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Post by Tim on Oct 30, 2019 14:10:22 GMT
Or, to give it it's Sunday name the Audi A6 Avant 2.0TDI Quattro S Line S-Tronic Teck Pack! One of my colleagues had this as his company car but due to the crippling cost of it as a Benefit in Kind has moved to the cheaper option of a 2018 C43 AMG estate! As the car isn't going back to Audi until just before Christmas and being the person who helped him out of the deal plus the nominated fleet guy (don't remember offering my services for that role) I thought it would be rude of me not to offer to, er, store the car for the ensuing 2 months. Of course you have to use these things occasionally as well otherwise the battery will go flat. Anyway, thoughts so far at about 300 miles. The heated seats stay at your last setting no matter f the car's been switched off for a while, whereas the BMW defaults to zero after being parked for about 10 minutes. The on button for the radio isn't immediately obvious being on the left side of the transmission tunnel next to the Start button. I don't like the controls for the heating either - you have to press the button for temp, flow direction or fan speed and then look at the pop-up display in the top of the dashboard to see what the setting is while twiddling the knob at the bottom of the centre console. Additionally the rotation of the know for changing radio stations goes the wrong way to my mind! The seat wasn't very comfy to start with but a bit of work has made it acceptable, I suspect my colleague is deformed. The boot is pretty big but then this is a size up from the 320. I wasn't sure what to expect of the ride with it being an S Line but it's reasonable, certainly better than the 320 and shows that up for being the 115k mile car it is. I'm not so impressed by the rest of the driving experience. The autobox is pretty crap. In 'Auto' it's slow to shuffle gears away from a standstill, slow to change down and certainly not as pleasant good as the 6 speed auto in my Dads old Meriva! I don't think it matches well with a 2 litre diesel either as when you want to pull out of a junction it appears to decide which gear to select and then raise the revs before actually setting off. It's not a long pause but certainly enough to stop you going for gaps in traffic. I tried it in 'Sport' mode and it's a little better but for that to work you need to select Sport as you approach the junction whereupon the box changes down 3 ratios and suddenly gives a lot of engine braking with a jerk. I'm not impressed with the need for that process. I've used the flappy paddles for gear changing a few times but with a 2 litre TDI there's little satisfaction. Requests for an overtake, such as coming out of a 30 limit, are met with a pause a big downchange then another pause as revs are gained before suddenly you're going past relatively quickly. Again, Sport mode can fix that but then you're left cruising at 50 in 4th waiting for it to change up again which it never does. The car does cruise well at motorway speeds though and it acceptably quiet - the engine is much quieter in this than the 320 for example. When the reverse parking sensor goes to a constant beep you really do need to stop. I've not left more than about 4 inches between me and the wall as a result. The car is silver which has the unfortunate effect of amplifying reflections off the inner face of the door mirror housing so for the first few daylight journeys I thought something was whizzing past the window but it was actually a reflection of passing trees. They are also a lot larger than necessary due to the size of the housing - there's a lot of plastic around the glass. I think it would be safe to say I'm not an Audi guy. Here's a token picture of it in the multi-storey next to a much more loved black BMW 320!  |
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Post by Roadrunner on Oct 30, 2019 17:36:29 GMT
Which 'driving mode' is it in? Switch to Dynamic and it will sharpen up the experience significantly, even when the transmission is not in Sport mode.
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Oct 31, 2019 8:23:29 GMT
I had the same model but with the manual gearbox - the clutch pedal positioning wasn't ideal but, having driven Audi autos and experienced those heart-stopping moments when you go to take off to make the gap and there is that pause, which is only for a second but seems to last forever, I preferred it.
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Post by Tim on Oct 31, 2019 9:22:45 GMT
Which 'driving mode' is it in? Switch to Dynamic and it will sharpen up the experience significantly, even when the transmission is not in Sport mode. I've been driving it in normal mode but pulling the lever back into Sport when I want to overtake, etc. One reason I don't want to drive it in a sportier mode is that the economy is pretty awful. I drove from Dundee to Kirkcaldy in steady moving 50mph commuter traffic last night and got 41mpg. The 320 would've got 50 and the Micra nearer 70. Same for the commute this morning - 40 where the BM would've been in the high 40s and the Micra 70. Another thing I forgot to mention - aside from the crap economy - was the hyperactive stop/start. Again who knows what mode it was in, but on Saturday I pulled up to reverse into a space and between me coming to a stop and selecting reverse it stopped and then started. Very irritating. As was the constant shuffling between 5th, 6th and 7th last night. Obviously the counter to all this is that I'm getting the free use of a car for a few weeks so I realise I shouldn't complain too much! |
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Oct 31, 2019 9:37:48 GMT
My brother has the Ultra model and seems to get good mpg on his trips between York and Norwich.
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Post by Tim on Oct 31, 2019 9:55:32 GMT
Maybe its forte is longer trips on the motorway?
I'm going to Glasgow and back this evening so I'll look forward to a bigger number.
