RE: Audi A3 Cabriolet: Review

[bazza white]

I like it, would I own one, no.

[Clivey]

AudiWurst said:

Boom! Top bearding.

Thank-you.

Whilst we're on the subject, I'd rather have the "old" 125i Convertible. - I just love the BMW straight sixes with a manual 'box and RWD (and yes; I realise that most small 4-seat convertibles aren't bought by "enthusiasts").

The Audi looks like it will be extremely competent and will be spot-on for the intended buyer…but I can't see anything that interests the PistonHead and the 'Sports' cosmetic bits on otherwise non-sporty cars still make me cringe slightly.

[Ali_T]

In the same week the Fiat Dino Spider is featured, this just shows what an utter dearth of imagination is present in modern styling. I'm sure this is a competent enough car but, my goodness, it is utterly tedious to look at. Let's face it, this is the XR3i Convertible of the new millennia.

Edited by Ali_T on Sunday 15th December 15:13

[matsoc]

Clivey said:

AudiWurst said:

Boom! Top bearding.

Thank-you.

Whilst we're on the subject, I'd rather have the "old" 125i Convertible. - I just love the BMW straight sixes with a manual 'box and RWD (and yes; I realise that most small 4-seat convertibles aren't bought by "enthusiasts").

The Audi looks like it will be extremely competent and will be spot-on for the intended buyer…but I can't see anything that interests the PistonHead and the 'Sports' cosmetic bits on otherwise non-sporty cars still make me cringe slightly.

My family last summer bought a 1 year old 125i convertible at an attracting price to keep in the house in Riviera and I have to say I have been positevely impressed by it. As my sister and my parents find often more comfortable using the 3 hours train to get there in weekends from Turin my dad decided to buy a car to leave there. I found a white 1986 911 3.2 cabriolet that was perfect for the role but the girls of the family wanted something almost new and easier so we ended with six speeds auto 125 convertible.

The car is perfect for the tasks, because it sits up to four decently but it is still small enough to cope well with local traffic and narrow hill roads. The engine is excellent and even mpg is not bad, even if it is not a problem, the car won't cover more than 5k miles in a year.

Sporty it is not but it got enough surge to become fun if the road is clear.

[Clivey]

matsoc said:

My family last summer bought a 1 year old 125i convertible at an attracting price to keep in the house in Riviera and I have to say I have been positevely impressed by it. As my sister and my parents find often more comfortable using the 3 hours train to get there in weekends from Turin my dad decided to buy a car to leave there. I found a white 1986 911 3.2 cabriolet that was perfect for the role but the girls of the family wanted something almost new and easier so we ended with six speeds auto 125 convertible.

The car is perfect for the tasks, because it sits up to four decently but it is still small enough to cope well with local traffic and narrow hill roads. The engine is excellent and even mpg is not bad, even if it is not a problem, the car won't cover more than 5k miles in a year.

Sporty it is not but it got enough surge to become fun if the road is clear.

It'd be even more fun with a manual 'box (but judging by your post, it was bought with other considerations in mind). Enjoy it!

[scherzkeks]

AudiWurst said:

Agree with your points above. No idea why Audi gets such a rough ride compared to BMW and Merc.

Even the platform sharing thing is a pretty limited criticism these days. Only the A1 and A3 share platforms with VW group cars. Admittedly the bigger cars share engines and other bits.

Ignoring the R8/Gallardo platform sharing, as the Gallardo is out of production now

The platform-sharing bashing is among the most mystifying of all the Audi bashing.

The Golf platform is one of the best small-car platforms on the market. Given that VAG is a massive Konzern with a wealth of engineering know-how available at all levels, I can't think of a reason why Audi should not use tweaked "Volkswagen platforms." The negative remarks only highlight the ignorance of the commenter. If anything, the VAG group has more resources at it's disposal for testing, manufacturing, and servicing quality vehicles than almost any other brand.

Edited by scherzkeks on Thursday 19th December 13:01

[Clivey]

scherzkeks said:

The platform-sharing bashing is among the most mystifying of all the Audi bashing.

The Golf platform is one of the best small-car platforms on the market. Given that VAG is a massive Konzern with a wealth of engineering know-how available at all levels, I can't think of a reason why Audi should not use tweaked "Volkswagen platforms." The negative remarks only highlight the ignorance of the commenter. If anything, the VAG group has more resources at it's disposal for testing, manufacturing, and servicing quality vehicles than almost any other brand.

Edited by scherzkeks on Thursday 19th December 13:01

It's just a shame that it doesn't always use those resources to create the best cars.

The reason for the "bashing" is that we're looking at the cars from an enthusiast's point of view. - A Golf-platform car is absolutely fine for mundane, everyday driving…but as a car to enjoy on a twisting ribbon of B-road tarmac, compared to something like a 1-Series, the previous models left a lot to be desired. Yes; you can make one go (very) quickly, like the RS3 / TTRS, but there's more to it than that for some people.

Considering that Audi has been positioned as a manufacturer of "sporty" cars (hence the S-Line badging that seemingly festoons everything they make), maybe they should put more effort into making their cheaper offerings drive more like sports cars. - If the TT, for example, drove like a mini R8, it'd actually make me consider one!