Audi A3 Sedan/Sportsback Owners - Check In

[CYHew]

 

You can add those options for A3 if you want (but it will be indent basis) and those options are not cheap. Or you can just go for the plus trim at 11K extra which gives additional smart key, electric memory seat, navigation, bigger rim and drive select.

 

 

 

If you die die must have those options (and you dont want to pay extra for them) then the Mzd is a better value option. btw: I think Mzd is missing the rear aircon and electric park brake that comes standard in A3.

 

What attracted me to the A3 is the quality and minimalist design of the interior esp the low strung dash with its retractable screen and circular vents. Hate those claustrophobic high and bulky dash which makes me feel like sitting in a hole.

 

Anyway, happy car hunting. Either choice would be good.

Mine is higher variant model with plus package which I paid $12K for it though got a discount from the SE on the overall car price negotiation. However it does not come with electric memory seats. You sure this is part of the plus package?

[Yaloryalor]

 

You can add those options for A3 if you want (but it will be indent basis) and those options are not cheap.  Or you can just go for the plus trim at 11K extra which gives additional smart key, electric memory seat, navigation, bigger rim and drive select.

 

 

 

If you die die must have those options (and you dont want to pay extra for them) then the Mzd is a better value option. btw: I think Mzd is missing the rear aircon and electric park brake that comes standard in A3.

 

What attracted me to the A3 is the quality and minimalist design of the interior esp the low strung dash with its retractable screen and circular vents. Hate those claustrophobic high and bulky dash which makes me feel like sitting in a hole.

 

Anyway, happy car hunting. Either choice would be good.

 

I think amongst all the extra features, the keyless is most important.

 

I heard from from fren the SE told him the price is $1800 + GST. Initially the SE says need to wait 3 months cos its factory fitted. One week later, the SE says the part is here will be fitted locally by their technician. SE says if my fren fit then he will be Guinea pig, should be able to work

[zerobim08]

Mine is higher variant model with plus package which I paid $12K for it though got a discount from the SE on the overall car price negotiation. However it does not come with electric memory seats. You sure this is part of the plus package?

It's been a year since I bought so my memory maybe hazy. But I did remember asking about electric seat (driver only) and nav and the SE showed me an option package that included them and a few other things. I can't be sure whether it was the plus package. At that time I didn't even know about the existence of the ambiente plus trim.

Edited January 19, 2016 by zerobim08

[AudiNoob]

Just to add: the electromechanical park brake will auto release when you step on gas AND your seat belt is on. The other day, was driving to the washing bay in the carpark. Only a few lots away, so did not fasten seat belt. Then, step on gas and the car cannot move. Took me a while to realize why. :) But I guess this is a feature, not a bug. :)

Oh, no wonder sometimes even though I step on brake while

engaging gear, my car won't move off cos I haven't put on my seat belt yet.

 

Mystery solved!

 

Still learning a lot about the features in this car. Finally just tried cruise control on MCE earlier this evening.

[littlecar]

Oh, no wonder sometimes even though I step on brake while

engaging gear, my car won't move off cos I haven't put on my seat belt yet.

 

Mystery solved!

 

Still learning a lot about the features in this car. Finally just tried cruise control on MCE earlier this evening.

 

I thought cruise control was super cool when I first discovered it, but afterwards I found it sleep inducing especially in the KPE and MCE which is where I most often have the opportunity to use it. Now I never use it haha. But this electronic parking brake sounds useful indeed. I read that the Mazda 3 doesn't autolock either, which seems a peculiar omission. My first car was a VW, which is similar to the A3 in terms of basic functions, so I have grown to take some of these functions for granted.  

[zerobim08]

I thought cruise control was super cool when I first discovered it, but afterwards I found it sleep inducing especially in the KPE and MCE which is where I most often have the opportunity to use it. Now I never use it haha. But this electronic parking brake sounds useful indeed. I read that the Mazda 3 doesn't autolock either, which seems a peculiar omission. My first car was a VW, which is similar to the A3 in terms of basic functions, so I have grown to take some of these functions for granted.

I differ on the cruise control. It is overwhelmingly useful in the tunnels loaded with all the speed cameras / cctv.

[Ckhaos]

I differ on the cruise control. It is overwhelmingly useful in the tunnels loaded with all the speed cameras / cctv.

 

I like the cruise control too for exactly the same reason --- to prevent being snapped by the speed cameras in the tunnels. :)  However, I find the traffic too heavy to be practical on a daily basis.  So I only use it when the traffic is light.

