Team-BHP > Team-BHP Reviews > Test-Drives & Initial Ownership Reports


Reply
  Search this Thread
104,731 views
Old 3rd May 2018, 17:05   #1
BHPian
 
deepfreak15's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 536
Thanked: 3,004 Times
I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus

But why?
As a TeamBhpian I am supposed to know there are better options (cousins) at much lesser price points, in spite of that why did I buy this car? Read on..



Prologue:
I had been driving around in a Polo GT TSI since March 2014 (49000 kms). While my Dad was using a Vento Highline 1.6 Petrol from 2012 (28000 kms). So for the city and the occasional highway drive the Polo TSI was perfect and for the occasional airport run the Vento got the job done. Off late my parents started joining my wife and I for the Bangalore TBHP overnight trips and that’s where the need for a better highway car arose. My initial plan was to sell the Vento, give my parents the Polo and buy an Octavia. But Dad being busy with his business moved the car upgrade to the bottom of his priority list leaving me with the upgrade itch, which was pretty high on my priority list. I had asked my colleague, since he had some great contacts in the used car business, for a quote on the Vento and got a very low figure so as a joke I asked him how much would I get for my Polo. He asked me for a few pictures and in 2 hours said there was a buyer ready at a price that was at par. Note, the person had not seen my car but in an hour I had a deposit in my account and by the end of the week I had no car, the sale was completed! I had sold my Polo and now had no option but to move forward.

Must have criteria for my next car
• Good brakes – Biggest shortcoming of the Polo
• Good driver seat- I couldn’t get the right driving position in the Polo and ended up with a back ache post a reasonably long drive
• Good headlights – Another shortcoming of both the Polo and the Vento
• Good handling – The Polo is not bad but gets too bouncy as speeds go up.

Options considered:

1) Used cars: Financially makes the most sense. I had a budget of around 16 lakhs and some really knowledgeable Bhpians to help me with my purchase. But for a used car there were 3 key traits I sorely needed but was completely short off – Patience, Time and Confidence. So that option went out of the window.

2) Octavia 1.8/VRS: This car checked all my “Must have” criteria and then some. Fast highway ride, sorted dynamics, Easy to use in the city. But on the flip side uncertain delivery date was a huge factor. I hate waiting.

3) Wildcard: Tata Hexa The Mrs and I both loved the ride quality and interiors. But it felt like an overkill for 2 people in Bangalore and my Dad, knowing me, vehemently opposed it. I don’t blame him, in hindsight I would have got bored driving a huge truck in 6 months.

And with a budget of 25 lakhs (with a small margin to overshoot) for a new car that was it! Sad but true fact in our market. With that budget, if you need a dynamically good car with a touch of performance the Octavia 1.8/VRS is your only choice. Next best thing in my opinion is the BMW 3 series but that was way beyond my budget. VW Jetta and Polo GTI were conspicuous in their absence. I like compact cars so SUVs and “want to be” SUVs were out of the question (Hexa was the exception by virtue of its ride and interiors). But that didn’t stop me from checking out the XUV5OO (Interiors felt like a budget car) and the Jeep Compass petrol automatic (I liked the way it handled and drove but the footwell was really cramped)

