What made you pick an A3 ?

Fragup

Fragup

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Just curious as to what makes / made, you pick your A3 / any car ?
just read a thread in which someone put the sound system as a reason to buy the saloon alone.

for example mine would be in order of priority the things I look for in a car (ignoring the the money side, this my top 10).

exterior looks - If its ugly I wouldn't buy it however good it was (S line :o.k:)
interior - I'm a sucker for a nice interior
space / comfort - I'm 6'3 and one of my pet hates if feeling crapped* (firm ish ride doesn't bother me though)
build quality / design - It's got to be well built and work as it should, even the simple things need thought.
performance - Doesn't have to be a rocket (although is a bonus) but needs to go when you need it.
handling - Want to have confidence it's going to grip the road in wet or dry, rough roads etc.
Options - I do like a sunroof / glass roof
practicality - Don't have kids, but has moved up my list since last car
gadgets - Blue tooth / screen coming out of dash etc is cool
prestige / image - Just being honest, Although not the be all and end all & bottom of the list, I'm chuffed I am buying Audi
(Same reason I wouldn't buy a Skoda, although are perfectly good cars)

I suspect a lot of these will crop up again and again, but the order will vary a lot I think ?

Edit
*meant cramped as below, but will leave as made me laugh when pointed out.
 
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I assume you mean 'cramped'?
 
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Having the security of 4wd was a reasonably big reason for me... Especially over its immediate rival the m135i.
 
I started with the engine first - I knew I wanted the VW 2.0 TDI, which left me with the A3, Golf, Leon or Octavia. The A3 has the nicest interior, best options (not everything is available on all the others), best dash layout (MMI helps keep the clutter down here), and I've had an A3 before as a company car (basic 1.6 petrol, no options), and liked it
 
I used to drive a Vauxhall Astra, and when I was looking to upgrade, I knew I wanted a more prestige car and image etc.

My thoughts were then around exterior looks, interior quality and the overall build quality of the car. I'm also a bit of a brand snob! :)

I was quite young when I got my first Audi, so looks and image were important to me.

After all that, It was down to the options, gadgets and overall practically of the car, and of course the price come into it at that point.

I'd always been a fan of german engineering, so my options were around the Audi, BMW, Mercedes market.

I always thought Audi's had much nicer interiors than other similar models, and the prices with all the options were all very similar.

In the end, the rear wheel drive of the BMW and Mercedes put me off, as I have to drive over high exposed ground to get to work/home so having something that could cope with a bit of snow etc. was also important.

Now I'm a little older, practicality is very important to me, but the brand and looks etc. is equally important. I'd have to buy the S-Line spec purely based on how they look. I'd also have to have lots of cool gadgets. I don't need a lot of power etc, so I would compromise on a smaller engine over the options and general specification of the car.

I'm on my 3rd Audi now and I'm really pleased with them! :)
 
For me, it was a decision between the new Mercedes-Benz A-Class / CLA and the A3 Sportback, (the BMW 1-Series wasn't even on the radar for me - personal preference).

Had a Mark V and Mark VI Golf and like then both a lot but wasn't too keen on another Golf, (although the MkVII is a very good car). Was ideally seeking a slightly posher small hatchback and the A3 ticked all the boxes.

In my cars, the things that matter to me are:

* Build quality + reliability
* High-quality interior
* Technology + high-end sound system
* Practicality
* Sunroof / Pano-roof (always nice to get extra light in the vehicle).
* Parking-aids (live in London so got to be realistic about getting it into tight spots).

I really liked the A-Class but, practicality wise, the boot was tiny (with a small opening) and it didn't ride particularly well. It also has the odd new steering-wheel mounted gear changer (for autos) which seemed awkward. The engine I would have gone for, the A200, wasn't great either so, as great looking a car it is, I had to walk away.

I do rather like a lot of the A3 Sportbacks design features - like the LED rear light clusters, MMI screen and straight-forward, logical dash layout. Admittedly, one thing I'm not too sure about is the size of the spoiler on the S-Line model, but I'm sure I'll look past this once mine arrives!
 
I already had an A3 (8P) and wanted something with more torque and a bit more glitz/style without being brash........might be someithng along shortly to put more detail on these few words....over to you Sandra!!!!!!!!
 
When choosing my car it had to be of German engineering and I have always loved the exterior of Audi's so there was no reason to look around at other brands. My previous car was old Mercedes Benz C220 which was quite a big car so I wanted something smaller and compact.

Originally I was planning to buy an A3 8P but after seeing the new shape and the quality/simplicity of the interior I instantly changed my mind. My decision was based purely on appearance and brand recognition but when I started looking into the details of the car I new I was making the right choice.
 
