. Auto dimming mirror is simply brilliant.
Coming home feature is nice, but when I walk away from the car in the morning to enter my place of work, people keep telling me I've left my lights on.
SatNav is a bit fiddly to enter a destination (I'm used to touch screen devices which are generally much quicker). But it's a good system. Could do with a 2008 map though but they look a bit pricey on ebay. I think I have a 2006 map at the moment.
Telly is a nice toy but having had a 740 with TV in the past, I suspect the novelty will wear off soon. I'm assuming it isn't normal for the TV to stay on when you get moving, and that someone has had it altered in the past. Who knows what else they've done?
Bluetooth support is working a treat with my trusty old v525. I notice when I switch the ignition on, the car still picks the phone up even if I've left it inside the house! And there's a note in the user manual that says the phone signal may be degraded if the phone is kept in your pocket ;-)
I have Alcantara & Half leather seats in my car. Originally I thought I'd go for full leather but once I saw these I rather liked them. Has the benefit of being a bit warmer on these cold winter mornings (no heated seats in this one).
All in all I'm very impressed. I haven't used it to tow the car trailer yet, but I imagine it'll be fine. First test will be on March 7th - trip to Abingdon airfield.
Big thumbs up for the A4 Avant 3.0TDi S-line :thumbsup:
