I'm converted....

[redbutcher]

Hi all,

First post on here....

I'm currently a member on uk-mkivs.net and have had a MKV Golf Tdi Sport for the last 3 years as a company motor. This is due to be replaced September this year and I've been thinking about taking the car allowance and getting my own car...

Anyway, went to my local dealer (Northampton Audi) today and have to say I was very impressed with the service I received. The sales chap was very helpful and more than willing to answer any questions I had.

I then took out an A3 2.0 TDI (140ps) S-line for a good 20-30 mins to get a feel for it and loved it. I then sat in the RS4 Avant they had in the showroom and immediately decided I needed to take out another mortgage on the house .

Anyway, I'm going to be after a A3 2.0 TDI (140ps) S-line Sportback in the not to distant future. I'm looking at the spec below and wondered if anyone had any comments - is there stuff I can do without on the list, or stuff I should be adding?

Paintwork
Pearl - Phantom black

Trim
Vienna leather upholstery - Black
Brushed aluminium inlay

Packs
Luggage pack - A3
Non smoking pack - A3
Interior light package - A3 S line/S3
Light and rain sensor pack - A3

Wheels
18" 20 spoke 2 piece design alloy wheels

Audio & Communication
BOSE sound system
Concert single CD player with MP3 facility

Interior
Front centre armrest
Perforated leather gearknob

Exterior
3 spoke perforated leather-trimmed sports steering wheel
Rear window sun screen in parcel shelf Xenon headlights including washers + automatic range adjustment
Safety & Technology
Cruise control
Automatic dimming and folding door mirrors

Other
Electric lumbar support


Ta

Jon

 

[motorbikez]

Personally I wouldn't bother with cruise and as I was reading down your list I thought hope he's going to spec lumbar support one of the better options IMO and right at the death you did.

By the way hello and welcome hope you enjoy your motor when you get it.

 

[cdb2]

Welcome - nice spec.

My Misses has a MK V and the difference between the interior of hers and my Sportback is like night and day!

Re options....

Default smoking pack looks better than the 'hole' you get with the 'non-smoking pack'.

I don't find the light and rain sensors that great, wouldn't pay extra for them.

I'd personally stick with the S Line 5 spokes, look best imho and easier to clean!

Folding door mirrors are great for the garage. Don't be surprised if they fold at different speeds though! LOL

 

[Shao_khan]

Hiya, Also a former user of the MKivs here - great resource.

Northampton isnt a bad sales place, although the guy I used to deal with has left now. I'd play Northampton and MK off against each other, Leslie in MK isnt bad either.

Also try Alister (sorry if I spelt your name wrong mate) who does post on here as he works for a dealership not too far away and service I have had thus far with an enquirey has been very good.

As for Spec - I like the lights pack, I'd keep the stock S-line 5 spokes. If speccing Xenons I'd be tempted to also get the adaptive lights as they do work very well on the unlit A and B roads of Northants. I dont have lumbar and have never really bothereed with it when I do have it. Have phone prep in this car and have to say I'm a convert the Audi system has proved to be excellent, although I guess that would also require MFSW.

Oh and Black ...... I'd never have another, but thats for a different thread.

 

[redbutcher]

Thanks for the comments so far folks - very helpful....

Motorbikez - only reason I've gone for the cruise is the amount of motorway driving I'll be doing - thought it might save my right foot aching a bit - I tend to do about 30-32k a year.

cdb2 - ahh, right then I'll stick with the smoking pack then. Good point re the standard wheels - think I'll stick to those and put the money towards the adaptive lighting.

Shao_Khan - cheers, 2 comments re the stock wheels, so looks like I'll keep those then . I have a black Golf now so not a problem keeping it clean - however am also tempted with Lava Grey. Good point re Lumbar - don't think the A3 I drove today had it and I didn't miss it - might miss that out too.

Any more comments, keep them coming :icon_thumright:

 

[Vertigo1]

Anyway, I'm going to be after a A3 2.0 TDI (140ps) S-line Sportback in the not to distant future. I'm looking at the spec below and wondered if anyone had any comments - is there stuff I can do without on the list, or stuff I should be adding?

My that spec looks familiar! (check my sig )

Let's see...


