Fuel consumption

[cHodAX]

Tdc, chipped block?

 

[Tom]

if some1 threw a match car would have exploded for sure

Ever tried to light petrol? It isn't easy.

 

[TdC]

Tdc, chipped block?

sorry I think I lapsed into a dutchification...they do some reprogramming on your motor management computer, or load a custom rom, or attach one of those hacked PS/3 chips or whatever. tends to give you more HP, and oddly often better fuel consumption (unless you drive like a loon).

ofc, you can take it too far, which can result in broken gear boxes, clutches or engines. I'm somewhat sure that your car's manufacturer will not cover chipping in their general guarantees

 

[cHodAX]

sorry I think I lapsed into a dutchification...they do some reprogramming on your motor management computer, or load a custom rom, or attach one of those hacked PS/3 chips or whatever. tends to give you more HP, and oddly often better fuel consumption (unless you drive like a loon).

ofc, you can take it too far, which can result in broken gear boxes, clutches or engines. I'm somewhat sure that your car's manufacturer will not cover chipping in their general guarantees

Hmm interesting, my brother is thinking about getting an Audi A3 or A4, something to consider.

 

[DaGaffer]

The suspension is just too bouncy on the 1 series and the ride is harsh with the run flats.

The GTD does look like a nice car, but those standard tartan seats look awful. I really wish you could opt for the alcantara seats that come standard in the normal GT. I was dead set on a Golf, but i'm gunning for the A3 purely on the quattro front.

G, I seriously wouldn't get an A3. Its coming to the end of its life and a new one is months away. Plus, tbh the chassis ain't that great. The S3 was fine because the power made up for the inertness of the chassis, but if I was I was going to get a direct replacement for it I'd get a Golf R. In your case, if I wanted that particular diesel but still wanted an interesting car, I'd actually get a Scirocco. Its actually just as roomy, just as well built, and waaaay more fun to drive.

 

[TdC]

the new Scirocco is actually quite awesome imo
I also enjoy the looks of the Alfa Giulietta, though that's waaaaay too expensive atm over here :/

 

[Gumbo]

Even if I got 40 mpg out of any diesel, that's a nigh on 50% improvement on fuel consumption to me.

Did 1000 miles in a new 1.6Tdi Golf last month, mostly motorway, but probably 100 miles of twisty Cornwall hills, and returned 55mpg.

That made it cheaper to hire it for a week, than take our 2litre Galant on the trip.

 

[old.user4556]

G, I seriously wouldn't get an A3. Its coming to the end of its life and a new one is months away. Plus, tbh the chassis ain't that great. The S3 was fine because the power made up for the inertness of the chassis, but if I was I was going to get a direct replacement for it I'd get a Golf R. In your case, if I wanted that particular diesel but still wanted an interesting car, I'd actually get a Scirocco. Its actually just as roomy, just as well built, and waaaay more fun to drive.

True about the new model, but the Sportback won't be here for at least another year and I need four doors. I agree the Scirocco is nice but it has the smallest boot compared with the Golf and the A3 not to mention a cramped rear. By the time you spec a 170 Scirocco it's nearly the same price as the A3!

 

[DaGaffer]

True about the new model, but the Sportback won't be here for at least another year and I need four doors. I agree the Scirocco is nice but it has the smallest boot compared with the Golf and the A3 not to mention a cramped rear. By the time you spec a 170 Scirocco it's nearly the same price as the A3!

Ah, didn't know you were after a five-door. I'd still get a Golf GTD

 

[JingleBells]

My 320Cd gets about 40-45 to the gallon due to heavy right-foot syndrome on the motorway, if I just cruised along then I'd never get anywhere but get closer to 50.

I get about 550 miles out of a tank which is about £70 these days and that lasts me about a week and a half due to doing 360 miles a week, I could probably get 600 miles out of the tank if I didn't refuel till I was fully out of diesel but then I'd be stuck on the hard-shoulder of the M6 somewhere near Stoke

 

[Bodhi]

The suspension is just too bouncy on the 1 series and the ride is harsh with the run flats.

The GTD does look like a nice car, but those standard tartan seats look awful. I really wish you could opt for the alcantara seats that come standard in the normal GT. I was dead set on a Golf, but i'm gunning for the A3 purely on the quattro front.

