[rageshgr]

Congrats Deep on the Audi A3. It is the best looking car in its class. The proportions are spot on. Compact and tight. If only it was last year, you would have been driving it with the stonker of an engine that is the 1.8 TSI. Still, if the 1.4 TSI is good for the A4, then it must be good enough for the A3 as well. A3 is quite an upgrade from a GT TSI. Being a GT TSI owner, I am already ogling the Octy 1.8 TSI and vRS as my next car. But your review has set the cat among the pigeons. If only it had the 1.8 TSI. By the way, the Polo GT TSI does have a kick-down switch. As in, if I floor it completely, it does drop 2 gears and off it goes!

Regarding the muted S mode, I guess nothing that a performance exhaust system can't take care of

[deepfreak15]

Originally Posted by rageshgr

Congrats Deep on the Audi A3. It is the best looking car in its class.

Thank you very much for your kind words. Upgrading from the Polo TSI can be a bit challenging the next best thing being the Octi 1.8

Originally Posted by rageshgr

By the way, the Polo GT TSI does have a kick-down switch. As in, if I floor it completely, it does drop 2 gears and off it goes!

True it does, however if my memory serves me well there is no physical switch under the "A" pedal. Heavy throttle does induce the kickdown mode but in the Octi 1.8 and the A3 there is a switch that gets activated under the throttle, you can feel it when it engages.

Originally Posted by rageshgr

Regarding the muted S mode, I guess nothing that a performance exhaust system can't take care of

Absolutely not! I am currently using the Octi1.8 and it does take care of the thrill factor but truth be told I do terribly miss the quiet elegance (I am shocked I am saying this, guess I'm growing old) of the A3 and cant wait to get my hands back on her.

[mohaks19]

Hi Deep,

Congratulations on your A3! A nicely written review indeed - it was quite helpful when selecting a new car since Audi didn't have a test drive vehicle for the petrol variant in Jaipur. Got a red A3 35 TFSI delivered last week, and I must say, I'm quite impressed by the sheer elegance and versatility of this car. Family's been a bit disappointed with the fuel efficiency (especially when driven hard), but I guess it more than makes up for it. Attaching a picture for reference. Cheers!

[deepfreak15]

Originally Posted by mohaks19

Got a red A3 35 TFSI delivered last week, and I must say, I'm quite impressed by the sheer elegance and versatility of this car.

Amazing! Congratulations on your new car and wishing you many happy KMs in it. Love the colour especially since you have the all black interiors.

Originally Posted by mohaks19

Family's been a bit disappointed with the fuel efficiency (especially when driven hard), but I guess it more than makes up for it.

Well, after a couple of drives the mileage bit takes a back seat. But trust me, you could have done far worse. I still remember the look on my father's face when he realised the Octi was giving single digit figures even under semi sedate driving and I was consistently getting double digits. From what I have seen off late in the MID 14km/l seems to be the norm for this car. i.e if you don't rev the nuts off this car. Trust me after driving the GT TSI and the Octi TSI in pedal to metal mode the A3 does not give you the same aural/seat of the pants pleasure but gets the job done with equal aplomb if you upshift at around the 3.5K rpm.

[deepfreak15]

7 months and 8000 Kms later there is nothing much to say about the car apart from the fact that its running like a well oiled German machine is supposed to run.
The reason I haven't driven more than I would have loved to was because I had to also make sure the other car saw some highway stints.



Managed to rack up 5000kms in the Octavia so thought I'd hijack my own thread and pen down a few observations.
Note: This is NOT a comparison, both cars serve completely different requirements and should not be pitted against each other.







While the A3 is an above average highway tourer its biggest handicap is its lack of backseat comfort and its luggage carrying capacity. This is where the Octavia excels! back seat comfort is sublime, 500+ kms drives are dispatched with ease. My Dad used to feel really stiff and tired in the Vento and Polo backseats but was really relaxed in the Octavia.

Attachment 1831333





For pure driving pleasure give me the A3 any day. You sit low and the seat adjustment is perfect. You do not realize the 30 odd horses deficit and even though the steering feel on the A3 is artificially set to hard I find its easier to carry greater corner speeds as opposed to the Octavia, the steering is really light and you never can tell exactly how much feel you have. That said the paddle shifts in the Octavia are a boon. In the Polo TSI I always found myself in "S" or Manual mode but in the Octavia I leave it in "D" and use the Paddles as and when required. The A3 on the other hand is so well insulated you never feel the need to use "S" mode and for that quick overtake I generally use the kick down switch under the "A" pedal.

The absence of sound proofing under the hood gives the car some character but after being spoilt by the A3 the first accessory I am going to buy is some soundproofing




If Fuel economy is important to you stay away from the Octavia , while the A3 gives me anywhere from 12-14 kmpl on the highways I never saw a double digit economy in the Octavia and no I still havent gone pedal to metal in this car (I think I've grown old). That said the Octavia is an excellent mile muncher and don't be surprised to see stats like this without breaking a sweat.



