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Old 2nd March 2009, 00:10   #1
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Audi A4 2.0 TDI. EDIT : Mid-year update on page 14

Been around on TBHP for a while. Am a bit of an Auto freak. Getting right down to it, A year ago i had the pleasure of driving the Skoda Laura. Liked it, tried convincing Dad to get it. Din't work, dad thought it looked too much like the Octavia to be worth a lovely 5-6 L premium. Went though a lot of cars, test drives, the works. Booked the Honda Accord pre-lauch. As it launched , we saw it, dad did not like it. He said the dimention were too big and slightly Agressive. Did not befit his profession. So well, by september, that was cancelled. And recession set in. Well the Car buying descition was getting post poned but i was still test driving vehicles, for fun. TBHP helped a lot in research. Well i had test driven the Bimmer and the Benz C class and walked away impressed by both. For quite a few months all i could think was, " I want A BMW!". A few weeks back i test drove the Audi A4. I was impressed. FWD apart and a tad lesser powered, The car reeked on the feeling of occasion that the other two just could not match for me. Dad was there in the TD two. We walked away impressed by the Interiors and the looks of the A4. ( Did i mention the string of pearls LED attract more attention than Pamela A. in baywatch?)

When the facelifted 3 released, i went to check it out. I walked away slightly unimpressed. The benz had already let me down, a stonker of a CDI engine complimented with under equipped package dint just make sense for the price they asked ( I am not one of those who falls for a Merc just cus of the star ). Anyways, today morning my dad surprised me. When we walked out of the house, he said we were going car shopping. Was time to Pop into BMW , AUdi and Benz and see what we liked the best. Were to book it within the week!

Went to Bmw again, dad sat in the 3 series parked there. Liked it, however was a bit concerned about the lower seating. The beige looked a bit tacky too. Leg space was something he was concerned about ( Car was on a slope ). The car had to fit in my garage ( we were not planning to leave a 30L+ car in the open)My dad and i love driving, however this being mumbai , we usually catch the Local train to work. Dad would use the car, however due to the sheer number of calls he gets per minute ( sometimes make me wonder if he runs a call centre ) the car would be majorly chauffer driven. Used for city a bit and a bit of highway ( usually Mumbai puna runs, again mainly by driver ). So the ultimate driving machine did not cut that much ICE with him. Went to the Audi showroom at worli, ( we gave the benz a miss ) Looked again at the Audi. Liked it. Plenty of features standard, a decent engine with decent driving dynamics, classy looks ( understated till you see the String o pearls ). The interior of the Car makes you feel special. Besides Audi has also started Audi secure ( just like the BMW ) and most of the features were usable ( Laura and Superb have some i can't ever dream o0f putting to use, heated seats anyone in the sweltering mumbai climate? ). Besides , Trizone A/c always better than Bi-zone right? lol. So basically we returned home, with the battle between the Audi and the BMW raging in full swing. In the evening the BMW salesman got the car to our house, tried the parking in the garage, saw its corona rings shining in the Dark, and test dorve it for a bit ( And loved every bit of it ), was confused again! However i was sold on the 'feel' of the A4. An hour back we have decided to go for a white Audi A4 with Brown interiors, will book the car soon, maybe this week or tomorrow itself! We want delivery on Padwa! Am pretty excited. Lets hope i dont get a change of heart again overnight, the C and the 3 are very able competitors in their own right!!
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Old 2nd March 2009, 10:07   #2
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White A4 with brown interiors gets my vote too! I love the stiching on the seats!
What is Padwa?
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Old 2nd March 2009, 10:20   #3
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The A4 is no doubt an amazing car.
Which variant are you going for as there are 2 petrol and 2 deisel engines currently being offered by Audi.

Waiting for full booking , delivery report and then long term running reports
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Old 2nd March 2009, 10:48   #4
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Congrats! Hope everything works out as planned.

Could you post some more info on the Audi Secure package- what all does it cover? pricing?

