Tempted with the A3 etron

[Shermo]

Been looking at getting a new car later this year / early next year as I've had a tiny Peugeot 107 for about 7 years now which was great for doing a small town commute but now I've moved further away from work and its about 22 miles each way I'm wanting something a bit newer, bigger and more comfortable.

Been looking at the A3 2.0 TDI which looks a really nice car with plenty of power, especially the 184ps quattro. But recently seen that Audi have the A3 e-tron coming out later this year and very tempted with that.

I commute from Worksop to Sheffield so its country roads, M1 and then tons of traffic into Sheffield city centre, so the etron makes a lot of sense as I could use electric for all the journey aside from the middle stint on the M1.

I've read a few reviews on pre-production models that seem glowingly good, anyone have any idea when the real deal will be hitting the forecourts?

Also, I've never bought a car new before, what are the lead times like buying an Audi, do you have to put your order in like 3 months in advance?

 

[cemerson]

I think it looks like a great car, and probably would have considered one myself, only I live in some flats with communal parking so I can't charge at home. I'm going to keep an eye on it though for the future, and hope they do a 100% electric version eventually, but it'll be a long time down the line before I'm changing car I think.

I think they are due to hit the dealers late this year though.

 

[mjcourtney]

Yeah i'm going to be very interested in this too when I look to change in 2 years time

 

[Sandra]

Been looking at getting a new car later this year / early next year as I've had a tiny Peugeot 107 for about 7 years now which was great for doing a small town commute but now I've moved further away from work and its about 22 miles each way I'm wanting something a bit newer, bigger and more comfortable.

Been looking at the A3 2.0 TDI which looks a really nice car with plenty of power, especially the 184ps quattro. But recently seen that Audi have the A3 e-tron coming out later this year and very tempted with that.

I commute from Worksop to Sheffield so its country roads, M1 and then tons of traffic into Sheffield city centre, so the etron makes a lot of sense as I could use electric for all the journey aside from the middle stint on the M1.

I've read a few reviews on pre-production models that seem glowingly good, anyone have any idea when the real deal will be hitting the forecourts?

Also, I've never bought a car new before, what are the lead times like buying an Audi, do you have to put your order in like 3 months in advance?

Welcome to audi-sport.net. Hope you enjoy the forum.

 

[h5djr]

The e-tron certainly looks an interesting concept. Great for people who do a lot of 'in town' driving.

The only problem may be the extra cost over a 'normal' car. Will the extra cost be recoverable by using the electric system and how long will this take. I understand that Audi are also working on a system where the e-tron could be re-charged by just having it near a charging setup in your garage rather than having to connect a cable. Near Field Technology for cars !!

We will not doubt find out the cost when it is released which according to Auto Express will be in November 2014 in the UK.

 

[Shermo]

I read that the price is likely to be in the region of £32k, and with £5k from the government puts it at £27k which is roughly the same price as a 2.0TDI quattro... tough decision!

Although saying that they reckon just over 200bhp combining electric + petrol power so it could be very sporty (assuming it still has some juice left)

It'll certainly be the best choice for a hybrid for a few years, definitely be nicer than the Vauxhall Ampera, and the BMW i3 is horrifically ugly so totally off the cards, plus it has a rubbish combined range.

 

[mjcourtney]

£27k.... hmmmm... well for that price...

 

[PilotAudi]

This sounds a potentially cracking motor and certainly not for just town driving.

The combination of electric and petrol is quite compelling. I will certainly be seeing how things develop on this one!

 

[s3 owner]

just be aware the price quoted may just be the car and the batteries maybe extra hire charge, as some manufacturers are starting to do.

 

[PilotAudi]

Sure the battery hire will be extra!

 

[cemerson]

just be aware the price quoted may just be the car and the batteries maybe extra hire charge, as some manufacturers are starting to do.

I don't think this is the case. Renault and Nissan are doing this (they are sister companies after all), and the cars are much cheaper as a result, but haven't heard anything about Audi doing it.

If they did though, it'd still be cheaper than fossil fuel.

