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Comments
I'm starting to see them quite frequently now. I like their looks,
and boy was it fun to test drive. I think with gas prices up
the A3 stands a good chance to make it over the long haul.
Thanks,
Andrew
I do not have any experience with the Lexus you mentioned so I can't comment on it other than saying I didn't even know this version of the IS existed and I am one who keeps up with the automobile market. I also will say that the IS300 line has not sold as well as was first anticipated. However, being that the A3 is new to the U.S. market, the same could happen to it as well.
As I mentioned in a earlier post, the A3 sits high on my list for a new car. In my own, subjective opinion, I still remain unimpressed with Lexus sense of style. All Japanese cars, whether economy or luxury come off having some design quality that makes them look all alike. I would take the Audi over the Lexus simply based on that.
First off, the fun factor in a SportCross is high. It is a better-balanced package than the sedan, and the feel when pushed hard as well as the slalom numbers bear that out. The trade off is adding 100 extra pounds to the car, which takes a few tenths off acceleration times. I cross-shopped against the 325iT and the Lexus came out a winner for sheer fun, IMO. I also tried the same year 540iT and while the acceleration was intoxicating, there is no substitute for the feel of a well-tuned small car. The car sees mostly short commute (20 minutes) work twice daily on a hilly canyon road in the East Bay, but occasionally takes me to building sites in the central valley and the south state. It is an admirable freeway cruiser, if that's what you're forced into. Point of detraction is the Toyota transmission, which is far too soft and cushy, but being able to hold gears at will via the manumatic was a deal saver for me. I'm a fan of DSG technology, and I think that the item should weigh heavily in the equation.
The utility factor, for a sporting car, is extremely high as well. I have two young'uns 9 and 12 who fit very comfortably (no complaining) with their acoutrements for local trips up to an hour and a half each way. It pulls real Home Depot duty at least one weekend a month as well.
The interior in the Audi is hands down superior. It is typical of Audi in both materials and execution. The Lexus interior is a copy of a mid-80's BMW 3, and while I find it a supremely driver-oriented cockpit, the cleaner, more sophisticated, more updated Audi simply wins.
From sitting in the A3 and playing with seats and mirrors and such, I call them even on space and comfort, but that is significantly qualified by the fact that I haven't yet used the Audi in action. Static and dynamic are worlds apart usually.
If you've found a SportCross on the lot, the fact that the new IS bows in less than a month should give you some serious latitude on price. That could be a deciding factor. A loaded IS nears $36K on the sticker; I'd think you could pare that to just under $30K without much trouble, but I could be wrong.
Did I leave anything out you really want to know? I'll put it to you this way: if Lexus were going forward with an IS wagon, it would be on my list now, and probably at the top, based on my current car, even with the absurd increase in size and mass of the platform. I have a blast every day, even on my way to work. It has been a joy to drive. I am loathe to give up my RWD.
That said, the '05 is an aging platform now largely outgunned by newer entries like the A3, and other then RWD and the inline six, price would be the key factor in a purchase decision.
A3 moro blue pearl effect $750.00
A4 moro blue pearl effect$475.00
A3 dakkar beige metallic $750.00
Usually , metallic is $450.00 and pearl and special orders higher.Hows the same color higher on smaller vehicle ? Shakes head at AoA again....
DL
I imagine this is a supply and demand thing. I think dakkar beige metallic is a very RARE color reqeust even on custom orders. You'll note that light silver metallic (relatively common) is only $450.
Note too that there may be some mid model year changes. There used to be a charge for 'Arctic White' but no longer.
--Paul
Best Regards,
Shipo
2018 430i Gran Coupe
As far as competition goes the Mazda 3 and Mazda 6 feel cheap and tinny by comparison. The Saab-aru 9-2x and and the Subaru WRX are great performing hatches (ignoring the turbo lag) but have a little too much of a boy racer feel for my tastes. I look forward to test driving the BMW 130 once it makes it to the NA market.
Ironically the strongest competition for the A3 might come from in house when the new VW Golf GTI 4-door hits (Spring 2006 I think?).
Some good deals might be had on low-mileage used A3 2.0Ts when the A3 3.2 Quattro starts hitting the showrooms in December or January. I imagine a few A3 owners will decide they've got to have the latest and greatest and will tradein their 2.0 for the 3.2 (I won't be one of them - I love the combination of performance and fuel economy that the 2.0T offers).
--Paul
In my case, add a True Manual Transmission to that list. Manual transmissions that only have two pedals aren't true manuals in my book. ;-)
Best Regards,
Shipo
Egad. On other forums I've read gas mileage goes up 2-3 mpg too.
Egad. On other forums I've read gas mileage goes up 2-3 mpg too."
Oh Geez! That A3 in my crystal ball just got a whole lot clearer. ;-)
Best Regards,
Shipo
Realistically though, I'm yet to find myself in a situation where I was wishing my A3 had more power. I don't track my car and I'm way past the point in my life where I feel the need to prove something when some goofball pulls up next to me at a stoplight and revs his engine.
--Paul
Best Regards,
Shipo
Your right, with that type of daily miles every little bit helps. I'd be seriously tempted to go diesel or hybrid with that sort of commute.
Here's hoping that Hurricane Rita doesn't hammer the gulf coast refineries again or we could all be looking at $4-$5/gallon.
--Paul
9-3 2.0T, leather cold weather, premium( xenons, 13speaker stereo, wood trim, remote open, etc ) = 30K
a3 wi premium, cold, sound, xenons = $29,585
If they are at all comparable depends on your opinions of the respective companies.
If the A3 2.0 came as quattro I'd be sold right now. 2.0 with FWD and a chip worries me though - torque steer.
