My A3 Sportback 184 TDi Quattro S-tronic is soon here

[Zygote]

Hi all!

Ill finally get to drive off in my new A3 sportback, so I thought i would ease the wait by posting some thoughts, questions, and rambles here. Hope you dont mind, and feel free to stop reading at any time. I wont be mad, I promise!

My A3 was produced at a blazing pace and the timing with transport over to Norway was impeccable, so It took pretty much 6 days from production start until the car arrived in Norway. A week later it was ready for pick-up, but since I had to sell my BMW 116d 2012 model first, Ive had to anxiously wait to pick up the A3. As luck would have it, Im away on a business trip next week, but hopefully, by next Wednesday, Ill get to meet my new driving machine.

First, why swap out such a new and nifty vehicle such as the BMW 116d? Well, I do love how it drives, but winters here in Norway really makes you want AWD, and insurance companies here tend to associate BMW's and young drivers as accidents waiting to happen, so switching to the A3 actually cuts my annual insurance fee by 90%! Madness. At any rate, Im in a point in time where I can actually afford my "sensible" dream car. Sensible in how I dont need a larger car than the A3 Sportback! Coming from two generations of BMW 1-series, I am eager to see how the A3 drivers. The sceptic in me looks at the MQB-platform underpinning the A3 and concluding that it just brings the A3 and Golf closer together. The believer in me tells me that the A3 Sportback is a whole different beast and that the MQB-platform is basically just the arrangement of transmission and engine. I know the A3 Sportback wont drive like a BMW, but the superior interior, better seats, Quattro(Haldex 5), etc should more than make up for that.

Bear in mind that this is the Nordic variant, so some equipment is standard here that others dont get, such as heated seats, etc.

Here's the list of equpment.

Adaptive Cruise Control
Electric foldable mirrors
Parking System front/back
Advanced Key
Lighting Pack
MLF-Sport Steering Wheel
Sun Roon
Sport Seats
Chrome detailing around the windows
Navigation Plus
17" Alloy Wheels
Interior in Aluminium Finish
B&O Sound System
Automatic Lights and dimming rear-view mirror
Tech Package
Xenon Plus
Tire Pressure Control
S-tronic

Im truly excited and cant wait to get comfortable and drive off.

I was gonna post some questions now but figured I would post them separately.

I will end this post with one though - Does anyone here have any experience with the new 1-series and would like to contribute with their comparisons?

Thanks all! Looking forward to taking part in this passionate community

 

[snakehips]

Any platform that makes the A3 drive more like a Golf is fine by me!
BTW very jealous that you'll be getting yours before me.

 

[snakehips]

Do you have to slap winter tyres straight on it? If so how will you do it? This week's Auto Express in the UK had an excellent feature on 2WD and 4WD with and without winter tyres. The summary was that 4WD alone made little difference in snow but matched up with winter tyres made the car almost invincible.

 

[Zygote]

The car comes with 2 sets of tyres. Driving here in Norway without winter tyres is basically suicide. Ive been told the Audi dealership will slap the winter tyres on when the car arrives, so when I get it its ready to go on snowy roads

Also 4WD as far as I know gives you no benefits in terms of braking and stopping, but its very effective when it comes to handling slippery icy roads!

 

[Zygote]

And as luck would have it, I actually got to collect my A3 today! What a car!

One immediate question I forgot to ask before I left the dealer however, how do I get the side-view mirrors to fold when I lock the car? Is there a setting for it in the MMI somewhere?

 

[cemerson]

Yep, there is a setting to fold the mirrors when you lock the car, they unfold when the ignition is switched on

 

[Zygote]

Perfect! Ill poke around the MMI and find it!

The mirrors then fold when you lock the car regardless? On my BMW I had to press and hold the lock button for 3-5 seconds for the mirrors to fold.

 

[cemerson]

Yep, every time

 

[cemerson]

It's in the top menu under 'Car Systems' somewhere I think

 

[Zygote]

One other question (Im at work so cant check myself), but what kind of SIM-card does the A3 support? "Regular" or Micro?

 

[cemerson]

Regular (Mini technically, but what you'd call regular these days)