26,000€ A1 ***??? Give me my 12 year old A4 any day!!!

[barryo2002]

Hi Guys, I recently had some probs with my 2001 A4 and dropped it into my local main Audi Dealer for repair, there was an oil leak after getting the job done so it had to be dropped in again and I got a loan of a brand spanking new, 26,000€ S-line A1 for the weekend with just 400km on the clock, yayyyyyyyy??

Nay........ It was a nightmare. I was planning on travelling from Midleton to Galway and decided to go this weekend and try out this nice new shiny toy. Results: Suspension was terrible, My girlfriend and I were bounced all over the place on every minimal bump on the road, and anyone who has driven in Ireland can testify to the fact that we have a lot of bumps and lumps on the roads! We arrived at the hotel with neck aches and general all over back probs, Ok, I'm getting old but it WAS the car this time....

Road noise in the interior was appaling, we couldn't hold a comfortable normal level converstaion at 60mph on the motorway due to the road noise. Also there was a whistling wind noise from the passenger side door mirror, more apparent with the window open, that would drive anyone nuts.

The seats were the most uncomfortable I have ever experienced in any car, That, given that I have been driving for 23 years and have owned over 20 cars from clunkers to luxury models. The seats have a "dip" at the lower lumbar area which seems to bend the spine and is forces one to sit too straight on the seat; your nalgar region just kind of slides into the space and it seems to force an uncomfortable posture on any seat inclination setting that you might choose.

Overall, had I known the uncomfortable and general "tinniness" of the A1, I would have waited and travelled with my 12 year old A4. given that the fuel consumption wasn't all that great either, The model I had was the 1.4 TFSI and I spent around 45€ on the round trip in petrol. My own would have done the same journey with around 55-60€ in petrol and its a 1.8T. Also, as is to be expected given the engine size, acceleration was lacking, overtaking was a nightmare and resulted in a constant squabble between myself, third and fourth gear. Thank God I had the little dash indicator to tell me when to shift gear, don't know what I would have done without it........

I couldn't check the fuel consumption average in the A1 as the darn thing doesn't have DIS, unlike my A4 which gives full info.........??? I find it disapointing and a bit annoying that such an expensive car is so uncomfortable and so basic on many levels. I think that DIS would be a lot more useful than an indicator telling me to change gears or how many seats are unoccupied in the rear, that neat little feature saved me having to turn around and check if someone had hopped in for a free ride..... ?? Would have appreciated a cruise control option aswell, these days its pretty standard, even a six year old SEAT Ibiza comes with CC as standard. Granted, its a few classes below my A4, but 12 years younger and newer should make for a more decent ride even taking into consideration the class difference. Any thoughts or similar experiences anyone?

[adamss24]

Could not put it better myself ! I too drive old cars and i find the quality in the newer cars appalling ! All the hype with the fuel economy is just that- marketing ploys ! Give me a c5 audi a6 or a b5 a4 tdi anytime !

[barryo2002]

Could not put it better myself ! I too drive old cars and i find the quality in the newer cars appalling ! All the hype with the fuel economy is just that- marketing ploys ! Give me a c5 audi a6 or a b5 a4 tdi anytime !

I suppose its like any other consumer product; the newer they are, the worse quality and "cheaper" made they seem to be. Take video players for instance, when they started making them they were clumsy, heavy and generally cumbersome and boring, but they did what they were supposed to do and by God did they last!! I still know of people that have working VHS recorders from the 80's and never a day in the shop but to have the heads cleaned. The players made in the 90's, were lighter, loads of settings, big shiny options, but died within a couple of years. Even looking at all the 1970's and 80's mercs that are around, 30 years on and still going strong. I'd like to see how many "modern" cars will be around three decades down the line. It seems that things are invented, they try to make them better and better and then once they can't better them anymore, the focus shifts to making them lighter and faster and cheaper. Pity that the cheapness doesn't reflect on the price! For exactly half the price that one would pay for that A1 that I was loaned, you could buy yourself a lovely three year old A4 B7 similar to this: **2010 Audi A4 2.0TDI SE** For Sale in Derry : £11,150 - DoneDeal.ie (not mine, just picked at random from the site). Im sure that the 13,000€ saved would easily compensate for the for years of the slightly higher running costs that getting a "real" car would entail, a car that you could relax in and have a conversation in, and not be bucked and thrown around in and there would even be a few thousand left over for a luxury cruise or a home renovation. I would pick "used solid" over "brand new hollowed out golf ball" any day of the week. Just my two cents on the matter!!

[green A8]

For me the biggest fright of having a loan A1 rattlecan, was when I climbed back into my lovely old A8 D2. I gave the 8 an A1 sized stamp on the throttle pedal. Ye Gods! I nearly killed myself! Boy don't those 4.2 litre V8's pick up speed quickly

A1? No thanks, I think I'll stick to my A8. It's almost a classic