 

On the other hand, there is the Adaptive Cruise Control as an optional retrofit which, in my opinion, is really useful!  You can take your feet off the pedals and it will adjust the cruise control speed accordingly.  Couple this to the Lane Control which keeps the car in lane, and you can take your hands off the steering wheel.  Then, the car will be "autonomous" and self-driving!

 

I think these features are standard on the A6/A8?  Would be cool to find an installer who can retrofit all these, plus reverse camera, plus keyless start... sigh... $$$

[littlecar]

I like the cruise control too for exactly the same reason --- to prevent being snapped by the speed cameras in the tunnels. :)  However, I find the traffic too heavy to be practical on a daily basis.  So I only use it when the traffic is light.

 

On the other hand, there is the Adaptive Cruise Control as an optional retrofit which, in my opinion, is really useful!  You can take your feet off the pedals and it will adjust the cruise control speed accordingly.  Couple this to the Lane Control which keeps the car in lane, and you can take your hands off the steering wheel.  Then, the car will be "autonomous" and self-driving!

 

I think these features are standard on the A6/A8?  Would be cool to find an installer who can retrofit all these, plus reverse camera, plus keyless start... sigh... $$$

 

I am used to driving above the speed limit even within the tunnels (between the cameras), so the cruise control is not so useful for me. But mainly because I find it very monotonous to be travelling at the same speed constantly and am afraid I will fall asleep especially at night. Agree that adaptive cruise control would be better, since it will slow down and pick up automatically depending on the traffic. Anyway, in about a decade or so, as all cars become semi or fully autonomous, adaptive cruise control will essentially become standard.

 

Let's see how COE prices go today and how PA reacts.

[AudiNoob]

I am used to driving above the speed limit even within the tunnels (between the cameras), so the cruise control is not so useful for me. But mainly because I find it very monotonous to be travelling at the same speed constantly and am afraid I will fall asleep especially at night. Agree that adaptive cruise control would be better, since it will slow down and pick up automatically depending on the traffic. Anyway, in about a decade or so, as all cars become semi or fully autonomous, adaptive cruise control will essentially become standard.

 

Let's see how COE prices go today and how PA reacts.

 

It was my first experience using Cruise Control yesterday and I felt uncomfortable because it was as though the car was controlling me instead of vice versa. There were some scary moments because there was a vehicle in front me that was obviously going slower than 80kph so on cruise control, i found myself inching closer and closer to it.

 

Maybe it's because I'm not used to it but yes, I agree it has its advantages because it means I don't have to keep watching my speedometer to make sure I don't go over 80kph which can happen when there's a lot of space in front of you.

[zerobim08]

I like the cruise control too for exactly the same reason --- to prevent being snapped by the speed cameras in the tunnels. :)  However, I find the traffic too heavy to be practical on a daily basis.  So I only use it when the traffic is light.

 

On the other hand, there is the Adaptive Cruise Control as an optional retrofit which, in my opinion, is really useful!  You can take your feet off the pedals and it will adjust the cruise control speed accordingly.  Couple this to the Lane Control which keeps the car in lane, and you can take your hands off the steering wheel.  Then, the car will be "autonomous" and self-driving!

 

I think these features are standard on the A6/A8?  Would be cool to find an installer who can retrofit all these, plus reverse camera, plus keyless start... sigh... $$$

I remember seeing in the option list the "Assistant Package" which includes park assist (cam+self parking), lane assist and adaptive cruise for about $7K. Not sure whether can be retrofitted outside of factory.

 

 

 

It was my first experience using Cruise Control yesterday and I felt uncomfortable because it was as though the car was controlling me instead of vice versa. There were some scary moments because there was a vehicle in front me that was obviously going slower than 80kph so on cruise control, i found myself inching closer and closer to it.

 

Maybe it's because I'm not used to it but yes, I agree it has its advantages because it means I don't have to keep watching my speedometer to make sure I don't go over 80kph which can happen when there's a lot of space in front of you.

Quite easy to get use to. Dont be conscious of it so it wont affect your usual driving routine. Just rest your foot on the gas pedal (when cruise is activated). Brake as per normal like when you are driving. Then just pull the stalk again to reactivate cruise after braking.

Edited January 20, 2016 by zerobim08

[AudiNoob]

From ST online: Certificates of entitlement (COE) ended mixed in the latest tender despite a surge in sales whipped up by a sharp drop in prices and the Singapore Motorshow last week.

