Courtesy Car - A4 Avant

Well my A3 finally went in for its first service this morning. :(

They gave me:

A4 Avant 1.9 TDI SE in Silver on a 07 plate with 4k on the clock.
(I knew it would be better to have an Audi, the worst I could get as a courtesy car is an A3)

Extras:

Just one: the Bose upgrade. I think that the acoustics in the Avant are pretty poor, either that or the Bose upgrade is not worth it.

My A3's Concert II with the standard speakers sounds much much better. The Bass in my A3 is deeper and more powerful, the volume can go louder than the Bose and the Treble is sharper. So overall I was not impressed and glad I did not specify that expensive option.

Driving:

Parking is easy enough for a big old estate, in saying that though the power steering feels very heavy at parking speeds. This is because this A4 does not have speed sensitive power steering like my A3.

Once you get going, which takes a while, the car feels a bit cumbersome. This I think is due to the standard suspension on the SE.

It has 235/45/17's with Dunlop's SportMaxx tyres.

50-70 in fourth takes about 8-9 seconds which is ok for a car that has this little power, 85kw.

This Avant will understeer when pushed but can be made to oversteer by de-accelerating around tight roundabouts.

Inside:

The seats are comfortable but not supporting enough. I have not been out for a long drive so cannot say if the initial short journey comfort will disappear.

The seat could do with going just a little bit lower as the steering wheel blocks out some of the dash information. This is my own preference as I have the seat low and the steering wheel at it's lowest.

The space in the front of the A4 is really good, it feels the same in my A3 as well.

The dash is laid out brilliantly, I really like the Silver inlay that goes from door to door all the way across the dash.

In the back it's massive, my son's car seat fits in easily, and in the boot there's plenty of room for a big pushchair.

The cabin materials are very good, there's the harder plastics lower down, and a softer plastic across the top of the dash and instrument panel. The colour of the materials is pretty good, but I do like it when they are black or very dark grey.

Well that's about it.

My summary would be:

A nice car but i would have the harder suspension and sports seats, so maybe the S-Line spec, the bigger 2.0 TDi engine and it would then be a absolute corker.

:( Want my car back now.

Nice review :)

Not an A4 kinda person myself :)

My car came back yesterday after her first service at Audi in Bedford.

They called me up to let me know it was ready and off I went.

The car was nice and clean although not all of the bugs were off the front of the car and there was a few places on the alloys that had been missed.

Does the car feel any different after the service?

No, and i wasn't expecting it to really, although it felt much better than the A4 i'd just given back, the steering especially.

they left a little printed compliments slip that told me "if there is anything missing then this is the guy that cleaned your car"

only joking

It did tell me that X person cleaned the car though.

I wonder what I'll get on the next service, hopefully the new A4 will be a demonstrator by then. hmmmmmm

nice little review

Rick

My car went in again for them to diagnose and fix the Emissions Control Light.

I was given an 57 plate Audi A4 Saloon. It was the 2.0 Tdi S-Line in Silver with a manual gearbox.


Extras:

Sat Nav.

I thought the control and input of details was very easy and very good. you put the text in by turning and pressing a single button. the voice volume was completely controllable and was also speed dependant. The instructions were clear and informative. i was told that my house was on the left hand side of the road.

Driving:

The A4 Saloon felt a lot like my A3 to drive albeit a bigger wheelbase. The 140 TDI I was very disappointed with and was not how i remembered the 140 from the A3. It felt quite laboured once it got going. First gear was atrocious and second was not much better, lots of lag and no poke. I think this was possibly a bad egg in a basket of golden ones though.

The real big problem with the one I was driving was the power steering. I was horrendous. This is down to the fact that it was the standard power steering and not the Speed Sensitive power steering as found as standard on the A3, TT R8 and as an option on the A4. This is one option i would DEFINITELY have if I were to have an A4


Inside:

As the Avant review. The A4 Saloon felt as small as my A3, which is a good thing. I really liked the seats as they were supportive and had an extension to the bit under the knees. I prefer the climate control from my A3, just feels a bit classier. There seemed no more or less leg room i the back of the A4 compared to the A3 Sportback. I have a small child and could tell instantly how the back compared.


My summary would be:

If you're unsure if you need more room and therefore want an A4 over an A3 I would have a look at both and you'll be surprised at the room an the A3. Some could argue that a hatchback is more versatile than a saloon. Likewise, the A4 still feels like a small car but is in fact roomy. Make sure you upgrade the power steering though.

Next time can you insist on getting an A6 courtesy car? :DI will never get that sort of opportunity as I do everything myself to my car. But I do like the new A6. :approve:
Paul

i'm gonna try and work my way round the models. Although some might not be possible:

"would you like a courtesy car Sir?"

