Rob
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Post by Rob on Sept 12, 2016 18:44:50 GMT
My A3 saloon 1.4TFSI S-Tronic (so a fancy VW 1.4 turbo petrol with a DSG) was due a service soon so got it booked in for today.
When I got it back apart for some minor recall item (oil related but I need to get the paperwork from the car), it had no more than a simple oil/inspection service. Of note:
- Brakes no more than 25% used (fronts, back were better)
- Tyres down to 4mm
That's about it. So it won't have another service in the next 12 months and the front tyres might last too! Cheap deal for the lease company.
As a courtesy car I got an A6 saloon in 190PS diesel S-Line Ultra manual guise.... Not fussed at all. Steering had no feel and overly light (already set to dynamic) and a really thin rim. The steering on the A3 feels much better. It was manual but no foot rest next to the clutch pedal. Inside didn't feel as expensive as I thought it would - I looked at the A4 and A6 for the last car but didn't test drive either for various reasons.
I got back into my A3 and it didn't feel like the A6 was a let down trim wise (of course) but it felt more lively.
I think the A6 is tuned as a luxury barge with wafting steering... I'm not sure I want one.
It was also a LOT bigger - but I think I need to get a bigger car next time. But I want a longer car and this was also a lot wider.
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Post by Humph on Sept 12, 2016 19:32:46 GMT
Yeah, I test drove an A6 Avant with the 2.0 190 engine when I was car shopping. Didn't bond with it at all. Much prefer my E Class. Can't really say why other than it just felt better.
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Rob
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Post by Rob on Sept 12, 2016 19:56:30 GMT
I hoped I'd get an A4 to be honest. More likely to go for one next time. Just over 12 months before I swap cars.
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Post by crankcase on Sept 13, 2016 7:13:33 GMT
Was looking for something a bit more "upmarket" than my Mondeo some years ago. At one point there was the opportunity to play in an A8, which I thought was going to be a thing of wonder, but in fact turned out so dull and uninspiring to me I didn't even bother to drive it. I hated it from the moment we sat in it. Don't know why.
More recently I was shopping around again and felt the VW golf was very nice (but not for me), the Skoda something or other was perfectly acceptable (but not for me) and the Audi A4 was about on a par with the Golf, perhaps a titchy bit nicer, but not worth the premium for me.
Audi feels like one of those marques I ought to like but somehow it doesn't quite gel for me. Maybe one day.
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WDB
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Post by WDB on Sept 13, 2016 7:50:53 GMT
I have the same thought, Cranks, although it's a long time since I last drove an Audi. My airport taxi company has a few A6 saloons, which are quiet, smooth and spacious enough to be comfortable. (They have, once each, sent a Passat and a Vectra. The Passat felt bare and un-wafty; the Vectra just felt awful.) They also have one A8L, which is delightful, in the back at least.
The A6 ought to be a candidate to replace our E estate. We tried an Allroad for space at a dealer and you d it good. but they never got back to me to try to sell me a regular estate. That was in Slough; I found the Reading dealer so insufferable I didn't bother to go back.
It's a journalistic trope to praise Audi interiors as the pinnacle of the art but I'm not sure why. There are probably fewer hard, abrasive surfaces in an A6 than in my BMW, but the overall design is nothing amazing and I strongly dislike all the red LEDs. I find BMW interiors pleasingly simple and Volvo warmer and more human-centred, while my old Mercedes feels more solid and over-engineered than any of them.
Curiouser still, I really like the Golf and the Skoda Superb, but find the Passat dreary as muesli without the raisins, although it ought to outrank them both.
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Post by Hofmeister on Sept 13, 2016 11:01:20 GMT
My next car is an Auto. The precludes any VAG wheels while they persist in the sperm of the devil named DSG. Which is a great pity, as many of their products otherwise appeal.
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WDB
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Post by WDB on Sept 13, 2016 11:12:28 GMT
You can have the top 3.0 V6 bi-turbo AWD A6 with a torque converter. £43,000 last time I looked, and all manner of complexities to make up for the low-tech transmission.
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Post by Alanović on Sept 13, 2016 11:20:07 GMT
My next car is an Auto. The precludes any VAG wheels while they persist in the sperm of the devil named DSG. Which is a great pity, as many of their products otherwise appeal. Make sure you get used to which pedal is which and don't stack your new beige Yaris into Aldi's front window when you're popping in for your wine gums. |
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Post by Hofmeister on Sept 13, 2016 11:22:51 GMT
My mother stuffed her first auto clio through the trolley shelter outside Waitrose, which in turn pushed trollies through the shop window. She claimed brake failure.
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WDB
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Post by WDB on Sept 13, 2016 13:03:31 GMT
Waitrose, see, that's class. Aldi - well, let's not go there.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2016 13:06:51 GMT
When was looking at luxury barges about 18 months ago with Espadrille we looked all sorts of makes and models. The brand we liked least was Audi. Although we are both about 5'7" (she has bigger thighs!) we could not comfortable in the A4, A6 or even A8. Can't quite work it out. The Merc was so much better it was a no-brainer, despite me really wanting to like the A8 with 3.0TDi engine. The only other car she liked was a VW Toureg but the costs seemed high and the three year old examples on the market had had only one service in 30,000 miles, whereas my E350 had had four annual services in 21,000 miles.
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