The Audi Story:
Long before I had planned on buying a new car I had gone with my wife to Jubilant motors (Audi Bangalore). Our first interaction was a disaster. The sales advisor assigned to us decided to abandon us mid pitch to talk to another potential customer leaving my wife and I really bewildered. We walked out of the showroom with my wife vowing to me we would never set foot in that showroom again. A few minutes later we got a call from the SA apologizing for the mess he made and he asked for another chance. I had made up my mind and politely declined. Surprisingly I got a call from the regional sales manager Audi who was fully appraised of the situation asking for another chance. In my opinion it takes guts and character to accept one’s mistake and inform your superior seeking to diffuse the situation. This told me the guy must have genuinely felt bad and I decided to give him a chance to redeem himself by referring him to a neighbour who was actively looking for a car. To his (SA) credit he managed to sell him a Q3. My neighbour is hard to please and not easily swayed (I should know because he is also my boss at work) but to his credit the SA was equal to the challenge. He was knowledgeable, pleasant to deal with and in no way pushy and did not put down any of the competition when I purposely goaded him with statements like the Octavia and Passat are much better than the A3/A4. He purely made his pitch on the merit of his product and of course the famous Audi discounts.
So fast forward a few months and now I had no car. I called Edwin (the Audi Sales Advisor) and asked him what offers were going on with Audi purely out of curiosity. Little did I know I was now on the receiving end of his sales pitch. He and his finance person (Etesh) in tandem worked tirelessly without being pushy or obnoxious. Every time I brought up the cost factor they worked out the finances and came back with a number which was what I had in mind and it started getting difficult to say no. I was almost ready to take the plunge when on the 30th of March at 6 pm Edwin called me and said since it was the month end and only 1 more day to go he was willing to knock off a huge chunk on the final price (I made a gentleman’s agreement with him not to disclose the final cost). That’s it, I was sold on the offer. Next thing I know I made the down payment and signed all the papers. I went ahead with VW finances because not only are their interest rates at par with most banks, their key mantra must be “flexibility”. In my case they were able to tweak the payment plan that met my requirements.
During this entire period, I must say I was extremely satisfied with the level of service I have got from Jubilant motors (Edwin and Etesh). No false promises were made. They were honest enough to tell me the car was assigned but since the company was sending them to Thailand for some R&R they would be able to complete the delivery post that which I had absolutely no problem with (Most SA would tell you the vehicle is still in the truck or stuck in some obscure border). Post sales also has been very pleasant, as I am typing this I still have an issue with my Fastag account because somehow it got mixed up with my Tag id for the Polo but to Audi’s credit they have not told me to fix it with an agent, instead a staff from Audi is continually working with ICICI to fix my issue.

Note: I have no affiliation with Jubilant Motors nor with Edwin or Etesh. I am a highly satisfied customer and thought they deserve a special mention! This is the same group that runs Dominoes in India and we all know how they like to resolve complaints, free Pizza lol.

The Car:

Enough with all my ramblings and now my observations post taking the car home.

Things I love
• Handling- Sublime balance between ride and handling, fast bends are met with disdain with almost no body roll and rough patches do not filter in the cabin
• Brakes – Coming from the Polo, four discs around are a boon.
• Headlights- Coming from the Polo the difference is literally night and day and love the fact they have stuck to yellow fog lamps that also serve as static cornering lamps
• Driver’s seat- Easy to get your driving position spot on
• Size – This car is just perfect for the Mrs and I both inside and outside, the fact that it’s almost the same size of the Vento works in my favour
• Interiors – Feels posh and doesn’t feel like they have cut cost with quality of materials
• Sound damping – Once inside the car you are almost isolated from the outside world and I think I am reaching that place of zen, I’m becoming a calmer driver


Things I don’t like
• Engine – The car is decently quick but very hard to digest the fact the cousins get 1.8 and 2.0 litre engines and you have to make do with 1.4
• Lack of paddle shifters – Come on, how difficult could it be to provide that with the car
• Sunroof – Absolutely no value add for me and makes the Aircon work overtime, give me paddle shifters instead!
• Cruise control – Absolutely no value add for me, give me paddle shifters instead!
• Sound damping- Absolute lack of drama! In the Polo the moment you switch to S mode the engine note becomes aggressive with a whole lot of growling but here you don’t hear any of that
• Possible thumb correction surgery trying to reach the horn, wouldn’t be a problem if you had freakishly large hands

Exterior
Looks are subjective though there is something about the design that reminds me of a clean-cut suit. Neat lines all around and nothing stands out garishly. They went to the extent of excluding the roof mounted antenna and incorporating the spoiler into the boot lid. The chrome package comes by default and though I’m not a fan of chrome I can live with this look.

Clean lines

I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-front-external-pic04.jpg


I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-external-1st-pic.jpg

Note absence of roof antenna and integrated spoiler
I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-side-view-pic03.jpg

My favourite view.
I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-rear-pic02.jpg

Lets just get this out of the way for the sake of the review. Looks horrible when open and serves no purpose.
I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-sunroof.jpg




Interior

Everything neatly falls into place. Interior quality is top notch with soft touch and a built to last feel. There is a difference in the tactile feedback in the switches and buttons when compared to the Polo and the Octavia, it feels premium. Love the dark interiors too in an era when each manufacturer is trying to outdo the other in a sea of beige, these interiors come as a welcome change. It feels snug once you sit inside and I welcome that feeling. The driver seat is well bolstered with 12 way adjustments all electric and no memory function. The co passenger seats are adjustable for height and length albeit manually and the lumbar support is 4 way adjustable. This is strictly a 4 seater with ISO fix points in the rear seats.