"sure, i'm off to the coast this weekend, so have you got an R8?"

hehe

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by prolfe

i'm gonna try and work my way round the models. Although some might not be possible:

"would you like a courtesy car Sir?"

"sure, i'm off to the coast this weekend, so have you got an R8?"

hehe

---

Gotta try your luck. Say it with a chuckle to the receptionist, then maybe they won't think your a muppet. Maybe you could ask for an ALMS R10 TDI, or am I just being stupid now?
Paul

Probably, The A6 is a good shout though. Car is due back for it's 2nd service in 8000 miles.

i found that if i booked the car in WELL in advance and requested a specific car than they would reserve one, that is how i came to have an EOS for the day.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by golfmk5gttdi

i found that if i booked the car in WELL in advance and requested a specific car than they would reserve one, that is how i came to have an EOS for the day.

---

i wonder if Audi will do the same. I fancy a TT for the day.

Well my A3 went in again for the second time for them to fix the emission control light.

The first time was just the ECU remap that should of cured it.

But in the end it was the DPF that was blocked because of a faulty component. I'll let you know when i get the paperwork from the car - too cold tonight.

They had it for two days, so....:(

They gave me:

A 57 plate A3 Sportback S-Line 2.0 TDi 170 S-Tronic in Black.

Extras:

This could take up some space:

S-Tronic transmission with paddle shift (DSG)
A4 S-Line Special Edition 18" 7 arm Double Spoked Alloys
Symphony head unit
Bose
Mobile preparation
iPod console
Heated front seats
Light and Rain sensor pack, including auto dimming rear mirror, auto low beam mode for headlights, automatic windscreen wipers.
Audi Exclusive Line including: two tone fine nappa leather (black, silver), black cloth headlining, black door inserts, aluminium inlays, black floor mats with coloured piping, 3 spoke leather steering wheel with contrasting stiching and S-tronic shift paddles and multifunction controls, head restraints with contrasting stitching. Phew
Front Centre armrest
Interior Lighting Pack including: illuminated vanity mirrors, door openers, storage compartment, footwell lighting, reading lights front and rear, ambient lighting and active door reflectors.
Open Sky System including: glass roof, electric slide-n-tilt control sunshade front and rear.
Protection Pack including: front and rear mud flaps, bumper protection film.

That's it. :)
It amounts to nearly £7,500 worth of extras!!

Driving:

The A3 drives well. I will comment on the DSG gearbox and driving as that was different for me. I've only had a test drive in a couple before.
WOW
The speed in which the car changes gear is immense. Your head stays perfectly still, as does your right foot if it's planted to the floor.

There are essentially 4 modes of transmission:
D - just for everyday pootling but with the ability to dropdown a few gears in kickdown. This mode changes up the earliest.
S - as above but holds the gear nearer to the red line.
-/+ - This mode lets you move the gears up or down using the gear lever, like a touring car's sequential gearbox.
Then there's the paddles. :)
These can be used in any mode, but are mainly for the -/+ gearlever position. This means that the car will not change gear until it either hits the red line or at the other end of the revs and will change before it stalls.

I used a combination of paddle shift in -/+ and D.
The MPG is worse than a manual though, quite a bit worse.

Launch control was interesting, I felt that I could of pulled away quicker manually though. Foot on brake, ESP off, Gear lever in S or -/+ and whilst you have your foot on the brake dial up 2000 revs and let go of the footbrake, off you go.
The manual says to dial up 3200 revs. Would never do it for me.

Day to day I can see it would be easy to live with whilst very entertaining whenever you feel the need to have a play. On a safety note, you can change gear whilst both hands are on the wheel, even when turning corners.

The car sat on Continental Sport Contact 2's, they didn't feel as grippy as Sport Maxx's or anywhere near as grippy as Potenzas. (std fit on new Impreza)

Inside:

Seats are great, driving position is perfect because of the movement of the seats and steering wheel. I love the air vents in the A3, very TT. I would say that the Fine Nappa leather although very soft to touch would be difficult to keep clean. The reason is that the Silver parts were already showing signs of dirt, from jeans etc.

Again the Bose has not left a good impression. I guess that because the sound is so different, perhaps it does excel in clarity, but it felt gutless and flat. But my ears are different to yours, so have a listen.

The Open Sky system was a welcome change and reminded me of my earlier cars that had sunroofs. Although the masses of glass made the car much lighter inside. One pain was that the sunroof didn't close with the windows when pressing the key fob which is a shame.

