For a while now Mrs B5 has wanted a smaller car than the the current A6 C6 3.0TDI Avant she is driving, so we have been looking around at different models, Q2, Q3 and the A3. after finding limited discounts on the Q2, and the interior of the Q3 looking very dated we finally settled on the facelift A3, as we also go some very good discounts using carwow on the A3. So this weekend we finaly put a deposit down on a new A3 with the following spec. A3 Sportback 1.5 TFSI S line - S tronic Tech Pack Virtual Cockpit Tango Red Rear View camera Advanced key High Beam assist Hill hold assist Electric 4-way lumber Adaptive Cruise Audi sound system Park assit Roof Rails I was looking at the Supersport seats but @ £1,870 (as you have to spec the leather option) that was out. Also wanted the electric seats but as they are not memory what is the point! Still cannot believe the A3 has no memory seat option. Was also looking a B&O but the Audi sound system has got good reviews, so cannot justify the extra £500, Mrs B5 is not that bothered about the sound system. Decided on the new 1.5 TFSI engine as we just wanted a "town" car for short trips, got a A6 quattro with a DPF for the longer runs. So the wait now begins, and I'm just waiting on an order number but have been told delivery will be around the end of October - November. Anyone else ordered, received or even test drove the 1.5 what did you think of the engine as we have only test drove the 1.4TFSI, cannot think it will be that much different. Also should I select heated seats, as they are cloth/leather is it worth the £300?
Corker of a Spec mate.think the Mrs would appreciate the heated seats....ye know what burdz are like....they're always cold....lol
I know + you get a few more buttons in the car... Got a few week to decide, and need to sit in an A3 with the standard S line seats see if it's worth it.
Nice spec. If your considering heated seats, and they are a nice option in the winter, maybe worth having a look at the Comfort & Sound pack, as you've added ***, hill hold assist, and wether park assist is worth having. I also would recommend folding mirrors, as these can be setup to fold with central locking via mmi.
Car sounds great. To me at least it looks like you are spending a big whack on options. Do you REALLY need them? Are you buying the car? If you are, you will not get much (any) of the extra outlay back when you sell or trade. You probably know this - so ignore me!
I plan to keep the car for a good few years (6-7) may be longer. My deposit covers the cost of the options + a few extra K so I'm happy with the cost. I want a car that both my wife and I will be happy with and not say I wash I'd added that. I still regret not adding Adaptive Cruise on my C7 A6 but it was an extra £1500 (tech pack advanced), and the retrofit would be cheaper.
If you worry about resale then just don't buy a car full stop. I know I won't get most (if any) all the money back on the option buy, but it will make it very easy to sell the car if I need to.
Have to say it's nice to be in the busy side of the forum the A6 section can be a bit quiet at times.
Ordered a 1.5 just like yourself, not as many options as I don't plan to keep the car past 60,000 (I do 20,000 P/A). Worked out cheaper to get the petrol than it did to get the diesel. As well as this I'm constantly doing city driving rather than long distance so the petrol would be better suited.
I used to that sort of mileage just in commuting each year, but I was running the B5 A4. Thankfully my job changed and mainly work form home these days, so thankfully I can get back to Audi repairing my cars rather than me on a freezing day in the middle of winter. Did you get a chance to test drive the 1.5?
Was in the same situation with 8P A3 as you were with B5 A4. Anyway, there was a topic about 1.5 TFSI but only 1 post said anything about driving experience. Here it is: http://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threads/1-5-tfsi-discussion.333760/#post-3053036
I have the 1.5 S Line with quite a few of the options you've specced. I picked Tech pack advanced with Virtual Cockpit Advanced key Hill hold assist Adaptive Cruise Audi sound system (worth the £200 fee IMO) Park assit Folding mirrors MPG is around town is 35 ish but I expect this to improve as it loosens up, the car hasn't done 100 miles yet. There is very little if any turbo lag and the power delivery is smooth from about 1500 rpm upwards. The variable geometry turbo is doing its thing. It seems pretty capable on the motorway too, there is extra power available if you need to stick your foot down at 70. 90mph appears very quickly.....