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Hi, I already have a car that is 'german engineering' in my Ford as it is built at Cologne :think:I need at least five doors but to me the sportback can't decide if it is a 5-door or an estate in my eyes. I want something a little more exclusive and one that'll keep it value well as this could be my last car..
 
cuke2u said:
Hi, I already have a car that is 'german engineering' in my Ford as it is built at Cologne :think:I need at least five doors but to me the sportback can't decide if it is a 5-door or an estate in my eyes. I want something a little more exclusive and one that'll keep it value well as this could be my last car..
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sorry for splitting hairs but.............The boundaries do get a bit blurred in the global market place that we now live in but if I define engineered as "designed" there is a difference between manufactured or engineered in Germany ....likewise Nissan's prodcued in Sunderland are manufactured in the uK not designed/engineered in the UK
 
Actually, my old Nissan was both designed and manufactured in the UK!
 
cemerson said:
Actually, my old Nissan was both designed and manufactured in the UK!
Click to expand...

I know i am getting pedantic here - but designed in the UK to Japanesse design principles, so although the work was done in the UK it was really done to Nissan design standards and a design intent which were set in Japan.
 
No reason why any other company from any other country can't design to the same principles though - nothing stopping them.
 
  • Had to be German, Germans/Japanese are the best mechanical engineers around but German cars hold their value better.
  • Didn't want anything too big as do a lot of driving in London and the more/size mass a car has the worse it is to drive. Thus didn't get E-Class Coupe even though it looks great.
  • Had to look good interior & exterior so out went ugly 1-series and joke stick on screen, in interior of A-Class.
  • Snob value so out went Leon/Golf. Never would buy Skoda, would have been so-much better in VW had just re-named Skoda :)
  • Wanted a twin-clutch gearbox as never had before. Had manuals/torque convertor auto's, twin clutch is best of all worlds. Well DSG/S-tronic is, heard Merc twin-clutch is poor.
  • Thus A3 3-Door it had to be :) Might have bought Saloon if available when I ordered.
 
Daveotto said:
sorry for splitting hairs but.............The boundaries do get a bit blurred in the global market place that we now live in but if I define engineered as "designed" there is a difference between manufactured or engineered in Germany ....likewise Nissan's prodcued in Sunderland are manufactured in the uK not designed/engineered in the UK
Click to expand...

Why do you think I put the scratching head, it was tongue in cheek. However as well as having a design centre at Dunton, UK, Ford also have one in Cologne called the Merkenich Technical Centre. But lets not kid ourselves that german engineered cars are the most reliable..
 
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Rup said:
  • Wanted a twin-clutch gearbox as never had before. Had manuals/torque convertor auto's, twin clutch is best of all worlds. Well DSG/S-tronic is, heard Merc twin-clutch is poor.
Click to expand...

Merc's twin=clutch is more than poor. I felt like I was on a ****** rowing boat the lurches were so bad in the A class I drove.
 
cemerson said:
No reason why any other company from any other country can't design to the same principles though - nothing stopping them.
Click to expand...

Agreed - 20+ years ago everyone was trying to mimic Japanesse design principles, but not any more, and there quality standards are not as "gold standard" as they used to be given the ongoing Toyota recalls around change control failures
 
Sportback, Quattro and a chance test drive of the new S3 because my salesman wasn't ready to sort out the A7 and A8 I was actually in to test drive.
 
For me it was about economy and reliability. I knew German cars fitted both of these, so that narrowed it down a little bit! Also after a hatchback as practability is important for me.

I had a very fleeting moment of considering a skoda ( oopss did I really say that?) but that soon passed. Never had an Audi before, short list was VW golf, Audi A3 and BMW series 1. It was the audi interior that blew me away, no contest.
 
I've got a 2011 S4 and wanted something that would provide similar performance, quality and reliability but a little cheaper to run. Considered another S4 but decided to give the S3 a try as its a better overall package than the Golf GTI and M135i. I only plan to keep the S3 for a couple of years. I hope the S3 turns out to be as good as the S4 as that's a great car!
 
It was an Audi, it was red, had tinted windows, looked cool and I could just afford it. Oh, and I could fit my Trek in the back.
 
Bought my first new A3 in 2005 after years of Astra's cos the wife wanted a good looking not too common car !!! Awaiting my 4th A3 now cos we just luv em. Trouble is every man and his dog has got an A3 nowadays !!! So might go for an R8 next to be different again...........................................................I WISH
 
audi upgrades
As we are expecting our first baby we had to go for something that was more practical than previous cars and also looked good in 5 door which i think is pretty hard to do.
I almost bought a brand new 1 series coupe with loads of goodies but after thinking it over wasnt really practical for a pram ect.
I then almost went down the route of a Golf GTD which had all the gadgets and was pratical but the used price of them coupled with poor deals for finance offered by the dealer made the cost the same as the Audi we ended up buying ???