View of the driver console. The steering is adjustable for reach and rake.
I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-00internal-view-day.jpg

Same view at night, looks all bling in the picture but rather pleasant in real life
I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-01and-night.jpg

The steering wheel does not look too cluttered with all buttons functional except the Navigation button. That is functional only in the technology pack. The right hand side buttons are for the Music/Telephony controls and the left hand side buttons are for the MID controls where you can toggle between Car info, Multimedia and telephone. The MID shows your contact names in the telephone view. Voice command works like a charm and I mostly use it to dial a contact.
I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-02steering-controls.jpg
The stalk on the right hand side controls the wipers and washers. The stalk on the top left is for indicators and Highbeam. The stalk on the lower left hand side is to set cruise control though easy to use has no real world application in our country except on the Elevated expressway, Electronic City Bangalore. Set the speed at 80kmph, yawn and watch the world go by.

Dual zone climate control. The silver bezel around the vent when twisted clockwise closes the vent. In some Audis pulling the centre knob directs the airflow and pushing it in diffuses the airflow but not in this model. Note the "A" button on the extreme left, that is for the automatic start/stop feature. By default it gets activated when the car is started. Bummer!
I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-17-front-ac.jpg

The ABD pedals. The A pedal has a kick-down switch hidden behind it. Once engaged with a firm shove of right foot in D Mode drops 3 gears from 7 and in S mode drops 2 gears from 7.
I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-03abd-pedal.jpg

The gear lever console looks classy. Pull down for D mode, shifting the lever left in D mode puts it in tiptronic mode with manual shifts. For S mode put the lever in D and pull down, to switch back to D pull back again. The cup holders are backlit with a small space ahead to place a mobile phone or sunglasses
I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-03center-console.jpg
The tiny knob to the right of the lever is to control the multimedia, long press switches it off, rotating clockwise increases the volume and vice versa. Tap to the left to skip to the previous track and right to skip forward. The larger dial is to control the MMI system, rotate clockwise and counter clockwise and long press to select. In the technology pack you can spell letters on it. The flat tabs to the right and left of the MMI dial are like the left and right click of a mouse button. The tabs to the top right and top left of the MMI dial are short keys for the co passenger to use as all these functions are accessible from the steering wheel too.


MMI screen goes up automatically on startup and can be powered off
I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-04mmi-up.jpg

This is how it looks powered off
I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-05mmi-down.jpg


Rear-view mirror is basic with manual dimming function, heck Octavia gets auto dimming internal and external rear view mirrors as standard!
I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-19-irvm.jpg
Sun roof controls are mounted right above the mirror


Decent storage place under the armrest with two USB ports though you can use those ports only with Audi proprietary cables. In the technology variant you get induction charging for your smartphone.
I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-06-center-storage.jpg
Note the Automatic Electronic parking brake button "A" press to switch on and off and the manual parking brake button "P" Pull up to engage, push down to disengage

I really love the texture on the dashboard with the carbon fibre trim. Got to say the Hexa comes pretty close to this finish which is a great achievement for TATA.
I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-07-closed-glovebox.jpg

The glovebox is not cooled which is no surprise since this houses the CD player and there is literally no space for the chiller control which is not the case in the Octavia. This glovebox is joke but other storage areas make up for it.
I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-08open-glovebox.jpg

Storage net for the co passenger to store a phone or wallet etc.
I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-09storage-net.jpg

The doors are nice and heavy but have to be careful when opening it. They feel too smooth that a gentle shove sends the door flying outwards! Regular driver side controls, with the addition of heated outside rear view mirror control.Storage in the front door can keep a litre bottle in place. Key word being "keep" in the Polo TSI the same bottle would fly out under heavy acceleration.
I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-10door-storage.jpg

On the other hand the rear door looks pretty plain with only 1 button and I think a 500 ml bottle would fit there, not that it would matter to me, for all purposes this will end up being a two seater.
I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-10rear-door.jpg

