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Post by alf on Sept 18, 2020 15:49:39 GMT
It's a measure of how manic our video-call fuelled lives are that I've not posted this already, or even had much to do with the car since, but my partner decided to sell her Q3 and 118i Cab in favour of an A5 cab last weekend. We hadn't intended to keep the Q3 long term post COVID anyway, I wanted to keep the XFR's miles down but COVID has done that - I have done hardly any business miles since lockdown and can't see myself doing many in the next 6 months.
It is a white V6 diesel 242bhp Quattro S Line, black hood and leather, with 19" wheels and 255 tyres similar to the Q3's. I haven't driven it yet but have been in it for some longish country lane drives, and it's way more grown up than the old shape 118i was, with a similarly good ride (I think the cab is softer than the coupe, and the quattro softer again) but far less buffeting and noise. It feels grunty - as youd expect with 242 bhp and 369 lb ft - but it weighs the same as the XFR so it needs that engine, and in turn that engine needs 4WD not FWD! There were hardly any V6 diesels around so it was a good find, in our local main dealer! We were already looking at it but they dropped the price by £3k overnight (presumably when it got to 60 days there, as car dealers do) and we bought it the next day - the same as my XFR which was dropped by 4K from a main dealer and bought by me immediately! It comes with 2 years warranty and they gave us a great price on the well worn Q3.
The 118i cab we are selling privately - I'll stick it on FB when I have time to sort out the photos.
All in all a good deal and I'm looking forward to using it!!
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Post by Martin on Sept 18, 2020 16:16:11 GMT
A white.....diesel....convertible. You've changed so much!  Not my sort of thing, but as long as your partner is happy that's all that matters! (along with you keeping / enjoying the XFR of course) |
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Post by johnc on Sept 21, 2020 12:35:37 GMT
My wife had a 2 ltr petrol A5 Cabrio in metallic white but she was never as happy with it as she was the previous 3 litre diesel A4 Cabrio and the engine was the main reason.
The A5 isn't the best steer from a driver feedback point of view but it is perfectly capable of covering decent distances very comfortably and quickly - with the 3 ltr diesel it will be a good and satisfying ownership prospect.
I am sure we will go back to having a Cabrio in the future since it is a great way to see and smell the countryside on a nice summer's day. Even cold winter days when the sun is out are really enjoyable with the top down.
Enjoy
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Post by alf on Sept 21, 2020 13:24:05 GMT
That's the thing with being interested in cars though - anything new/different is intriguing. I have always wanted to see what the bigger 6 cylinder diesels are like to live with - 48mpg with that power (and 4wd/weight) seems incredible, and it does sound nicely thrummy - it retains the V6 sound at parking speeds in the same way BMW straight 6 diesels share a lot of their sound with their petrol cousins. On the move it is near silent - far queiter with the roof down than when inside the 4 pot Q3!
It is beautifully made and engineered as well now I have had a chance to look at it more, and either very well prepared by the dealer or well loved (or both) - incredibly clean under the bonnet/boot for example, but with all the hinges and catches lubricated, someone put some time in. Engineering wise its incredibly neat and tidy and things are well placed - Audi truly is an OCD friendly OEM...
I drove it back from Oxford at the weekend and it has a lot of torque - it feels distinctly turbocharged but pulls very nicely on a part throttle (which was the worst part of the BMW - it felt like the throttle was on an "eco" map the whole time with no way to change it). It amazes me how OEM's retain their family feel across totally different cars that must have been worked on by different people. It has the Audi light steering that weights up at speed - not my favourite, the BMW was like the Jaaag in having more weight at low speeds, and weighting up when the front tyres are trying hard, not artificially with speed. Audi brakes have improved a lot over the years, the pedal pressure feels about right, and the ride/handling balance is good - it rides well, to my surprise. I still love the visibility of cabs hood down, over the shoulder and rear view are remarkable. And the lack of buffeting means driving up to 80mph on dual carriageways is perfectly comfortable, the 1 series felt a bit more Caterham in that regard!
The only negative is that the BMW - for all its lack of pace - felt more "fun". its a different class of car (without the refinement) but it's immensely "chuckable" and handles beautifully, spurring you on. I still want to try an M135i option...
Oh and lastly we both agreed the Audi start stop is average - it shows how incredible the XFR system is (with its own battery/ECU) - with the latter it seems to be totally psychic, if you stop but then suddenly change your mind and pull away, or are not sure if you want it to switch off, or want to persuade it to switch off, you can manage it all with brake pedal pressure and its always one step ahead of you. And when it is off, its back on and producing good power literally as fast as you can move your foot from the brake pedal to the throttle. Remarkable - I'm still yet to use a start stop system like it. Maybe having 5 litres of supercharged petrol engine helps with the step off too.....
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Post by alf on Sept 30, 2020 16:05:35 GMT
Well the BMW sold anyway - for well over book (but on par with AT prices) and to the first viewer! Excellent news as it is now not Cabrio weather.
For the first time in well over a year we have only 2 cars on the drive....
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Post by PG on Sept 30, 2020 16:36:37 GMT
I'm sure you'll enjoy the Audi (once the sun comes out again).
How big are your partner's children? Making anybody taller than 4 feet travel in the back of a top down 4 seater convertible is akin to child cruelty in my view. ;-) The people in the front are all nice and cosy with their windows up and the people in the back are blown to buggery. I say this after being sandblasted travelling through Barcelona in the back of a colleague's Audi soft-top.
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Post by racingteatray on Sept 30, 2020 16:52:21 GMT
Any pics?
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Post by Roadrunner on Sept 30, 2020 17:22:06 GMT
I'm sure you'll enjoy the Audi (once the sun comes out again). How big are your partner's children? Making anybody taller than 4 feet travel in the back of a top down 4 seater convertible is akin to child cruelty in my view. ;-) The people in the front are all nice and cosy with their windows up and the people in the back are blown to buggery. I say this after being sandblasted travelling through Barcelona in the back of a colleague's Audi soft-top. It is a pity the Auster Screen went out of fashion. It was the must-have accessory100 years ago, as shown on this Royce:  My next car will be similarly equipped . |
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Post by johnc on Oct 1, 2020 14:19:20 GMT
My next car will be similarly equipped . Is the next classic purchase about to materialise? I love the colour of that RR. |
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Post by alf on Oct 1, 2020 15:28:44 GMT
They are 7 - so not that tall  They often ask for the top to be down when it's fairly chilly, but like you say as soon as you go over about 50 the effect on their hair is pretty hilarious and they often change their mind. The coldest I got in the BMW was driving to my parents and back with my daughter in the front - about 80 mins each way, on a day that was about 13 but felt chilly. The heater only does so much at higher speeds as the air gets swirled out pretty fast. Neither the Audi nor BMW has/had a deflector... I'd be interested to see what difference they make. And yes that RR above is an absolutely lovely colour - never seen one like it! |
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Post by Roadrunner on Oct 1, 2020 16:12:47 GMT
My next car will be similarly equipped . Is the next classic purchase about to materialise? I love the colour of that RR. I have my eye on a 1919 Austin sports tourer, mentioned in another thread somewhere. It is in a local lockdown area, so will have to wait until restriction ease. The RR recently sold for just over £1 million, so a little out of my price range... |
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They often ask for the top to be down when it's fairly chilly, but like you say as soon as you go over about 50 the effect on their hair is pretty hilarious and they often change their mind.