There is one thing I'm kind of snobbish about and that my friends is cars. I blame my father and (Wheels24 for letting me
go on the Audi R8 test drive) cause it's always easier to blame someone else when you have a problem.
From an early age - let's put it around 2-years-old - my father decided that buying me toy cars every day seemed like a better option then buying me dolls, fluffy toys or typically girly toys was a great way to nurture your kid to like what you like.
So a couple of years later and - now my mom's daycare full of my old toy cars - Robyn has a slight weakness and love for things that go vroom. It's an expensive taste considering the wheels I tend to go gaga to, namely Audi, Porsche, Alfa, Maserati, Aston Martin and occasionally the Mercedes-Benz.
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| 2 hours of happiness |
My car of choice is the Audi. I'm the proud owner of an Audi A3 2.0 turbo-charged 6-speed Ambition (tiptronic), which I picked up at a great price when I returned from London at the beginning of the year.
Exterior of goodness
Carrying on with my favourite colour, she is a beautiful silver blue with standard mags carrying the 17-inch tyres. The side mirrors fold in should you park on a narrow street and are worried someone will take out your side mirror when misjudging the gap. She's also fitted with smash and grab on the windows
As a hatchback, her lines are really stylish and that's the one thing I've always loved about the Audi A3 range since they were launched many years ago. The in-your-face grill that starts on the front bumper upwards brings a menacing front to a very smooth ride.
The lights wrap around the front making the grill and the Audi's 4-rings carry off itself with a lot of elegance. The early boxier shape of the Audi A3 has been gone for a long time with the rounded and lengthier rear-end to make the 3-door more spacious then one would think including the boot which has fitted my goalkeeper kit and hockey stick bags to my golf clubs and extra Sea Rescue gear.
Interior
My driving area just works. Everything I need to reach whether it's the lights, move the side mirrors, change the radio, use the onboard computer system is right where I need it to be. A flick of the button off the one indicator, controls the settings for the onboard computer along with all the information I need is right in front and not being centred to the left of the wheel or on some small display above the radio.
Leather seats, rear-window visor, front and side airbags, traction control, electronic stabilasation program (ESP), cup holders, card holder, power steering, air-con, sound system of sheer pleasure, climate control for myself and my passengers to massive amounts of leg room in the back seat makes it a pleasure for me to take friends and family for road trips or Sunday drives.
What makes her tick
She's a turbocharged 6-speed automatic (tiptronic) where one minute she's leisurely cruising along the beachfront and the next she's kicked in to overtake on the N2. Within a matter of seconds it's pleasure cruising to sheer power and you can feel it under your seat, on the wheel and the noise from the engine.
When I feel like playing around, I tend to shift the drive to the tiptronic aka the sequential manual gearbox. Basically to move gears up and down you tap the gear lever, forward or backwards. This has been the fun part to really give her a go and play with her when cornering and having more grip - though sometimes higher revving - when taking her down to a lower gear. Judging the right moment to move up and down has also been totally different with my previous Opel Corsa (The Blue Bomber)
The basics:
0 - 100km/h - 6.9 seconds
Max power - 147 kw @ 5100 rev per min.
Max torque - 280 NM @ 1800 rev per min
Top speed - 230km/h (According to a few road tests)
Is she worth it?
If you're a fan of Audi, most definitely. There are other options out there including the BMW 1 series, which I found a very disappointing to the new Opel Astra (yet to experience) and definitely another one of my favourites; the Ford Focus and the Golf 6 are strong contenders in this price category.
Before I left 2-years ago, I said to a friend I would buy an Audi when I return. She thought I was joking. I returned and 2 weeks later she was sitting at my home and every time I get into the car, turn on the ignition and begin my journey... it's always with a smile on my face.
