[PlatzdaTurbo]

Originally Posted by flyingspur

Which add another 5-7L to the already stratospheric price. Just ask Platzda how much that 3.0 TDI goes for.

Yup. The 3.2 fsi & 3.0 TDi demand a heavy premium over not just rest of the A4 line up but also over the 3/C ( dont know for how much does the C250 go off the floors though)
Last i heard, the 3.0 TDI A4 was had a tag of 37,40 ex-showroom Mumbai with the 3.2 fsi being a lakh cheaper.
As far as my personal buying experience goes ,its a different story all together right from convincing them to come down substancially from an above 50 lakh quoted original price, thanks to the "CBU" tag (being displayed at the auto expo) right to the Audi Exclusive packaging etc etc. Also we were lucky enough to come across this lone A4 3.0 TDI A4 that Audi Mumbai West had. The 3.0 Tdi wasnt officially on sale in India at that point of time. All in all i feel we bagged it for a good price considering what it offers and the exhiliration it gives me to this day. (its all there in the thread )
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...3-0-tdi-6.html

Originally Posted by flyingspur

But the A4 3.2 is not the one that's going to get them on top. I want them to be up there too, man. But look where their attention's been lately. The CE has been around since November and Mercedes is now in the game too since April. Seven months have gone by since BMW has been making unreal money on the CE and yet there is no sign of a competing A4 in the sub-30L range for the CE / EE. Their reaction time is incredibly poor, and with an engine (the 143 bhp 2.0 diesel) that's already a slouch compared to the recently uprated 320d / C220 CDI, it's not helping their case at all. They have to focus on volume sellers like the entry-level diesel if they are to continue what they have achieved in terms of brand building. And the dealerships, of course. What's worse, adding an LED strip to the A6 was never going to help them with things. Merc / BMW are doing very healthy business in the 40-50L segment while Audi sells next to nothing in comparison.

True. the 2.0 TDI really is a slouch ! Taking my example again, i had made up my mind to not let my dad even LOOK at the 2.0 tdi A4 had he not opted for the 3.0tdi. i did not want to drive around in an engine that displaces only 143hp in comparison (snob aint i ? )

Originally Posted by flyingspur

The really good stuff about the A4 3.2, like the DriveSelect and the B&O audio are all very expensive options costing several lakhs, none standard kit. That's why it goes beyond 50L with all these things added to it

Drive select was offered on the 2008 models and has been discontinued ever since. Its not offered even as an option anymore.Even the top of the line f10 530D is devoid of adjustible dampers.
Yep, B&O is heavy, even soundwise and pricetag wise ! But even with all goodies the price dosnt go beyond 50. Infact it dosnt even reach 50 in the case of the 3.0 tdi & the 3.2 fsi is cheaper.

Originally Posted by Ricky_63

[/b]
All in all Audi is a great car to drive & own. The service here is at par with Merc & BMW. The sales staff is very well trained. The showroom is like WOW.
Cheers

Ditto Audi Mumbai West. Thankfully, our experience with them right from booking the car to the day the reg. plates arrived, was fairytale with no issues whatsoever. The people there were really receptive, their responses were prompt. Any queries or isses we had, they were cleared almost immediately. Their set up at Kalina ( Service centre and 'part-time' showroom) was great as well, so i imagine their brand new showroom at lokhandwala would be great.
Hope all prospective Audi owners have the same experience that we did and its all smooth. As of now, i could vouch for Audi Mumbai West.
I also hope they pull up their sleeves and market their quality products better so they catch up with Beemer/Benz and further open up the market.

[issigonis]

Originally Posted by GTO

Excellent review, Rehaan, and stunning pictures to boot! Rated thread a well-deserved 5 stars.

This car is clearly built for the open road. That's where she excels......
On the other hand, its within the city & for daily usage patterns that the current 3 series (NOT only the 330i) falls short. The steering is much too heavy <60 kph, the ride is too stiff and the interior space is beaten by my humble Civic. I wasn't ever impressed with the current 3 series, and its truly showing its age now (all new generation expected next year). The last-gen C Class (mine) and A4 had similar characteristics. For urban runs, the steering of my C220 is heavy (though lighter than the 3) and the ride is simply too stiff.

Its precisely why the big three Germans are now moving to accomodate a broader audience......
What we are witnessing is a subtle change in product philosophy....a change that suits markets like India completely.

>>> I go through this review and all the posts almost every other day. Congratulations Rehaan. Let us have many more such reviews.

Couldn't agree with you more GTO, on the points ( emphasis mine) in your post above. The big three Germans have realised that the focus should shift from the sclerotic economies of the west ( US, western Europe) to the more robust economies of the East ( China, India, Thailand etc.) and other regions (Brazil, Mexico etc.) as in the former the demand growth has slowed down and might not revive ( after all how many cars will a Yankee buy after he has one for himself, one for his missus, and maybe two runabouts for his children), whereas rising affluence of the (upper) middle classes and urban puppies ( pun intended) make up a compelling case for selling high end aspirational vehicles.

After all how many of us, be it a twentysomething fresh out of college or a fifty something corporate type ( perhaps with MLC) can resist the charms of a bimmer or a three pointed star, which will take our family and friends at high speeds to Mahabaleshwar on a long weekend and potter at 30 kmph in Mahim equally well?
All in total comfort, with peace of mind and with an air of total indestructability?


For your reference, I am attaching:
1. A sales projection of the big three which shows the Audi climbing up at the cost of both the bimmer and the three-pointer
2. An article from The Economist explaining the conundrum of Germany's big three with 1. environmental issues and 2.their diminishing market in the western economies and the challenge of planning and executing drastic changes in their products ( product positioning, engineering, supply chain, costs, pricing and so on) to strike it rich in the developing economies, in order to neutralise the diminishing potential in the richer economies.

