Audi's New Models On Test
Keeping up with the ‘Jones’ I am led to believe is a rather tenuous exercise as somehow they always manage to keep one step ahead of you. Well the same could apply to Audi for just when you think you have caught up with their vast range, another one pops out.
Now the Audi family are quite complex and appear to be launching a new model on a repetitive and consistent level. However, basically what they do is launch a new ‘year’ variant of each model with delicate changes. Some may be facelifts, other engine additions or improvement and in some cases, a completely new addition.
Take for instance my test car last week the Audi A3 Special Edition. Now the Audi A3 shares the same frontal styling as its siblings but is a much smaller five-door hatch so do not be too surprised when you see its petite dimensions. The Audi A3 Special Edition is thanks to a new highly efficient 1.9 TDI four-cylinder diesel engine so finely tuned to deliver an excellent performance yet holds a secret. The CO2 emissions on this car are 119g/km making it one of the most envoirmentally friendly engines to befall this planet and comes under VED band B. Further savings to us cost-conscious motorists are to be found in the excellent fuel consumption of 53.3 mpg on a combined cycle. Prices for this Special Edition start from £16,100 but please take into consideration the vast array of optional extras that could send the price spiralling.
So now you can enjoy the attributes of an Audi A3 save in the knowledge you are doing your bit to help save our doomed environment.
Audi A3 Cabriolet
However, with summer looming just around the comer, thoughts turn to cabriolets. So the A3 has gone topless and is the first ever Audi compact cabriolet available on the Standard, Sport and S line trims. The order books are open ready for May delivery and prices start from £20, 750 rising to £27,060.
udi RS6 quattro Avant that is effectively an estate car and the working horse of the Audi range. Why on earth have they put such a powerful engine into an estate car
Initially two petrol and two diesel engines will be on offer, but we know Audi, they will be more. Le Castellet, in the south of France was the chose destination to unveil the A3 cabriolet that is an area combining outlandishly challenging roads from the mountains down to the glorious south coast complete with equally outlandish yachts. We had a choice of two cars, so first up was the 2.0 litre TFSI Sport S tronic that saw us sprinting fro 0-62mph in just 7.3 seconds, claims a top speed of 143 mph yet reins in the pennies with fuel consumption 37.1 mpg on a combined cycle and CO2 emissions at 182g/km. Prices start from £26,910 and standard specification includes electric windows plus door mirrors, air conditioning and CD radio. However, being the Sport variant at a £1,850 premium, the hood operation is fully automatic and takes just 9 seconds to go topless in addition to sports suspension, sport seats, 17 inch alloy wheels and superb Audio system to which I regressed back to the seventies listening to the ‘Jackie’ Album.
Being an S tronic means effectively an automatic transmission but with the option of gear shifting making this a very pleasurable experience. The steering is solid as is the ride and handling Audi are renowned for and certainly very apparent on the A3 Cabriolet. The second car was the 1.8 TFSI petrol Sport with a six speed manual transmission but only a fractionally slower than the 2.0 litre and gave an equally impressive ride. Prices here start at a very competitive £22,000 making this an affordable option. Thankfully as we entwined ourselves around the mountains roads narrowly missing landslides, we were particularly thankful to Audi engineering under the bonnet as well as the vast amounts of safety features on aboard that kept up upright. As well as the normal airbags, ESP is standards along with ABS, EBD AST and EDI. Both front and rear seats have ISOFIX child seat preparation as well as the seatbelts and pretensioners
Now, while other manufactures are moving into the Coupe Cabriolets market, i.e. electric hard tops, Audi have stayed with the traditional cloth roof that might send you spiralling back to the eighties onto the set of Ashes to Ashes. However there is a very good reason for this and that is space in the luggage is not compromised as it is with the hard top. The result is 260 litre of shopping capacity regardless if the roof is open or closed. This is important as due to our unpredictable English weather one minute it is sunny the next a washout. With the new A3 Cabriolet the roof can be operated with speeds up to 19 mph so if the skies either turn blue or grey, passengers will not get caught out. It also means that if the boot is full of shopping, and suddenly the it starts raining cats and dogs, meaning the roof has to be closed; you do not have to leave half the bags on the roadside in order to accommodate the roof.
Ingenious and to date no clear rivals. UK deliveries start in May so lets hope summer arrives at the same time.
The most powerful Audi of all time.?
Audi RS6 quattro Avant - There is one more addition to the Audi family that makes this particular car the most powerful they have ever produced. It is even faster than the R8 sport-racing car that won Le Mans in both 2004 and 2005. With a V10 engine in its heart, this road car takes just 4.6 seconds from 0- 62mph and proved by myself. Top speed is limited to either 155 mph or if customers want, 175 mph, which they will be mad not to go for that option, and produces a humungous 650 Nm of torque.
I guess you are all thinking the TT or something of that ilk. Wrong, not even warm. This new car is the Audi RS6 quattro Avant that is effectively an estate car and the working horse of the Audi range. Why on earth have they put such a powerful engine into an estate car? The answer is quite simply, because they can.