My summary would be:

I really liked the S-Line, loved the leather seats, just not their centre colour.
The gearbox was amazing as I thought it would be, but the fuel consumption really puts me off.
I was really lucky to drive a car that was that loaded with options. Were they all useful additions or a waste?
The lighting pack, the two tone leather and the open sky system are a bit of a waste and a pose.
Just have std leather, and the single glass sunroof.
Everything else was spot on.

Just get it debadged though, looks a lot cleaner.

Sorry for the long review, there was a lot of optional extras to talk about.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by prolfe

Well my A3 went in again for the second time for them to fix the emission control light.

The first time was just the ECU remap that should of cured it.

But in the end it was the DPF that was blocked because of a faulty component. I'll let you know when i get the paperwork from the car - too cold tonight.

They had it for two days, so....:(

They gave me:

A 57 plate A3 Sportback S-Line 2.0 TDi 170 S-Tronic in Black.

Extras:

This could take up some space:

S-Tronic transmission with paddle shift (DSG)
A4 S-Line Special Edition 18" 7 arm Double Spoked Alloys
Symphony head unit
Bose
Mobile preparation
iPod console
Heated front seats
Light and Rain sensor pack, including auto dimming rear mirror, auto low beam mode for headlights, automatic windscreen wipers.
Audi Exclusive Line including: two tone fine nappa leather (black, silver), black cloth headlining, black door inserts, aluminium inlays, black floor mats with coloured piping, 3 spoke leather steering wheel with contrasting stiching and S-tronic shift paddles and multifunction controls, head restraints with contrasting stitching. Phew
Front Centre armrest
Interior Lighting Pack including: illuminated vanity mirrors, door openers, storage compartment, footwell lighting, reading lights front and rear, ambient lighting and active door reflectors.
Open Sky System including: glass roof, electric slide-n-tilt control sunshade front and rear.
Protection Pack including: front and rear mud flaps, bumper protection film.

That's it. :)
It amounts to nearly £7,500 worth of extras!!

Driving:

The A3 drives well. I will comment on the DSG gearbox and driving as that was different for me. I've only had a test drive in a couple before.
WOW
The speed in which the car changes gear is immense. Your head stays perfectly still, as does your right foot if it's planted to the floor.

There are essentially 4 modes of transmission:
D - just for everyday pootling but with the ability to dropdown a few gears in kickdown. This mode changes up the earliest.
S - as above but holds the gear nearer to the red line.
-/+ - This mode lets you move the gears up or down using the gear lever, like a touring car's sequential gearbox.
Then there's the paddles. :)
These can be used in any mode, but are mainly for the -/+ gearlever position. This means that the car will not change gear until it either hits the red line or at the other end of the revs and will change before it stalls.

I used a combination of paddle shift in -/+ and D.
The MPG is worse than a manual though, quite a bit worse.

Launch control was interesting, I felt that I could of pulled away quicker manually though. Foot on brake, ESP off, Gear lever in S or -/+ and whilst you have your foot on the brake dial up 2000 revs and let go of the footbrake, off you go.
The manual says to dial up 3200 revs. Would never do it for me.

Day to day I can see it would be easy to live with whilst very entertaining whenever you feel the need to have a play. On a safety note, you can change gear whilst both hands are on the wheel, even when turning corners.

The car sat on Continental Sport Contact 2's, they didn't feel as grippy as Sport Maxx's or anywhere near as grippy as Potenzas. (std fit on new Impreza)

Inside:

Seats are great, driving position is perfect because of the movement of the seats and steering wheel. I love the air vents in the A3, very TT. I would say that the Fine Nappa leather although very soft to touch would be difficult to keep clean. The reason is that the Silver parts were already showing signs of dirt, from jeans etc.

Again the Bose has not left a good impression. I guess that because the sound is so different, perhaps it does excel in clarity, but it felt gutless and flat. But my ears are different to yours, so have a listen.

The Open Sky system was a welcome change and reminded me of my earlier cars that had sunroofs. Although the masses of glass made the car much lighter inside. One pain was that the sunroof didn't close with the windows when pressing the key fob which is a shame.

My summary would be:

I really liked the S-Line, loved the leather seats, just not their centre colour.
The gearbox was amazing as I thought it would be, but the fuel consumption really puts me off.
I was really lucky to drive a car that was that loaded with options. Were they all useful additions or a waste?
The lighting pack, the two tone leather and the open sky system are a bit of a waste and a pose.
Just have std leather, and the single glass sunroof.
Everything else was spot on.

Just get it debadged though, looks a lot cleaner.

Sorry for the long review, there was a lot of optional extras to talk about.

