Spec me an A3 replacement

I replaced my A3 with an F11 recently. It's RWD and I drove it in the snow/ice for the first time yesterday without any issues at all. Unless you live in the Lake District or on the Moors I doubt you need AWD, and if you do the fake AWD on an A3 probably won't help anyway.
 
andicole0 said:
It will however give 4wd feeling to a mainly fwd car
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Except it won't because haldex doesn't work like that - haldex is reactive, in that it detects under-rotation of the front wheels and then diverts power to the rear wheels.
In contrast to "proper" Quattro on the bigger Audis (like your A6) or your Subaru which generally is either 40:60 or 50:50 front/rear, but can still transfer the majority (or all on newer models) of power to either access if there is a loss of grip.
 
Antony101 said:
...and if you do the fake AWD on an A3 probably won't help anyway.
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This is total nonsense.

Having owned a Leon Cupra 4 and an S3, both with 'fake AWD', I can guarantee you, AWD is absolutely brilliant in the snow, 'fake' or otherwise. And I don't mean a light dusting of snow. I mean Norwegian mountain snow.
AWD > 2WD in snow and that's a fact. Yes, RWD/FWD is fine as long as you have good winter tyres, but for climbing snowy slopes and high-speed stability, nothing beats 4WD.
 
Ok so let's just assume I know what I want rather than need. Some sort of 4 wheel drive is on the list of requirements, now get with the program people.
For reference I have been driving for about 45 years, I have trophies from RAC rallies and autotests and obviously held the appropriate competition licenses.
I am not looking for opinions on other peoples driving abilities just whether there are potential alternatives to A3/Q2 quattro.
Andi.
As an aside 4wd helps where I live due to small lanes with wet biggy edges and lots of mud. The ability to get extra drive is essential unless you want to be a ****** and just wait on the tarmac for other drivers to sort the congestion out.
 
If conditions are actually that bad, then winter tyres are still more useful than 4 wheel drive. 4 Wheel drive doesn't help you under braking, whether "fake" haldex or any other drive system.

Seems that you've decided you want a Quattro A3, and just looking for everyone else to pat you on the back and say "good choice" - so you may as well just go ahead with that.
 
Give it a rest guys because you are not winning the argument. Having to pull over a on small lane with the left side wheels on a very muddy edge can easily lead to the driven wheel just spinning. A LSD or traction control might help but 4wd even part time 4wd will make things a lot less problematic. It means I can be more adventurous in my attempts to get out of the eay of other road users.
Andi.
 
mjt said:
This is total nonsense.

Having owned a Leon Cupra 4 and an S3, both with 'fake AWD', I can guarantee you, AWD is absolutely brilliant in the snow, 'fake' or otherwise. And I don't mean a light dusting of snow. I mean Norwegian mountain snow.
AWD > 2WD in snow and that's a fact. Yes, RWD/FWD is fine as long as you have good winter tyres, but for climbing snowy slopes and high-speed stability, nothing beats 4WD.
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If I was going to be driving in those conditions a lot, I'd have a scoobie instead of an Audi though :P
 
It makes me laugh when people say they need 4WD due to where they live. Then you find out their neighbour has a vauxhall corsa and manages just fine.
 
sanaxe1 said:
It makes me laugh when people say they need 4WD due to where they live. Then you find out their neighbour has a vauxhall corsa and manages just fine.
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It isn't a matter of managing it's a matter of being prepared. I had a friend at university with a Hillman Imp. Drove from Edinburgh to Swansea, got through some snow in mid Wales and was stopped by Police and told the road he had come down was closed. Decent drivers can cope under most conditions being sensible, but having an extra tool on your toolkit can never be dismissed.
Andi.
 
Doesn't need to be a high end one. They all have AWD and are all pretty good "off-road" (well, except for the BRZ which is rwd). Very durable systems too.
 
mjt said:
This is total nonsense.

Having owned a Leon Cupra 4 and an S3, both with 'fake AWD', I can guarantee you, AWD is absolutely brilliant in the snow, 'fake' or otherwise. And I don't mean a light dusting of snow. I mean Norwegian mountain snow.
AWD > 2WD in snow and that's a fact. Yes, RWD/FWD is fine as long as you have good winter tyres, but for climbing snowy slopes and high-speed stability, nothing beats 4WD.
Click to expand...

I don't think the OP is based out of Bergen
 
TBH I have had AWD, FWD, RWD and the problem in bad (I mean ice/snow completely covering the road) weather always boils down to stopping! AWD makes little diff to this.
Saying that though, AWD does give you the ability to drive closer to normal in bad conditions but not to the point its properly properly slippery, but you already know this.

So, did you miss my X1/X3 xdrive suggestion amongst the "you dont need AWD" posts?
 
I am fully aware of driving conditions like snow frost water gravel mud etc etc.
Will pop down to local Subaru in a mo as they're within walking distance even out here in the sticks.
Also yes need to look at X1 beamed x drive.
Andi.
 
One consideration was for 2 cars, an M3/4 and a small 4x4. So not so silly suggestions.
Other option could be an Isuzu pickup and whatever is cheapest in the UK new.
Andi.
 
Seriously though. Consider a Skoda Yeti for something more SUV shaped or a Skoda Octavia 4x4 for a more traditional car.

I have an Octavia SE-L and it's very impressive. Coming from a small SUV it's a delight to have a bigger car that can handle so much better than a boaty SUV
 
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