A3 3.2 DSG: Long term review.

[Mdreiver]

The car has been true to its purpose in life. It's economical (23+ mpg on every tank), gets around in the snow quite well, doesn't look good enough to care if it stays dirty all freaking winter, and it totes 4 adults and their stuff smoothly and comfortably.

Complaints:
* The dealer doesn't have a code to turn off the autolock feature on the doors. I am irritated that they are falling for the BS that locked doors are safer than unlocked doors to begin with. But not being able turn it off is super annoying every time I get out of my car and want to grab something out of the back seat or the trunk. That's right. Every door and lid except the one you just crawled out of stays locked until you unlock it manually.
* The ridiculous folding key. Why? Even folded, it's as big as most keys are. It's a PITA so I leave mine unfolded all the time. It fills up my pocket. But it's also so long that when in the ignition, it pokes my knee.
* It's louder than most Audis. It shows that it's the entry level car in the lineup.

Still, it's a very competent backup car/beater for anyone with a Boxster, Elise, etc. :-) The tranny is divine for commuting and the car has been without any problems or unexpected service through what has been a really thorough use cycle.

DISCLAIMER: The comments expressed in this post are not necessarily the opinion of other BABBLERs nor the BABBLERs organization as a whole. If confronted by a carjacker close enough to open my door, I would simply open it for him even if it were locked. I also prefer to be considered responsible for making my own choices regarding personal safety. I hope in the future, the courts can eliminate frivolous litigation rather than leaving it to corporate lawyers to idiot proof the world until it is safe enough for ...er...idiots.

[BoxsterBob - San Carlos]

When the kids were smaller, I liked the auto locking feature, but now I'm with you, let me choose when to lock the car. My Boxster has the auto locking turned off.

BTW, I was at the the auto mall yesterday and they had a lotus dealer with 2 Elises on the floor. I had a good conversation with the sales guy and even contorted myself enough to sit in one. There is NO WAY I could do that on a daily basis. Once I got in, the cockpit was very comfortable and I'm sure it's blast to drive, however, the mount and dismount were nearly impossible for this 6'2" - 225lb driver.

I hope you enjoy yours and look forward to reading your impressions.

[Mdreiver]

About the locks: Truth be told, the Audi autolocks would not work for kids. They still open from the inside with a single pull of the door lever. The problem is they don't all unlock when you turn off the car. The GM doors unlock automatically when the car is shut off but sort of trap people inside until then. If all my doors and trunk unlocked automatically when the car was turned off while still not locking me in when the car is running, I would not be too bothered by it.

Oh, something I forgot to mention. The ESP can actually cause you to get stuck in the snow. I got stuck on 2 occassions so far. Both times, the fix was simple: turn off ESP (TC). I noticed that no matter how much gas I gave it, I couldn't get my engine to spin over 1500 rpm. I first thought it was shifting up - the DSG is that smooth. But I locked it in 1st and the problem persisted. Finally it dawned on me. Turned off ESP and with all 4 wheels spinning - engine at about 3 or 4k, the car was free from it's snowy grave.

About the Lotus: Be careful. I actually posted the same thing on PPBB and here after doing a similar ingress/egress test at the SF dealer. I'm also 6'2". I said it was way too inconvenient to deal with on a regular basis and crossed it off my Wish List. Then Jamey told me that some Enterprises are renting them. I figured I already knew it was too small, unsophisticated, uncomfortable, and impractical to own, but renting one for a day would be harmless. Like a 1 night stand. Anyway, I drove it all over LA. I made about 6 separate trips - getting in and out each time. The next day, on the way to the airport (to drop it off and fly home) I realized I was loving it. I realized that it had not been too hard to live with. Every second in it had a sense of occassion. Okay, even getting in and out had a sense of occassion. Getting in begins to feel like suiting up for a big game. Sure, you might not want to "suit up" to hit the 7/11 down the street for some chips or something. But I've got the A3 for those lazy days. I could be wrong but I don't expect to make much use out of it once the Lotus comes in. Speaking of, it's about 3 months out. sigh.