April 2014:
New to Audi after driving VW Gtis for the last 10 years - family needs necessitated an estate car. This one was a "steal" - imported to New Zealand from Japan with 98,000kms on the clock. Would have preferred the 2.0T quattro but this one was such good price that I couldn't resist.
First step - changed the abysmal factory 225/55/R16 wheels to the S-line 245/40/R18 with Falken ZE912 tyres; this dramatically improved the handling without compromising the ride comfort too much.
Pretty overwhelmed by the amount of push buttons & dials the Audi MMI system necessitates - these can be very distracting to a driver when first getting to know your way around. Audi could take a cue here from the 1 dial BMW iDrive system - or have the VAG engineers not seen classic iPods yet?!
The car is really enjoyable to drive, the multitronic CVT gearbox so far very smooth, if a bit strange with a rubber band sling launch like feel, with imperceptible gear shifts around town. The car does 100kph at about 1600rpm in 8th gear. In S mode it becomes more aggressive, revving eagerly and pulling strong with no turbo lag and quite a nice deep bubbly note from the twin tail pipe. In the city the car feels large and quite heavy but does a good job of overtaking on the open road + one can do 700kms+ on a full tank. Thanks to the long wheel base it corners really well with very little body roll once you get used to the rather passive steering feel. The only strange thing about the multitronic transmission is that it is rather slow to wake up pulling away at the traffic lights - you can't just put your foot down but ease it forward first and then push harder for fast acceleration.
The quality of interior is high with comfortable, electrically adjustable seats and that fantastic adjustable lumbar support for us tall people with bad backs. One feels really well insulated from outside noise even though there is quite a bit of road noise - which might be due to both the 18" wheels and New Zealand's rough chip sealed road surfaces.
Problems so far:
The water pump and two ignition coils failed in the first week, something I have read are typical Audi weaknesses? The dealer replaced the water pump, all 4 coil packs + new sparkplugs at no charge. The engine is chain driven so no need for a new cambelt. Also included in the deal was a 3-year comprehensive mechanical insurance.
May 2014 edit:
Had the car professionally remapped - a standard not aggressive mode - now just over 200hp & 320nm (previously 160/250) - overall a much better driving experience with higher torque right across the rev range without any noticeable fuel consumption rise. Overtaking now a real breeze.
The MMI 3G system still very annoying - why does one need two separate dials/buttons of different size, spaced far apart to select track, play/pause & volume from a connected ipod??

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