( All trademarks acknowledged)
Regards

[PlatzdaTurbo]

Originally Posted by issigonis

>>> I go through this review and all the posts almost every other day. Congratulations Rehaan. Let us have many more such reviews.

I
I
I

( All trademarks acknowledged)
Regards

This report is right upto the mark. As far as the developed western economies are concerned , the best live example comes from my recent experience in 3 west european countries less than a month ago - Holland, Belgium & Germany. Few years ago during my trips i used to notice Beemers & Mercs having a visible majority in numbers over Audi. Clearly Audi was not as popular as the other 2 and lagging.
In my recent trip last month the tables had turned and how ! While in Holland and Belgium, Audis were noticed in substancial numbers OVER Beemers and Mercs, in their homeland Deutschland, Audi has completely run over the other 2 with them (Audi) having an overwhelming majority in numbers over Beemers. Mercs seemed to be loosing popularity steadily. ( infact most mercs i saw were cabs ! )
Quite suprizingly , Audi seems to have sold a maximum of Avant (stationwagon) versions with insane amounts of a4 & a6 avants seen !

Conversely, in India, Audi really needs to push the tempo & fast. Inspite of having quality products, they are no where near either BMW or Mercedes thanks to poor marketing , planning and horrible delivery issues ( i suppose every 2nd prospective audi customer goes through the "deivery blues" )

[kadanaJ]

Great review Rehaan.
However I am very very disappointed with this gen of the 3 series. Epic Fail!
Its no wonder Audi is shooting ahead of BMW and Mercedes Benz.

[PlatzdaTurbo]

Originally Posted by kadanaJ

Great review Rehaan.
However I am very very disappointed with this gen of the 3 series. Epic Fail!
Its no wonder Audi is shooting ahead of BMW and Mercedes Benz.

Err....which segment are you referring to? Apart from the SUVs ( Q7 >>>> X5,M class) , BMW and Merc are still miles ahead of Audi in terms of sales. Audi are recording an increase in sales but they have a lot of catching up to do.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by PlatzdaTurbo

Err....which segment are you referring to? Apart from the SUVs ( Q7 >>>> X5,M class) , BMW and Merc are still miles ahead of Audi in terms of sales. Audi are recording an increase in sales but they have a lot of catching up to do.

I think he is talking about total sales for all the 3 marquees and not only Indian sales.

[Rehaan]

Thanks issigonis. That graph sure does show Audi's steep climb so far, but post 2010 its all projection - and personally i'm not sure thats exactly how its going to actually look!


Regarding this part of my post...

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Hazards, unlock-lock toggle for all doors, DTC & a temperature adjustment that i don't quite understand

...i received an email from a family member of mine who read the review and had a valuable explanation to add :

Originally Posted by via email

The temperature adjustment that you were puzzled is actually very useful feature when it is cold. It allows you to differentiate the temperature of the air blowing from the dash vents vs. the foot well. You want hot air blowing into the foot well, and warm air blowing at your face. Not only does this feel more comfortable (hot air blasting on your face rarely feels good), but it also mitigates the fact that cold air sinks into the foot well, and warm air rises to face level. I usually set it towards the blue, so the air blowing out of the dash vent is cooler than the air in the foot well. The S65 has this control too, but it takes it one step further. In addition to allowing you to manually control the temperature split, the wheel has an automatic setting as well. It does a really good job of comfort management in the auto position.

Reading your write up inspired me to move on my plan to buy a 3 series. I bought this car, and it is currently being shipped to me:


It should be a fun car. It is fascinating to watch the hard top folding into the trunk. Here is a video link to a similar car opening the top:
YouTube - &#x202a;BMW E93 hardtop convertible roof closing&#x202c;&lrm;

cya
R

[FlyingSpur]

Quite an interesting find. I wasn't aware of this at all, and after reading that paragraph, some of it actually makes sense. And hey, nice pick, the E93 cabrio !!

[sidindica]

The 330i is now discontinued.

[el lobo 6061]

Well it would be as the new 3 Series is on its way which has a complete change of interiors as well as exteriors.
Few days back my dads colleague bought a BMW 320d Exclusive for more than 36 lacs, I was like why did he bought a generation of 3 series which is going out in a few months, people dont do research well, or may I say he didnt knew about Team-BHP. He could be better off with Audi A4 3.0 TDi which gives a felling of pushing you back into the seat everytime to step on the throttle rather than a puny 2.0. ltr engine.

[n:CorE]

^ Is that really true :O .. Maybe BMW India, is bracing itself for the upcoming 2012 3-series ?

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by el lobo 6061

He could be better off with Audi A4 3.0 TDi which gives a felling of pushing you back into the seat everytime to step on the throttle rather than a puny 2.0. ltr engine.

The Audi 3.0tdi is also 15 lacks more expensive than the 320d exclusive. And the 184bhp puny 2 ltr is no slouch.

But now is a good time to grab whatever 330i's are in stock at great discounts.

[dipen]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

But now is a good time to grab whatever 330i's are in stock at great discounts.

At approx 41 OTR Mumbai - there still wont be any rush for grabbing it even with a 5 lak discount.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by dipen

At approx 41 OTR Mumbai - there still wont be any rush for grabbing it even with a 5 lak discount.

There are 5 lac discounts on the diesel. Imagine what you will get with this

[Live To Jive]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

There are 5 lac discounts on the diesel. Imagine what you will get with this

That's a huge discount. On which model is it? I'm guessing it must be the highline.