Got my new car

[Demon Cleaner]

I bought a new car, first time in my life, after over 21 years having the driver's license, and only having used cars, I eventually bought a new one.

It's an Audi A3 S-Line, 2.0 TDI, 170hp and S-Tronic automatic gearbox. I have both S-Line packages, inside and outside which gives you a nice touch. Inside you have the leather sports seats, the multi function steering wheel, whole interior is in black, some nice S-Line logo additions in the doorsteps. Outside it has some different looks for the lights, a bigger front lip with carbon, a small rear spoiler, a rear diffusor and chromated exhaust, and some other small additions.

I already have it since 3 months, but didn't take pictures yet, so I made some last week in our underground parking at work, still not the best pictures.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/cioprgr/P1040508.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/cioprgr/P1040509.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/cioprgr/P1040510.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/cioprgr/P1040511.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/cioprgr/P1040512.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/cioprgr/P1040514.jpg

I have a BOSE soundsystem with 7 speakers and a subwoofer.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/cioprgr/P1040518.jpg

Rims are 18" 225 in titan optic.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/cioprgr/P1040521.jpg

Radio is the lastest and biggest Pioneer model AVIC F30BT. Has navigation system, bluetooth handsfree phone device, CD & DVD player (also working whilst driving), SD card slot behind the front, USB on the back with a cable inside the glove compartment, where I have an iPod Classic connected to it.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/cioprgr/P1040517.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/cioprgr/P1040516.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/cioprgr/P1040515.jpg

Might take better pictures outside some day.

I'm really happy with the car so far.

[Harrison]

Looks great. Really like the S upgrades, especially the wheels and lights. I've always really liked Audi's and the A3 is probably the best hatchback out there. Built quality is brilliant.

A friend I used to work with bought a new A3 a few years ago and I was impressed with that. It was only a 1.6 but he had the Bose sound system option too and that sounded great. And a neighnour recently bought the new A5 Sportback (four door version) with S-Line extras and I love that car. If I could afford an Audi it would be that one, or to really dream the S5. I love bigger cars and for me the A3 is a little small.

I personally wouldn't have picked blue, but that is personal preference. I prefer my cars in metallic red, although saying that I had to buy my current one in black because that was all that was around at the time I looked.

[Phantom]

2 Fast 2 Furious. :cool:

[Demon Cleaner]

I really like dark/navy blue for cars, that's why I got that one. Had to wait for 4 months for the car to be finally built, was a long time waiting.

I also like the A5, or S5 or even RS5, but this one was already expensive, the A5 would have been another 10.000€ more with all the packages I have.

[Puni/Void]

Congratulations mate! That's a very nice car. :) Looks great!

[Tiago]

Nice car Demon,
what is a "S-Tronic automatic gearbox"? (sorry my english)
Does that mean that is fully automatic, or is semi-automatic ? No Clutch but you can choose gear?? Or no clutch no gear choice?

[Demon Cleaner]

It's full automatic, Audi's version of the DSG (Direct Shift Gearbox).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S_tronic

[Harrison]

Before my current car I'd always owned manuals and had always said I preferred them as I liked to be completely in control of changing gear. But my current car is an Auto and while it did take a week or so to fully get used to having no clutch and not needing to change gear when coming to a stop, I now would say I prefer driving an automatic. My 407 has a Porsche 6 speed auto box too so it's quite smooth and fast changing. Although as with all autos it does sometimes get a bit confused and hesitates or changes down a gear when it doesn't need to, but I love kick down as although on paper it is slower than a manual from 0-62, because you don't have to change gear the human element is removed so in practice it is faster. :)

[Tiago]

Well, i understand, but i still prefer manual, or manual with no Clutch.
Like Ferraris for example with those how do you call "pads?" on the wheel, so no clutch, but you can choose whateve gear you have.
you can have manual with no clutch and make great time changing gears, tecnology is so advance that you can change gear in a very fast way.
but sure with clutch it wil take time.

most motorsport is manual, some with and some without clutch.
But full-automatic, i dont know... strange, but i guess after some time it could be more confortable.

Anyway, the acr is great, love the color.

[Harrison]

I was exactly like you before I got my current car. But you can switch most autos into manual mode. Mine doesn't have the paddles, but I can just move the gear shift over to the left and then push it up to change up a gear or down to change down, so you can still be in control of the gears if you wish, and leave it in a gear until high revs to get more acceleration before changing if you wish. However I can just switch it into S sports mode and it does that for me anyway, so not really any need.

I think DC's new car does have the paddles though for quick gear changes, so lets see what he thinks of them.

[Demon Cleaner]

I have the paddles, if you look closer at the picture, you can see them right behind the wheel. I barely use them, only when driving downhill, to switch 1-2 gears back to use the motor brake.

When you use the paddle, the car switches to manual mode until you don't touch them anymore for 7-8 seconds, then it switches back to automatic.

You can also, when in D, push the gear stick slightly to the right, then it stays on manual, and you can change gears by pushing the stick up/down, or using the paddles.

I also have an S, an then it really goes very high in revs, making it very sporty.

And with the S-Tronic, you don't notice when the car changes gears, as there's always 2 gears in, so when it takes one, the next one is already present. With my older cars automatic, that was a nightmare, because you always have a gap before changing gears.

I also never wanted an automatic, my last car was one, and the first 3 years I didn't like it at all, but getting stuck in traffic a lot and driving through cities, it made me appreciate it more, and now I would always go with automatic. And as I said, you cannot compare S-Tronic to old fashioned automatic gearbox, it's completely different and a joy to drive with.

