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Wagons Audi A3 Audi A3
2278 messages, Last post on Oct 30, 2009 at 11:18 AM
You are in the Audi A3 Forum. Your Host is kcram
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Hi all, Been awhile since I've really been active on Edmunds. Wife is thinking about an A3 and if I heard correctly, isn't Audi now offering a European delivery program (finally)? In either case, was wondering if anyone knows when 2009 production is going to start...looks like 2008 was into the USA by roughly August, so I was wondering if we could do a May/June order for July/August pickup of an '09. -hh |
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I took at test drive in the A3 yesterday. What a little car.  Well, not so little, since I am now driving a MINI.  The husband has an M3 BMW and a BMW touring wagon , so I looked at the 328i Sport Wagon, all pretty expensive, even the used ones. I failed to measure the inside size of the back (of the A3) when the rear seats are down. Does anyone have one and know the size? I have driven E-type Jags, Porsche and Z3 BMW in the past, have gotten older, but still want the performance the A3 seems to have. Have never had an Audi. I will read the opinions here, looks like a great place to become more knowledgable on the pros and cons of this machine.
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Replying to: mountainmists (Mar 21, 2008 3:34 pm) Eyeballing the car, I was pleasantly surprised by how deep the trunk was (seats up); it looked to be almost as deep as my wife's 2000 A4. I do understand your question, as I've been frustrated over the years with "Tech Specs" on hatchbacks that don't understand the concept of reporting both the Seats Up and Seats Down volumes. Its specs say "19.5 cu. ft.", but they also have the A4 is listed at 13.4 and the A4 Avant at 27.8. My guess is that these volumes could all be realistic (and "Seats Up") if you load all the way up to the ceiling. Not all that practical, granted. I had had a Saab 900 years ago and its ratings were 24 and 48. My current ride of a Mercedes C-Coupe offers a similar rough doubling of volume when the seats are dropped, although its smaller overall, so its around 14 to 25ish. I would expect that the A3 is going to be pretty similar to my C-Coupe and be probably be around 13 with seats up (and nothing blocking the rear visibility), and in the 25 neighborhood when it is 'stuff it to the gills' time. BTW, I know firsthand that an 8x10 chinese carpet can be squeezed into a C-Coupe (hatch closed) *with* a cooperative Spouse riding in the back seat behind the driver  -hh |
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Replying to: mountainmists (Mar 21, 2008 3:34 pm) The A3's rear is a bit smaller than my old Jetta wagon, but not appreciably enough that I've ever noticed. I'm extremely pleased with my '06 A3 - it's a great blend of performance, luxury and practicality. Not one problem, not one squeak in 24k miles. (BTW, my final choices were the Mini Cooper S and the A3 - both great cars. Love the Mini, but the A3's been more practical.)
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Replying to: dyen (Mar 25, 2008 2:43 pm) The A3 just might fill the bill on this. Getting attached to cars is something I do and my little red MINI will be somewhat hard to part with.  BUT the ride of the AUDI was fun. My little dog has a seat of her own in the MINI, but did not take to the convertible, too much wind! So I think your dog must be a scream in her turret. Noting you mentioned the Jetta, I have been reading about the new Jetta SportWagen. But no specs on it. I looked at the inside appointments in the VW , while nice, it did not quite have the feel and look (but good for the difference in price probably). After test driving the A3 we had our heads turned. Thank you for information, will be checking it out in person, makes no sense to me why it can not be easy to list this along with all the other things. Makes me wonder if they are not too proud of the size, so avoid printing it!
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Hello all. I just picked up a new 2008 a3. The literature on the car states that it is wired for sirius satelliet radio but the dealer says I would have to pay $500 to have it added as an option. This is hard to understand. I had sirius put into my old car for a lot less and that car wasn't "wired for sirius". Is there a less expensive way to get sirius?
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Replying to: senel (Mar 28, 2008 12:40 pm) Yep, don't go to the dealer, price it a Best Buy, Circuit Cuty or and Indie. |
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With the birth of our first child, my wife stubbornly realized her precious JCW Mini S was no longer the practical car it managed to be when it was just the two of us. She was really heartbroken over having to get rid of he Mini...she loved that car almost as much as I think she loves me! Since she is something of an enthusiast, SUVs were out, as were mini vans, hybrids, crossovers, any acura, and just about all american cars. Anyway, she tried and denied just about every car she drove - the BMW 328 and 335 were too expensive equipped to her tastes, she found the G35 unsightly, the IS250/350 a poseur's car, the Mini Clubman a frankstein masquerading as a car, the Volvo lineup disappointing to drive, and the Subaru too much of a mom car. On a whim she drove an A3 and to my surprise loved it. A week later we bought a misano red 2008 A3 with sport package, open sky, heated front seats, ipod adapter, and Sirius. details to follow
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Replying to: jxbst15 (Apr 08, 2008 3:47 pm) However, I was (still am, really) a RWD snob & only recently came to grips with the notion that getting what I wanted in a car meant I had to let FWD back into the calculation. So, Audi was one choice and the Acura TSX (European Accord) was another. I ended up with the TSX & have something over a thousand miles on it -- nimble, great manual transmission, excellent fuel mileage. I'm very pleased so far. What issues does your wife have with Acura? The TSX cerainly feels like an enthusiast's car, at least to me. I (used to) think I'm an enthusiast. Anyway, I'm sure you'll continue to enjoy your Audi. How long are you planning to keep it? Any concerns regarding reliability?
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Replying to: cdnpinhead (Apr 08, 2008 5:51 pm) Reliability is a concern, so we got the Audi Care to make sure some of the expenses will be offset. I have no plans of keeping the A3 past its warranty period either unless it turns out to be a maintenance dream. This is our first Audi, so I hope it doesnt turn out to be a bad purchase (i have heard too many horror stories about VW reliability). The wife loves the A3 so far...her only regret is not getting the xenons. She said it handles like her mini but has more power . I have read a lot about the A3 and people thinking it is a car with no market in the states (too high end for a hatch, too small to compete with wagons, too expensive for its target market), but I have to believe cars like the A3 will grow in popularity in the US over the next few years. It is the ideal marriage of sport, luxury, practicality, and fuel consumption. Outside of its VW cousin I found other options limited, particularly if you want a wagon or hatchback. I will be kicking myself if the BMW 1 series hatch ends up over this way in the next two years though! |
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