So who would buy such a lean machine to take the children to school, do the weekly shop or even venture abroad for the odd family holiday? Well, Audi reckon that this type of car will be brought by customers who already have a plethora of cars in their driveways or quadruple garages. At some stage they will need a ‘sensible’ car for daily chores and this is where the RS6 quattro Avant will find its home.
Despite everything the car was amazing to drive with unprecedented power as I saw off many Porsche drivers again around Le Castellet. However, the car can be tamed and driven in a sensible orderly manner if required. It functions extremely well as an estate with plenty of storage space and or corse being an Audi benefits from all the amazing technology that will keep not just the driver, but the precious cargo of children safe.
Madness personified you may say but despite a price tag of £77,730 OTR the order books are full a year in advance of first delivery to the UK scheduled for May 2009.
Vorsprung durch Technik!
FemaleFirst - Jackie Violet
Keeping up with the ‘Jones’ I am led to believe is a rather tenuous exercise as somehow they always manage to keep one step ahead of you. Well the same could apply to Audi for just when you think you have caught up with their vast range, another one pops out.
Now the Audi family are quite complex and appear to be launching a new model on a repetitive and consistent level. However, basically what they do is launch a new ‘year’ variant of each model with delicate changes. Some may be facelifts, other engine additions or improvement and in some cases, a completely new addition.
Take for instance my test car last week the Audi A3 Special Edition. Now the Audi A3 shares the same frontal styling as its siblings but is a much smaller five-door hatch so do not be too surprised when you see its petite dimensions. The Audi A3 Special Edition is thanks to a new highly efficient 1.9 TDI four-cylinder diesel engine so finely tuned to deliver an excellent performance yet holds a secret. The CO2 emissions on this car are 119g/km making it one of the most envoirmentally friendly engines to befall this planet and comes under VED band B. Further savings to us cost-conscious motorists are to be found in the excellent fuel consumption of 53.3 mpg on a combined cycle. Prices for this Special Edition start from £16,100 but please take into consideration the vast array of optional extras that could send the price spiralling.
So now you can enjoy the attributes of an Audi A3 save in the knowledge you are doing your bit to help save our doomed environment.
Audi A3 Cabriolet
However, with summer looming just around the comer, thoughts turn to cabriolets. So the A3 has gone topless and is the first ever Audi compact cabriolet available on the Standard, Sport and S line trims. The order books are open ready for May delivery and prices start from £20, 750 rising to £27,060.
Initially two petrol and two diesel engines will be on offer, but we know Audi, they will be more. Le Castellet, in the south of France was the chose destination to unveil the A3 cabriolet that is an area combining outlandishly challenging roads from the mountains down to the glorious south coast complete with equally outlandish yachts. We had a choice of two cars, so first up was the 2.0 litre TFSI Sport S tronic that saw us sprinting fro 0-62mph in just 7.3 seconds, claims a top speed of 143 mph yet reins in the pennies with fuel consumption 37.1 mpg on a combined cycle and CO2 emissions at 182g/km. Prices start from £26,910 and standard specification includes electric windows plus door mirrors, air conditioning and CD radio. However, being the Sport variant at a £1,850 premium, the hood operation is fully automatic and takes just 9 seconds to go topless in addition to sports suspension, sport seats, 17 inch alloy wheels and superb Audio system to which I regressed back to the seventies listening to the ‘Jackie’ Album.
Being an S tronic means effectively an automatic transmission but with the option of gear shifting making this a very pleasurable experience. The steering is solid as is the ride and handling Audi are renowned for and certainly very apparent on the A3 Cabriolet. The second car was the 1.8 TFSI petrol Sport with a six speed manual transmission but only a fractionally slower than the 2.0 litre and gave an equally impressive ride. Prices here start at a very competitive £22,000 making this an affordable option. Thankfully as we entwined ourselves around the mountains roads narrowly missing landslides, we were particularly thankful to Audi engineering under the bonnet as well as the vast amounts of safety features on aboard that kept up upright. As well as the normal airbags, ESP is standards along with ABS, EBD AST and EDI. Both front and rear seats have ISOFIX child seat preparation as well as the seatbelts and pretensioners
Now, while other manufactures are moving into the Coupe Cabriolets market, i.e. electric hard tops, Audi have stayed with the traditional cloth roof that might send you spiralling back to the eighties onto the set of Ashes to Ashes. However there is a very good reason for this and that is space in the luggage is not compromised as it is with the hard top. The result is 260 litre of shopping capacity regardless if the roof is open or closed. This is important as due to our unpredictable English weather one minute it is sunny the next a washout. With the new A3 Cabriolet the roof can be operated with speeds up to 19 mph so if the skies either turn blue or grey, passengers will not get caught out. It also means that if the boot is full of shopping, and suddenly the it starts raining cats and dogs, meaning the roof has to be closed; you do not have to leave half the bags on the roadside in order to accommodate the roof.
Ingenious and to date no clear rivals. UK deliveries start in May so lets hope summer arrives at the same time.