2013 S-Line A3 quattro

[Panos420]

Hi all,

im new to forums and Audi's but i am now impatiently waiting for a 1.8TFSI quattro s-line. I have just sold my golfV GtTdI and put a deposit down at my local dealer.

I just had a few questions, more so I just wanted to start a little discussion.

Firstly does anyone happen to know what sort of time scale we are talking for delivery? I put the order in about 3 weeks ago and am still waiting on a build date

Also I have never driven a quattro and none of the dealers in a 60 mile radius had any for me to try so does any one care to comment on what they are like to drive? I was thinking performance wise and in terms of during poor weather? If any one also happens to know what is different with the new haldex system compared to the last and what power splits can be achieved and more generally can it be felt working away while you drive?

And if anyone has any opinions on this fancy radar cruise control?

Thanks in advance

 

[hittchy]

Hi and welcome.

There's a dedicated build date thread, but it'll depend on a lot of factors. Some dealers have pre-orders already in the system for some models. If it's a new order, a few buyers are reporting build dates well into September.

Quattro drives similarly to a front wheel drive A3. However, when you need the grip, it's just there.... not just in poor weather, but general cornering and traction off the line. It does add a little weight to the car though and can affect fuel consumption a little. Small price to pay for many people when you can be very smug on the two or three snow days we get.

Keep pressing your dealer for a build date. They usually appear within 3-4 weeks of order.

 

[Panos420]

Hi hittchy,

Thanks for the greeting and response.

wow the potential of September delivery is daunting, may have driven myself loopy with impatience by then ha.

I have heard many people commenting that the drive is great in the snow, but having only driven FWD or RWD cars in the past (the later being an absolute pain in anything more than a mm or two) is it really that much better than FWD?

The only thing i dislike about FWD is the amount of understeer, or to be more precise the feeling the steering has under moderate acceleration (the best way i can describe it is just less confidence than RWD) will quattro go some way to making it feel less strained, as if its trying to multitask unsuccessfully?

thanks

 

[hittchy]

Quattro makes you feel like the car's on rails. It's very reassuring and you'll be amazed at how much grip there is.

It's easy to get caught out in snow though. Quattro is superb for getting going... but there's no substitute for winter tyres when you want to stop! When I had Quattro cars, I never got stuck in snow. All used on summer tyres too, as long as you take it easy and recognise the limitations of the tyres.

 

[Dan the man]

I've got the fancy radar cruise control, I believe it's called adaptive cruise control, I also think its ace

 

[Panos420]

thanks hittchy it sounds great!

thats the one Danny, how good is it a maintaining the set distance ie is there much heavy braking or accelerating? also do you have the option where the car can come to a complete stop and then set off again? (think its only on s tronik models but i may be wrong) i thought it may be a nice feature for driving in heavy traffic.

 

[Dan the man]

It's really good at maintaining the set distance, if the car in front brakes heavy your car will replicate it.

Because I have a manual the setup switches itself off and beeps when revs drop to around 1000rpm, I don't know about s tropic models sorry.

It is a really handy feature to have and comes into its own on A roads where just set it at 60 then if traffic slows it keeps a set distance from them and automatically speeds to 60 when traffic does. Really relaxing way to drive

 

[Jeff777LUFC]

Yes, the ACC with s-tronic will drive itself, up and down the gears as required, it works flawlessly. You just need to remember to do a bit of steering now and then and to brake/cancel it if following a car into a roundabout or something to avoid any unexpected accelerating.

I've not yet tried it in traffic, not really sure if it would be suitable but I may give it a go to test it out.

Spot on comment from Danny about A roads, it is ideal for this purpose.

 

[Panos420]

thanks for all the info guys, really exited to go for a spin now.... still no news on a delivery date unfortunately

if you do Jeff let me know how you get on, seems like it would be brill for something like that, if you can trust it to stop every time that is

I also specked it with park assist as a bit of a novelty i wonder if any one has had any experience with it and if it actually works and if so is it not just easier and quicker to park yourself?

If theres any one else out there that has ordered a new a3 i would love to hear what spec colour etc

 

[4Wurth]

Hi Panos and all, I am new to this brilliant site.

I read with interest your feed re TFSI 184 ps quattro. I understand your frustration. I too am waiting to have my A3 Sportback order to be submitted by the dealer for a 2.0 litre TDi 184 ps manual six speed.

I have seen a list from the Audi source of the engines that will be available in Summer 2013. Mine is listed and will be available then but to date they are not taking orders. Possibly sometime in May. Included on that list too was a Quattro 184ps s-tronic version but no manual Quattro for the TDi, I would have gone for that if it had.

I currently drive a A3 Sportback S-line 170ps Quattro and really enjoy the drive quality, even though the S-line setup can be somewhat firm. I am really disappointed with Audi's usual policy of dragging out the availability of the various versions.This will be my fourth Audi from new and the waiting doesn't get any easier.

Has anyone out there got any current feedback as to when Audi are going to allow orders for 184 ps TDi engine to be submitted?

 

[Panos420]

Hi 4Wurth and welcolme.

have you put a deposit down yet? its a painful wait have you gone for s-line suspension again?

Just an update from me, it has now been over 6 weeks since i put my deposit down and have still not got a build week. apparently audi have accepted the order over 5 weeks ago so i cant see what is causing the hold up.

All i want to know is when they will be building my car not delivering and if audi have accepted the order it cannot be that difficult to get a build date or at least it should not take anywhere near this long.

does anyone have any sudgestions as to how i could hurry them up or if indeed the dealership is to blame or the factory?
i can just imagine having to wait untill end of Sept for delivery and 7 months for an a3 is unacepptable in my eyes.

any advice would be vastley appreciated?

 

[4Wurth]

Hi 4Wurth and welcolme.

have you put a deposit down yet? its a painful wait have you gone for s-line suspension again?

Just an update from me, it has now been over 6 weeks since i put my deposit down and have still not got a build week. apparently audi have accepted the order over 5 weeks ago so i cant see what is causing the hold up.

All i want to know is when they will be building my car not delivering and if audi have accepted the order it cannot be that difficult to get a build date or at least it should not take anywhere near this long.

does anyone have any sudgestions as to how i could hurry them up or if indeed the dealership is to blame or the factory?
i can just imagine having to wait untill end of Sept for delivery and 7 months for an a3 is unacepptable in my eyes.

any advice would be vastley appreciated?

Page 51 in the March Price and specification Guide, order code 2UG shows that S-line suspension is not available on A3 Sportback.I assume it is on the A3. I test drove the A3 SPB with sport suspension and I was quite happy with that. I like the S-line suspension but it is not kind with the current spate of potholes.

As to your other comment, I have discussed with my dealer my order for the A3 S-line SPB 184 ps TDi and I have detailed in writing my final spec. However as the order cannot be submitted as yet I am waiting for my dealer to give me a call to finalise the deal and for me to put down the deposit.

Audi's system of logging in orders is exasperating for the customer. I dare say behind the scenes all sorts of logistics have to be in order before they will finally give the order a confirmed date.I am not sure whether the dealers are in a better position to fully know what is going on. I do however have a good relationship with my dealer and he tries to keep me informed where ever possible. I wish I knew how it all works. It seems ages before you are notified that your order is acknowledge then there is a further wait for a build date and then an additional wait for delivery.

Now I am in a situation where I have to wait to be able to put my order in. Let's hope it will not be long now. My last order build overrun and I was given a new car to use before it arrived some two weeks latter.