 

[micky2 not 1]

well at 0% BIK i'd definitely have one over a 2l tdi at 19%! no brainer for fleet cars.

been looking at them, VW have just releaed details of there GT-E golf, same running gear as the e tron but the sportback looks loads better. although the press cars are lowered on 19's and the productions will be on 17's and stilts can sort that though

 

[Vertigo1]

This could very well be my next car but it all depends on the pricing.

As mentioned it's looking like circa £32k so £27k after the government discount but it's hard to compare that with the standard models because we don't know what the trim/spec options are going to be. It's looking like it may only be available in S-Line spec for a start, plus it obviously has S-Tronic as standard and might even come with things like LED lights in order to keep the power drain as low as possible.

I'm gagging for more info but no-one knows anything yet.

 

[RossR]

It'll be heavier because of the batteries. Also won't be able to lower the boot floor and it isn't quattro. Don't get me wrong though. It could still be great, but some points to consider.

 

[micky2 not 1]

For me it's all about 0% benefit in kind. It''ll save me 6k+ a year and the crawl into the Bristol office will be free. The rest of the time I'll drive it like I stole it, as usual, and it will do what mpg it'll do....I don't really care about mpg. It'll have a very small fuel tank and so want be that much heavier, about the same as the Quattro.

 

[Shermo]

Given that mine would be a personal purchase and not a company car I was looking at it from a cost to run perspective. But having done some quick calculations in excel I reckon it would save me about 1000 a year in fuel (at current prices, and switching to economy 7), but given that its likely to be more expensive I'm not sure it will work out that much better.

I guess also you have to look at fuel costs, electricity prices are rising more each year than petrol / diesel has, so it may not even work out that much better going forwards 3 - 5 years.

Personally I'm weighing up the pros and cons of an A3 or an Octavia diesel at the moment, unless they announce the e-tron pricing and what options it comes with as standard then I'll probably go for either of those with a 150ps diesel engine.

 

[micky2 not 1]

Can't see it a viable purchase for a private user. It's clearly aimed at company car drivers. If I got the allowance of 6500 a year off the company I'd be in a 530d!

 

[tomsurfer]

For me it's all about 0% benefit in kind.

I am afraid you are in for a disappointment, the days of 0% BIK are over. For less than 50g Co2 the BIK is 5% from April 2015 and 7% from April 2016, and no doubt continuing upwards......

Company car tax table | Business Car Manager

Tom

 

[micky2 not 1]

still better off..if these go up so the the rest!

I need a car for my work unfortunately ,if i have to pay to do my job.. Projects manager so plenty of site visits etc, then i want to do it as cheap as possible. I am trying to get the dept to go down the pool car route. i have an A3Q, a defender and company car.

If i worked in the same place all the time i'd cycle

 

[Vertigo1]

For me it's all about 0% benefit in kind. It''ll save me 6k+ a year and the crawl into the Bristol office will be free.

Seriously?! No BIK tax at all?! I knew it'd be cheaper but didn't realise it'd be free, where did you read about this?

EDIT: Ah, just seen Tom's post. Oh well, still saves me circa £100 a month in tax over the current car!

 

[squiretolley]

Slightly off topic, but who do you work for Micky?

 

[tomsurfer]

I am afraid you are in for a disappointment, the days of 0% BIK are over. For less than 50g Co2 the BIK is 5% from April 2015 and 7% from April 2016, and no doubt continuing upwards......

Company car tax table | Business Car Manager

Tom

.....and the BIK is now up to 13% for less than 50g Co2 from April 2018 !

Company car tax tables 2014/15 to 2018/19 | Business Car Manager

 

[Vertigo1]

.....and the BIK is now up to 13% for less than 50g Co2 from April 2018 !

Company car tax tables 2014/15 to 2018/19 | Business Car Manager

The tax system for company cars is starting to get stupid.

My current car emits 106g/km of CO2, which is as low as it gets really for this class of car and ahead of most rivals. Nonetheless, by 2018, my car would attract a BIK tax rate of 22%. As a 40% taxpayer, my car (circa £30k list price) would thus cost me around £220 a month in tax alone!

It's starting to look like, in four or five years time, hybrids are going to be the only remotely sensible option for company car drivers, especially those in the higher tax bracket.