Just bought an A3 (....for the wife). Anyone else notice a few annoying issues?

[JonnyThrice]

A couple weeks ago, we got a brand new A3 2.0t Prestige S-Line. Almost convinced her to get an S3, but the dealer didnt have any nicely optioned ones. Besides, I think the 2.0 is plenty quick!

Anyway, after about a month of owning it, as much as I love it, I have noticed a few annoying issues with the car. Like whats up with this tiny rearview mirror? Is it a joke, or are they serious? And the window controls on the armrest are set so far back, I have to squish my arm backward to use them. The driving position is a bit odd....I'm not tall, but I feel like I'm sitting far away from the wheel, my head just right around the B-pillar. And I dunno if its turbo lag or the throttle tip-in, but taking off from a start is a bit laggy.

Other than these small things, I love this car! And now I' jealous of my wife! I try to "steal" it from her as many times as possible

[piaadoll]

I feel the same! I picked up the same car as you.

I can't find a perfect seating position (I'm 5.1) and I've had the car since October. My b6 a4 fits me better, but I"m trying to get used to the a3.

I'm experiencing lugging at 35-40 mph which forces me to use the paddles. When I do, it drops me to 4th gear. Does that mean when at 35 mph i'm on 5th gear? Very Strange. Which reminds me, I will call the dealer.

[Vondo89]

I've also had my A3 for a little over a month now. I'm 6'2 so I also have my seat as far back as possible so my head is near the pillar also. Can lean my head on in if I wanted lol. Also makes me have to pull the steering wheel out as far as possible. When driving in D instead of S (sport mode) the car does shift verify quickly to which is to save gas simply save. Keeps the rpm's down and throttle open less so we are in 5th possibly at 35 mph. From what I've been reading its not turbo lag that makes taking off from the line slow but the throttle response and at this point only a tune can help that. I've seen in the past the manufacturer has come with an upgrade to fix that but i'm sure at this point it is much too soon.

[drober30]

From what I've been reading its not turbo lag that makes taking off from the line slow but the throttle response and at this point only a tune can help that. I've seen in the past the manufacturer has come with an upgrade to fix that but i'm sure at this point it is much too soon.

I've been reading that too but how could a manufacture even release a car that has hesitation on take off?

[Audibot]

While I don't have an A3, Vondo89 has the up and up. From what I have read, the delay in throttle input is supposed to be resolved via a ECU update. This was experienced on some of the RS6/7s, and people complained that the S6/7 felt quicker off the line than the RS. No idea when that would be coming though. I'm sure enough complaints would generate faster action.

With respect to being in 5th at 35 mph, as someone said, that is a fuel-saving option. My B7 does the same thing if it's low load, and it ANNOYS the heck out of me. Now, if you really romp on it, it'll stop doing that as it adapts to your driving habits.

[JonnyThrice]

Yeah it doesnt feel like turbo lag, it feels like a delay in response. Even in S mode its still there. My Volvo S60, which I thought had the worlds laziest transmission, feels quicker off the line!

[MileMan402]

While I don't have an A3, Vondo89 has the up and up. From what I have read, the delay in throttle input is supposed to be resolved via a ECU update. This was experienced on some of the RS6/7s, and people complained that the S6/7 felt quicker off the line than the RS. No idea when that would be coming though. I'm sure enough complaints would generate faster action.

I haven't heard that about the RS's, but the S's had a TSB to improve some of the TCU responsiveness. Go watch some episodes of Top Gear - now you know why Jeremy always complains about flappy paddle gearboxes for casual driving. They're continually improving the technology and TCU, but it's hard to eliminate all the low speed clunkiness. Go jump in a car with a manual twin clutch and see how you do...

[GramCracker]

And I dunno if its turbo lag or the throttle tip-in, but taking off from a start is a bit laggy.

That's not "turbo lag." That's simply the car being at a low enough RPM range where the turbocharger hasn't built up enough pressure, boost doesn't really come on until 2k to 2.5k.

Turbo lag is when you're under full boost and WOT, let off the throttle completely, then mash it again. That time it takes for full boost to come on again is turbo lag.

[Spoonie]

I'm able to see the entire rear glass with the "Tiny" rearview mirror. Isn't that what the rear view mirror is supposed to do? I have no issues with it. A larger mirror would look like an eyesore and I'm still not sure if it would be more effective.

[JonnyThrice]

Really? Thats the first thing both my wife and I noticed when we test drove the car. The rear view is small and oval shaped, and does not show the entire rear glass. Any car I've driven previous to this one had a rectangular mirror, that matches the shape of the rear glass.

It's not a huge issue, but it is strange compared to pretty much every other car I've driven.

[prudemonkey]

I agree with the seating position (I am only 5' 6") can't find the perfect spot, but even if I did, my wife would move the seat anyway since there is no memory seat option. I feel the pedals are too close, causing me to move the seat back further and pulling the wheel closer to me. The window controls are annoyingly set back, but I know they wont really get used all that much.

On the lag issue - we test drove 2 A3's before purchasing, and both had the delay from takeoff. Had us nervous. Surprisingly, our brand new model was delivered and BOOM there is no delay - press the pedal and it goes - so it has to be a programming issue that may have been corrected.

[Jokergod2000]

I just don't drive my wife's car. Problem solved lol

[BassMiesterNJ]

No issues for me with the rear view mirror size. IMO it shows you the entire small back window. FYI the rear head rest were not all the way down in my A3 when I took it home for the first time. Obviously, lowering the rear head rest all the way down made a difference in sight lines out the back.

