Category: Audi

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Audi

Would you buy a new S3 if it was under $60K?

2013 Audi S3 Sportback

The new 8V Audi S3 Sportback is not too far away from finding its way to Australia. Officially, Audi has told us to expect a mid-60s starting price, but we’ve now heard from two different sources that the manufacturer’s list pricing for the S3 will be under $60,000 (either $59,900 or $59,990).

With stiff competition from the BMW M135i ($68,900 see below) and the Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG ($74,900) the S3 probably needs to trump them on price to compensate for its lack of power; Australian spec S3s will have 206kW/380Nm, down 29kW/70Nm against the M135i and 59kW/70Nm compared with the A45 AMG.

Both the M135i and A45 AMG are reasonably well specced so Audi can’t just start low only to leave buyers to tick so many options boxes that any savings are lost.

Let’s assume, then, that the S3 will come with a similar level of standard equipment as its German rivals, at around $9,000 $3,500 less than the Bimmer and $15,000 less than the Merc, would you be interested?

Note: BMW has dropped list pricing of the M135i to $64,900. No wonder we’re reading word of the S3 being priced from less than $60,000, Audi Australia has no choice. Mk7 Golf R pricing will be very interesting.

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Audi BMW Mercedes-Benz

Audi S3 v BMW M135i v Mercedes A45 AMG

Audi S3 v BMW M135i v Mercedes A45 AMG

This is what we want to read; a comparison between the three hottest hatches currently on offer from the triumvirate of German masters. Thankfully, George Kacher has put his keyboard to work on behalf of Automobile magazine:

George Kacher on the S3: The Audi goes around bends like a slot-car racer with a second pin between the rear wheels. Neutrality is the name of its game. So is it boring? Wrong term. The S3 rewards its driver with a different potpourri of talents. The roadholding is so tenacious that the Continental Sportcontact tires (225/40 R18 all round) might have harbored hidden Velcro strap fragments. The steering, overly light and a little mute, nonetheless turns honing the line into a surprisingly entertaining pastime.

George Kacher on the M135i: There is more roll and pitch and dive than we expected from a 1-series model wearing the M badge. On the other hand, grip is astounding in the dry, traction is only an issue when you ask for it by switching off ESP, and the stability through very quick uneven corners is supported by the nicely compliant spring and damper setting. So, full marks for ride quality, panache and refinement, but only 3.5 stars out of five for absolute sportiness and driver involvement.

George Kacher on the A45 AMG: The engine delivers notable extra urge with real authority, the steering fuses input and feedback to a wonderfully three-dimensional level of control, four-wheel drive distributes torque with the eerie professionalism of a poker ace dealing his rounds, and the brakes bite with vigor and determination until, at the foot of the pass, smoke signals beg for mercy. The A45 AMG is as chuckable as it is sure-footed. It can corner on three wheels, decelerate at a ridiculous yaw angle, put the power down even earlier than the Audi. What it cannot do is ride well, period. Not even on smooth blacktop.

Based on what we’ve been reading, the S3 will only find buyers in Australia due to being cheaper than the other two (and only marginally), the A45 AMG will be the one everybody wants and some of the gloss of the M135i seems to have faded in the presence of serious competition.

Although, it is worth remembering the margins being discussed in reviews such as this are often so minor as to conclude that all three cars will reward their owners well beyond the initial novelty period. It’s just that they’ll do it slightly differently. We think it’s fantastic to see so much choice in the premium hot hatch segment. A shame it’s taken so long.

Follow the source link below to read the full review.

[Source: Automobile | Thanks to Richard for the tip]

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Audi

Audi cedes power to BMW and Mercedes

2013 Audi S3 Sportback

Audi S3: 206kW/380Nm
BMW M135i: 235kW/450Nm
Mercedes A45 AMG: 265kW/450Nm

Hang on a minute, doesn’t the new S3 have 221kW? Well, yes it does, but as with the outgoing 8P model, not all of its kilowatts are deemed suitable for Australia’s “hot” climate. So, when the 8V S3 Sportback arrives in Australia in December it will have a peak power figure of 206kW, down 15kW on its overseas tune.