 

COE for small cars or those up to 1,600cc and 130bhp rebounded after a drop of almost $10,000 in the previous tender a fortnight ago to end at $51,301, up from $45,002 previously.

 

COE for luxury cars or those above 1,600cc or 130bhp fell from $54,920 to end at $50,089 - making it one of the very rare occasions that luxury car COEs are lower than small car premiums.

Edited January 20, 2016 by AudiNoob

[zerobim08]

From ST online: Certificates of entitlement (COE) ended mixed in the latest tender despite a surge in sales whipped up by a sharp drop in prices and the Singapore Motorshow last week.

 

COE for small cars or those up to 1,600cc and 130bhp rebounded after a drop of almost $10,000 in the previous tender a fortnight ago to end at $51,301, up from $45,002 previously.

 

COE for luxury cars or those above 1,600cc or 130bhp fell from $54,920 to end at $50,089 - making it one of the very rare occasions that luxury car COEs are lower than small car premiums.

I think most distributors already knew this was going to happen. That's why price reduction was pretty minimal.

 

So will A3 sedan remains at 130K?

[littlecar]

I think most distributors already knew this was going to happen. That's why price reduction was pretty minimal.

 

So will A3 sedan remains at 130K?

 

It was $133k when Cat A COE was about 55k, and $129k when Cat A COE dropped to 45k, so I reckon it will rise back to $131-132k but in the longer term, COE is almost definitely trending down (higher supply and poor economic outlook), so I would expect A3 to eventually sell at $125k lowest when Cat A COEs settle at $40-45k. Unfortunately, trade in prices will likely drop as well so I am not sure buyers will really be better off. The BB car sellers may be able to reduce their margins more so for those cars, the fall in prices may be greater than the drop in trade in prices so those buyers should be able to benefit more. 

[Runforyourlife]

It was $133k when Cat A COE was about 55k, and $129k when Cat A COE dropped to 45k, so I reckon it will rise back to $131-132k but in the longer term, COE is almost definitely trending down (higher supply and poor economic outlook), so I would expect A3 to eventually sell at $125k lowest when Cat A COEs settle at $40-45k. Unfortunately, trade in prices will likely drop as well so I am not sure buyers will really be better off. The BB car sellers may be able to reduce their margins more so for those cars, the fall in prices may be greater than the drop in trade in prices so those buyers should be able to benefit more.

Better off if your car is near scrap value thus no need to bother with selling price.

[AudiNoob]

Slightly off-topic but just realised the new A4 has a 1.4 engine? That would make it a Cat A car? But the price difference from an A3 is pretty fast despite the A4 having all the bells and whistles.

[littlecar]

Slightly off-topic but just realised the new A4 has a 1.4 engine? That would make it a Cat A car? But the price difference from an A3 is pretty fast despite the A4 having all the bells and whistles.

 

No, the A4 is still Cat B because of the horsepower. It's not just engine capacity that determines the category these days. Haven't test drove but reviews seem to suggest that the 1.4 is enough to power the A4. Though for the price (about $160-170k), I think the C Class may be a better option. At that price you could also get the Q50 which contains a E Class engine.

Edited January 22, 2016 by littlecar

[zerobim08]

No, the A4 is still Cat B because of the horsepower. It's not just engine capacity that determines the category these days. Haven't test drove but reviews seem to suggest that the 1.4 is enough to power the A4. Though for the price (about $160-170k), I think the C Class may be a better option. At that price you could also get the Q50 which contains a E Class engine.

Did anyone look under the 1.4 A4 bonnet whether the engine/drivetrain has the same traverse setup as the A3 (instead of longitudinal)?

 

From the 150HP/250Nm Torque specs, it looks like the "ultra" version of the same 1.4 TFSI engine used in A3 with addition of COD. Wonder if it is also using the same gb as A3.

[zhehao]

Did anyone look under the 1.4 A4 bonnet whether the engine/drivetrain has the same traverse setup as the A3 (instead of longitudinal)?

 

From the 150HP/250Nm Torque specs, it looks like the "ultra" version of the same 1.4 TFSI engine used in A3 with addition of COD. Wonder if it is also using the same gb as A3.

 

According to Sales assistant from PA, the 1.4 in the A4 uses a different 1.4l engine. The 7speed DSG is also a different 7speed. It's a wet dual-clutch instead of the dry one we have in the A3.