Audi Manchester
Looking to buy an Audi? Find out what's good, what's bad and what to watch out for from Honest John.
Audi bases all components in this electric vehicle on an integral concept with many revolutionary details: a heat pump as an efficient means of heating up and maintaining the interior temperature. The drive system, power electronics and battery have innovative thermal management – crucial for maintaining a high operating range coupled with outstanding interior comfort. Read on for more details on Audi e-tron.
Three enhanced FSI and TDI engines with more power and torque and economy improvements of up to 22 per cent, mated to new eight-speed tiptronic automatic transmission and latest generation quattro all-wheel-drive with asymmetric torque distribution. Read on for more features on this car model.
R8 Spyder unveiled at the Frankfurt Show 15-9-2009. V10 only. Available to order in the UK from November and due to reach first UK customers in the first quarter of 2010. Read on and find more details about this car in Manchester.
Good: More emphasis on handling, comfort and refinement than pre-facelift model. Very classy image.
Bad: Windows are prone to rattle.
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Good: Height-adjustable air suspension works well. Useful load-carrying ability. Comfortable drive on tarmac and off road. Classy image.
Bad: Doesn't handle as well as the A6 on which it is based.
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Good: Wide choice of models. Solidly screwed together. Galvanised bodywork shirks off rust well.
Bad: Lacklustre handling. Problems with TDI models, auto gearboxes and suspension. Front tyres can wear quickly.
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Good: Nice-looking, well-built open-top car with a wide choice of engines and rust-proof bodywork.
Bad: Stodgy handling. Rear bench only good for two midgets, tight for headroom with top up. Plastic rear window becomes opaque.
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Good: Huge range of available engines and galvanised bodywork keeps rust at bay.
Bad: Fails to capture the handling or spirit of the original Quattro turbo.
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Good: Bodywork unlikely to rust. Some very good engines, such as strong 2.0 16-valve, smooth 2.6 V6 and frugal TDI turbodiesel.
Bad: Some problems with catalytic converters. TDI engines can wear out after 150,000 miles. Rear brake discs can rust.
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Good: Bodywork is unlikely to rust. Parts are easy to source and generally cheap.
Bad: Problems with catalytic converters, worn suspension and rusting rear brake discs. Auto gearboxes expensive to replace.
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Steel and plastic panel construction with overall weight around 800kg. '3 litre' (94 mph) version with 3-cylinder 1.2 litre 61 bhp TDi, or four cylinder 1.0 litre and 1.4 litre petrol engines. Read on and find more details about this car in Manchester.
Audi A1 Sportback concept with 92g/km CO2 unveiled at Paris Motor Show 2-10-2008. Compact five-door model with hybrid drive shows another possible direction for forthcoming production A1.
Good: Economical engines, very comfortable seats, decent ride, grippy handling and good crash safety rating. 1.4TDI Band B tax.
Bad: Bodywork is expensive repair. Access to the rear seats is awkward. The 1.4 can struggle when fully laden.
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Good: Strong on image and build quality. Good crash test rating. Tidy handling.
Bad: Pricey to buy compared with its rivals. Limited space in the rear.
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Good: Upmarket image, well screwed together and a wide choice of engines.
Bad: Dearer than the VW Golf and Seat Leon, with which it shares most of its mechanicals.
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Good: Remains the classiest car on the PQ35 floorpan. Rival to Honda Civic, Merc A Class and BMW 1-Series.
Bad: High quality, high spec Golf. Only the S3 moves it into a different league.
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Significant facelift and new engines from Summer 2008. New trim line-up for UK. 7-speed S tronic transmission in Manchester, Audi magnetic ride and more efficient engines. S3 now also available as a 5-door Sportback.
Well, it handles. That’s for sure. The old A3 was pretty good for its day. The Golf Mk IV and the Octavia took handling a step back. The SEAT Leon brought it forward again. But the new A3 shifts the goalposts altogether.
Good: Neat cloth-topped, four seater A3 based cabrio with decent boot and fold-down rear seats. Best with 2.0TFSI engine.
Bad: 1.9 diesel noisy, slow and lets the image down.
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We tested the new A3 Cabrio on a perfect day. Half way through our drive the skies opened and it rained cats, dogs, frogs and fishes. Ideal weather to check Audi’s claim that you can get the roof over your head in 9 seconds flat.
Good: 5-door of classy A3. Rival to Honda Civic, Merc A Class and BMW 1-Series.
Bad: High quality, high spec Golf.
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Good: Stylish looker with strong engines, mostly good build quality and tidy handling.
Bad: Some problems with engines, suspension and catalytic converters. Only average crash test rating
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Good: Four wheel drive B8 Avant with raised suspension. More carlike alternative to Audi Q5.
Bad: Removing two bars, then folding the rear seats is a heavy and complicated business. Niche within a niche marketing.