ACL in my left knee led me to buying the Polo TSI, Myriad of back problems with my Piriformis causing unbearable pain led me to the A3. Support all around really helps. The armrest is also adjustable for height and reachI bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-11driver-seat.jpg


Wife didn't realize she had lumbar support for almost a week until I showed her. Though her height and reach adjustments are manual.
I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-12co-passenger.jpg

Rarely does anyone use these seats but they look nice and snug and this is strictly a 4 seater! Though Audi could have at least given a rear window shade like the Octavia. Had to remove the centre head restraint as it was in my line of sight
I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-13snug-rear-seats.jpg

No one will complain of rear leg room but thigh support is highly suspect. Guess I will never find out.
I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-14rear-space.jpg

A Hi viz vest?! I'm impressed talk about safety.
I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-15-hiviz-vest.jpg

Aircon blower back there is decent with a 12v charging point. Note the area below the front seat even if the rear passenger stretches their legs their shins would only hit a soft spot.
I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-16-rear-ac-soft-shin.jpg

Boot
The boot opens with a smooth action, either using the button near the rear-view camera or the button on the remote, it swings up unassisted and stays open.
I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-19boot.jpg
The boot is decently large (425 litres) when compared to the Polo TSI with the option to increase it by folding down the rear seats. But cant hold a candle to the cavernous boot of the Octavia.

The rear seats fold down 3 ways. All seats down, 60-40 split and the centre support folds down completely.
I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-24-see-through-storage.jpg
I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-26-bag-hook.jpg

The safety triangle is neatly folded into the boot lid so when you open the boot it serves its purpose, when needed during an emergency situation can be taken out and placed at a safe distance. Talk about German engineering!
I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-23safety-triangle.jpg

Last edited by deepfreak15 : 4th May 2018 at 10:49.
deepfreak15 is offline   (56) Thanks
Old 4th May 2018, 09:57   #2
BHPian
 
deepfreak15's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 536
Thanked: 3,004 Times
re: I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus

My Audi A3 continued/...

There is a compartment on the right where I think the auxiliary battery would fit but, in its absence, can be used for storage
I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-21aux-battery-kit.jpg
and on the left hand side of the boot there is a small storage spot with netting.
I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-22net-storage.jpg
There are 4 clamps on the inside of the boot to attach a safety net that comes with the car.
The boot is well lit with an LED and also there is a 12v charging point for an air compressor or vacuum.

I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-20space-saver.jpg
The spare tyre (space saver) is placed below the floor board with all the tools neatly arranged.


Under the hood

I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-28-hyd-strut.jpg
Pop open the hood and the bonnet rises smoothly on a single hydraulic strut, to close just bring in down the halfway point and let the hydraulic force and gravity do the rest. There is ample insulation which muffles any sounds coming from the engine bay. This is one of the reasons this car does not feel sporty like an Octavia would or for that matter the Polo TSI.

Note the 3 clamp system for the hood. 2 clamps on the extremes and a single latch in the centre. Overkill? I don’t know, maybe it reduces vibrations/flex from the hood. I’m not complaining though.
I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-29-latch.jpg



Engine

I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-27pop-hood.jpg
1.4 TSI with Cylinder on Demand(COD). Really!? Spending so much money on an Audi you do not want to read that in the spec sheet! It should say 2.0 TSI, sigh..if wishes were horses. The power output is 150 horses with 250 NM twist, no thanks to the gearbox. The Octavia gets 1.8 and 2.0 TSI and either of them would run circles around the A3.

But back to the smaller sibling,
I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-2cod.jpg

COD is more or less like a party trick for me. It was fun during the running in period to see how fast you could go on 2 cylinders. The answer is 120kmph but requires finesse when using the A pedal. But once the running in period was over I hardly bothered how many cylinders I was running on. You can never tell when it runs on 2 cylinders or transitions to 4 cylinders unless you keep an eye on the console. Its seamless, on 2 cylinders the 2nd and 4th run while the 1st and 3rd shut down. During running in I always wondered if that pair of cylinders will need extra time to set lol. With spirited driving on the highway I get around 11km/l and with sedate cruising at the max permissible speed limit I get 15km/l. In the city it seems to average around 12km/l. Not that it matters, give me more horses and twist instead.