YouTube - Audi A3 3.2 quattro im Driftfieber by www.A3-quattro.de

Lol. You ever been in an A3? A good friend has a 2.0TFSI S-Line, and the ride is shocking. Suspension? No sir, you want some cement. I went 2 miles down the road in it, and came out with a bad back :/ The Golf GTD and 120d both have much better ride quality imo.

Oh, and it still isn't as fast as my 15 year old 3-series, but that's a different matter.

It wasn;t as uncomfortable as the Astra my work have hired for me to go down to Surrey tomorrow mind. At least the seats in the A3 are vaguely comfortable (still not a patch on BM's sports seats though, mind you BMW's are for driving, not posing), the ones in the astra are made out of wood.

At the end of the day it's your decision, I just don't want to see a good person end up with a rubbish car.

 

[Bodhi]

My 320Cd gets about 40-45 to the gallon due to heavy right-foot syndrome on the motorway, if I just cruised along then I'd never get anywhere but get closer to 50.

I get about 550 miles out of a tank which is about £70 these days and that lasts me about a week and a half due to doing 360 miles a week, I could probably get 600 miles out of the tank if I didn't refuel till I was fully out of diesel but then I'd be stuck on the hard-shoulder of the M6 somewhere near Stoke

Mine only gets 35 :/ Must be the slushbox. It's just a bit irritating considering the 328i gets 32 :/

(I have 2 3-Series btw in case anyone is confused, I let me mum drive the diesel one).

 

[throdgrain]

I had an A3 deisel 1.9 when I worked at Volkswagen for a week, it was ok. In fact in light of my travelling with this job I have now I thought about buying one, we even went and looked, there was a row of bloody cars that all looked the same, I got back in me Jeep and fucked off

 

[JingleBells]

Mine only gets 35 :/ Must be the slushbox. It's just a bit irritating considering the 328i gets 32 :/

(I have 2 3-Series btw in case anyone is confused, I let me mum drive the diesel one).

Depends what sort of driving you do, if I just did shorts journeys to the shops in town it'd probably get about 35 - the real-time MPG gauge is always on low when it'd doing constant speed-up+slow down, cruising on the motorway soon gets the overall MPG up and I spend a lot of time on motorways

 

[old.user4556]

Lol. You ever been in an A3? A good friend has a 2.0TFSI S-Line, and the ride is shocking. Suspension? No sir, you want some cement. I went 2 miles down the road in it, and came out with a bad back :/ The Golf GTD and 120d both have much better ride quality imo.

Yep, like the A3 a lot; definitely more upmarket than the VW interiors and yes the S-Line is stiff but Audi magnetic suspension set to "normal" mode provides a much more supple ride with the option to stiffen it up when conditions allow.

There is no way the 1 series has better ride quality. Perhaps in SE spec, but the Sport and M-Sport (guh...) are bouncy and crashy. That said, the 1 series does handle very well indeed, it's just shite over anything less than billiard table smooth.

The VAG cars appeal in general; the GTD with optional adaptive chassis (standard on the Scirocco) looks like a great tool to have to opt for comfort or sport, with Audi's magnetic ride offering the same.

 

[Tom]

Unfortunately the 1.9 A3 has the droniest and most irritating engine ever. Four cylinders of pure dullness. The interior is nice but that engine sounds just awful.

 

[old.user4556]

They've not been putting the 1.9 in it for a while which was indeed course.

 

[Deebs]

Filled up my Audi A4 today, £82.50. Not fucking happy. For that I get around 400 miles if I don't drive like a complete ****.

 

[Bodhi]

Yep, like the A3 a lot; definitely more upmarket than the VW interiors and yes the S-Line is stiff but Audi magnetic suspension set to "normal" mode provides a much more supple ride with the option to stiffen it up when conditions allow.

There is no way the 1 series has better ride quality. Perhaps in SE spec, but the Sport and M-Sport (guh...) are bouncy and crashy. That said, the 1 series does handle very well indeed, it's just shite over anything less than billiard table smooth.

The VAG cars appeal in general; the GTD with optional adaptive chassis (standard on the Scirocco) looks like a great tool to have to opt for comfort or sport, with Audi's magnetic ride offering the same.