We feared this would happen, but when we were given an official pricing tip from Audi Australia back in April the peak figure of 221kW was quoted. Great, we thought, the might of the Volkswagen Group has worked out how to overcome this rather quaint set of circumstances. Is the Australian climate is so vastly different to southern Europe, for example, that it warrants a different tune? Apparently so.

“There will be a lower power output just for hot weather countries,” confirmed Audi Australia spokesperson Shaun Cleary. “The power output will be 206kW while the European car has 221kW.”

Understanding that local buyers will need some reassurance, Cleary added, “The torque is the same and the acceleration is the same to 100 km/h, which is 5.1 seconds.”

In contrast, hot hatch buyers shopping at BMW and Mercedes-Benz dealerships will get the full complement of power on offer from their respective S3 competitors.

On paper, the S3 is fighting a losing battle against its German rivals. Where it once had the premium hot hatch segment to itself in Australia, the S3  can now ill-afford to cede further ground in a market place that is more competitive than it has ever been.

The S3 is expected to undercut the M135i and A45 AMG on price, for Audi’s sake let’s hope they can stuff the S3 chock full of standard kit.

[Source: SMH]

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Audi Toyota WEC

Audi wins 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans

Audi R18 etron, 24 Hours of Le Mans 2013

In a drama filled race Audi stood atop the podium for the twelfth time after winning the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans on the weekend. The #2 R18 e-tron quattro (Loïc Duval, Tom Kristensen, Allan McNish) completed 348 laps, one more than the #8 Toyota TS030 Hybrid (Anthony Davidson, Sébastien Buemi, Stéphane Sarrazin), with the #3 Audi (Lucas di Grassi, Marc Gené, Oliver Jarvis) claiming third place, just under two minutes behind the Toyota.

Of course, the 81st running of the classic endurance race will be remembered for the sad passing of Danish driver Allan Simonsen, who was killed after crashing his Aston Martin V8 Vantage on the fourth lap of the race.

Throughout the whole race inclement weather and accidents ensured the field spent more time behind the Safety Car than organisers and fans would like. Indeed, a record amount of time was spent under full course yellows—11 periods adding up to more than five hours.

Toyota put up a strong fight and had enviable reliability. While the winning #2 Audi ran faultlessly, too, concerns were raised in the Audi garage after the pole sitting #1 R18 suffered alternator problems and lost several laps while it was repaired. Around the same time the #3 car picked up a puncture following minor contact with a slower car. Unfortunately Oliver Jarvis, who was driving at the time, had to travel almost an entire lap on the damaged tyre and the lost time added up to a two-lap deficit.

Up to that point the three Audis were jostling for positions on the podium. The #1 R18 was never able to rejoin the fight for victory and finished fifth, 10 laps down. The #3 Audi fought back well from its earlier problems to put pressure on the #7 Toyota, which succumbed when Nicolas Lapierre slid off the track in slippery conditions with an hour to go.

A special note of acknowledgement for Tom Kristensen as well, who notched up a record ninth Le Mans victory. It was the third win for Allan McNish and the first for Loïc Duval.

The LMP2 category was won by the #35 Oak Racing Morgan-Nissan. While Porsche took out both the GTE Pro and Am classes. The factory-backed Manthey team 991 911 RSRs finished first and second in GTE Pro, with the customer IMSA Performance Matmut team winning the GTE Am category.

So, we move on to 2014, hopefully learning from the death of Allan Simonsen, where the closeness of the barrier to a large tree may have contributed to his death. And we look forward to increased competition for Audi when Toyota will be joined by Porsche in the chase for LMP1 glory.

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Audi Safety Issues Skoda Volkswagen

Audi, Skoda to join Australian DSG recall

Audi A1

The news just keeps getting worse for the Volkswagen Group with word that Audi and Skoda will be joining Volkswagen Australia in the voluntary recall to remedy problems with the 7-speed DSG (DQ200) transmission.