Drive Train
Transversely mounted 1.4 TSI means this should have the infamous DQ200 7 speed gearbox driving the front wheels. But it’s funny the way Audi refrains from referring to it as that. Try as I may I was unable to make anyone accept it was the DQ200 all I got was “No sir, its S-tronic”. Also scouring the interweb does not specifically call this out either. That said there are differences in the ratios. For eg: In the Polo TSI in S mode there are only 6 ratios but in the A3 there are 7 gears in the S mode too. But then the Octavia VRS has the more India condition friendly 6 speed, why settle for this? My Polo DQ200 served me faithfully for 49k Kms without an issue, I know fellow members whose DSGs have done more and also those whose DSGs have let them down but VAG in good faith has replaced so I consciously chose to go with a known devil.

How is it to drive
In the city
Depress the brake and start the car the old-fashioned way – twist the key. The MMI display pops up automatically and the Engine start/stop is activated by default.
I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-start-stop.jpg

This is a slight irritant, this is how the Engine start/stop works. After about 3 minutes of driving if you come to a standstill the Engine shuts down, but the electricals are still working AC, ICE etc. Just press the A pedal to get moving and the engine starts up and you are on your way. Why is that irritating? Try that in Bangalore traffic. To avoid this, every time you switch on the car you have to disable it. Apparently, it can be permanently disabled from the OBD so will get it done when I go to the service centre.
The other feature which I have to be aware off is the Automatic electronic parking brake. The system is pretty straight forward. Depress the button once and it lights up, after that when you come to a standstill in gear(Does not work in P or N) the parking brake gets activated. To disengage just drive off. Simple! But if you have reverse, either you have to be aware that you have this engaged or an easier option would be to disable it, the reason being if you have to reverse you need to press the A pedal a little harder than you normally do while reversing. This caught me off guard a couple of times so I chose to disable it when reversing. The only doubt I have with this system is when its engaged are the gears meshed or disengaged.
Once on the move you can chose to stow the MMI console away in the dash by powering it off, however I have not disabled the proximity sensor. What this does is when moving if the car gets too close to an obstacle or vice versa the MMI screen pops up and gives a visual indication of how close you are. It’s a bit conservative for Bangalore traffic but helpful all the same. Thankfully it does not have manoeuvre braking like the Octavia.
Reversing is a breeze with the dynamic guidelines and video quality. Funny, the Octavia manual warns you not to trust its video output because it can make a pole look like a thin line, not the case in the A3.

On the highway
Out on the highway the car is a revelation, but not necessarily a good one. I still remember when I tried the S mode and trip-tronic for the first time in the Polo TSI. I was grinning like a madman and it was addictive, I kept looking for an opportunity to mash the A pedal. Sadly, not the case here. I think the Octavia would have rekindled that feeling in me but for the A3 that behaviour is undignified. Slot into S mode and go heavy on the A pedal, you hear a very muffled engine note, slightly more than the D mode and then you start wondering, really? Is that it? How boring! And then prepare to be shocked when you look at the speedometer, you would have breached the speed limit and gone way beyond it. That’s how civilized and smooth this car is. Zero drama. It just gets the job done and within a few minutes you realize what the heck! You get the same feeling in D mode so you slot back to D and continue doing the same speeds but feeling even more relaxed. The S mode might be fun on the hills but waiting for the car to run in a bit more before I tackle a good ghat section. Though dreading that moment because I will sorely miss the paddle shifters and the Octavia has that!
A feature that is missing in the Polo but is there in the A3 is the kickdown switch. Depress the A pedal completely till you feel a stop and press harder you will feel the switch getting engaged. What does this do? If you are trundling along at a good speed in D7 and want to perform a quick overtake slam the throttle down once the switch is engaged it drops 3 gears and you are in D4 within the right rpm to surge ahead, same with S7 though it only drops down 2 gears to S5. I’m sure the experience will be more pronounced in the Octavia.
Not enough can be said about the suspension set up married to the MQB platform. The car is nice and taught and it takes a whole lot of factors to unsettle the car. The road has to be really bumpy and uneven like where heavy vehicles have created ruts in the tar coupled with a long sweeping bend and high speed. Anything else the car chews up and spits out. Based on feedback from other Bhpians I think this is an inherent trait of all MQB+ Independent suspension VAG cars. Curves where the Polo used to bounce around the A3 just goes flat. The only flaw in this set up for me is the steering. Its set up heavy which means right from the start the steering is heavy irrespective of what speed you are doing. A good steering would be light at start and as speeds build up would get progressively heavier which in turn gives you a fair idea of the limits you can reach. But in the A3 since the steering is set heavy there are no indicators of how close or far you are from the limit but that said the Suspension, Chassis, Differential and Tyres do a good job of covering you on that front. Though I would take a constantly heavy steering over a lifeless steering any day. Speaking of Tyres my car came shod with German made Goodyear 205/55 R16 91W rated tyres.
I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-dsc_0276.jpg