Was thinking about the folding mirrors, as we have a driveway and the car is never parked on the road is there much point? I also disable to folding mirrors during the winter months as I've had them freeze up on me on my C7. So I think the only option now I'm still pondering about is the heated seats...
The Comfort & Sound Pack gives you B&O sound, heated seats and hill-hold assist. I have it speced on mine and I think it's a bargain
If you are keeping it a while put the 5 year warranty on it at order. Haven't used my heated seats in 3 years and the Audi sound system is more than good enough for ice.
Mrs B5 is not that bothered about the sound System, But I like the side parking sensors on the car that park assist give. Will have a look over the weekend.
Personally I think B&O is worth the money but you wouldn't recoup it when selling. Heated seats are a must for leather but never felt the need for them on cloth seats, my TT had alcantara and I never wished they were heated.
Ah, you're one of these people who see the media reporting problems with "keyless" systems and think it means the keyless entry AND start systems, when in reality it relates to what we call "remote central locking" and has been a "security risk" since the early 2000s in its current form. Nothing inherently more insecure with advanced key over RCL.
I've got remote key on my C7 and I find it too useful to not spec on the A3. I also store the keys in a metal money box so they cannot be scanned, but the box is not locked and in plain sight, so if they want the cars and they have the balls to break into the house for the keys, then they can have them. Who would not search a money box labelled Car keys!!!!
It is. But in 99% of cases it's not keyless entry and start that gets cloned/hacked/bypassed, it's just regular old keyless (remote central locking to you or me) and as such I'd not avoid buying advanced key.
Had my 1.5 S Line S-Tronic for a few weeks now and really enjoying it. Got 50 MPG from a 90 mile run around Northumberland today, so MPG improving after run in. My first Audi since an 80 and 100 in the 80s, and it seems to be very well made and smooth running, with plenty of power for me. Glad I opted for VC, Park assist and Adaptive Cruise. Not needed heated seats yet, but that will prove its worth soon enough.
Yes have added heated seats to my order... Could live with 50MPG better than the 34 ish from my 3.0 A6
Wife has a 1.5 tfsi s-tronic cabrio. It feels no different from the 1.4 tfsi COD that I had, except it doesn't have the turbo lag. It is a remarkable little power unit in my view.
Well the car is finaly in production (1 week early) so boat depending I should get the around the middle of next month Changed the spec a little from the original post, and was changing my mind every day until the car got locked in which I was thankful for. Time will tell if not spec'ing the sun roof was a bad idea or not.. Here is my final config. A3 Sportback 1.5 TFSI S line - S tronic Tech Pack Comfort and Sound Pack Virtual Cockpit Tango Red Rear View camera Advanced key High Beam assist Hill hold assist Electric 4-way lumber Park assist Driver Assistance pack Audi Active Lane Assist pack Alloy Roof Rails 5 Year warranty Roll on next month, just hope I get lucky with the boat.
Red cars look lovely (my GTD was Tornado red), and seem fairly rare in an A3. This was in the showroom when I ordered Early start in production is normal, your car should be in QC by the Monday of your allocated build week
Cracking spec although personally speaking drivers aids are a waste of money but we are all different, it normally takes 4 weeks from build to delivery
All depends on the boat I guess, my A6 was at the docks no more than 2 days before it was on a ship, and got the car in less that 2 weeks. What was a surprise was the preparation stage, my A6 was stuck there for 2 weeks, which I think was down to the super sport seats. However the A3 just skipped over that stage. I'm now expecting it to be built over the weekend and on the train by Monday. Anyone know which plant the A3's are built?
Yes the A3 saloon is built in Gyor, Hungary, along with the cab and the TT and almost the entire range of engines https://www.audi.com/corporate/en/company/production-sites/audi-production-worldwide/gyor.html
According to the Tracker for my wifes TT and my S3 Saloon which were ordered on the same day last September, hers was built in Gyor and mine in Ingolstadt. Things may have changed in the last year though