There are somethings that A3 skimped out on that gets my goat. Like all the rear-view mirrors on the Octavia are auto dimming, paddle shifters etc.



But the headlights on the Octavia are a different story all together! Coming from the Polo the BiXenons on the A3 came as a blessed relief but the LED projectors on the Octavia are in a league of their own. I have got mixed reviews from other Skoda owners but for me these headlights are just perfect for those fast night drives and early morning fog, I haven't driven in the rain at night to comment on that.













In conclusion if given a choice I would always reach for the A3 keys, the front seats feel like a cocoon and their is a whole aura of peace and calm in the drivers seat. It also comes with an added bonus of getting that extra attention everywhere you go like it or not, like preferential parking in malls, ease of entry into gated communities, fuel stations etc. That said, the mention of Airport drops or carrying back seat passengers I have no other option than to turn to the Octavia, but who am I kidding, I guess I'm spoilt for choice after all!

[mux_usa]

@deepfreak, nice comparo - thanks! As a Q3 owner that also had the Passat Wolfsburg with the same 1.8TSI in the past, can totally relate to your observations.

PS: minor aspect but you are indeed getting 'double digit' fuel efficiencies in the Octavia as well. Not sure if missed, but average economy is set to L/100km, and 8.8 is indeed double digit kmpl!

[deepfreak15]

Originally Posted by mux_usa

but average economy is set to L/100km, and 8.8 is indeed double digit kmpl!

I'm a complete noob when it comes to fuel economy calculation. So how does this calculation work, or rather how much would that translate in kmpl?

Edit: Just got my answer. It's 11.3

Thanks for pointing that out! I feel foolish now

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by deepfreak15

I'm a complete noob when it comes to fuel economy calculation. So how does this calculation work, or rather how much would that translate in kmpl?

Edit: Just got my answer. It's 11.3

Thanks for pointing that out! I feel foolish now

Change the relevant display setting in the Setup menu and you won't make this mistake again . It defaults to litres/100 km every time the battery is disconnected or factory reset.

[deepfreak15]

A year and 9500 kms (Work got in the way of racking up more kms) later its time for the cars first service. The service centre is a good 30km from my house so mentally had prepared myself for this to be a full day event. Reached the service centre at 9:00 am on the dot on a Saturday. I was directed to my designated SA. He visually inspected the car and filled out the job card. I was told I would get the car at 4 pm that evening. This being my first service I assumed it would be done earlier and this was just an expectation setting. I was assured I could be near my car when it was being serviced and that should not be a problem.
They have a decent airconditioned lounge that overlooks the service bay but surprisingly no plug points in case you want to charge a phone or a laptop! There is a plug point in the chauffer's lounge though.

They have a few options in case you would rather be somewhere else than at the service centre


They continuously make sure you are served items off this list for no charge



The area overlooking the shop floor from the customer lounge. Sadly no exciting cars to view



I had to wait for a good two hours before I was informed my car was going to be serviced. Initially I had asked for the auto Start/Stop to be permanently disabled via VCDS and in turn was asked to send an email the SA so they had a record of that, which I promptly did. I also wanted to set the XDS to "Strong" and change the Brake assist to "Early". However the floor supervisor sheepishly said I was the first customer who asked for this and he didn't know how to make those changes.

In the last year I would have had passengers in the backseat only 3 or 4 times so for all purposes this is strictly a two seater. But whenever someone sat in the rear I could hear a muffled scrape when I crossed one particular speed breaker near my house. So I really wanted to inspect the underbody. I also wanted to check the brake pad wear

For those of you wondering about the ground clearance. Absolutely no scrapes under the front section so that was a relief



Somehow it looks like one side under the running board was not so lucky, though it could have been worse.



I was really happy to see the brakes showed no signs of wear and still have some pretty decent mileage on them.


The service team were efficient and went about their business and paid no attention to me standing there and I tried to observe as quietly as possible. I was told no photography allowed so I didn't click anymore pictures.
One thing that really bugged me was, one service engineer did a thorough check on the interiors of the car by running his greasy hands over all the surfaces including the roof panel and also opened the medical kit with his grubby hands I expected that they would at least wear gloves for this inspection.

Though the SA informed me the car would be delivered only in the evening I noticed there was just way too much downtime (where the car is just standing with no work being done). Its not that people were standing around idle, they were continuously working on cars. I'm not sure if its because of lack of people or inefficient processes but its really frustrating to be waiting there with your car lying idle. The actual service of my car was completed in an hours time but I had to wait for a good 3 hours before I could take the car home. To the SAs credit though he handed over the keys at exactly 4pm with a fair warning that my next service would take 1.5 days.