It's great to see the ownership of high end cars being made easier. BMW started the trend and now everyones seems to be following, good for us customers! I'm waiting for the day when one of these three marquees launchs a 3 year or 5 year all inclusive service pack free with every new car like they do in the most other countries. It will take sometime but I'm sure we will get what we deserve, a universal worldwide policy must be maintained! "Jago grahak jago"
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Old 2nd March 2009, 11:42   #5
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The Quatrro 3.0 TDI is not yet available in India, so getting the 2.0 with the WCI pack. ( memory functions for the seat and mirrors, 17" alloys instead of 16" and front rear parking sensors.. for a cool 1.1L more ) debating weather to take this or not, need to decide by afternoon.

Audi Secure is just like BMW secure, covers all plastics parts ect. and And all losses with accidents. Do not know if it covers the Tubeless shoes though. ( BMW replaces 4 runflats p.a if required ). The A4 looks hot, has more of a novelty value and has enough grunt for the use we will put it through ( Mumbai traffic and a few highway runs , around 10k KmPA ). Audi secure is for around 60k, aprox the same price as BMW secure. All going well car should be booked today, with the delivery on Padwa.

Ps. Padwa is the marathi new year.

It's a big step up, we havent purchased any car since around 12-14 years now and my current set of wheels are an accent and swift, so it's a big occasion , specially for me. The car choice etc. was mine, including colour ( dropped the red for dad's sake ) though dad will use the car mostly. The A6 is going for an Awesome deal atm , but wont fit in the garage. Besides the A4 looks hawt and is just big enough for the city, Accent has more space than the BMW!


Just negotiating with the dealers as we speak, so maybe car will be booked by today evening. Will post a step by step thingy. My friend and i are already planning a photo session once the car comes with his new SLR. ( He is a commercial artist! ) Can't wait. It's like a dream come true!
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Old 2nd March 2009, 11:52   #6
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Post Deleted by the Team-BHP Support : SMS / Slang is STRICTLY prohibited on this community. We would much appreciate your using full & proper english in posts, for the benefit of other forum users.

Please view our board rules carefully before proceeding any further.

Last edited by GTO : 3rd March 2009 at 11:21.
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Old 2nd March 2009, 11:56   #7
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No, will be buying the Car ex-thane , so the car will come for around 33.5 On road. ( With WCI ). The BMW 320 D highline comes at around 34.5 or so, Ex-octroi , on road.
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Old 2nd March 2009, 12:20   #8
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The Teana is too big for me, Anything bigger than the A4 will strictly not fit into the Garage!!
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Old 2nd March 2009, 14:05   #9
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What a bummer ! The secure package is an insurance add on not a maintainence pack!

Whats the deal on the A6? Is it the facelifted version?

Last edited by Sahil : 2nd March 2009 at 14:06.
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Old 2nd March 2009, 15:35   #10
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No it is not, but the base A6 TDi cost 44L on road (3.5l outright discount w/o haggling as well as interest free loan for one or two years [not sure] )with the premium pack all goodies ( bose sound system, Advanced MMi with remote, rear reverse camera etc. )


Latest news, Iv been haggling with Audi Pune And mumbai m things looking up. Both are trying thier best to outdo the other, and thats equating to sizable savings to me right now. Lets hope this continues.
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Old 2nd March 2009, 17:11   #11
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Am very very tempted to go in for the 200Bhp Petrol. God save me!!
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Old 3rd March 2009, 17:41   #12
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Audi does set the standard in terms of interior quality; easy to see why you were smitten!

Quote:
Am very very tempted to go in for the 200Bhp Petrol. God save me!!
How about the 265BHP 3.2 FSI? Expensive, but they have some pretty good used examples.

Quote:
No it is not, but the base A6 TDi cost 44L on road (3.5l outright discount w/o haggling as well as interest free loan for one or two years [not sure] )with the premium pack all goodies ( bose sound system, Advanced MMi with remote, rear reverse camera etc. )
Pretty sweet deal. But then, the E & the 5 are going for great prices too.