I tried the VAG Adaptive Chassis in a Passat CC. It was fucking shocking in all honesty. In Sport mode it felt crashy yet still handled like a pudding, and in Comfort it made me feel sick within about 30 seconds. Trust me, the GTD is fine with normal suspension, you don't need VAG's insta-sickness generator fucking things up.

Basically you seem to have made your mind up, however your above post just says to me you have fallen for Audi's marketing machine hook line and sinker. A Golf is a better drive than an A3, and a 1-Series is several leagues above that. Having covered several miles (all the way to Belgium in fact), in a 120d M Sport, I would say it was anything but "shite". It had a much nicer engine than the VAG 170 lump, was more than comfortable and it was fucking fantastic on long twisting sliproads. The A3 I drove looked great, but drove like an absolute pudding in comparison to the 1er.

Just remember, the grin from having an enjoyable drive through Fife backroads last an awful lot longer than the grin you get from some soft touch plastics. Of the 3 premium hatches on offer, the A3 would be at the bottom for me. It is the stereotypical all mouth and no trousers car for me. Looks sporty, drives worse than a Golf.

In fact, I would take a Gulietta or even an Astra above the Audi.

 

[Wazzerphuk]

Just buy a fucking R8 if you're getting Audi or don't bother.

 

[old.user4556]

Bods, your talking like i've picked up a couple of brochures and made an ill informed decision based on reading 2 paragraphs of marketing waffle.

I owned a 1 series for 3 years, I had a 1 series SE for two weeks and I've driven the 123d M Sport for a considerable length of time (my mate's got one). The run flats ruin the car, the M Sport is notoriously bouncy and the standard Sport suspension mated to the run flats is garbage - too soft for sporty, but too stiff for comfort. However, that said, on a smooth road it is sublime to drive. I quote the trusted Evo on their review of the 135i:

The ride is stiff but well damped, and there isn’t the bounce at the rear end that has blighted so many recent BMWs.

It's undeniable mate and I speak from good authority.

I find the Golf GT and A3 superb to drive, granted I've not owned either other than on a loan basis. Clearly your experience is different.

 

[Wazzerphuk]

You're forgetting he's the biggest BMW fanboy I know, after a guy who actually works for BMW.

 

[MYstIC G]

I'm paying about £40 a tank now for my panda. Do about 260 miles between visits to the petrol station. My MPG is absolute crap as most of my journeys involve long waits due to Blackwall Tunnel.

I started tracking mine a while back Fuelly | Share and Compare Your MPG which has a nifty mobile site.

 

[MYstIC G]

You're forgetting he's the biggest BMW fanboy I know, after a guy who actually works for BMW.

Good thing Sony don't make cars, can you imagine the internal conflict that would cause in him?

 

[cHodAX]

Good thing Sony don't make cars, can you imagine the internal conflict that would cause in him?

The PS3 is so powerful it could outperform a Veyron if you slapped 4 wheels on it! Oh and the veyron steering wheel gives you hand-AIDS as well, PS3 dual shock is how real cars are driven!

 

[DaGaffer]

Good thing Sony don't make cars, can you imagine the internal conflict that would cause in him?

Actually, they kind of have. And its French!

 

[old.user4556]

On the subject of fuel comsumption and economy, the newest Mini One D returns an alleged 74 mpg combined.

MINI - MINI One D

If you were in the market for a smaller about-town uber economical car, then it's worth a look.

 

[Litmus]

my alfa 2.0 petrol takes £75 to fill and does about 350 miles if im lucky

 

[Bodhi]

They're not any more reliable than BMWs are.

It's a company car, it needs to be under 160 g/km CO2 which means diesel or nothing. .

Wrong. Alfa Giulietta 1.4 Multiair. 170 brake, runs on God's own fuel, does 60 in 7.8 seconds, yet puts out 134 carbons and will do 48mpg apparently, on cheaper fuel. Oh, and it also gets a higher rating in evo than the comparable A3.

However I'm not sure using evo for an Audi's defence is all that sensible, considering two of the columns this month are slating Audis for being a bit rubbish to drive.

 

[TdC]

the Alfa G is a pretty car by gum, and makes you more metro than gay, unlike the BMW 1 series which is the other way round imo. just pluck your 'brows and you're there heh.