Manufacturer recommendation is 35ps up front and 32ps in the rear, that’s what I have and ride feels plush with a bit of firmness up front. Based on some online publications these are a bit above average tyres but none of those were in Indian conditions. So will have to see how these play out. But I do know the faster Octavia 1.8 gets Indian made Goodyear NCTs rated at 91V with not so good reviews.
The brakes are perfect for this car. I had a scary moment on the highway where I was coming down a higher elevation and just as I crossed the crest I saw a Maruti Omni coming up the same slope in the wrong direction, dead centre of the road! I did not have to slam the brakes but in no time was slow enough to take evasive action with no drama at all, in the Polo the outcome would have been completely different.

Headlights
Most reviews don't cover the headlights and unless you get a chance to drive on the highway at night before buying it could be a hit or miss. Having followed fellow Bhpian's Jetta at night I knew these would be much better than the Polo. The cut off is beautiful. In the city you can see it does not hit anyone in the eyes(except when going over a speed breaker)

I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-30-lights.jpg

I am extremely satisfied with these headlights. Moreover the Fog lamps (Bad weather lights in Audi speak) are yellow which really helps.
I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-31-cornering-lamps.jpg

The fogs also act as static cornering lamps and are really helpful on our highways. You can clearly see people, animals standing on the medians ready to pounce.
I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-32without.jpg
I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-33-.jpg

Headlight controls are easy to use. Bottom right button is a stalk that pops out to adjust the backlit light brightness.
I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-headlight-switch.jpg

Safety
  • 7 airbags including driver knee
  • ABS,EBD,ESP,ASR
  • Height adjustable seatbelts
  • ISOFIX points in the rear seats








Conclusion
So in my opinion who would buy an A3 over an Octavia?
• If you are looking for compact luxury car
• If the sales, after sales and ownership experience matter to you (at least in my case)
• You don’t like uncertainties (The car allocation and delivery process at Skoda is a nightmare)
• You don’t like exaggerated wait periods with no updates
• If the badge matters more than anything else (I guess it’s an aspirational thing)
• If you want a bit of exclusivity (Again subjective, the VRS club is pretty exclusive by itself)


Now let’s talk about that elephant in the room, why did I opt for the A3 when I knew the Octavia made more sense? Well, the day I go to book my Octavia I find out 2 things.
1)There is a minimum 2 month waiting period
2)My Dad has silently booked an Octavia 1.8TSI for himself without telling anyone in the family

And here is the reason I ended up with an Audi A3
I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-20180503_162814.jpg

Dad's 1.8TSI Style Plus came home a week after the Audi but trust me when I say this, The buying experience between Skoda and Audi are worlds apart at least in our experience.

Last edited by deepfreak15 : 4th May 2018 at 14:54.
deepfreak15 is offline   (91) Thanks
Old 5th May 2018, 09:58   #3
GTO
Team-BHP Support
 
GTO's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Bombay
Posts: 70,335
Thanked: 298,732 Times
Re: I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!
GTO is offline   (2) Thanks
Old 5th May 2018, 12:12   #4
BHPian
 
Flyer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: KL 02
Posts: 557
Thanked: 1,388 Times
Re: I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus

Wow! Finally an A3 ownership review. Thank you for the detailed review and congratulations on your new ride. This car is unquestionably more than a glorified Vento as it is called in T-BHP. Trust me I own both cars (TDI). You are gonna have some pleasant highway experiences in this car. It rides flat, got enough power, good brakes, its compact and you feel safe inside it, that its difficult for one to be in a situation with this car. Wishing you miles and miles of happiness with this beauty.

