RE: (Also) official: Audi S3 Sportback
Discussion
MonkeyMatt said:
MyCC said:
Is anyone else hugely bored with Audi's at the moment?! Just can't get excited about their point & squirt mentality, aside from the R8 of course.
Regards,
My CC.
Have you driven a new A3?Regards,
My CC.
If Skoda made the same car though... then it'd be ace.
Yes, the interior is much nicer in the new A3 than in the M135i. Nothing much wrong with the BMW's interior - it's functional, well-made out of decent materials, comfortable and very easy to use. But the A3's design is much more stylishly designed and the materials have a quality feel to them that is a step up from what BMW offer in the 1-series.
I suppose it comes down to where your priorities lie. With this sort of car I'd have thought it was more about a memorable driving experience than concerns over stylishness and well-damped knobs.
I suppose it comes down to where your priorities lie. With this sort of car I'd have thought it was more about a memorable driving experience than concerns over stylishness and well-damped knobs.
I've had a couple of A3s in recent years, but won't be getting another.
Reasons? For the main one, look at the interior shot, where you'll see one of those electronic handbrakes.....
Also when I bought my latest A3, Audi wanted an extra £500 to change the standard gloss plastic trims to matt black (the latter was standard on my previous A3) - that's just a rip off and seems to me to be an indication of the regard in which Audi hold their customers....
Reasons? For the main one, look at the interior shot, where you'll see one of those electronic handbrakes.....
Also when I bought my latest A3, Audi wanted an extra £500 to change the standard gloss plastic trims to matt black (the latter was standard on my previous A3) - that's just a rip off and seems to me to be an indication of the regard in which Audi hold their customers....
No no no no.... Audi are losing it a little, piece by piece...
I think Audi misjudged the market with the A3. It will sell well I am sure. But it is too conservative.
I don't think Audi factored in Mercedes really raising their game with the new A series.
I can easily see Mercedes gaining ground on Audi as the new fashionable wheels of choice. The A class is fresh and different while the new A3 looks like just more of the same old thing..
Audi will sell plenty, but I think they have made it easier for their competitors.
I think they made the same mistake with the A8 too. The previous model was lovely, but the current one looks like a taxi and seems to be pretty much ignored these days.
I think Audi misjudged the market with the A3. It will sell well I am sure. But it is too conservative.
I don't think Audi factored in Mercedes really raising their game with the new A series.
I can easily see Mercedes gaining ground on Audi as the new fashionable wheels of choice. The A class is fresh and different while the new A3 looks like just more of the same old thing..
Audi will sell plenty, but I think they have made it easier for their competitors.
I think they made the same mistake with the A8 too. The previous model was lovely, but the current one looks like a taxi and seems to be pretty much ignored these days.
TimS2000 said:
What's the deal with all the extra exhaust outlets nowadays? I admit I quite like a dual set up, but quads on a 4-banger, especially on a car that small, looks daft and Max Power-esque to me.
Otherwise looks quite nice, but I'm finding it hard to get too excited about it which seems quite silly for a 300hp hatchback.
+1 - a pair of RS5-esque oval pipes would have been far more subtleOtherwise looks quite nice, but I'm finding it hard to get too excited about it which seems quite silly for a 300hp hatchback.
I guess the 400 in the rego = ~400 Nm torque...
Edited by predding on Wednesday 13th February 16:15
To all those fellows harking back to the lightweight hot hatches of yesterday, would you actually buy one now for everyday use? A smaller, noisier car with less power and all the modern creature comforts stripped out to make it lighter? If so fair enough, but Audi seem to know which way the market is pointing.
My girlfriend has a manual S3. It has 4wd, its quite fast, it looks pretty good and is not an "in your face" hot hatch squeaking "look at me". It seems to do everything well, apart from the twisty dial sat nav which is sh!t. Its coming up for replacement soon, I hope she opts to get another!
My girlfriend has a manual S3. It has 4wd, its quite fast, it looks pretty good and is not an "in your face" hot hatch squeaking "look at me". It seems to do everything well, apart from the twisty dial sat nav which is sh!t. Its coming up for replacement soon, I hope she opts to get another!
oojonoo said:
toppstuff said:
I think Audi misjudged the market with the A3. It will sell well I am sure. But it is too conservative.
it will sell well - and this is a misjudgement of the market?I can't imagine an owner of a , say, 2011 model A3 being in a desperate rush to upgrade. In contrast, every potential buyer in this class will look at the new Merc. Some will buy one. In the past they would have all probably defaulted to the A3. Not any more.
It will sell well. It is an Audi after all. But IMO they would sell more if they had been a bit braver.
toppstuff said:
Yes, because it will lose ground to competitors such as the A class IMO. If the A3 was more innovative, and not a clone of the previous model, they would sell more.
I can't imagine an owner of a , say, 2011 model A3 being in a desperate rush to upgrade. In contrast, every potential buyer in this class will look at the new Merc. Some will buy one. In the past they would have all probably defaulted to the A3. Not any more.
It will sell well. It is an Audi after all. But IMO they would sell more if they had been a bit braver.
I think it's easy to be brave when we are sat where we are without a global success to maintain. The Merc is certainly exciting to look at but IMO the interior layout seems overly fussy and the screen appears to be an after-thought. I can't imagine an owner of a , say, 2011 model A3 being in a desperate rush to upgrade. In contrast, every potential buyer in this class will look at the new Merc. Some will buy one. In the past they would have all probably defaulted to the A3. Not any more.
It will sell well. It is an Audi after all. But IMO they would sell more if they had been a bit braver.
I also think that exciting, radical (almost) body design doesn't necessarily lend itself to volume sales.
Audi will most certainly lose some customers to the A Class but looks alone won't cause it too much trouble.
scottybrittas said:
Looks like a shrunken S4 estate - nice interior though.
This to be honest ^^^^I have no idea why Audi decided that it's smallish 5 door hatchback should look like an estate from now on but it looks sh*t.
In fact why do all modern hatchbacks either look like an MPV, an estate, boring or are otherwise badly designed? SOMEONE please design a good looking normal 5 door hatchback so I can buy one!
Guvernator said:
This to be honest ^^^^
I have no idea why Audi decided that it's smallish 5 door hatchback should look like an estate from now on but it looks sh*t.
In fact why do all modern hatchbacks either look like an MPV, an estate, boring or are otherwise badly designed? SOMEONE please design a good looking normal 5 door hatchback so I can buy one!
The sportback is longer than the 3 door and has always been marketed as a halfway house between estate and hatchI have no idea why Audi decided that it's smallish 5 door hatchback should look like an estate from now on but it looks sh*t.
In fact why do all modern hatchbacks either look like an MPV, an estate, boring or are otherwise badly designed? SOMEONE please design a good looking normal 5 door hatchback so I can buy one!
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