Paintwork
Pearl - Phantom black - check, all cars should be black

Trim
Vienna leather upholstery - Black - standard on S-Line anyway
Brushed aluminium inlay - check, piano black option marks too easily

Packs
Luggage pack - A3 - check, reversible mat and power socket both very useful
Non smoking pack - A3 - check, adds useful extra space to the centre cubby and removes the annoying sticky-up lighter
Interior light package - A3 S line/S3 - check
Light and rain sensor pack - A3 - check

Wheels
18" 20 spoke 2 piece design alloy wheels - very nice but a nightmare to clean so be prepared

Audio & Communication
BOSE sound system - check
Concert single CD player with MP3 facility - replace with an RNS-E at your earliest opportunity

Interior
Front centre armrest - check, essential for long trips
Perforated leather gearknob - standard

Exterior
3 spoke perforated leather-trimmed sports steering wheel - standard
Rear window sun screen in parcel shelf - standard Xenon headlights including washers + automatic range adjustment - very useful if you do a fair bit of night driving
Safety & Technology
Cruise control - limited usefulness unless you do a lot of mileage on deserted motorways (i.e. at night)
Automatic dimming and folding door mirrors - check, the dimming mirrors are one of my favourite features

Other
Electric lumbar support - check, as with the armrest, essential for long journeys





Only comments I'd have would be on the audio & comms side.

If you're not planning on replacing the standard head unit with the RNS-E nav unit then you might want to consider upgrading it in some way. Having but a single MP3 CD slot could be limiting so I'd consider either the Symphony or external CD changers or else the Ipod link.

 

[Vertigo1]

Default smoking pack looks better than the 'hole' you get with the 'non-smoking pack'.

Complete rubbish.

The non-smoking pack removes the ashtray ahead of the gearstick and makes the cubby hole larger and more useful. There's no "hole" anywhere. It also removes the ugly sticky-up lighter and replaces it with a neat spring-loaded flap over the socket.

 

[coupe-se]

Nice spec mate, very similar to mine!!

The cruise works REALLY well, is a godsend on long motorway journeys and also works at 30 mph (previous car I've had with cruise did not work at low speeds) which is great for those speed restricted villages with long roads.

The 20 spokes do take a little while to clean but are well worth it, and a year on people still comment on how the wheels set my car off.

The auto lights/wipers work very well and seem alot more consistent than those fitted to other manufacturers cars.

I have privacy glass fitted to mine which looks good with Phantom Black (not sure it suits lighter coloured cars). I also have the Alu roof rails fitted which look good against the black.

Enjoy mate, you'll love it!!

 

[KRL]

Complete rubbish.

The non-smoking pack removes the ashtray ahead of the gearstick and makes the cubby hole larger and more useful. There's no "hole" anywhere. It also removes the ugly sticky-up lighter and replaces it with a neat spring-loaded flap over the socket.

Down to personal taste and opinion. My opinion is that if you are not going to smoke in the car then ticking the no smoking option is very much worthwhile.

You get an excellent and neat storage space that I have found very useful.

 

[redbutcher]

Thanks Vertigo 1 - non smoking pack it is then.

Only reason I'm going to stick with the concert CD player is to add a Dension iPod link (have one in the Golf at the moment) after getting the car. I have TomTom for sat nav anyway.

 

[redbutcher]

Coupe-se - you've got my car:icon_thumright:

If you could post a link to some larger pics, that would be cool....

I do like the 2 piece alloys - have got all the cleaning stuff, so might just stick to those as they do look soooooo nice!

 

[benw123]

Agree with a lot of what Vertigo wrote - black suits the Sportback, although it probably is a little too popular. And cruise is a must. It's not just great for high speed cruising, but also works nicely in those average speed roadworks too.

It's also possible as Vertigo said to retrofit the sat nav for around a quarter of the cost new, but you will need a double-DIN stereo (see the link in my signature for details) to save changing the DIN cage and the centre console buttons. I'm not familiar with the new Concert III unit, but all Symphonys are double-DIN which makes it a straight swap.

 

[Vertigo1]

All head units in the A3 are now double-din, although I think if you go for the basic Chorus you only get passive speakers which can be a pain to retrofit RNS-E with. Could be wrong there though.

 

[cdb2]

Complete rubbish.

The non-smoking pack removes the ashtray ahead of the gearstick and makes the cubby hole larger and more useful. There's no "hole" anywhere. It also removes the ugly sticky-up lighter and replaces it with a neat spring-loaded flap over the socket.

