New Car time

[limoncello]

its getting time for a new car, my 2005 d3 has been exceptional, and apart from a few bits and pieces its been fantasticly reliable. slight delay in changing as some little corso has just rear ended me and im waiting on the insurance repair being done.

was happy when insurance man said dont worry we will give you a like for like car while its being repaired, was less happy when it turned out their like for like is a BMW 530.

but what to get next, the D4 seems obvious, but, ive seen conflicting reports on how big the boot is, the boot is quite important to me and the 4 to 5 trips a year to france involve a full load, so

is the boot a lot smaller than the D3 which is 500L
Ive seen loads of threads with happy D4 owners so im guessing the ride will have improved no end since my 2005 model, and i have no complaints with the ride on mine. whats the feeling on D4's now you have owned it for a while, the D3s always seemed to have various electrical issues, is there anything similar on the D4

only other issue is the minefield of finding one with the myriad of options, not too worried about B&O but what are the must haves. though this issue seems to be the same for audi and bmw. only the Jag Xj seems to have gone for a very easy method of getting everything options wise

[Architex_mA8tey]

From what I can gather the "Facelifted" D4 has more boot space than the original models, it seems that Audi made the decision to try and redress the issue due to negative feedback. On the earlier D4's they had taken the opportunity to put all of the controls for rear passengers into the armrest in the centre and then use space that used to exist in the boot behind the rear seats to put all the control gear and electrics. I would be interested to see a definitive measurement of D3 standard boot depth and height vs D4 original vs D4 facelift to know for sure.

I find it incredible that in a large car that can carry up to 5 people they chose to put all of the rear controls on the armrest which then has to be folded away if the centre seat is needed. . . . . Duhhhhh

[Johnmed]

Hi. I don't have any real experience of the D4, but I think I read the earlier boots were smaller than the later models (guess Audi relocated some electrics or something in the later D4s).

Regarding the ride, I'm not a massive fan of the D3's at slow speed, at speed I think the ride is great. From what I've heard from D4 owners the ride is pretty much the same as the D3. It's no magic carpet ride like the Mercs tend to have.

Someone with more experience than me will be along soon I'm sure.

[limoncello]

what year would the larger booted facelift model be, from what i have read the smaller boot model is 335 L againsta 500 in the D3, i couldnt make do with that

and likewise if the facelift is 2014+ i probably cant afford it

[Johnmed]

Originally Posted by limoncello

what year would the larger booted facelift model be, from what i have read the smaller boot model is 335 L againsta 500 in the D3, i couldnt make do with that

and likewise if the facelift is 2014+ i probably cant afford it

335?! Wow. They really reduced it by about 30%?

[limoncello]

yes if thats correct theresno way i would be able to live with it, its pretty pathetic for a large car, the xj has 520L the S Class 560 Litre not that i fancy driving around in a holiday inn

[paulrstaylor]

Take a look at the D4 brochures I posted here...... http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/showthread.php?t=11030

In summary 335 litres is correct, for the hybrid model only

The D4 is a different shape to the D3 boot, it is not as "long" but is wider as the electronics have been moved from inside the rear quarters to behind the rear seats.

The 2010 D4 has 510 litres of space, is that actually bigger than a D3?

In the "facelift" 2014+ cars they moved things around a bit, pushing up to 520 litres. However the EU6 diesels loose a bit of space at only 490 litres, as they have an ad-blue tank in the rear quarter.

Having driven a D3 and various D4s over the last 12 months (along with a couple of A7s and A6 Avants), the A8's are not much between them in boot space!

The D4 is a huge step forwards from the D3, but it can be very spec dependant. Have a read of the brochures, decide what you want and what you "need" and then look for a car to suit. High spec cars tend to sell in 24 hours, low spec can sit for months.

[Architex_mA8tey]

Ah yes one of our drivers had a hybrid to try while his D3 was in being serviced and it's got a higher boot floor due to the batteries being under the boot. It was so lacking that we couldn't get 2 peoples luggage in the boot and had to put one large case on the front seat instead!

[paulrstaylor]

Yeah - I don't know how many Hybrid's they sold - but moral of the story is to avoid them!!!!

[limoncello]

well that sounds a lot more positive, if the 2010+ have 500+L i would be happy with that, will take a look at the brochures and see what the must haves are