I mentioned in another thread that the drivers seat fits me like a glove. I'm 5'7 and rarely touch the seat settings.

[drober30]

I agree with the seating position (I am only 5' 6") can't find the perfect spot, but even if I did, my wife would move the seat anyway since there is no memory seat option. I feel the pedals are too close, causing me to move the seat back further and pulling the wheel closer to me. The window controls are annoyingly set back, but I know they wont really get used all that much.

On the lag issue - we test drove 2 A3's before purchasing, and both had the delay from takeoff. Had us nervous. Surprisingly, our brand new model was delivered and BOOM there is no delay - press the pedal and it goes - so it has to be a programming issue that may have been corrected.

This is great news and I hope its true! I noticed he lag on my very first test drive of an A3 and thereafter. My car should arrive soon so I will report on this.

[CRL77]

I've had my A3 2.0 Prestige since mid-June. As others have said, it's not turbo lag you're experiencing, it's throttle response. It can be overcome with your Drive Select settings. If you're in "Comfort", the transmission's main goal is to get into as high a gear as possible, for gas mileage. That is why you're in 5th at 35mph.

I have mine set to Individual...and I've changed Eng/Xmission to "Auto" and Steering to "Dynamic" (I'm not a fan of the "dead" feel you get in the wheel in Comfort). And no complaints.

The mirror can be angled to view the entire rear window. But if more than one person drives the car, you're going to lose your "sweet spot" on that.

I DO however, fully agree with the window switch issue on the armrest, and I'll add one more that has been complained about by almost every reviewer of the car as well:

The cupholders are not adequate for anything bigger than the average medium drink. My large iced coffees from DD bump my HVAC buttons if I am not careful.

[GramCracker]

The cupholders are not adequate for anything bigger than the average medium drink. My large iced coffees from DD bump my HVAC buttons if I am not careful.

Zis iz a German kar. It iz for driving, not for ze drinking of Lahhge Amerikan soft drinks. Ya?

[CRL77]

Zis iz a German kar. It iz for driving, not for ze drinking of Lahhge Amerikan soft drinks. Ya?

I'm sure it fits a venti chai organic free range vegan soy mocha latte just fine.....but I'm not that kind of guy.

[Pearso02]

I picked up my s3 yesterday (its awesome), but, the damn seat belt sensor starts chiming when I put my cell phone in the passenger seat. MY CELL PHONE.

[volnedan]

Wow I'm glad this thread exists. I finally test drove an A3 2.0T today and made the same complaint to the salesperson about the throttle lag. I didn't have the chance to drive 1.8T model as well, so I wasn't sure if this was specific to powertrain, transmission, or throttle response. However, once I put it in S mode and got on the gas, it really jumped and had me surprised! My current car is 2014 Infinit Q50, and I felt the same amount of *oomph* from the A3, albeit with the ~0.5sec lag off the line.

The only other complaint I had from the test drive was lack of sun visor extension. Seriously I am still in awe that there is no extender for the sun visor. Blows my mind.

Either way, the A3 is still in my top 3 for next car purchase.

[BlackAudiS4]

+1 on the window switch location on the door. I also have to contort my arm to lower the window when I drive the wife's car. The rearview mirror, I got used to it. The throttle response, I thought that was because of the transmission type on the A3s? My Q5 2.0T doesn't have that at all, same engine right? But I believe the A3s have the DSG while the Q5s have a regular transmission?

Annoying this on the A3 is that the side view mirror doesn't tilt down in reverse

[piaadoll]

I've had my A3 2.0 Prestige since mid-June. As others have said, it's not turbo lag you're experiencing, it's throttle response. It can be overcome with your Drive Select settings. If you're in "Comfort", the transmission's main goal is to get into as high a gear as possible, for gas mileage. That is why you're in 5th at 35mph.

I have mine set to Individual...and I've changed Eng/Xmission to "Auto" and Steering to "Dynamic" (I'm not a fan of the "dead" feel you get in the wheel in Comfort). And no complaints.

I have my car set to individual as well. Auto for Eng/xmission and Dynamic for the streering. Comfort just feels so "lazy". I don't feel the lag off the line, but I find the lugging really annoying at 35 to 40 mph. I can even feel the vibration in the steering wheel. I tried both settings at dynamic and the rpms stay too high for too long. I'm just looking for a happy medium. I figure I'm oing to keep driving the car til my 5K maintenance then bring the issue up to service. Hopefully, they have a program fix by then.

Rear view mirror doesn't really bother me. I think I got used to it.

Just got the car tinted this past weekend. I think I love this little car even more. Just can't wait to lower it. The sport suspension is just not enough for me. :)

[CRL77]

well, I'm probably not the best car to compare to, since I went ahead and got the APR reflash. Not so much throttle lag anymore, but there's still the low-RPM lack of spooling in the turbo. Until Audi gives us all the electric-hybrid style turbos that have constant pressure, it's just the nature of the beast.

My only advice on that is to keep your foot lightly on the gas, enough to keep you around 1500 RPM or so at all times (if safe to do), so that the light tap you give it to jump up into the power band (starting as others have said at ~2K RPM) isn't as far to go. OR....slap your shifter to the side and manage the shifting yourself.....

Still, very minor stuff. Love my A3 so far. Already have 11,000 on it......good thing I'm not on a lease.

[MosFed]

What do you have? A slab a of concrete for a phone?