So tomorrow I crack the 1K mileage mark on the A3. 3 weeks of patience, and looking forward to burying the needle for the first time. A few things I've observed in my limited seat time:

[ul][*]Love the car in general - everything I'd hoped for, and getting about 28 mpg overall so far (read the part about not yet burying the needle...)[*]I travel a bit for work, and really appreciate the ability to be able to move the front seat pretty far back. When I'm parked and typing away on the laptop, it's nice not having the steering wheel in the way. On my last car, I'd basically have to hop in the passenger seat to work on the laptop.[*]The bluetooth functionality leaves a bit to be desired. Part of it is my LG phone. I've got GPS through Verizon via my phone. When the phone is connected via the BT, and you are using the GPS, the phone can't send the voice commands through the speakers, nor can it use it's own speakerphone. Might be time for a Garmin. Otherwise, the BT also randomly drops the connection to the phone.[*]The steering wheel audio controls also need some work. I think they messed up on the factory settings, as you can only use the scroll wheel to scan stations, not go through presets like in earlier A3's. Also, the inability to use the mode button to jump from band to band on the radio, or from CD to Radio to Bluetooth is just plain silly.[*]Would have liked temperature controls on the steering wheel. The temp dials are mounted low, and the require lots of 'clicking' to adjust for big temperature swings.[*]The car manages to accomodate a car seat nicely. We've got the big SUV when space is a major concern, but the A3 does just fine for a family of 3. May consider updating my Yakima rack from my old G35 to the Q-towers for the A3, and adding a roof carrier. The big pig SUV 'manages' 17 mpg on the highway - would be nice to take the A3 on the occasional long trip[*]Even though storage space is at a premium, I can see why people do the armrest delete. Only useable on highway stretches where you don't need to shift.[*]Got the Euro mats for the car, now looking into a mat for the trunk. Also going to do a clear bra before long. Will also be adding Sirius.[*]I'm a little leery of the auto wipers. I generally don't like to use car washes, preferring to wash the car myself. However, I'm paranoid the auto wipers will still go on in the rare occasion I do use the car wash.[*]Very solidly built - german engineering really shows through. Still don't like the detents for the door stops. There's a lot of tension on each of the 3 detents, and when you go for that 3rd one, you can easily have the door swing out too far too fast into the car next to you. Mind you, I'm no danger to the person next to me. I worry more about my wife (and down the road my son) not being as mindful of their surroundings. Though I'll always be more paranoid about the other guy that parks too close to me...[*]Overall - a great package. I was going to hold out for the 1-series, but there's no way I would have been able to put up with a small coupe with a growing family. Love the versatility of the hatchback, and the driving dynamics are top notch. Definitely made the right decision, and looking forward to much more seat time.[/ul]

 

I've seen other complaints about the radio controls on the steering wheel withthe concert headunit. My left thumb wheel jumps from preset to preset.

I hate the voice recognition of the BT. It will notregister my "five", no matter how I modify my pronunciation. The real problem for me is that all my work numbers start with 55x-xxxx. A serious problem for me and very irritating.

My right rear window will stop it's open or close function as soon as I let up from the drivers window controls. Though, I haven't tried to raise or lower the window from the right rear windowswitch itself.

BTW: My wife simply raises the middle armrest out of the way.

And a word of warning. The rear center armrest drink holder. DO NOT forget to retract it when you lower the rear seats. If extended, itmay hit the back of the front seats and it will break. Trust me, I know.

Overall, I'm really enjoying the car after 9,000 miles and 10 months of ownership.

 

yankees25: the auto wipers won't be activated when the stick is in the off (downmost) position.

Bezor: I too noticed the rear arm rest drink holder thing gets in the way if you want to recline the seat fully. This is the only design flaw I've found with the car so far. All they would have to do is reshape that holder...

 

Regarding the climate controls: If you want to make a drastic temp. adjustment, just hold the **** in the direction you want. After a second it will start to scroll quickly.

Have fun getting on the throttle!

 

Congrats on the new car!

I've owned my car for 4500 miles and the car still surprizes me. The other day it when it was raining as I was trying to back into my driveway, the moment I shifted into reverse the rear wipers automatically engaged for a good 3-4 wipes!~!! Its touches like these that make you smile and be the proud owners we are...

 

I'm also using an LG phone on Verizon's network, and I also experience Bluetooth cutting in and out. Something tells me that it's more the phone than the car...every time i update the software, the connection's reliability changes. Lately it's been cutting in and out every minute, which is driving me freekin' batty!

 

I think it is probably Verizon crippling the BT stack more than it is even the LG itself.

 

+1

Verizon insists on running their own custom firmware on all of their phones and usually they use this to cripple or eliminate features. Even though they didn't disable hands free, I really doubt that their firmware is as good as LG's own firmware. T-Mobile ftw!

 

I have a Motorola PEBL on T-Mobile and the BT integration is a lot tighter than on my '05 BMW 325i (it's for sale! Hit me up w/a PM!). I definitely appreciate the little touches on the A3 over the 325i that make it just a joy to step into the cockpit and figure out what to fiddle around with next. In fact, it's downright dangerous because it begs you to fiddle around with stuff while driving!

3 weeks, 3600 miles and will likely put another 2500 miles next month while I drive the heck outta it on a trip from Norcal to some parts East!

 

The odd thing the BT does (and it's probably a Verizon thing): I can toggle through my phonebook numbers on the car's display. When I go to dial my home number from out of the area, the BT voice comes on to say the number couldn't be dialed. If I use the voice commands to call out the house number to have it dialed, it still doesn't work. Yet if I use the phone to dial the number, it dials out. Other times, it can dial the house number no issues...odd.

The screwy part is we've got U-Connect (Jeep's BT) on the wife's Commander, and I've never had any issues with using my phone on her car.