The A3 does everything i need, quick, looks good, reasonal cost and insurance, and more importantly the boot and back seats are of a decent size. To sum it up as AutoCar did the 'A3 Sportback is a fantastic small family car' Plus it looks the nuts in White. :cool:
 
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Rup said:
  • Had to be German, Germans/Japanese are the best mechanical engineers around but German cars hold their value better.
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I massively disagree that German/Japanese are the best mechanical engineers around.
British engineers are the most highly trained and skilled engineers in the world. This is a fact outlined by the majority of F1 teams (the pinnacle of mechanical engineering) being based in the UK using majority British engineers. And yes I am a British mechanical engineer.
 
I have a Aero eng degree from a British uni so I have nothing against British engineering, I'm just saying as I find. As do many others as the largest British owned car company usto be the firm that made Black cabs and even that went bust recently. If there were many good British engineers we would have at least 1 major car manufacturer.
Even JLR is Indian owned and no-doubt the technology will be going to India soon.
F1 employs a tiny number of engineers compared to a volume car manufacturer. So yes we have some great engineers, but so does every country, I'm referring to having enough great engineers to make some great volume cars. Not a few highly specialised F1 cars.

I just wish we could buy some great British cars instead of having to buy German :(
 
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I was/am a British Engineer before i was made redundant a few years back. I found that after spending 37 years in the Heavy Truck industry there were no jobs around anymore cos the stupid Goverments slowly destroyed our big manufacturing platform and now we are a country full of weirdo's and benifit claimants.
 
We have a huge manufacturing base, it's just shifted into other areas. We are one of the world leading countries in satellite building for example, we have Rolls Royce, Bombardier, we export more British made cars than foreign cars are imported, etc etc.

Germans still make the best gliders though, but that's because they got good at it after WWI when they were banned from having an air force :p
 
geefunk1978 said:
I massively disagree that German/Japanese are the best mechanical engineers around.
British engineers are the most highly trained and skilled engineers in the world. This is a fact outlined by the majority of F1 teams (the pinnacle of mechanical engineering) being based in the UK using majority British engineers. And yes I am a British mechanical engineer.
Click to expand...

I totally agree that at the pinnacle of motor racing, British engineers are the best in the world. But for bolting cars together on a production line I have more faith in a German fitter than a British fitter.
 
snakehips said:
I totally agree that at the pinnacle of motor racing, British engineers are the best in the world. But for bolting cars together on a production line I have more faith in a German fitter than a British fitter.
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i partly agree, but some of the Hondas built in Swindon come out near the top (above audi) the reliability ratings, Shame the current civic is poor, but can't fault the build quality, it's the Design thats poor on current model.
 
It is doubtful that Audi's are built solely by German's, they are probably built by a mix of Turkish, Hungarians, Ukraines and Germans, whatever migrant workforce that is employed by Audi. As for any British car manufacturers, there is a list longer than my arm and we still have a healthy 'cottage industry' of cars designed and built in the UK.
 
Performance its pretty fast and has quattro, some practicality (this is why I cant get a full sports car), premium car with premium finish, looks nice, options, I like Audi style, good local dealer, comfort.
 
audi upgrades
After nearly 4 years in a mk1 tt roadster, I wanted comfort, styling, economy and brand. I only looked at the A3 and it ticks all the boxes.

Regarding engineers, it's not about which country produces the best engineers, it's which company is prepared to hire the best engineers and allow them to work to their high standards.
 
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Smeds said:
Regarding engineers, it's not about which country produces the best engineers, it's which company is prepared to hire the best engineers and allow them to work to their high standards.
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Exactly, you can hire the best team of car designers/engineers in the world and ask them to design a £10000 Dacia and it will still be a a relative £10000 pile of Dacia rubbish compared to a premium brand
 
Answer to the title from me.............. a moment of stupidity in thinking I would be happy long term with an a3. Luckily I can drive my M3 instead . Wish I had bought the A5 as my everyday car now but never mind . I should sell my m3 and my a3 and buy a new s3 but I love the e46 m3 shape with a passion.


Sean
 
Daveotto said:
Exactly, you can hire the best team of car designers/engineers in the world and ask them to design a £10000 Dacia and it will still be a a relative £10000 pile of Dacia rubbish compared to a premium brand
Click to expand...


However in reality Dacia couldn't afford to produce a car at that price designed by the best team of engineers. Not that they'd want to be associated with Dacia's anyway...
 
It was between a Golf and an A3 for me.

However, I don't like the Golf's interior from the GT trim downwards (only like the GTI / GTD)

Didn't want another diesel and the GTI would have probably been a bit extreme for me having come from a 1.6 TDI.

An A3 1.4 CoD Sline seemed to be the perfect fit for my requirements.
 
My company cars over the years have all been Diesels
Seat Cordoba
Citroen C5 Estate
VW Passat Estate

No surprise to say the build quality of the Passat has impressed me to the point of never wanting to stray from VW/Audi build.

With the new Passat tax being relatively high I looked at the new Golf but found I quickly became bored of the interior exterior looks.
Never dreamt I would ever have the opportunity to have an Audi I was sold on the looks and my boss said yes.
The 1.6TDI BIC Tax is going to save me £30/month

No Brainer really.
 
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