Nothing official has yet to emerge from the PR departments of Audi or Skoda but it is understood over 6200 A1 and A3 vehicles, as well as around 1750 Octavia and Superb models will be included in the recall. As with Volkswagen, the date range for the affected vehicles falls between 2008–2011.

That takes the total number of Australian sold vehicles to be included in the voluntary recall well beyond 30,000. That’s gonna take some time to work through!

[Source: Go Auto]

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Audi Holden Vauxhall

Germany v Australia

Audi RS4 v Vauxhall VXR8

Steve Sutcliffe from Autocar brings us a clash of cultures with a great V8 estate debate. It’s the Audi RS4 versus the Vauxhall (nee Holden) VXR8. Germany v Australia. David v Goliath.

We love fast wagons here at AUSmotive and, really, who doesn’t love a V8! Which would you choose?

[Thanks to John for the tip]

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Audi

2013 Audi A3 Sportback – Australian pricing & specs

2013 Audi A3 Sportback

Audi Australia has just launched the A3 Sportback to the local market. It’s the third generation to arrive on our shores and for the first time is available in a five-door model only.

At launch there are four engine options available. The entry level Attraction specification can be bought with either a 90kW/200Nm 1.4 TFSI from $35,600 or a 77kW/250Nm 1.6 TDI starting at $36,500.

The upper-level Ambition spec also offers the choice between petrol and diesel power, with the 132kW/250Nm 1.8 TFSI or the 110kW/320Nm 2.0 TDI. Both are priced from $42,500.

All come standard with S tronic transmissions, 6-speed in the 2.0 TDI and 7-speed in the rest of the range. A 6-speed manual transmission is available by special order.

The new 8V model A3 may look a lot like its 8P predecessor but it is an all-new model that is slightly larger and quite a bit lighter—up to 85kg depending on the specification.

A full list of specifications and options pricing can be read after the break, complemented by a gallery of over 40 photos and access to the the full Audi Australia A3 Sportback press kit.

Buyers wanting to indulge in the 221kW/380Nm S3 Sportback quattro will have to wait until December. The all-new S3 sedan will follow early next year. Audi says we should expect S3 pricing to start in the mid $60K bracket.

An A3 Cabriolet and plug-in hybrid A3 e-tron will also join the range in the future.

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Aston Martin Audi BMW Mercedes-Benz Motorsports Porsche

2013 Nürburgring 24 hour race in pictures

Porsche at the 2013 Nurburgring 24 hour race

If you didn’t follow the 2013 Nürburgring 24 hour race over at AUSringers on Monday here’s your chance to catch up, pictorially at least. After the break you’ll find a huge gallery of photos with thanks to Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche.

In the end, thanks to heavy rain and fog during the night session the race was red flagged. Around nine hours were lost in total, and while that was a shame, the race still provided all the drama and excitement you would expect from a 24 hour race around the Green Hell.

For the record the #9 Black Falcon Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 won the race. At the wheel was Bernd Schneider, Jeroen Bleekemolen, Sean Edwards and Nicki Thiim. Amazingly it was the first ever Nürburgring 24 hour race win for Mercedes-Benz and Bernd Schneider. Indeed, after several attempts it was the first time that Schneider had finished the race.

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Audi Nissan Porsche Video

Chris Harris and the element of surprise

Chris Harris is a lucky bastard

Here’s your latest Chris Harris fix. Today he’s at the wheel of the highly desirable Audi R8 V10 Plus, the equally wantable 997 Porsche 911 Turbo S and giant killing Nissan GT-R that’s been warmed over by Litchfield.

He tracks the cars around Anglesey, down the Bruntingthorpe drag strip and on the road. Whatever order you think these cars will be ranked at the end of this comparison, think again. Most of all have fun watching the verdict being reached.

Although, the results of the flat out drag race will probably be exactly what you expect to see. And, wow!

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Audi Motorsports Toyota

Audi displays strength ahead of Le Mans

2013 6 Hours of Spa

Audi claimed a formation 1-2-3 finish at the 6 Hours of Spa on the weekend, in the last WEC race before the 24 Hours of Le Mans (22–23 June). However, the dominant result doesn’t give us the whole picture.

