Next model A3

wab172uk said:
Dealers don't really like giving test drives anymore. Not round here anyway.

No Ford dealer in the North East had one. One got one in and I arranged a test drive for the Saturday. Phoned up just before I set off. Just to check everything was fine. Glad I did

Salesman "The guy who has the ST doesn't work Saturdays mate".
Me. "So why did you arrange for me to test drive it today then?"
Salesman "We have an ST line in if you want to take that out"
Me. "Don't think so"

I tried to get an M2 Competition for a test drive. They had one, and would phone me back to arrange. No phone call

I tried to get an A35 AMG for a test drive. They had one, and would phone me back to arrange. No phone call

You'd think pulling up in an S3 would make them think I'm not some tire kicker hoping to rag a new car around for a couple hours. Plus, I'm in my 40's, so not some youth either. Then you hear that new car sales are down. Wonder why?
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That’s frustrating, when I went to look at a MX5 Mazda told me to come back in a week and they’ll give me one for the day with a full tank of petrol.

When I went to pick up the sales lady said do as many miles as you want just leave some tread on tires.
 
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X3man said:
that is really really poor, and have had those experiences before in the past. I just walk away, but frustrating none the less.
As you say, they should be keen as mustard to try and get a deal
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Yeah, I won't buy from those dealerships when I do decide what car I want next.
 
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TYb said:
That’s frustrating, when I went to look at a MX5 Mazda told me to come back in a week and they’ll give me one for the day with a full tank of petrol.

When I went to pick up the sales lady said do as many miles as you want just leave some tread on tires.
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And what happened???? You bought one, not rocket science is it? You would have thought.
Appreciate there are probably plenty serial test drivers, but if I was in sales, I would try and get as many test drives in with punters
 
TYb said:
That’s frustrating, when I went to look at a MX5 Mazda told me to come back in a week and they’ll give me one for the day with a full tank of petrol.

When I went to pick up the sales lady said do as many miles as you want just leave some tread on tires.
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This is what happened when I enquired about an S3 at the back end of 2014. Sales woman arranged a date with me there and then (and arranged a test drive too. Boom Boom !!) and when I went to collect it, she chucked me the keys, said it had a full tank of fuel, and just to bring it back when I either got bored, or just before they closed. Guess what? They got a car sale !!
 
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X3man said:
And what happened???? You bought one, not rocket science is it? You would have thought.
Appreciate there are probably plenty serial test drivers, but if I was in sales, I would try and get as many test drives in with punters
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Exactly, if they hadn’t of given me that test drive I doubt I’d of gone through with it as head was talking me out of it but as soon as I drove it I knew I’d be ordering one.
 
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ST are like hens teeth. One I test drove was taken from the showroom, unregistered and had 5 miles on the clock. I couldn't believe I got to test it but sales guy said not to worry as it would be sold easily.
 
@jassyo06

Can’t believe I’m saying this but ...

Just seen this on a tv advert - & thought it looks a great looking car :icon thumright: :blink:

1095BAC5 476C 4CE7 AF74 04855FF3504B
 
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X3man said:
Haha, funny enough was just coming here to post this:


https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/bmw/1-series/first-drives/bmw-1-series-m135i-2019-review

They reckon matches/betters A35 AMG
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I’ve got nothing against BMW’s just for the record :tearsofjoy: I’d take an A35 over that new 1 series any day of the week though, the old 1 series wasn’t a good looking car but it looks at first glance they’ve tried to turn the new model into a SUV sort of thing and managed to make it look worse than the model it replaces in my opinion :whistle2:
 
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audi upgrades
KenL said:
I like it.
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Maybe it’ll grow on me once I see one in person, shame about the exterior the interior seems next level, they’ve upped their game there for sure
 
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I’m not sure sure those looks are going to grow on me but it’ll probably look a lot better in the flesh and with a less sparkles grill.

It’s finny how they rarely mention the S3 as a comparison, it’s always the Merc or Golf R.
 
audi upgrades
wab172uk said:
May I suggest a trip to Specsavers !!!

That has got to be one of the most ugly cars to be produced in recent years.
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I have to admit, knowing it's based off the 2 series active tourer does sour the car for me, there is an underlying similarity which I can't seem to overlook.
 
TYb said:
I’m not sure sure those looks are going to grow on me but it’ll probably look a lot better in the flesh and with a less sparkles grill.