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Post by Roadrunner on Oct 31, 2019 11:55:34 GMT
Which 'driving mode' is it in? Switch to Dynamic and it will sharpen up the experience significantly, even when the transmission is not in Sport mode. I've been driving it in normal mode but pulling the lever back into Sport when I want to overtake, etc. One reason I don't want to drive it in a sportier mode is that the economy is pretty awful. I drove from Dundee to Kirkcaldy in steady moving 50mph commuter traffic last night and got 41mpg. The 320 would've got 50 and the Micra nearer 70. Same for the commute this morning - 40 where the BM would've been in the high 40s and the Micra 70. Another thing I forgot to mention - aside from the crap economy - was the hyperactive stop/start. Again who knows what mode it was in, but on Saturday I pulled up to reverse into a space and between me coming to a stop and selecting reverse it stopped and then started. Very irritating. As was the constant shuffling between 5th, 6th and 7th last night. Obviously the counter to all this is that I'm getting the free use of a car for a few weeks so I realise I shouldn't complain too much! The Driving Modes are separate to Sport Mode on the transmission and affect throttle response, steering weight etc. Dynamic provides a far more involving experience, whatever mode the transmission is in. The stop/start is annoying and is the first thing I switch off when I start up. Motorway runs generally work out at 62 MPG and A/B road runs around 55 MPG if not pressing on too much. This is in an A4 to what previously would have been Ultra spec, now called '35'. |
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Post by Tim on Nov 1, 2019 9:36:53 GMT
The results are in, the journey home from Glasgow last night, via the M8 and M90 (so no backroads) achieved 38.2mpg at a steady 80 - apart from the short stretch where Mrs Tim failed to notice the speed creeping up to 100 leptons!
I tried Dynamic mode this morning. It appears to be the same as pulling the lever back once you're in 'D' - the dash display shows the gear number with an 'S' prefix.
It doesn't help the piss-poor step-off from a standstill though, when I went for a gap in front of a bus I got nothing on part throttle and then about 17 seconds (or so it seemed) after I consequently floored it a load of scrabbling from the tyres as full waz was delivered.
I'll just have to resign myself to driving more sedately.
It is a good cruiser though.
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Post by Roadsterstu on Nov 4, 2019 0:48:29 GMT
The S Tronic is a regular torque converter auto isn't it? The DSG box ought to be much better.
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Post by Tim on Nov 4, 2019 9:33:43 GMT
I have no idea but whatever it is I don't like it.
I'm struggling to get above 40 mpg out of it and that's certainly not because I've been kicking it everywhere.
Mrs Tim found one area where it's clearly better than the BMW (at least our one) and that is the seat height adjustment. The Audi's goes much higher than the manual seats in the 320 and she was revelling in being able to see clearly out of the car. She also expressed a liking for having an auto as a day to day car so I reckon that if electric seats on BMWs go higher than the manual ones I can wangle a bigger engined 3 or 4 series to replace the 320 so long as I can get one with electric seats.
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Nov 4, 2019 10:10:48 GMT
The S Tronic is a regular torque converter auto isn't it? The DSG box ought to be much better. S Tronic is a 7 speed DSG box. They do two models, one for longitudinally mounted engines and a more compact one for transversely and quattro ones. |
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Post by Roadsterstu on Nov 5, 2019 23:09:32 GMT
The S Tronic is a regular torque converter auto isn't it? The DSG box ought to be much better. S Tronic is a 7 speed DSG box. They do two models, one for longitudinally mounted engines and a more compact one for transversely and quattro ones. That one sounds like it's shagged, then! |
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Post by Roadrunner on Nov 5, 2019 23:20:07 GMT
S Tronic is a 7 speed DSG box. They do two models, one for longitudinally mounted engines and a more compact one for transversely and quattro ones. That one sounds like it's shagged, then! It is certainly nothing like the DSG in mine. |
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Post by Tim on Nov 6, 2019 9:11:57 GMT
That one sounds like it's shagged, then! It is certainly nothing like the DSG in mine. When you put your foot down, even moderately, there's a brief pause as it engages drive, then it sets off sluggishly then the revs go up a bit and it accelerates with more vigour. I think I've been making it worse because during the initial pause I'm probably giving it a bit more throttle so that when the revs rise and it does take off it's more abrupt. Anyway, the fuel economy on this mornings commute in normal conditions makes me think I have failed to notice that it's the RS6 version, the 320 would've achieved about 45mpg and the Micra at least 60.  russian image hosting |
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Post by michael on Nov 6, 2019 11:27:47 GMT
Why does it say Vantablack on the screen?
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Nov 6, 2019 11:46:06 GMT
Why does it say Vantablack on the screen? Isn't Vantablack the name of that new, super-black coating - the darkest man made substance? I didn't know it was available on Audis? |
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Post by michael on Nov 6, 2019 11:47:35 GMT
Why does it say Vantablack on the screen? Isn't Vantablack the name of that new, super-black coating - the darkest man made substance? I didn't know it was available on Audis? That's right. They recently did a project with BMW to coat an X6 (it helped). |
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Nov 6, 2019 11:49:37 GMT
Is Tim part of some sort of Stealth Project?
