How neat is this?

[Ari]

On my first Audi A3 (circa 1997) the instruments were very "hooded" so the car was set up with the instrument lighting always on, this way the instruments were always clearly legible even in slightly darker areas such as where trees hang across the road making it a little darker.

On my second Audi A3 (circa 2000) the instrument lights only came on with the car lights. I suspect this was due to fwits driving with their lights off thinking they were on cos the car instrument lights were on regardless.

However in my A4 cabriolet (circa 2003) the instrument lights are on during the day (so in slightly darker areas the instruments are always clearly legible) however when it is nighttime they do not come on unless the car lights are on.

There must be a photocell somewhere that tells it whether it is light or dark outside, and switches the instrument lights on with the car lights off in daylight so the instruments are easy to see, but turns them off at night so you don't think your car lights are on just cos your instrument lights are on.

How neat a detail is that!?

[s4dreamer]

And some people complain about the "cost" of an Audi.

Factor in that neat trick (which I hadn't noticed on mine), the interior lights which come on when you open the door or remove your key from the ignition, the solid "clunk" of the door shutting and a myriad of other simple touches like this, and that's what makes an Audi special.

Of course, many of us have little niggles about our car (or, in Dean's case the "Friday afternoon job"), but imagine how many more niggles you'd have if you drove a Mundaneo or Feckedtra. They're cheaper, but there's a good reason for that

[Ari]

I remember reading something about it in the handbook when I first got the car, but only really noticed it coming back from Newquay on Sunday evening where there was a section of road that was tree lined on both sides. Very clever attention to detail, as you say it is things like that that make you feel they are worth the extra.

[sidicks]

My sister always used to luagh at me for saying that the Audi plastics were of a much higher quality than on other cars - she couldn't see the point, and on the face of it, paying extra for better quality plastic does sound a bit daft.

When you own an Audi and then drive something else it's that sort of attention to detail that you really miss.

If the cabriolet realy does have a photo-sensitive cell then that is very clever indeed.

sidicks

[Graham]

the thing that impressed my frieds was the fact(it dont take much to impress my friends seeing as most of them have old ford fezzes) was the plastic trim above the glove box and along the window is textured so it do not look like plastic.

[richyboy]

Everyone who gets in my A3 says how good quality the interior is, and how the doors 'shut'...dont think I could go back to a Ford or a Vauxhall..

[thorkild]

funny thing about the doors though. i personally love the weight of them and the sound they make when you shut them, but my girlfriend always used to say the door was trying to kill her when it tried to shut by itself because she didnt use enough power when opening it. she implied the car was jealous of her.. and all because she was used to the flimsy doors on a micra.

everyone speaks of the good quality interior in their audis, and it is top notch compared to one of my mates car , a 330Ci, which looks nothing like it costs nearly £40K....so it's not only ford and vauxhall who have some lessons to learn from audi