It’s finny how they rarely mention the S3 as a comparison, it’s always the Merc or Golf R.
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they did in this one, but agree, often "miss off" the S3 in comparisons:

RivalsAudi S3 Sportback, Mercedes-AMG A35, Volkswagen Golf R
 
Snake Pliskin said:
I don’t disagree with that & let’s hope it is the case. I think the exterior will be fine - it’s just that blasted finger magnet touch screen with its angular casing & those high vents which concern me .. but as you say, maybe the final product will be fine once we see it first hand.
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Out of interest,after 10 A3s, I now drive a 2019 Q3 with almost certainly the same "finger magnet" touch screen that will be used in the new A3. When I took delivery my dealer gave me an Audi e-cloth to wipe the screen. I have now had the Q3 for 4 months and done 3K miles and have used the navigation screen quite a lot on a recent holiday to Wales. So far I have done only needed to wipe the touch screen once to remove any finger marks. It seems to remain clean most of the time.
 
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h5djr said:
Out of interest,after 10 A3s, I now drive a 2019 Q3 with almost certainly the same "finger magnet" touch screen that will be used in the new A3. When I took delivery my dealer gave me an Audi e-cloth to wipe the screen. I have now had the Q3 for 4 months and done 3K miles and have used the navigation screen quite a lot on a recent holiday to Wales. So far I have done only needed to wipe the touch screen once to remove any finger marks. It seems to remain clean most of the time.
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You obviously don’t lick your fingers after eating a bag of chilli heatwave Doritos then ;)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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h5djr said:
Out of interest,after 10 A3s, I now drive a 2019 Q3 with almost certainly the same "finger magnet" touch screen that will be used in the new A3. When I took delivery my dealer gave me an Audi e-cloth to wipe the screen. I have now had the Q3 for 4 months and done 3K miles and have used the navigation screen quite a lot on a recent holiday to Wales. So far I have done only needed to wipe the touch screen once to remove any finger marks. It seems to remain clean most of the time.
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But you don't drive and use the touchscreen whilst driving or you???
 
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jassyo06 said:
But you don't drive and use the touchscreen whilst driving or you???
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Well if drivers are still stupid enough to use a mobile phone whilst driving then the answer is very clear. Touchscreens should be disabled once the engine is running and I have been stating that for quite some time now. But the powers that be are looking at this technology. Coupled with those who are too lazy to read a manual the technology within modern cars is going to be extremely challenging, distracting and life threatening event..

However, to clarify, I believe h5jdr is a much a passenger these days...
 
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I agree to a certain extent. However, I never once fiddled with my phone or my navigation via android google maps as the voice control on my FL A3 was superb.
 
Unfortunately we could be victims to those, because there is no legislation yet, at risk of being a victim of those that do...
 
cuke2u said:
Well if drivers are still stupid enough to use a mobile phone whilst driving then the answer is very clear. Touchscreens should be disabled once the engine is running and I have been stating that for quite some time now. But the powers that be are looking at this technology. Coupled with those who are too lazy to read a manual the technology within modern cars is going to be extremely challenging, distracting and life threatening event..

However, to clarify, I believe h5jdr is a much a passenger these days...
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There must not be any legislation on the horizon or Audi and other manufactures wouldn’t be making things like heating controls etc controlled by touch screen. I do prefer the scroll wheel you can flick through things by just glancing at the screen.

If the Government went as far to ban you using touch screens whilst driving, does that mean they should ban people being able to smoke or vape too as that’s a distraction... I don’t think that’d happen. It’s driver discretion and common sense at the end of the day, i.e - don’t go looking at the touchscreen or changing song while driving at 60 on a twisty road.
 
Well, mobile phone use is a ticketed, fine and points offense and that does not stop a lot of people from texting whilst driving and that is downright dangerous...ditto for touchscreens.
 
Bells said:
There must not be any legislation on the horizon or Audi and other manufactures wouldn’t be making things like heating controls etc controlled by touch screen. I do prefer the scroll wheel you can flick through things by just glancing at the screen.

