Audi cars

MERCEDES has started taking orders for the forthcoming 355bhp A 45 AMG hot hatchback.With prices for the compact four-wheel drive machine starting at £37,845 on the road, the A 45 AMG sits in a class of one following the end of production for BMW’s 1M and Audi’s RS 3.Although the newest AMG is the first four-cylinder car …

AUDI IS trialling a system to allow drivers to pay for parking automatically, cutting out the need to take and retain tickets or chip coins.Using its own employee base as guinea pigs for the scheme, up to 13,000 people in Audi’s home town of Ingolstadt will have access to the scheme.It is being run in conjunction with the …

AUDI HAS pulled the plug on the electric R8 e-tron project after it failed to reach targets for range and cost.The move is the highest-profile failure yet for electric car technology, which is at present hampered by weight, price, insufficient single-charge range or all three.At around €1 million per car to build, the e-tron …

AUDI MOTORSPORT has opened its doors just a crack and let slip an insight into how the drivers the company chooses have made the brand so dominant in endurance racing.As the Le Mans 24-hour race approaches, long-standing Head of Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich has explained in an Audi-hosted interview that putting personal …

BEING left of the main field sometimes has its advantages. While BMW, Mercedes and Audi play safe with their respective designs, Lexus has increasingly chosen to offer a more radical choice when it comes to looks and general aesthetics.This is most apparent with the Japanese car maker’s latest, third generation IS. Pitched …

THE SMALL car, large engine concept is nothing new - think hot hatches if you need reminding. However, with the increasing affordability of diesel power, a high performance oil-burner in a compact body can be more than enough in the real world for even the keenest of drivers.A case in point is Audi's A3 with the firm's …

ENGINES – A big car demands a big engine and Audi doesn’t fail to deliver with the A8. The large capacity petrol motors are sublime but in the real world the diesel options are a fraction more economical and no less powerful. Smaller capacity units also exist, which makes A8 ownership that bit more affordable if you’re …

A HASTILY grabbed few miles behind the wheel of a car is never going to reveal much about its character or how it might fit into your life. After a few months and many miles it's clear that Audi's latest generation A3 is a considerable improvement over its predecessor.In 2.0-litre diesel guise my car is, admittedly, at …

THERE'S a power struggle going on but it’s not taking place in the boardroom; it’s happening in the engine rooms of premium German estate cars. One of Audi’s key rivals has already taken the latest shot at become the top dog, but now the Ingolstadt firm has struck back with its RS6 Avant.You don’t need an elephant’s memory …

IN ONLY a few short years the rate of progress in the in-car entertainment world has gone from glacial to supersonic. The main driving force has been Apple’s iPod and iPhone. For an increasing number of people, the ability to connect such devices to their cars has been an important part of the ownership experience.And it’s …

IT'S ONLY after spending some quality time with a car can you appreciate the decisions made by the designers and engineers. For example, as the miles mount up the A3's cabin is starting to feel less like the stark environment it was when I first set eyes on it.You can tell when a manufacturer is trying too hard to impress …

ENGINES – As is often the case, the more recent the car the more engine options available for it. The good news is that there isn’t a duff motor in the A3 line-up, and you only need to decide between petrol and diesel – the latter if you do lots of miles, the former if you don’t and want a quieter driving experience. The …

THE R8 has been the figurehead of the Audi range since it first rolled into town in 2006 and it's been working wonders for the brand ever since. In that time it's had its roof cut off, a bigger engine stuffed in it and in GT form pumped up and pared back even further. Not many cars could go so long effectively unmolested …

FOR all its bold and glossy advertising, Audi's latest A3 is, well, conservatively styled. Yes, you are looking at the new-for-2012 car. If there's one thing Audi does well it's know its customers. The decision to opt for a visually safe design has more to do with boosting customer confidence than the designers being on …

THE OCTAVIA is the mainstay of Skoda’s global operation making up around 40% of the company’s sales, so a new one is just about the most important thing to happen in any four-year product cycle.The new car’s looks are much changed. It looks a lot like an oversized Rapid, but the tell-tale difference is the pair of body-coloured …

AUDI made a big impact in this sector with the original A3, which started life as a three-door only model but the added practicality of the Sportback model really pushed it out to a wider audience. And over each generation it has raised the stakes in terms of cabin quality and driving dynamics to continue to set the benchmark. …

AUDI has of late prided itself on pouring technology into its cars, but not all of it has been to the benefit of the driving experience. Surely, then, the new RS 5 Cabriolet is a chance to put things right.An electric folding soft-top roof separates it from its coupe brother, bringing the open sky to bear in 15 seconds …

IT'S BEEN just as hard as I had imagined. On the day the A1 was due to go back I treated it to its most expensive clean yet, a positively decadent £35 mini-valet. As I watched the layers of grime being removed and the brilliant white shine coming through, I knew I was going to miss it - and they say modern cars are lacking …