Grow up mate, it's not "complete rubbish", it's just another person's opinion just as valid as yours! The whole point of a forum is to encourage discussion and exchange views not to 'rubbish' people's opinions.

This debate was had a long time ago, some people liked the lid of the 'ash tray' for a more complete look as the hole looked too big without it or to use the ashtray as somewhere to hide things away. Others liked the larger cubby hole that you get without the ashtray to store CD's and the like . Personal choice at the end of the day.

Redbutcher - try and have a look at a car with and without unless you have practical reasons to plump for either.

 

[cdb2]

Have you considered the parking sensors on the Sportback? Quite topical with all the talk of retro-fitting them in the last few days!

I have them and am quite happy with them - rear visibility is not as good as in the Golf.

 

[MJZ 6370]

I have the sensors for the first time and find them almost essential with the Sportback given the poor rear visibility.

 

[mitch78]

:thumbsup:

 

[Vertigo1]

Grow up mate, it's not "complete rubbish", it's just another person's opinion just as valid as yours! The whole point of a forum is to encourage discussion and exchange views not to 'rubbish' people's opinions.

I wasn't "rubbishing" your opinions, I was merely stating that the assertion that it leaves an unsightly hole was rubbish. Basically you made it out as if the removal of the ashtray left a gaping chasm in its place which is so far from the truth that I felt compelled to use the word "rubbish" to emphasise how far from the truth this was. Didn't mean to cause offence.

This debate was had a long time ago, some people liked the lid of the 'ash tray' for a more complete look as the hole looked too big without it or to use the ashtray as somewhere to hide things away. Others liked the larger cubby hole that you get without the ashtray to store CD's and the like . Personal choice at the end of the day.

That's fair enough, but you have to concede that this explanation gives a much better idea of what you get without the ashtray, compared to your original post which just said it left a 'hole'

 

[Gti Jazz Blue]

About the only thing I could add to this debate is that you have two too many doors on your spec.

Personally I just replaced the cigar lighter with an Audi re-chargeable torch.

Another UK-MKIVS.NET convertee.

Paul

 

[alanjonesbath]

Cruise is a must for me. I use it all the time, whether going through 30 mph zones, or doing motorway speeds. It just makes things more relaxing, as you can stop worrying about your speed, and concentrate on other things going on around you.

Personally, I prefer the 'smoking pack', although I'm a non-smoker. I looked at a few pictures of cars with the ashtray and without, and just preferred the look of the aluminium-trimmed ashtray to the black plastic tray. Had I not had the aluminium trim, I may well have gone for the non-smoking pack. I'd have prefered to have the ashtray and 12v socket rather than a fag lighter.

Personally, if you won't be retro-fitting the RNS-E sat nav, I'd upgrade to the Symphony radio, just to give you the 6 disc MP3 changer. We've never bothered with connecting an iPod etc., as we can store so much music in the player at any one time now anyway.

 

[redbutcher]

- thanks GTi Jazz Blue - recognise your sign in name from uk-mkivs.net. Got to be a sportback for me as have 2 growing kids.

Think I'm going to go for cruise as will become more useful with more specs sites being set up - we have one near us with a 50mph average speed over a couple of miles - will save me watching the speedo all the time.

Some of the specifications could be taken out of my hands though as there does appear to be a fairly lengthy waiting time, so I might look at a pre-reg to get it quicker and to save a bit of cash for other things (like Bluefin ).

Anyway, thanks for all the pointers folks - much appreciated (if anyone as any others, feel free to add further comments).

I'll update this post once I've sorted it out with work over the next month.

Jon

 

[Trickey Dickey]

hey Redbutcher
word of warning, i have a3 with concert, bose, phone prep, the hissing that keeps coming through my front speakers is seriously doing my head in!! i have had it in at audi three times to sort it and they say its in the hands of audi uk at the mo!! im not the only one to have this problem either apparently, it seems stupid to offer this combination of options if it interferes with each other, check out my thread a while aga 'Hissing stereo' aaarh it drives me mad!!!

 

[redbutcher]

Cheers for the headsup Tricky Dickey - I'm going to be after a car without phone prep, so hopefully won't get that problem - but I'll certainly check it out if the car I look at has all 3 options.