New a6 made me appreciate the 8

[limoncello]

having dropped my car off at the dealers they gave me an A6 to run around in, i was quite pleased with this as i could have got anything, i thought with it being new and my a8 being 7 years old that the ride would be comparable in some way, im sure its a good car just that the ride wasnt what i'm used to

i had to go to warrington and on the stretch between manchester and warrington its quite a bumpy motorway, never really noticed that much in the 8, but felt actually physically sick in the 6. i was always mistified why they had put warning signs up , now i know

the sound system was obviosly bog standard, no bose so was quite terrible, as of course was the quality of the sat nav voice, very tinny and didnt sound like a quality bit of kit.

likes
the drls, button that lowers the glove box lid, seems to have a media player, DIS and screen were very bright, crystal clear and colorful , boot space seems quite large maybe even as big as the 8, lovely grey metalic paint, actually fits in sainsburys car parking spaces. quite liked the ignition key being in the middle away from swinging on my knee,

dislikes
disliked the ride, bit more of a plasticy feel in general, first day felt quite cramped inside , second day got used to it so a bit better, but is still cramped, the mmi controls seem to be very close and not in a good position to use them comfortably,it took some time to find a comfortable position partly becuase it was manual and the clutch seemed quite far away, my 2 year old had only one observation "no barney daddy" refereing to the lack of rear headrests, the front ashtray seems todisapear under the dash not the i use it anyway. had to raise my own boot lid and get my fingers dirty uggh

of course i probably shouldnt compare these 2 cars, and im sure the A6 is actually a great car, but my point is, having got used to mine you can easily forget just how nice it is to drive the 8.

i cant wait to get mine back

[gninnam]

Nice write up

What's your A8 in for??

[limoncello]

The battery drain problem on this thread http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2184

hopefully get it back monday

[Dezzy]

I've been thinking this of nearly everything i get in (the quality thing) and i'm running around in a beat up old D2!

[limoncello]

ive only been in gninnams d2 , and thought it was actually more comfortable than the d3, the seats were incredible,

wonder if they would be compatable to the d3

[Nollywood]

What a coincidence, limoncello. I'm also running a courtesy car from Audi, while they have a car in for some possible warranty work.

It's a 2012 A6 2,0 TDI S-Line, in Schwartz Metallic. Unlike yours though, it hasn't got an ignition lock anywhere, it's push-button start.

I quite like it though, the fascia looks kind of similar to that of the Q7, which is what I really want. This car is auto though, with paddle shift. It also has stop-start, which I don't like. It's unpleasant, when you stop at a roundabout, and it cuts out. The response when it starts up I would consider dangerous, often you have to stop again to allow traffic on your right get past.

Besides that, it's fine, I like the MMI and other control layout. And as a plus, despite being shorter than the D2, it has loads more legroom. I drive my S8 with the driver's seat fully rearwards, and sometimes feel like I need more.

[limoncello]

I like to sit quite far back too, it does have a lot of space in front but its a bit lost in the manual version as you have to come forward to negotiate the clutch, it then feels a bit cramped, you get used to it. i can see how an auto would feel better though,

also there was ony just room in the back to fit the 2 car seats , one of them butted up against the back of my seat, so it looks to me like the front legroom and boot were at the expense of rear legroom.

it must be very disconcerting to stop at a roundabout and have the engine stop on you , i dont like the ide of that at all

the boot was probably getting close to the a8s space, fitted 2 buggies in there quite easily.

started me wondering what the new D4 is like to drive, prices have dropped quite nicely (from a buyers perpective), you can now pick one up for just over 30K, will probably wait at least another year or so before changing but cant think what else i would change to other than another 8 with some of the options i missed out on.

[limoncello]

i guess its also only fair to add that i was impressed with the level of service at Leeds Audi since i have been quick to jump on the past when less than impressed.

they had people waiting outside for the arrival of those bringing their cars in, greet them by name having seen the reg numbers, and taking you to the desk to collect your coutesy car, very quick and painless. they are also washing the car before i get it back.

thought it best to say this now before they present the bill and i throw my toys out the pram again.

[Architex_mA8tey]

Originally Posted by limoncello

thought it best to say this now before they present the bill and i throw my toys out the pram again.

Lol do they give you toys as well then at Leeds Audi?

[limoncello]

ha ha

a tin of sweets actually