My S3 Saloon has recently had its third birthday, something which was brought into sharp focus by the requirement of an MOT already! This got me thinking that, although I still absolutely love the car, I still find certain things rather annoying, although none of them in themselves would ever be a deal breaker. In no particular order, they are:
* No clock. Yes, I know if I care to activate the MMI screen, I can see the time on there but, after years of cars with clocks of one sort or another, I still really notice that there isn't one in the S3.
* I discovered some time ago, by conducting a simple test on my driveway, that it is possible to open the car boot remotely without unlocking the car doors. If, in a moment of hurried forgetfulness, you temporarily drop your keys onto the boot floor and then close the boot lid - bingo, you're locked out of your car! This really shouldn't be possible.
* Heated door mirrors. Why do we have to turn the little knob to a certain position to allow the mirror elements to come on when the rear window de-mister is activated? They should be wired in such a way that you shouldn't even have to think about it, as in my previous vehicles with this capability.
* Tilting near side door mirror. A very useful device which has saved my alloys from abrasion many a time! However, I believe the driver's side should tilt too, as it's equally crucial to avoid kerbs (for the same reason), but also in car parks it's helpful to be able to see the white lines. I currently always open the door a bit so that I can look down to see how well (or not) that I'm positioned.
* Boost gauge. What is the point of it? What does it tell me? It lights up like a Christmas tree if I accelerate hard in a lower gear, but I know I'm doing that so, I say again - what's the point of it? Far more useful would be the provision of a water temperature gauge .. nearly all cars have one, so why does Audi reckon we don't need one in the S3?
* And finally, the lack of a folding centre arm rest in the back seat is odd for a car of this calibre. My last few cars had one and I found it invaluable as a means of propping up bags of shopping to save them from rolling over when cornering hard. Plus, it's nice for rear passengers to have somewhere to rest their elbow!
Please feel free to weigh in with your thoughts, I'm sure I'm not alone with these little niggles!
* No clock. Yes, I know if I care to activate the MMI screen, I can see the time on there but, after years of cars with clocks of one sort or another, I still really notice that there isn't one in the S3.
* I discovered some time ago, by conducting a simple test on my driveway, that it is possible to open the car boot remotely without unlocking the car doors. If, in a moment of hurried forgetfulness, you temporarily drop your keys onto the boot floor and then close the boot lid - bingo, you're locked out of your car! This really shouldn't be possible.
* Heated door mirrors. Why do we have to turn the little knob to a certain position to allow the mirror elements to come on when the rear window de-mister is activated? They should be wired in such a way that you shouldn't even have to think about it, as in my previous vehicles with this capability.
* Tilting near side door mirror. A very useful device which has saved my alloys from abrasion many a time! However, I believe the driver's side should tilt too, as it's equally crucial to avoid kerbs (for the same reason), but also in car parks it's helpful to be able to see the white lines. I currently always open the door a bit so that I can look down to see how well (or not) that I'm positioned.
* Boost gauge. What is the point of it? What does it tell me? It lights up like a Christmas tree if I accelerate hard in a lower gear, but I know I'm doing that so, I say again - what's the point of it? Far more useful would be the provision of a water temperature gauge .. nearly all cars have one, so why does Audi reckon we don't need one in the S3?
* And finally, the lack of a folding centre arm rest in the back seat is odd for a car of this calibre. My last few cars had one and I found it invaluable as a means of propping up bags of shopping to save them from rolling over when cornering hard. Plus, it's nice for rear passengers to have somewhere to rest their elbow!
Please feel free to weigh in with your thoughts, I'm sure I'm not alone with these little niggles!
