The A3 is also on my short list. In the San Francisco bay area, 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.
I'm going to lease a new car in the next week or two and would like some advice from knowledgeable car enthusiasts. I think I've narrowed it down to the Audi A3 and Lexus IS300 SportCross. I drove both today and I liked different things about each. Tomorrow I'll go back to both dealers and see what their best prices are, but I wanted to hear what people in this forum would say. I know everyone has different tastes and needs, but I'd still like to hear some opinions. I live in LA, no snow, mostly city driving. I want something a little luxurious but still fun to drive and the size of these cars fits me perfectly. Any helpful thoughts?
In terms of luxury as status, these cars carry the same amount. Some may argue that a Lexus is more upscale than an Audi, but to me they both fit in somewhere between a Volkswagen and a BMW. However, I will say I have an easier time justifying the cost of, say, a new A6 than any Lexus.
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.
I'm in a silver 2003 IS 300 SportCross now. I have 29K on the clock, and the lease comes up in June. Barring any dark horses emerging from the scrum (like maybe a 130iT), the two key bidders for my dollars to replace it are the A3 3.2 Quattro and the S4 Avant. I have not yet driven the A3, as the FWD only version doesn't interest me, but have spent some time with one on the lot in Livermore.
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.
Usually , metallic is $450.00 and pearl and special orders higher.Hows the same color higher on smaller vehicle ? Shakes head at AoA again....
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.
Will Audi offer incentives for buyers later down the line. My 2003 Dodge Ram Hemi truck had a sticker price of $30,000 but I got it for $25,000 at the end of 2003. I also have 0% apr for 60 months. any chance of anything like this on the A3?
I certainly wouldn't hold my breath. When you got your Ram, Dodge had serious competition from the likes of GM, Ford and even Toyota. In the here and now, I don't really see too many cars that truly go toe to toe with the A3 (the A4 or either the Mazda 3 or the Mazda 6 5-Doors are close, but bigger, heavier and most likely much slower). From my perspective, the A3's only natural competition is the BMW 130 (in 5-Door trim), and it ain't available here in North America, yet.
I suspect they'd rather ditch it altogether than go into cash incentives game. It is going to be small volume anyway. I suspect some APR/lease offers will come, with current rates unlikely 0%, more like 1.9 for 24 months/4.9 60 months. There may be some good leases also, but for what I hear Audi doesn't like to lease even their larger cars. It all depends what are their real expectations (I wonder where those Saab guys get their volume targets from ) and how they are met. If it goes as it comes, no reason to offer anything, if it stays on lots, there may be some "blowouts" arranged...
I agree with Shipo - Audi's isn't likely to follow the American car makers' strategy of employee pricing and deep discounts.
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).
"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)."
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. ;-)
Indeed the dyno's of chipped A3s are impressive! Make's me sort of wish I wasn't so chicken about voiding my warranty. Maybe in 4 years/50K miles ...
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.
Then there is the whole potential mileage thing... ;-) In my case I'm currently driving 100 miles per day, a 2-3 mpg improvement would pay for the chip in a little over a year at current gas prices.
But I do love that when I want to go, I can go. The A3 2.0T is a gas to drive. But with ludicrous torque like the chip provides...well I could be nirvana.
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.
Thanks for the "Heads Up" on the SportCombi 2.0T, I'd never heard of that one before. Having said that, when I took a look, it too seems to be a larger/heavier/slower car than the A3. As for Saab the company, errr, the division (or is it wholly owned subsidiary?) and their cars, I've never been really opposed to them per-se, it's just that there has never been anything about any Saab that I've ever seen that just reached out and grabbed my by the throat and said, "BUY ME". So I haven't.
the 9-3 is 15 inches longer. But on the plus side, it has room for me to sit properly as well.
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...
Yes, but shipo was quoting for the aero trim as well. Nonetheless, lots of mags have times the 2.0T sedan as mid-high sixes, and the combi is 150 lbs heavier.
I didn't mean to distract this topic, so i'll shut up now.
As providence would have it, today I was scheduled for a meeting at a location some 20 miles further up the road from where I normally put my time in. Wouldn't you know it, as I was stopping for gas ($2.79 Full Serve), I spied an Audi dealership that I didn't even know existed (it is actually part of a Chevy/Honda dealership). Seizing the opportunity, in I went to gather up a few more impressions about the car. The following is what I came away with:
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. ;-)
I wonder if the age/abuse of the test model 6 mt I drove or my 10.5 shoes influenced my view that the clutch was difficult to modulate in the A3. Hmmm.
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.
I don't want to get too far off track on this and get yelled at. But i dare say your 2 major concerns with the E90 are everyone else's as well. Including mine. However after 5000miles, neither has been a problem. other day I observed a car have a blow out and accident on I75 in Dallas, and thought hmm, my runflats may/may not avoid that dangerous situation on a busy interstate. I still think it was a mistake not to make it a "option". I think im going to do a 7500 mile oil service. Im guessing ill be the 1st one the Dealer will even do on a E90. Ill see how that goes. My E46 came with 5 alloy wheels and full size tires. Don't the A4 also ?
I had the same concern. But I bought my A3 about 2 months ago and figured that the price of fuel will have to drive Americans to think a bit differently than they have in the past. I think the days of $2/gal gas is gone forever. The reality is that there may be a lack of refining capacity here in the US but the global demand from emerging countries such as China and India- over 2 billion people combined will continue to stress supply. The car has been fantastic. I have 5K miles on it now and I can tell you I get comments on it all the time about how attractive the car looks. For me it combines good looks, great fuel economy and some utility with the hatch feature. I am averaging about 28 MPG with nearly 32-33MPG on highway and about 24-25MPG around town. Paid $29,200 (Invoice) for a Premium, DSG, Open Sky, Cold Weather Sirius sat radio through the Audi supplier program.
"Uh, Bluetooth is now available for the A3. Has been for a while."
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.
In my case I'm not opposed to having Run-Flats on my car per-se, I am however, very much opposed to driving long distances without a spare tire in the trunk, Run-Flats or no.
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.
Thats the other problem, since the trunk its self is not bigger, you just get that little storage area.Where I keep a small detail kit and the manual (its too big to fit in the glove box!!) Ill let you know what i figure out on the oil change procedure.
is it possible to find a base A3 with DSG? Someone said they had one but the dealer told me Audi does'nt make one. He said DSG only comes with the sport and luxury models.
He may be somewhat correct in that no local dealership has ordered a base DSG for regular inventory, but it appears from the Audi configurator that you most certainly can order a base DSG from the factory. Apparently, it's only selecting leather that automatically prompts you into Premium or Sport territory.
I can well imagine that finding one on a lot might be difficult.
Well what's the volume for other cars in its price range, the high 20s to low-to-mid 30s?
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.
Yes, you can get a base DSG w/ cloth interior. However, you will not have the steering wheel paddle shifters unless you get the sport or premium package.
Anybody get an inside line yet on real 3.2Q pricing?
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... :-[
I got my A3 in early August and it has bluetooth. I believe I was in the 1st production run for the option. Alas, have yet to buy a bluetooth phone.....
How much cargo space is in the A3 with the back seats down? I play the drums and need to now my drums in there cases will fill in the car, plus I have an active life style ( skating, snowboarding, bodyboarding, and friends...) Can you help? thanks, justin
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...
;-}