So to summarise





Happy with:

1. Courteous staff
   
2. I was kept informed
   
3. Their policy of allowing you on the shop floor
   
4. Refreshments constantly being served (They offered to buy me lunch)
   
5. The service was carried out efficiently
   

Not happy with:

1. Request to disable Start/Stop permanently was not done
   
2. Brake assist and XDS settings were also not done
   
3. I really hope they start wearing gloves when they inspect the interiors of the car
   
4. Car sits idle during the entire duration for a good 3-4 hours!

Disappointed with
The car wash. I was extremely disappointed with the job. Even if they had done it for no charge I would have walked away extremely upset with it. If you had given a couple of kids a bucket and a cloth they would have done a much better job. No kidding! The below picture was just before it was ready to be handed over to me.




That said, this car suits my requirements to the T and I still think it looks as gorgeous as it did the first day.





Sadly, life cant always be perfect. The day after the service and a pretty quick airport drive I notice my tyres have fallen victim to either my carelessness (I think I know where this happened) or the infamous Bangalore roads. If I don't get the OEM tyre I will have to end up replacing two tyres. So the reality of changing tyres has hit me earlier than expected.

[deepfreak15]

Unfortunately imported Goodyear Efficient Grip tyres are hard to find. Audi asked for a month or two to import them and it would cost around 11000/- I had no other choice than to look for an alternative, this meant I now had to replace two tyres and not one.
Hopped on the MRF Perfinza bandwagon! Drove only 2kms on these tyres so absolutely no clue how they will handle. Thankfully have a long drive today and will find out how these perform.







In case anyone wants 3, used for 9500kms imported Goodyears let me know
The first thing that I noticed when the old tyres were removed was just how soft and supple it was, agreed these are used tyres and will be more malleable to the touch but I haven't seen a softer tyre than these before.

[itwasntme]

That aggressive Perfinza tread design almost looks SUV-like!

But should the new tyres go in front or back? That is a perennial question with differing views w.r.t. Indian Vs Western road & driving considerations.

[deepfreak15]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

But should the new tyres go in front or back? That is a perennial question with differing views w.r.t. Indian Vs Western road & driving considerations.

Ideally new always goes front as that's where you want the best grip, traction and water channelling to be. But I'm really on the fence here. My rears have done 9500kms and are a different brand. I might switch them up front and try to wear them out earlier so I can replace them sooner with Perfinzas. Will check with Nikhil when I go to Madhu's next week for balancing and alignment.

Edit: Just got to know my logic is flawed. Will be swapping them round shortly

[deepfreak15]

Initial plan was to replace the front two tyres with MRF Perfinzas and then drive to Salem, cast my vote and then drive down to Kanyakumari. But since I had to change my tyres in the middle of a working day I could not afford to take them to Madhus and get them balanced and fitted. So I quickly swapped the front tyres at a nearby MRF dealership. Early next morning headed to Salem with the Perfinzas up front and OE Goodyears in the back. Apart for a slight vibration at a little above legal speeds I did not find any difference between the tyres. I will take this as a good sign, if I can get the performance of a German tyre and the ruggedness of an Indian tyre its a sure win for me. I was mentally prepared for the vibrations so ditched the plan to drive down in my car to Kanyakumari and instead took my Dad's car. Those have Goodyear NCTs and boy they are horrible! On my return, picked up my car from Salem and drove down to Madhus in Bangalore to get my tyres sorted.
Spent some really good quality time over there and now I'm all set for the next highway drive.

Road force simulation in progress to get the best balance out of the tyres.



I'm a sucker for pictorial representations



Ill be the first to admit the sight of this mismatch gives me the heebie jeebies. Ill just have to pretend no one else sees this!




To summarize:
Done only 250kms on the highway with the Perfinzas up front, which is way too little time to judge a tyre, but at least if the tyre was really a step down Im sure I would have felt it. Im happy to state I did not feel any difference in the steering feel, cushioning, grip or tyre noise.

My recent learning that, when changing a pair of tyres instead of all 4 tyres, the newest go back (something to do with: its easier to manage understeer when hydroplaning than oversteer) has forced me to move the Perfinzas to the rear wheel. So I guess I will never figure out how good/bad these tyres really are. I did tell MRF they could have 3 "German" imported Goodyears for R&D if they gave me another pair of Perfinzas but I guess they didn't take me seriously

[praveen789]

Originally Posted by deepfreak15

They have a few options in case you would rather be somewhere else than at the service centre
Attachment 1868251

- Not sure if you noticed it under Shuttle Service, but apparently they give you a 'life' to a local destination (instead of lift?)

[deepfreak15]

Originally Posted by praveen789

- if you noticed it under Shuttle Service, but apparently they give you a 'life' to a local destination (instead of lift?)

Hilarious. Hadn't noticed that