Best Regards,
Shipo
the 9-3 is 15 inches longer. But on the plus side, it has room for me to sit properly as well.
dave
Have you sat in an A3 yet? I'm 6'1" and very long legged. The A3 is the only car I've ever owned where I actually move the drivers seat forward.
I sat in a lot of cars this summer as I was trying to decide what to buy. The 'official' leg room/headroom numbers rarely reflected my real world experience on any car...
--Paul
I'm a little shorter than you but very short legged. Do the math.
2018 430i Gran Coupe
I didn't mean to distract this topic, so i'll shut up now.
1) The front left side foot well seemed to have a very similar amount of vertical and lateral space under the dash as did my 328i and my 530i. Said another way, I had plenty of room for my smallish size 9 feet (new shoes, I was wearing 8.5s when BlueGuy and I discussed this issue a few weeks ago).
2) Not only does the spare tire well have enough room for a high pressure donut spare (provided by Audi), it is also plenty deep enough to house an honest to God full size spare. As I'm likely to order a car with summer rubber on it and then order a second set of wheels and tires for the winter months, I'll only have to store three off season tires in my garage, the fourth will simply be kept in the spare tire well.
3) There was an A4 sitting right next to the A3 I was looking at today and so I decided to try and get a feel for how different the seating areas were between the two. I set the front seat on both cars to fit my 5' 8" (slightly longer of leg than most folks my size), and then climbed into the back seat. For starters, the A4 seems to have a slight advantage in headroom over the A3 in both the front and back seats; however, in back the A3 seems to have an easy inch or two more leg room than the A4. Could this be the very reason why Audi hasn't published any rear seat size/space specifications on the A3? Could it be that it really does have more room than the A4? Or, could it simply be the vagaries of how I set the seats that proved the difference?
As many of you know my next car, assuming that I do opt for the A3, will be my first non-BMW since 1999, and as such, even in spite of all of the miles that I'm currently driving, I'm still trying to figure out if I can actually talk myself into a non-RWD car. With that in mind, it is amazing just how heavy the little things weigh in on the decision. I keep coming back to the fact that the A3 is equipped with 5 wheels and tires (albeit one that is almost worthless) while the new E90 only has 4. One single flat in an E90 and I'd be really angry with myself at not opting for the A3.
Another seemingly insignificant issue is the dipstick. With the E90, you check your oil level from the dashboard (or the iDrive system, I think), a feature that I find very cool by the way. With the A3 one must contend with the stone simple and ages old dip-stick. On the surface, the E90 is the winner here, however, I change my own oil and I use a dipstick oil extractor to fetch out the old oil. To the best of my knowledge, BMW has provided no way of using an oil extractor on the E90. Again, the A3 seems to fit my needs better in this regard as well.
Final thoughts: as I just ordered a Blue-Tooth phone yesterday, I will be able to force myself to not order an A3 until the Blue-Tooth versions are available here in the States, however, I may not be too last much beyond that. ;-)
Best Regards,
Shipo
I'm still holding onto a slim home the 2.0Q might appear for 07. With a chip the car would offer the kind of power I want and it'd be a nice compromise as I'd prefer RWD but I can live with Quattro.
DL
Really? It is my understanding that Bluetooth didn't go into production until mid summer and that the very first cars so equipped are just now reaching our shores. It is also my understanding that it is an extra cost option (9ZG -- $435), and I have yet to see a single car on either of the two lots that I've checked with the Bluetooth option.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Like your E46, my E46 and my E39 both had a full size alloy and tire stashed in the spare tire well. While the A3 is not so well endowed (high pressure donut spare -- with space for a full size wheel/tire), that still beats the willies out of the E90 which features Run-Flats with NO ROOM for a spare tire, donut or no.
Best Regards,
Shipo
If the car catches on, it would be like driving a Honda Accord. You wouldn't want that, would you?
I'd say just enjoy the car and don't give a hoot about what others think.
also, remember the A3 is currently only sold one way - FWD 2.0. Adding the V6 and quattro will make a difference.
DL
I can well imagine that finding one on a lot might be difficult.
Obviously some BMW 325s fall in that price range and their volumes are much higher, as are the TLs and the G35s.
Audi is going to have to come up with incentives to boost sales.
The next gen IS250 is supposed to move only 30k units (is350 another 8-10k).
the tsx is slated for less than 20k a year (but after starting slow they're selling really well).
Give audi time. They're spending next to nothing on marketing.
Gotta say the more I look at the white A3 and think about that apr chip the more i'm leaning toward audi.
I don't think price range is a good yard stick for what constitutes good sales numbers. As often stated, the A3 in North America was planned as an entry car with dual purpose: (i) to entice younger buyers into the Audi name plate, and (ii) to test waters for future upscale/semi-luxury cars this size. Initial sales expectations were low (too low, in my opinion) but have been met - which is almost all that counts.
Why do I say, too low? Because sometimes Madden is right (it is Monday night, isn't it?), and I also strongly believe if you go forward, you may as well go as far as you can. More color/details/drivetrain options as early as possible may generate the sales to justify the added assembly line complexity a posteriori. Conversely, hesitation at the beginning (due to Angst sales numbers won't pan out and assembly expenses will mount) often leads to self-fulfilling prophecy. All within common sense and demonstratable, superior market insight, of course.
DL
I also noticed an blurb in German Car Fans about the RS3. Quattro twin-turbo'd 3.2L! Sit down, strap in, shut up and hang on! And not ever available here, I'll bet...
:-[
thanks, justin
It's like 19 cubes with the seats up, figger roughly double that with them down.
With Ludwig hardware it might work. With Rogers? Fuggeddabowdit...
;-}