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Post by racingteatray on Nov 6, 2019 12:21:11 GMT
Mrs Tim found one area where it's clearly better than the BMW (at least our one) and that is the seat height adjustment. The Audi's goes much higher than the manual seats in the 320 and she was revelling in being able to see clearly out of the car. She also expressed a liking for having an auto as a day to day car so I reckon that if electric seats on BMWs go higher than the manual ones I can wangle a bigger engined 3 or 4 series to replace the 320 so long as I can get one with electric seats. Well this goes back to another discussion we had where I mentioned some friends who were after an estate car but had ruled out BMWs because she's 5ft nothing and couldn't see out of any of the BMWs they'd tried, all of which had manual seats. So I took the 440i, which has electric seats as standard, around to their house and lo and behold she found she could get the seat up high enough to comfortably see out. So BMWs are back on the shopping list - a 5-series last time I checked.
My wife is only 5"2 and she copes just fine with the 440i. She's currently using it more than me.
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Post by Tim on Nov 6, 2019 12:46:51 GMT
Isn't Vantablack the name of that new, super-black coating - the darkest man made substance? I didn't know it was available on Audis? That's right. They recently did a project with BMW to coat an X6 (it helped). Sorry to disappoint but, no, Vantablack was the name of the song that was playing at the time I took the photo  |
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Post by Tim on Nov 6, 2019 12:50:51 GMT
Mrs Tim found one area where it's clearly better than the BMW (at least our one) and that is the seat height adjustment. The Audi's goes much higher than the manual seats in the 320 and she was revelling in being able to see clearly out of the car. She also expressed a liking for having an auto as a day to day car so I reckon that if electric seats on BMWs go higher than the manual ones I can wangle a bigger engined 3 or 4 series to replace the 320 so long as I can get one with electric seats. Well this goes back to another discussion we had where I mentioned some friends who were after an estate car but had ruled out BMWs because she's 5ft nothing and couldn't see out of any of the BMWs they'd tried, all of which had manual seats. So I took the 440i, which has electric seats as standard, around to their house and lo and behold she found she could get the seat up high enough to comfortably see out. So BMWs are back on the shopping list - a 5-series last time I checked.
My wife is only 5"2 and she copes just fine with the 440i. She's currently using it more than me.
I've remembered you saying that each time I've been looking at replacements but so far haven't been to actually look at a 3 (or 5) with electric seats. She's never had any bother with the M5 but then that's from an era where the windows are like a greenhouse compared with modern stuff. |
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Post by michael on Nov 6, 2019 12:51:31 GMT
That's right. They recently did a project with BMW to coat an X6 (it helped). Sorry to disappoint but, no, Vantablack was the name of the song that was playing at the time I took the photo I think you've let us all down there. |
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Post by Tim on Nov 6, 2019 13:08:28 GMT
Sorry to disappoint but, no, Vantablack was the name of the song that was playing at the time I took the photo I think you've let us all down there. Once again I apologise. However, be assured that I am doing my best to turn it into a cheap version of a stealth car by not washing it and using backroads wherever possible  |
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Post by Roadrunner on Nov 6, 2019 13:43:50 GMT
It is certainly nothing like the DSG in mine. When you put your foot down, even moderately, there's a brief pause as it engages drive, then it sets off sluggishly then the revs go up a bit and it accelerates with more vigour. I think I've been making it worse because during the initial pause I'm probably giving it a bit more throttle so that when the revs rise and it does take off it's more abrupt. Anyway, the fuel economy on this mornings commute in normal conditions makes me think I have failed to notice that it's the RS6 version, the 320 would've achieved about 45mpg and the Micra at least 60. russian image hostingThis is my day so far, on a mix of A roads, B roads and a few towns and villages.  When in Dynamic mode mine changes down through the gears as I slow down, so I am always in the right gear, whether the transmission is in Sport or Comfort mode. Does yours not do that? |
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Post by Tim on Nov 6, 2019 14:00:55 GMT
Last night I collected my best mate from the hospital in Dundee and drove him home, about 25 miles and he'd had an operation and was not quite right from the anaesthetic so I took my time.
It was quiet A road all the way apart from in Dundee and I got 41 and a bit.
Mine does drop down the gears but the gearbox seems quite slow to respond when you ask it to speed up.
It's certainly worse than other autos I've driven but this is the first VAG auto I've tried.
I'll have a shot in the ancient 530d we have to see if it's any better in comparison.
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Post by racingteatray on Nov 6, 2019 15:10:59 GMT
Russian image hosting?
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Nov 6, 2019 15:31:51 GMT
Trying to influence the poll in the Politics section. |
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Post by Tim on Nov 6, 2019 15:55:20 GMT
I have no idea what it means!
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Nov 6, 2019 16:01:23 GMT
I have no idea what it means! What mpg did you get on your run down to Salisbury to look at the crooked spire? |
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Post by Tim on Nov 6, 2019 16:07:07 GMT
I have no idea what it means! What mpg did you get on your run down to Salisbury to look at the crooked spire? He, he the former keeper of the car lives a few miles from Salisbury. I made sure to give the door handles and wheel a good wipe before I drove anywhere. |
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