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Audi A4 B6 covers the 2.0 litre petrol, 1.8T litre petrol Quattro, 3.0 litre petrol 5-speed manual, 3.0 litre petrol Multitronic, 1.9 TDI PD 130 diesel 5-speed, and 2.5 TDI diesel 6-speed Quattro.
Good: Better than the previous A4 in virtually every respect. Classy looks, plenty of kit, roomy cabin and a good crash safety rating.
Bad: Not cheap to fix if something goes wrong. Multitronic transmission can give trouble.
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As with the A4 saloon, the A4 Avant exudes class and quality. Its size seems exactly right, in just the same way that an original, small-screen Sony Trinitron TV did compared to bigger, clumsier TV sets. Yet the loadspace is also extremely practical for what is sold as a lifestyle estate car in Manchester.
Good: Looks classy from the outside and feels classy on the inside. Huge array of engines on offer. Reasonably balanced handling and good ride.
Bad: Keen drivers will still prefer a BMW 3 Series.
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Bit of a scoop, this. By chance I lucked into a cancellation for first drive of the new Audi A4 2005 model, before even its official launch at the Paris Motor Show. I had to rush to get this on site, so please excuse any missing bits in Manchester.
'Wednesday, 1st Dec 2004 Updated 23rd January 2007 In September 2004 I lucked into a cancellation for first drive of the new LHD Audi A4 2005 model, before even its official launch at the Paris Motor Show. On that occasion I got to drive a 2.0 TDI 140 6-speed manual Avant and a 3.2 V6 petrol Multitronic, both front-drive only. Now I’ve driven three more of the new range: the 2.0 130bhp petr...
Great looking. Comfortable, with those clever Audi seats that don’t feel quite right when you first sit in them but which you thank when you finally step out of the car without a twinge. It’s also beautifully made, of course, giving the feeling of solid, long-lasting quality.
Good: New A4 on same floorpan, suspension and transmission as A5. Good looks. Superb interior. Comfortable ride. Excellent steering and handling.
Bad: Huge improvement over A4 B7. 2.0TDI very hard to beat. 2.7TDI Multitronic excellent.
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Good: Much nicer to drive than A4 B7 Avant, better balanced and more roomy with up to 1,500 litres of space.
Bad: Clunky seat folding involves removal of separate dog guard and luggage cover beams.
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Just as night follows day, the wagon version of a new car follows the saloon. But an A4 Avant is more than just an estate car. It's a brand in itself. I remember the launch of the A4 B6 Avant in Manchester.
Good: Stunning looks and a good amount of equipment as standard. Excellent boot space by cabrio standards.
Bad: Nose-heavy feel robs it of agility in corners. You won't find a cheap one secondhand.
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Good: More emphasis on handling, comfort and refinement than pre-facelift model. Very classy image.
Bad: Windows are prone to rattle.
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The striking body, complete with Audi’s corporate barbeque grille, is a four seater rather than a 2+2, but though it has a commodious 455-litre boot (with fold down rear seat backrests), it doesn’t offer as much legroom, headroom or general rear seat comfort as the current BMW 3-Series coupe.
Good: Striking design, large boot and nicely balanced road manners.
Bad: The rear isn't as roomy or comfortable as a 3-Series Coupe's. Bottom of 'Which' 2009 new car reliability survey.
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Good: Good looking Audi cabrio replaced A4 cabrio with better balance from new drivetrain.
Bad: High number of faults and problems with early A5s suggests they were developed by the public. Should be sorted by 2009.
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Audi kept knocking out its 80-based four-seat Cabriolet long after the car on which it was based had been replaced. An enduringly handsome European car, it was favoured by the Princess of Wales, and liked for its quality build and style.
Audi A5 Sportback in Manchester combines style of a coupe, comfort of a saloon, and practicality of a station wagon. The Sportback joins the Coupé and Cabriolet as the third member of the A5 model family – and at the same time creates a new segment. The A5 Sportback will arrive at UK Audi Centres in October 2009. OTR prices will start from £27,140 for the 2.0 TDI SE version.
Good: Nice styling and high quality, well-planned cabin. Strong engines. Max five-star crash test rating. Quattros fast and safe.
Bad: Centre rear seat and legroom too small for adults. Some problems with 2.0 TDI engines. V8 drinks fuel.
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Good: Good looks, classy cabin and comparatively inexpensive to run.
Bad: Handling safe but lacklustre. Modest crash test rating.
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The big news about Multitronic for company car drivers in Manchester is that it is the one type of autobox that does not increase fuel consumption or CO2 output. And that means much smaller Benefit in Kind tax bills from April 2002. Read on to learn more in the following article.
With fuel prices going crazy again and with 225bhp under the bonnet, the reasonably priced 3.0TDI quattro is the obvious car to start with. It's powerful, refined and comfortable, grips and handles well, has steering wheel paddle shifters for the gears, can do 33mpg combined, and sounds wonderful.
Good: Beautiful, practical stationwagon. Best and most practical with 3.0V6 TDI engine.
Bad: Back seat not comfortable for three across.
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