Pls do keep us posted of your experience. Congrats on the Octavia too. 3 VAG brands down. 3 more to go?
Flyer is offline   (8) Thanks
Old 5th May 2018, 12:12   #5
BHPian
 
mijnoirhammer67's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: -
Posts: 115
Thanked: 301 Times
Re: I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus

Dude, I think you've bought a great car. An A3 as a daily drive is a very smart decision. Living in a city like Bangalore where the traffic is crazy, it is more sensible to drive an A3 over the A8.

It's a shame how manufactures bring down the most skimmed versions with literally no options for engines. Also skipping some tiny features in their top model such as auto dimming IRVM in a 30 lakh car is stupid. Another being memory seats. The A3 is to be targeted at 'driver's' not back seat comfort. So, wouldn't the driver need memory seats and auto dimming IRVM?

Nonetheless, you've picked a great car deepfreak15 and wish you happy motoring. This is a good entry into the luxury car segment and that blue is dashing. Also glad to see your interiors are dark colored.
mijnoirhammer67 is offline   (5) Thanks
Old 5th May 2018, 12:39   #6
BHPian
 
deepfreak15's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 536
Thanked: 3,004 Times

Quote:
Originally Posted by mijnoirhammer67 View Post
Dude, I think you've bought a great car.
It's a shame how manufactures bring down the most skimmed versions with literally no options for engines. Also skipping some tiny features in their top model such as auto dimming IRVM
Thank you for your kind words. I couldn't agree more, the least they could have done was give external auto dimming mirrors.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Flyer View Post
Wow! Finally an A3 ownership review. Thank you for the detailed review and congratulations on your new ride. This car is unquestionably more than a glorified Vento as it is called in T-BHP.

Pls do keep us posted of your experience. Congrats on the Octavia too. 3 VAG brands down. 3 more to go?
And thank you for your well wishes! Just did a Bangalore-Kanyakumari-Salem drive. To sum up the drive in one word - Sublime.

Only time will tell what's next. Maybe something with an "R" or an "S" or both together in the name.

Last edited by moralfibre : 6th May 2018 at 07:47. Reason: Back to back posts.
deepfreak15 is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 5th May 2018, 13:45   #7
Distinguished - BHPian
 
lamborghini's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Mumbai
Posts: 6,108
Thanked: 5,753 Times
Re: I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus

Brilliant review!

I think this is one of the first reviews of the FL A3 that I have actually read word for word! I agree with most of your observations, except that of Audi service quality - but that again is dealer and city specific, and you are fortunate to have a great dealer!

I'd just like to add: The interiors & ambience of the A3 is still far superior to that of the Octavia, which coupled with it's compact size makes it fairly popular. A friend recently picked up the A3 too, his reasoning being:

1) Size & manoeuvrability in the city, for those who self drive fairly frequently but aren't enthusiasts so to speak.
2) Interiors are a class apart and I think you may get bored of the Octavia interiors a lot quicker than the Audis.
3) Ride, Handling, & NVH: Except for the vRS (which could be a little too sporty and stiff for many customers), I think this car is a couple of notches higher than the Octavia.

Interestingly, a lot of this holds true in the case of the A6 v/s the Superb as well.

In fact, I really like the A3 as an option compared to others in the segment too - primarily the CLA!

Re: Steering - maybe in a few months you can swap the steering with a nicer flat bottom RS (Audi, not Skoda) steering with paddles. I think it will just require some coding work, but it will feel a lot nicer to hold & look at too while giving you the paddle shifts.
lamborghini is offline   (6) Thanks
Old 5th May 2018, 14:14   #8
Senior - BHPian
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: KA01
Posts: 1,226
Thanked: 2,694 Times
Re: I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus

Great review! Loved the way you compared performance aspects in your review to the Polo GT TSI. In VAG world, there couldn't have been more logical upgrades than the 1.4 TSI (as well as the 1.8 TSI which is also true in your case! ) from your earlier 1.2 TSI Polo.
GeeTee TSI is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 5th May 2018, 15:00   #9
BHPian
 
deepfreak15's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 536
Thanked: 3,004 Times

Quote:
Originally Posted by lamborghini View Post
Brilliant review!

