yeah TPE_A3, cars in taiwan are all overly priced for something reason lol

 

Hey canuck friends....

Yeah...taxes here....thanks to my clever account my income tax rarely exceeds 10% of what I earn...so yeah...I guess it is a case of "pay now or pay later" BUT....I have a serious case of car addiction...I have bought 3 new cars in 20months, and since I have a TT, and 2 kids and a wife, I'm buying another car when I get back to Taiwan next week. Such a crying shame that my wife would not drive my A3.

Back to the topic....I think the thing that really jumps out at me is how could Audi do such a poor job of marketing the A3. OR...why do North Americans so passionately hate hatchbacks. I agree with what everyone says...the A3 is SO much more practical it should have a much broader audience for a coupe that "tells your neighbors you can't afford a 3 series" (Best description I've ever heard for the beast!)

BUT...I don't own Audi stock...so as long as they sell enough to keep investing in future technology...I'm happy with a rare car too!

 

- Yes, I'm puzzled too. I came over from a 540 because I've gotten so tired of the "trunk". Both my brother and dad are total BMW enthusiasts and cannot figure out why anyone would get a 1 series. Originally, we were all excited because we thought they would bring over the hatchback/wagon version. Which, I feel is the logical comparison to the A3. The 128 makes almost no sense to me there are 3 series coupes available. Though, what I've been hoping for and saw out in Europe a few years back is that BMW would bring over a few of those M3 wagons. Or Audi with some "S" wagons.

 

The 1-series wagon dies hands down compared to the A3 in my opinion. With the RWD, the space in the back and the trunk is SO small it makes a wagon/hatch design useless in my opinion! It does look better than the 1-series sedan though in my opinion!

 

TPE, glad you have an opinion, or two, or three. Also glad that you haven't abandoned us A3 guys.

 

Same thoughts here. Bet you're enjoying the TT. Plan on keeping it stock?

 

Stock?

Hmm...I already put the 19inch S6 rims on it before I took delivery! Quite literally, the tire guys were at the Audi dealership waiting for me to hand over the payment before they could put the tires on.

Right now I'm stateside on business, but when I get back, I'm looking forward to trying it out with the ABT tuning software that should crank up the HP to about 250hp.

Next, I'm going to put on Alcon six caliper brakes. Most likely alcon, still doing the research but I have heard very impressive things. Trying to find a car in Taiwan with them so I can see what they feel like during normal driving. In terms of their stopping power and lack of fade, the Alcons really shine.

After that, I'm going to upgrade my interior with red leather highlights as per the Audi upgraded TT interior colour pattern. (Though I likely will not go with the red stitching that is used...too expensive to re-stitch my whole car...the TT seats have MANY little pieces of leather in their design.)

So much fun! But I will mod slowly and keep the car OEM or OEM look. Was even thinking of going with the RS6 Audi brakes, but the performance of the Alcons for the same price make that seem pointless.

And yes.....love love love love loving the TT! But still LOVE the A3 too...as I've said...really wish I couldn't convince my wife to drive so that we could have hung on to it! The other thing I really miss about the A3 is it's understated performance. In my A3, I could blow away most cars at the light and people never saw it coming. In my TT, seems every ricer car in Taipei wants to have a go on me.....ok ok I will admit..it's fun!

As for opinions...when it comes to cars I have many. And this is by FAR the best board on the net. You guys really are great. The TT boards in the US are all focused on the MKI, and the other boards are dominated by British guys who all know each other and exclude pretty much everyone else! Yeah...snobby TT drivers. I am not!!!

 

I test drove both 1 series coupes, both US A3 models and the A5. I greatly preferred the A3 3.2 over the 2.0T. The 2.0 had too much jerkyness and lag compared to the greater power coupled to DSG in the 3.2. I really liked the styling of the A3, but, while I recognize that I'm in the minority, I found the interior boring - too bare and monochromatic. Very good quality, but not nearly as nice as some of the other Audi interiors such as in the A5.

Next I drove the 128i and though the coupe is fundementally a different car from a hatchback/wagon, it does present a good comparison to the A3 3.2. In fact, if that was the only version of the 1 on the table, I would have chosen the Audi because they drive/perform fairly similarly, but the Audi has way more practicality and better styling.

There is, however, another 1 series option and that is the 135i and, if you're shopping for a new car and a coupe will work for you, beware of test driving this vehicle. If you're like me, you won't be able to get the experience out of your head unless you're willing to move much further up the price list (like into the RS4/M3 range). Even the S5 doesn't provide the same kind of yeehaa thrill that the 135i offers. That's not to say the A5/S5 isn't a nice car. It's the most beautiful of the three models and handles very well, but basically, it's a beauty queen, not a track car or pocket rocket.

All that said, I really liked the A3 3.2 with the titanium package and would have got one except for the seduction of that damn 300hp twin turbo engine tucked into a relatively small, high quality package. Hell, I'm even going to have to buy a set of winter wheels and tires - how impractical is that?

By the way, the 3 and 5 door versions of the 1 series compare poorly to the A3, but they aren't exactly the same model as the coupes. The coupes are a next generation development and are actually larger (believe it or not) than the hatches. What will be interesting to see if whether BMW decides to redo the hatches now and import them to the US. A 135i with 5 doors would be quite an offering (but don't hold your breath).