My current Toyota lease is running out - really interested in the TDI. But finding while searching local dealership new-inventories online that TDI Premium Plus with the MMI is really rare... Is that normal? Or how has your experience been with getting a special order?

I'm in LA, BTW, if anyone knows of a good Audi dealership.

 

I had to custom order mine. I should be able to get it sometime in May. I found out last Saturday that it is in transit and will be in port on April 26th, so it might actually arrive early.

 

I called the dealer with the most A3's listed online (many only have 1 or 2 total!) .... they told me that MMI wasn't available on the A3 yet, only AMI. So am I confusing MMI with the Navigation screen?

 

The Audi web site clearly calls it "MMI Navigation plus with iPod interface" or "MMI Navigation plus with six-CD changer", however, it is slightly different from the A4 and more expensive models. (Also, it is only available on the Premium Plus trim)

Go to this web site:

http://microsites.audiusa.com/ngw/09...nid_technology

Select the "A4", followed by MMI (2010 and beyond)

Then go back and select "A3", followed by MMI (2010 and beyond)

Decide if you can live with the difference. (The screen on the A4 might be higher resolution, and the control **** is on the center console, where on the A3 it is on the radio)

My car is on order and doesn't arrive until May, so I'm assuming the Audi videos are accurate, as I haven't actually seen one.

My salesman told me that they don't sell as many A3's with the MMI, because at that pricepoint, they can usually up-sell customers to the A4. (But the A4 doesn't have TDi, which for me was mandatory. And adding some of the similar features to the A4 still puts it several thousand higher, so I'm not completely sure why this is.)

 

Thanks SuperCow, that explained everything.

The TDI is really mandatory for me too - I want that awesome MPG plus the torque and reliability of diesel. But I still want some premium toys like the Navigation and the sunroof, etc....

I'll be test driving this weekend. Not in a huge hurry so I might have to special order a TDI as well. For some reason the stock of A3 in Los Angeles is pretty awful.