While the Audis appear to have greater one-lap pace, in race trim the updated 2013-spec #7 Toyota TS030 showed its hand by capitalising on a puncture to the #1 Audi to lead the race for quite some time. Unfortunately for Toyota the car was forced to retire in the fourth hour due to a failure with the energy recovery system, resulting in overheating brakes. The 2012-spec #8 TS030 finished fourth behind the three Audis.

It was the #1 R18 e-tron quattro of Marcel Fässler/André Lotterer/Benoît Treluyer which took the chequered flag with a lead of more than one minute over the #2 car. The #3 R18 with the ‘long-tail’ body finished third in its first competitive outing.

Full race reports from Audi and Toyota can be viewed after the break.

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Audi

Audi SQ5 TDI – Australian pricing & specs

Audi SQ5 TDI

The world’s fastest diesel-powered SUV, that’s what Audi Australia is calling the new SQ5. And with a list price of $89,400 it won’t even break the bank. Relatively speaking, that is.

So let’s look at the performance of this SQ5, then. It’s powered by a 3.0 litre V6 biturbo, coupled to an 8-speed tiptronic gearbox and quattro all-wheel drive system. Peak power is 230kW and is achieved at 3900–4500rpm. Being a diesel torque is king, you’ve got 650Nm to play with in the SQ5 from 1450–2800rpm.

The 100km/h dash can be done in 5.1 seconds, which, these days, is not really that impressive for an SUV with “world’s fastest diesel” in front of its name. In the real world, it is fast enough, of course. So too is the electronically limited 250km/h top speed.

At 1995kg the SQ5 isn’t going to be the nimblest mode of transport in the village, but we expect, up to a point, it will be a very capable device, sure to meet the demands of the vast majority of it owners.

Audi Australia has ensured the SQ5 hits the market with a pretty good level of goodies included in the standard asking price. To start with the go-fast SUV sits 30mm lower than its lesser Q5 stablemates and rides on standard 20″ alloys. Satellite navigation, fully electric front seats, rear reversing camera, tyre pressure monitor and a model-specific flat bottom steering wheel are standard fare. Although, you are expected to pay an extra $1050 if you want an alarm on your flash new SUV.

Naturally, there is a raft of options which Audi would dearly love you to tick. So much so the first 60 SQ5s to land in the country have been loaded with goodies and called the Launch Edition. Don’t get carried away thinking this is a freebie, though, you’ll need to cough up an extra $14,720—bringing your new SQ5 comfortably into the six-figure price bracket.

Extras packed into the Launch Edition—available in Glacier White, Ice Silver Metallic, Monsoon Grey and Panther Black—include 21″ alloys, Bang & Olufsen stereo with digital radio, front and rear heated seats, dynamic steering, adaptive headlights, high beam assist, carbon atlas inlays and that alarm system, plus more.

We reckon SQ5 looks pretty good too, as the photos waiting for you after the break show. There’s more detail from Audi Australia as well.

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Audi Motorsports

Audi R18 e-tron quattro ‘long-tail’ in full flight

Audi R18 e-tron quattro long-tail

Audi plans to defend its 2012 Le Mans crown with a long-tail version of its R18 e-tron quattro. To help prepare for Le Mans Audi will race one R18 ‘long-tail’ at the 6 Hours of Spa this weekend. And to prepare for Spa they took a ‘long-tail’ to Monza for high speed testing.

The R18 ‘long-tail’ isn’t necessarily chasing outright success at Spa, rather Audi says, “The comparison, however, is not focused on absolute lap times. Instead, the team will analyze the time differences to be expected between both models on individual track sectors. In addition, practical aspects of using the second body version will be reviewed and data generated for the fielding in the race at Le Mans.”

You can see unofficial video of the R18 ‘long-tail’ at Monza after the break. To further imitate the long straights of the famous La Sarthe circuit Audi ran at Monza without using the chicane at the end of the main straight, meaning the ‘long-tail’ could turn into the curva grande at full throttle. Entry speed has been estimated at around 340km/h. Plenty fast in other words!

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