mmarshall

Thanks. There are some things about the regular auto press I don't care for.....I prefer to write up cars on a personal/forum basis like this, by request, and without the complexities of press-life on the run.

And as far as bring paid goes, I'm all set the way I am, with a good CSRS Federal pension (one of the best retirement plans in the country) health insurance, and a nest egg of tax-free investments. It's not a Bill Gates retirement level, but it's enough.....or more....than I need.

The G Man

Civil service retirment almost make working for the government worth while
I work for the government as well at a local level. I am looking at about 10 year when I can retire comfortably like you and sit at home and write about cars

mmarshall

Yes...unless you are a corporate exec, in the military, or uniformed law enforcement, it's hard to beat government retirement programs....even at county levels. Mine (CSRS) is no longer offered, though....it has been replaced by ther newer (and somewhat different) Federal FERS plan. I only have CSRS because I started so long ago.

And I don't just sit home and write or sleep. I swim, walk, shop, cook, clean my house, and, of course, actually go around various places for car reviews. Occasionally, I do auto consulting and help people shop for new/used cars. I also try and wash my car regularly. I also am single, unattached, no kids, and have time for these things.

And, for you, even if you are not retired, when you yourself have a chance, use your own car knowledge to help others......there are a lot of people out there who have no idea of what they are doing when it comes to car-purchase time, and need help from people like you who are into cars. Though not all of them are shady, unscrupulous auto salespeople love to take advantage of easy pickings like them.

Allen K

iTrader: (4)

My friend had an 07 manual 2.0T FWD and it was a great little car I'm not going to be able to change cars for at least a 6 months so I'm not going to go for a test drive until then, but I'm excited for the TDI

Re: considering a VW. Even though they're under the same umbrella, I've found that the Audi materials feel like they'll last longer (as they should) so I would probably opt for the 4 rings. Also, since my girlfriend got her Yaris, I've been in love with hatchbacks and their utility. We've been able to fit some pretty big objects in that little 3 door.

bagwell

love the look of the A3....thanks for the the review!

spwolf

A3 is also easy to mod, things like tinted windows make it look a lot better and its cheap too. Pics really dont do it justice.

seanlee

let me just say this and put my flame suits on.

yes, the TDI has a possible underrated 236 Ft-lbs of torque at *just* 1750. it sounds powerful and what not, but it doesn't change the fact that it goes from 0-60 in 8.9 seconds (MotorTrend). to put this in perspective, a 4 calender Camry can do 8.5 second (MotorTrend)

i am in no way is a speed demon, but... dumping 35k on a 9 second car with no any luxury item is just absurd. for me. the so called "1750" rpm is not low for diesel, consider the peak HP is at 4000 rpm (anything after it is probably useless). so if you are a bit more objective, 1750 rpm for diesel is more like 4k rmp for gasoline engine. so what's so special here? torque without rev is useless (think, prius with its 290 lb-ft of torque available at 0 rmp.. does that make it faster than S2000 with less than half the torque at 6k rpm at ANY speed?). besides, any turbo vehicle can deliever very good amount of torque at low rpm, diesel or gasoline. Except that gasoline engines delivers HP that actually counts for sporty vehicles.


I am just amazed that this review make this car appears to be a LOT quicker than it actually is. in reality, it cannot catch up with any new 2010 full size family sedan. you heard me right. ANY 2010 FULL SIZE FAMILY SEDAN that come from Japan, Korea or German.

Camry 8.5 (I4)
Camry Hybrid 7.7
Accord (I4) 8.5
Elantra 8.8
Corolla 9.1
Civic 8.5

Lexus HS250 8.5 second.



i am not denying A3 is a good vehicle for some people, but to say this car is a great buy for 30-35K, and well worth the money is a bit too stretch. it is actually a very expensive buy for someone who cares about a little bit about acceleration or electronic equipments. Data doesn't lie. A3 only sold 253 units last month.


flame suits on

LexFather

I always had a thing for the A3 but I do agree its high price is pretty much why I've seen like 4 in 4 years.....

spwolf

it gets great mpg though.... 2.0 TDI compares well to smaller european 4cly petrols. It also has big turbo so you get pushed back in your seat when you press it ;-).

but it is expensive yes, and in europe we can justify the price because resale value for petrol engines is a lot lower than for diesels. so you get your money back when selling the car.

and of course, the diesel noise is still present in it at low rpm and when you start it (mmarshals comments are way off the base, i mean seriously)... and off the line there is hessitation due to the turbo is very noticable compared to even petrol 4cyl engines.

mmarshall

No need for a flame suit....we argue civilly in this forum.

You have to remember that, like most diesels, the high torque comes on at very low RPM.......with a low redline. So, you get a good initial kick-in-the-pants starting out in the first couple of gears. But the diesel's low redline and low HP rating at higher RPM's, like you indicate, means that it starts to run out of breath, even with a turbo, as RPM's climb. It's a far better engine for responsive stop-and-go driving then high-speed cruising, though, of course, it gets its best MPD's like most non-hybrids, at constant, modrate highway speeds.

mmarshall

Go look at the sheet metal, finish, and hardware on the 2010 model, Mike (if you have not done so already), and I think you will see why I think it is a good value.

mmarshall

Respectfully, no, my comments are not off-base. I listened to the motor in the American-spec TDI carefully...idle with hood-up, hood-down, acceleration, cruise, etc.... and the noise levels, for a diesel, were very low, especially compared to past-generation diesels. My ears may not be exactly what they were when I was 18 years old, but they are still pretty good for someone my age.

spwolf

well thats the problem... "for a diesel". You first mentioned how it is not noticable at all that it is diesel, and now it is quiet for an diesel ;-).

It is proper common rail diesel unlike their PD diesels of the past, so yes, it is quieter, but at that intitial startup, when cold, there is that tractor sound like in every other diesel in the world.

I have no problems with diesels, they are great powertrain option, in a lot cases a lot better than petrol, but there are some things they are and some that they are not ;-).

In fact, here in Europe, as every car has an diesel option (and VW diesels are not most advanced on the market), and as diesels are usually "premium" verions of vehicle, they also get a lot better sound deadening materials which makes them quieter than petrol at stable cruising speeds. Which again, does not change the fact that at start, you will quite easily notice it is an diesel ;-).

The G Man

Diesels have come a long way, that little bit of diesel noise at start up in the winter is barely noticeable and by no mean as loud as a tractor. That little bit of noise for many a few minutes of warm up time is a small price to pay for efficiency. I guess people in Europe get spoil with all the engine choices they have.

mmarshall

What you hear, now, with state-of-the-art diesels, especially with the hood up, is basically the "tick tick" of the fuel injectors...not much different from gas-engine injectors.

On my specific test car, I did not hear the "tractor" sound you mentioned on initial startup. Of course, it was a demo model, driven fairly regularly, so (perhaps) it was not fully cold on the initial startup. To be fair, I'll meet you halfway on that point.