Quote:
Latest news, Iv been haggling with Audi Pune And mumbai m things looking up. Both are trying thier best to outdo the other, and thats equating to sizable savings to me right now. Lets hope this continues.
Nothing quite like a good bargain. Keep us in the loop!
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Old 3rd March 2009, 21:46   #13
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redeff waiting for the continued story mate. and then the pics
btw when is Padwa?
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Old 3rd March 2009, 23:56   #14
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This post Approval thingy can get pretty irritating , specially since iv been visiting a board since a year but started posting now.

Oh well - Here we Go

@ GTO- 3.2 tfsi is out. 2.0 184 bhp tempted me simply because the added performance at the same price. Dad writes the cheques and he does not like the concept of a V6 gobbling up expensive petrol when he is never going top have the heart or the road to put it though its paces. For pointless long drives, the TDI is good enough. Besides i'm confused, The car mags say that the engine is a CRDI while the Salesmen insist of calling it the TDI. On a rough guess it is the PD. Not that i complain, the inside is well insulted and i don't mind people knowing its a TDI. every bugger who i seem to meet who knows his cars find the German diesel a big turn on. And frankly i like the growl. It's not the petrol whine, but a gruff hoarse roar.

THe A4 is the biggest car that will fit my garage. Period. But when the engine is on in the Garage, the Hum on the engine fills it up. ANd i absolutely love it! ( Checked it all on the Test drive vehicle!). The exterior looks great, the interior is according to me hands down best in class, the new C does not come close , and the standard version is underequipped and dull looking. THe bmw had me smitten by it's interiors, till the audi opened my eyes. THe A/c control vents and the lower eng of the dashboard ( the beige one that was there in the TD vehicle ) seemed a bit tacky. The car was a hoot to drive, agreed and as much as i'm an enthusiast, sense prevailed. The Audi all black does seem a bit dull, however i'v gone in for the mustang brown. We have upgraded from an Accent to a Audi, so the car being first hand is important for us, another reason why i won't go in for the 3.2 tfsi.

Here's the update, as i said, Sunday was the Day of the "swayamwar". I found myself in a position which i had just dreamt of, choosing between the BMW , Benz and Audi. The benz for reasons stated earlier was turned down. THe bmw was good, but a bit cramped. Besides a whole new genaration expected in 3 years or so. As much as i like the Corona rings, the BMW gives me the "She's hot" but not the " Hey Sexy" feeling that the Audi does! 5 PM in the evening in braod daylight, the Audi LEDs still stand out in the RVM from a mile off (And that too on a white car!), giving it the "take me right now' kind of a meancing look. She is ultra sexy car that you can take home to your mom and will look her understated best (but still gorgeous) and at night you can take her to the club and know that everyone will stare ( On come the LEDs! ).


Continuing that, i called Audi pune ( had a Td with them earlier when in pune on some work ). Most of monday was covered in that. Uncovered a bit of a jhol. Both the showroom ex-showroom prices were the same, but on road ex-octroi , the prices had a 30,000 Rs. Differance!! On closer scruetiny we found that the insurance was taken on the base value of the car, w/o the WCI package, which i belive leads to effectively under insuarnace for the car ( WCI is 1.1L ) WCI includes 17" Rims , front sensors and memory setting for OVRMS and Drivers seat. Some haggling so the Mumbai dealer give a 30k Discount to bring the price down the Puna level. Puna guy immediately offed my a further 30k off and told me that whatever deal the Mumbai guy gave, he would try to better it. However , considering the fact that Mumbai dealer is closer and i was a bit wary after the insurance debacle, i got the mumbai dealer to give me 20k further off and tints. SO apparently matching the Pune offer ( Resulting in a total grand 60k off on a car they refused to offer a discount on at all! ). Booked the Car, settled for a delivery date on Padawa (27th March - it's our new year ). 2.0 TDI - White with Mustang brown interiors.

Can the mods please change the Topic name to - 'Vorsprung durch Technik' - The way of the Audi?

I rather like the Drama!
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Old 4th March 2009, 11:02   #15
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I am just dreaming to be in a dilemma you had been through
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