[Tiago]

Paddles ? Ok, that way, i like it ! :-)

[Harrison]

..but getting stuck in traffic a lot and driving through cities, it made me appreciate it more, and now I would always go with automatic.

Exactly. I do mostly motorway driving and when I get stuck in traffic jams it is so much nicer. It used to be nightmare stuck in a traffic jam for over an hour crawling along at 5 MPH and keeping stopping and constantly using the clutch. So much nicer just using the brake.

[Tiago]

With no Clutch, do you still drive with 1 foot for 2 pedals (brake/throtle) ?
Or do you use left foot for brake ? I try that once, and it's scary, very hard to use left foot as we are not use ot it...

[Demon Cleaner]

You still use 1 foot, like with a normal car. Trust me, braking with left, when you're not used too, is literally killing :D

[Harrison]

Some people recommend people with automatics to try and left foot brake as they say it is better, but unless you were rally driving or racing why would you need to be applying the brake and power at the same time? No need and also dangerous as it could cause the car to skid or spin if you do something wrong on a bend. Just use the right foot and let your left leg do nothing. :)

[Demon Cleaner]

Just use the right foot and let your left leg do nothing. :)

Exactly, that's also very relaxing. And you can also use the tempomat,which is even better.

[Phantom]

With no Clutch, do you still drive with 1 foot for 2 pedals (brake/throtle) ?
Or do you use left foot for brake ? I try that once, and it's scary, very hard to use left foot as we are not use ot it...

I had exactly the same query, but now it solved. :)

[Harrison]

Since driving an automatic I can finally see the American's argument against driving manuals. Unless as I said earlier, you are doing some sort of performance driving/racing there really is no need. I do still sort of agree that any sporty car should really be manual as you can really drive the car, as I do admit you feel slightly more distanced from the driving experience in an auto. But for everyday driving an auto makes perfect and much more relaxed sense.

And in an age of technology there really is no need for manual cars, but the Atlantic divide seems to keep the preferred transmissions to manual in Europe and Auto in the US. The argument about greater distances to travel makes no sense to me as an auto actually makes more sense when needing to change gear more and to keep stopping in traffic. In places like the US with long distance driving a manual would be just the same as you still wouldn't need to change gear and just stick it in cruise and leave it.

[Teho]

I tend to get frustrated with automatics myself because to me they always seem to shift when they shouldn't. Once when I borrowed my mom's Audi I was going up a hill, caught up to the car ahead and eased off on the throttle. So the automatic shifted to a heavier gear. And now I couldn't keep pace, so stepped on the throttle. Which made it shift to a lower gear again, making me catch up too fast. Couldn't find the sweet spot and it just kept shifting up and down on me like that as I just tried to keep pace with the car ahead. Was nearly screaming with rage at the damn thing before I got to the top. :lol:

That's just one example and probably a bad one at that, I know driving an auto isn't normally like that. It is down to personal preference in most cases. I saw one reviewer on TV say once that if you enjoy driving and prefer to have a car that at all times does exactly what you want it to do, choose manual. If you view your car as just a tool that simply gets you from A to B, choose auto. That is over-simplifying it though.

It also comes down to what kind of roads you tend to be driving on and what you use your car for. Depending on where I work I can find myself driving on countryside twisting, hilly roads a lot. I may also be pulling hangers, fairly heavy ones sometimes. I personally feel that an automatic's shifting tend to be the opposite of what I want in conditions like that. It may not be so wrong in reality, but it does frustrate *me*, which is what matters. Also, I don't like not being in complete control of what the wheels are doing in the very slippery conditions we can sometimes have here. Yes, you have all these fancy anti-spins and stability controls now and I'm aware that overall these do a better job at controlling the car than I do. But it can in fact get so bad that even these systems won't work right, and being in control myself I can at least adapt to the changing conditions while the automatic systems are adjusted to work across an average which only covers ninety-some % of the possibilities.

But I don't think people are making the wrong choice when choosing an automatic and would never tell anyone so, it's all up to whatever you feel comfortable with in the end. And I am more comfortable with a manual. Simple as that, really.

And oh, congrats with the new car Demon! Looks really nice. :)

[Submeg]

Bose speakers :) I should put them in mine!

[Harrison]

I've got the JBL speaker system in mine and that sounds amazing. :)

[Demon Cleaner]

I tend to get frustrated with automatics myself because to me they always seem to shift when they shouldn't. Once when I borrowed my mom's Audi I was going up a hill, caught up to the car ahead and eased off on the throttle. So the automatic shifted to a heavier gear. And now I couldn't keep pace, so stepped on the throttle. Which made it shift to a lower gear again, making me catch up too fast. Couldn't find the sweet spot and it just kept shifting up and down on me like that as I just tried to keep pace with the car ahead. Was nearly screaming with rage at the damn thing before I got to the top. :lol:
But that's exactly what doesn't happen anymore with DSG gearboxes, you don't even notice when the car shifts, there's not anymore that 2 second gap before the car has shifted 1 gear down. How old is that car?

[Harrison]

Autos do take a bit of getting use to though as you do tend to need to drive them a little differently to manuals. Getting used to Kickdown is something too.

[J T]

Nice car! Like the colour and the wheels.

Most cars out in Australia are auto, and they are piss easy to drive. It's really laid back. We came back to the UK recently for a visit and I borrowed Lady T's Dad's car, again an auto.

I think that I'd go for an auto again, unless I was getting a little sports roadster or something like that.

[Harrison]

JT mate, you are sounding more Australian by the day. :lol:

[J T]

:D Ha ha

My dad loved driving an auto too. I think for everyday driving, it really is so very convenient. I never thought I'd be saying that, but here we are.