If the Government went as far to ban you using touch screens whilst driving, does that mean they should ban people being able to smoke or vape too as that’s a distraction... I don’t think that’d happen. It’s driver discretion and common sense at the end of the day, i.e - don’t go looking at the touchscreen or changing song while driving at 60 on a twisty road.
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I only know what has been reported, as linked below this post. To equate the distraction of using a touchscreen with other behaviour within a car was probably the same excuse mobile phone users used when a ban on them was imminent. So if you'll forgive me, as history has proved that one to be a false argument, I'll treat that with the contempt it deserves.
As for common sense, there is currently a huge lack of that on our road judging from what I see when driving.
https://www.motoringresearch.com/car-news/highways-england-car-touchscreens-unsafe/
https://ec.europa.eu/transport/road.../ersosynthesis2015-driverdistraction25_en.pdf

Lastly https://news.sky.com/story/a34-crash-lorry-driver-jailed-for-killing-family-while-on-phone-10639721
 
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cuke2u said:
I only know what has been reported, as linked below this post. To equate the distraction of using a touchscreen with other behaviour within a car was probably the same excuse mobile phone users used when a ban on them was imminent. So if you'll forgive me, as history has proved that one to be a false argument, I'll treat that with the contempt it deserves.
As for common sense, there is currently a huge lack of that on our road judging from what I see when driving.
https://www.motoringresearch.com/car-news/highways-england-car-touchscreens-unsafe/
https://ec.europa.eu/transport/road.../ersosynthesis2015-driverdistraction25_en.pdf

Lastly https://news.sky.com/story/a34-crash-lorry-driver-jailed-for-killing-family-while-on-phone-10639721
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I think we will have to agree to disagree on this one. However, I totally agree with the lack of common sense aspect that you seen on the roads daily but you can’t penalise the majority because of a few idiots. What happened to that family is a tragedy and was very well publicised at the time, but that was related to use of a phone which as we all know is illegal.

But personally I disagree with the argument that using a mobile is the same distraction as operating the cars infotainment system. There’s thousands of people that change the volume / radio station or change song on a daily basis while driving their cars are you saying that should be banned while driving? Same argument applies for people saying they should now ban bluetooth speakers how is that any different to having a conversation with a passenger in the car or having screaming kids in the back?
 
Well would you like it if someone tested the theory out and rear ended your car on a motorway?
 
In my girlfriends Citroen C3 you can only access the Nav, Settings and heating controls via the touch screen, it really isn’t safe to be using them whilst driving, you have to focus on the screen to ensure you tap the right area

I think not having manual controls for heating etc is a big mistake personally.

The Mazda has a touch screen but it disables itself when moving.
 
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TYb said:
In my girlfriends Citroen C3 you can only access the Nav, Settings and heating controls via the touch screen, it really isn’t safe to be using them whilst driving, you have to focus on the screen to ensure you tap the right area

I think not having manual controls for heating etc is a big mistake personally.

The Mazda has a touch screen but it disables itself when moving.
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Which is a solution...
 
You wouldn't be allowed to drive a Tesla 3 if this law was brought in!
 
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TYb said:
In my girlfriends Citroen C3 you can only access the Nav, Settings and heating controls via the touch screen, it really isn’t safe to be using them whilst driving, you have to focus on the screen to ensure you tap the right area

I think not having manual controls for heating etc is a big mistake personally.

The Mazda has a touch screen but it disables itself when moving.
Click to expand...

Yes, the main user controls like heating controls and volume controls shouldn't be within the infotainment system, as taking your eyes off the road to scroll through sub menu's IS dangerous, and will cause crashes. Even without these all encompassing infotainment system the standard of driving on our roads is getting worse. My main gripe is no indicators on round-a-bouts, or indicating left when entering a round-a-bout, and letting everyone guess which of the exits they're intending to use.

I guess this is why manufacturers are evolving voice recognition systems in their cars. So you don't need to take your eyes off the road to scroll through various sub menu's. But I suppose it's a solution to a problem they created?

But I don't want to be sat in a car shouting "Hey BMW", Hey Mercedes", or Hey Audi". If I want to feel a little warmer or cooler, I just want to turn a dial. Quicker, easier, and I don't need to turn the music off just so the car can hear me.
 
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wab172uk said:
Yes, the main user controls like heating controls and volume controls shouldn't be within the infotainment system, as taking your eyes off the road to scroll through sub menu's IS dangerous, and will cause crashes. Even without these all encompassing infotainment system the standard of driving on our roads is getting worse. My main gripe is no indicators on round-a-bouts, or indicating left when entering a round-a-bout, and letting everyone guess which of the exits they're intending to use.

I guess this is why manufacturers are evolving voice recognition systems in their cars. So you don't need to take your eyes off the road to scroll through various sub menu's. But I suppose it's a solution to a problem they created?

But I don't want to be sat in a car shouting "Hey BMW", Hey Mercedes", or Hey Audi". If I want to feel a little warmer or cooler, I just want to turn a dial. Quicker, easier, and I don't need to turn the music off just so the car can hear me.
Click to expand...

It’s very dangerous, after 1 or 2 attempts of changing temperature etc in the C3 I’ve stopped using it.
 
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