I think this is one of the first reviews of the FL A3 that I have actually read word for word!
Thank you very much!

Quote:
Originally Posted by lamborghini View Post
I'd just like to add: The interiors & ambience of the A3 is still far superior to that of the Octavia,
I couldn't agree more. In fact the A3 was no where in my radar based on the spec sheet until I sat in one.

Yup, intend to swap the steering wheel at a later point in time.

Quote:
Originally Posted by GeeTee TSI View Post
Great review! In VAG world, there couldn't have been more logical upgrades than the 1.4 TSI (as well as the 1.8 TSI which is also true in your case! ) from your earlier 1.2 TSI Polo.
Thank you for your kind words. I think I have a false sense of loyalty with VAG

Last edited by theMAG : 5th May 2018 at 16:17. Reason: Back-back posts merged. Please EDIT moving forward.
deepfreak15 is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 5th May 2018, 15:11   #10
Team-BHP Support
 
vb-saan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: S'pore/Thrissur
Posts: 7,249
Thanked: 12,317 Times
Re: I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus

Congratulations! And great review... Thanks for sharing!

IMO, the A3 is one of the most underrated car in in its segment; love those interiors and its understated elegance. Do keep updating the thread. Happy driving!
vb-saan is offline   (3) Thanks
Old 5th May 2018, 15:35   #11
BHPian
 
deepfreak15's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 536
Thanked: 3,004 Times
Re: I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus

Quote:
Originally Posted by vb-san View Post
Congratulations! And great review... Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for your kind words. I do intend to keep updating.
deepfreak15 is offline  
Old 5th May 2018, 16:18   #12
Newbie
 
BODHI25's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Kolkata.
Posts: 18
Thanked: 24 Times
Re: I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus

Congratulations deepfreak15, looks amazing indeed and a lovely review I must say.
Any plans for getting after market alloys just to change the looks of your A3 in the near future?

Last edited by SDP : 6th May 2018 at 19:40. Reason: Removing extra characters
BODHI25 is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 5th May 2018, 16:32   #13
BHPian
 
Flyer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: KL 02
Posts: 557
Thanked: 1,388 Times
Re: I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus

Quote:
Originally Posted by deepfreak15 View Post
Manufacturer recommendation is 35ps up front and 32ps in the rear, that’s what I have and ride feels plush with a bit of firmness up front. Based on some online publications these are a bit above average tyres but none of those were in Indian conditions.
Can you share a pic of the tyre pressure indications from the manufacturer. You can find it beside the driver side door when you open.

Quote:
Yup, intend to swap the steering wheel at a later point in time.
Good. Pls do update here when you do.
Flyer is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 5th May 2018, 17:06   #14
BHPian
 
deepfreak15's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 536
Thanked: 3,004 Times
Re: I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus

Quote:
Originally Posted by Flyer View Post
Can you share a pic of the tyre pressure indications from the manufacturer. You can find it beside the driver side door when you open.
Please ignore the picture quality, car is parked outside for now.
I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-tyre-pressure.jpg

Actually now that I have uploaded this it looks like for 91W I should be on 36psi and 33psi. But will stick to 35psi as it feels firm and anymore might make the front too stiff.

Last edited by deepfreak15 : 5th May 2018 at 17:09. Reason: Noticed something in the picture
deepfreak15 is offline   (3) Thanks
Old 5th May 2018, 17:19   #15
BHPian
 
deepfreak15's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 536
Thanked: 3,004 Times

Quote:
Originally Posted by BODHI25 View Post
Congratulations deepfreak15, looks amazing indeed and a lovely review I must say. ����
Any plans for getting after market alloys just to change the looks of your A3 in the near future?
Thank you! No, for me the alloys look elegant and understated. I'm going with that look.

Four years ago on my way back from Marthandam(Kanyakumari) took this picture at Tirunenvelli

I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-screenshot_20180505172249.jpg

Felt blessed to have been able to do the same thing today morning.

I bought an Audi A3 35 TFSI Premium Plus-parted-hills.jpg

Last edited by moralfibre : 7th May 2018 at 09:26. Reason: Back to back posts.
deepfreak15 is offline   (15) Thanks
Reply

Most Viewed
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Team-BHP.com
Proudly powered by E2E Networks