---

Nice work Prolfe!
(I heard a rumour before that Prolfe used to work for WhatCar?) ;)
Paul

HI there,
Everyone seems to know what there on about on this site.
Could someone please tell me though why it is that I find loss of power in my banger of a T reg A4, is not just common in the older car, but in the much newer Audis?
Surely if you have a commonplace fault such as this in manufacture and also others [that include volume on radios ] Audi would ensure this would be sorted before introducing more cars to the public.
I dont understand the logic in it. If I scratch my head any longer I shall end up with no hair!:aargh4:

What engine is it Allison?

I'm never so lucky.

Last time i had my car serviced by Gilder VW they gave me a new FOX with 1000ish miles. I then had to drive from Sheffield to South Gloucestershire. it was 1.0l so after dropping my 2.0l GTTDI Golf off this was a painfully slllloooooowwwwww drive:Blush2:

It had windy up windows as well............:confused:

Prolfe,

I'm supprised at 2 things you mentioned about the DSG box, I have it on my Jetta and your right there is a slight delay at pull off but once you have hit 3rd I have left most bmw 320's and other 2.0TDI's behind, they drop on the gear change:approve:

But a few people said to me before I bought that the MPG would be poor, I do roughly 45K miles a year, and drive hard but I have to say that i get more out of this than my golf which had the same engine.

But as you said what a gearbox just wish I had the paddle shift:D

I'm just off to try launch mode:drive:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hagis

What engine is it Allison?

---

Hi there hagis, its a 1.6.

I don't know much about the petrol engines, sorry.

Have you had it serviced lately?

It's ok love dont worry. you can't know everything! Yep, had service done, few problems arose after. Always happens! Another one of lifes mysteries!!!

Had new breather pipe, fuel pipe, carbon something or other fitted, ignition leads replaced & plugs changed for Audis own.

Going out to do some shopping now...bit of retail therapy! Piddled off with cars at the mo. Tend to need distracting when fed up.
:dunno:What do you think, sell car/sort car?
:crying: These smile things do it for me! Great aren't they? Wish I could breed em! See... Im off on one again, thanks Haggis

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JettaDSG

Prolfe,

I'm supprised at 2 things you mentioned about the DSG box, I have it on my Jetta and your right there is a slight delay at pull off but once you have hit 3rd I have left most bmw 320's and other 2.0TDI's behind, they drop on the gear change:approve:

---

I'd have to say that it might of been a bit to do with my lack of experience with this gearbox. I think in a manual you'd gain pulling away initially and then the DSG would catch up on 2nd, and 3rd gear changes.

The gearing on a DSG is different as well, I noticed that I was going slower for the same revs in the S-Tronic than in my manual.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JettaDSG

But a few people said to me before I bought that the MPG would be poor, I do roughly 45K miles a year, and drive hard but I have to say that i get more out of this than my golf which had the same engine.

---

I'm not sure why the mpg was like it was. i was driving how i would normally drive. Maybe after a while you'd settle in to a routine where the mpg would improve because of the adapted style.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JettaDSG

But as you said what a gearbox just wish I had the paddle shift:D

I'm just off to try launch mode:drive:

---

Just imagine what the 7 Speed DSG (S-Tronic) will be like. :)

no such luck for me. when my car was last in, all i got was a base level golf plus.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by golfmk5gttdi

no such luck for me. when my car was last in, all i got was a base level golf plus.

---

Must admit, that it's nice to know that the worse car I'm gonna get is a A3.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by allison

Going out to do some shopping now...bit of retail therapy! Piddled off with cars at the mo. Tend to need distracting when fed up.
:dunno:What do you think, sell car/sort car?
:crying: These smile things do it for me! Great aren't they? Wish I could breed em! See... Im off on one again, thanks Haggis

---

Have you posted this in the A4 forum? That's your best bet for an answer. Good luck!

Next time you should try the new 2008 model Audi A4 saloon and see if it's an improvement. The magazine reviews seem rather mixed, but as it's main competition is a BMW 3 series I imagine most people already know if they're an Audi type or a BMW type!

Or maybe go for the Audi A8 - supposedly it's the luxury saloon benchmark for design and technology with a really luxurious interior second only to the Rolls Royce Phantom. Although after an A3 the size would come as a bit of a shock! :D

I went off days ago to test launch mode.........

don't worry I've not just returned been busy with work:(

Umm no launch mode though on the Jetta although I nearly took a Mondeo out at the lights.:1zhelp:

I do hate the lag when it is cold, I have to pull out on a dual carriage way for work in a morning and if it has been really cold it it seems to pull off then do nothing for a split second as a 40 tonner is bearing down on me:scared: