The new Audi A5 Coupe. Want one. In fact, I want one so much that I went down to Maidstone Audi this afternoon (which almost burnt down on Thursday) and ordered one. It's not out till August but they have a left hand drive version in the showroom. I was hooked immediately. It will be my tenth Audi. I cannot imagine why anyone would ever buy a BMW. And before anyone says anything, it is 34 g/km greener than my current car! Sorry, but I wouldn't be seen dead in a Prius.Saturday, May 26, 2007
Vorsprung Durch Technik Strikes for the Tenth Time
The new Audi A5 Coupe. Want one. In fact, I want one so much that I went down to Maidstone Audi this afternoon (which almost burnt down on Thursday) and ordered one. It's not out till August but they have a left hand drive version in the showroom. I was hooked immediately. It will be my tenth Audi. I cannot imagine why anyone would ever buy a BMW. And before anyone says anything, it is 34 g/km greener than my current car! Sorry, but I wouldn't be seen dead in a Prius.
I always feel pious in my Prius...
ReplyDeleteYou should have asked us to help you choose a new car! What are you replacing?
ReplyDeletePersonally a new C - class or BMW 335 would have been the choice.
On cars I need no help! I currently drive an Audi Cabriolet. I nearly got rid of it earlier in the year and got a new Cabriolet but then I discoverede they are being replaced in 2008. So I thought i would wait for the coupe.
ReplyDeleteI hate BMWs. I had a Merc C Class once and hated it. I was also ripped off by Mercedes so it will be a cold day in hell before I ever get another one!
I've had Audi A6 Avants since they first came out. Great cars - last forever and Audi seem to develop a style which is both consistent and fresh.
ReplyDeleteVote Blue, go Gre.........y???
ReplyDeleteNah, I bought a dark blue one! Stunning colour.
ReplyDeleteStunning removes brain function. Perhaps not a problem with deep blue? :-)
ReplyDeleteYou might not be seen dead in a Prius, but you could well be seen dead under one (they're so quiet that they can run you over before you know they're there).
ReplyDeleteI would never buy another product of the VW-Audi group since I've had bad experiences of the dealer network when I owned a Passat - a great car, but a bugger to maintain. On the other hand I've never had a car easier to maintain than my Prius (the simplest DIY oil change ever).
And How do you justify travelling at 155mph when the limit is 70mph?
ReplyDeleteYour boast is akin to a Chav bragging about his 12inch blade. You are both potential Law Breakers.
Just the sort of brainless rubbish I'd expect from an anonymous leftie.
ReplyDeleteAnd where exactly did I say I'd go 155mph?
Isn't it a shame I have banned myself from swearing? Otherwise I;d have called you a ******* ****.
Go back to your 2CV!
Totally agree with you about the A5 Iain, I want one too.
ReplyDeleteRe your 8.25pm
ReplyDeleteI ain't no anonymous leftie I am an anonymous Conservative mostly of the right bent.
And what is more I would not be seen dead in a French car.
The point being, why are you salivating over a mechanical machine that you can not legally put to its full potential in this country and most others?
So now nu/old lab can complain about al beeb bias in allowing you totally dominate all the newspaper reviews and Audi for letting you get to the front of the queue for the car, without having a seminar on car buying and allowing some poor asylum seeking get first dibs on it (paid for by a dodgy family tax credit)
ReplyDeleteIt will be my tenth Audi.
ReplyDeleteCan't you buy a car 'built to last' ?
Anonymous 8.53 Er, excuse me, where did I salivate? You seem to have a problem with cars full stop. I don;t have to drive a car to its full potential to enjoy it. All cars are capable of doing well over the legal speed limit. There's no law that says you have to drive them that fast.
ReplyDeleteIf
ReplyDeleteWant one. In fact, I want one so much that I went down to Maidstone Audi this afternoon (which almost burnt fown on Thursday) and ordered one. It's not out till August but they have a left hand drive version in the showroom. I was hooked immediately.
Ain't salivation the I don't know what is.
Well, ok, a slight bit possibly :)
ReplyDeleteA car is a car ,you still have to get past the idiot who's doing 20mph in front of you ,when you get past him ,you still have another idiot doing 20 mph and on and on.
ReplyDeleteOh how I love Audi. I have a Q7 myself, and have no time for the BMW X5 - far too blingtastic.
ReplyDeleteWell it does seem to be in German Racing Silver. Is it a Horch, a DKW, an NSU or an Auto Union? Have the Bosch sorted out which end the driven wheels should be? The Peoples Wagon folks (chap called Porshe was he?)said the rear and the Audi 100LS of 1972 chappies said front! And anything driving four wheels is the antichrist of 2007 - G Whiz! Best I keep my 1970's english motor for ever!
ReplyDeleteI hate BMWs. I had a Merc C Class once and hated it. I was also ripped off by Mercedes so it will be a cold day in hell before I ever get another one!
ReplyDeleteWell I like 'em. My first Merc was a 190D 2.5 20 years ago, and since then I've had a 300T estate, an SLK 2.3 Kompressor, an SL280 (still got that), a C230K and my current squeeze, an ML 350. It will keep up with anything sensible, it has an enormous carrying capacity and it copes with the Nottingham road humps like they weren't there. Love it, and (second-hand) it's amazing value.
I've no prejudice against Audis though, but I can't see myself in a BMW. Too chavvy by far.
This dialog is reminiscent of Jerewmy Clarkson talking politics!
ReplyDeleteIain!!!! WHERE DID YOU GET THAT TIE?????? Ron Pain??
ReplyDeletePurleeze choose something a little quieter as befits a Sunday morning, wont you! Annabel
My next car will be a Citroen C4.
ReplyDeleteIf only i could get rid of the Pug 106....
Do you think Jeremy Clarkson will be describing the A5 as a "bit gay"?
ReplyDelete(Sorry, just felt I had to mention this.....)
Yours cheekily,
Annabel at 12.11. It's Duchamp, retail prive £70. My partner found it on ebay for £32! Lovely, isn;t it?!
ReplyDeleteDon't know what is about Audi drivers round my way - as a species they seem to struggle to do anything other than 50mph. Result being that in the national speed limit country lanes, you pull away from them as you put your foot down but then come the 30mph areas they catch up and are crawling all over your bumper. If I had an old wreck there'd be a temptation to brake suddenly. Not as bad as Beamer drivers though, who are up your arse even when you're doing *ahem* mph.
ReplyDeleteJust think Iain - if you'd saved up a bit rather than buying quite so many Audis, you could have a genuinely special car like an Aston.
ReplyDeleteYou certainly are on GMTV Iain, and very interesting you are too. By the way, did I miss a reference on here about the fact that you owned an Audi that was pre-owned by Princess Di?
ReplyDeleteI'm with Rush is Right. I like 'em too and would not now have anything else. Comfortable, reliable, go for ever...
ReplyDeleteI was once told that an Audi was "a poor man's Mercedes". Can that be right?
Before the nazification of these once freeish islands the speed limit was arrived at by averageing the speed at which drivers actually drove. At 90% of the average speed during normal road conditions.
ReplyDeleteSpeed limits are now set for political and money raising considerations.
Money raising; so that the government can carry on inflating an otherwise dead econemy.
Political; well lets put it this way.
Remember the good old days when socialist politicians used to sell their dirty corrupt crazy human being hateing ideology by promissing equal wealth instead of equal poverty?
Well at least I suppose we should be gratefull that they are at least being a tiny bit more honest these days.
We should know however that our elitist socialist politicians of the future will not be travelling by roller skate or peddle cycle or 2cv anywhere populated too often.
Because the worlds future prolls, will shoot them all without much bullet proof glass and armor plating to protect their masters worthless robbing lying hides.
Which are heavy requirements not even slightly compatable with pedle-power or trainer-power or most of all 2cv-power.
Iain, rather smart of you to get into Nazi authoritarian mode slightly ahead of time. You are obviously a man getting ready for our countries Neo Stalinist one party Orwellian destiny.
Hope you will comment on this story on the news review about MPs expenses:
ReplyDeletewww.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article1845199.ece
Anon 2.19
ReplyDeleteGood point, I now let any boy (or girl) racer get past me as quickly as possible, so they can have their accident elsewhere, and I don't have to watch the other poor sods they hit get bashed to smithereens.
Have you thought of just turning on your sidelights when they're halfway up your exhaust pipe? They sometimes look like brake lights!
In any case, the average speed of a car in Tunbridge Wells and Maidstone is 0.00007 mph, so the drivers fume almost as much as the cars do!
It seems fatuous to buy an Audi just to have it carry your briefcase while you cycle in front
ReplyDeleteMy advice is get a large powerfull motor-cycle.
ReplyDeleteNot just for the obvious advantages of lower fuel bills tax bills parking bills and congestion charge payments. Or indeed far far far less frustration all round and far shorter and reliable journey times.
The main advantage is that when you get too old or stupid to ride the thing saftly you will very likely fall off with a good chance of dieing the first time you do it.
Which negates the need for a pension or a wife to look after you when you cant wipe your own arse properly anymore.
Which as your pension has been robbed of any usefull worth by our beloved chancellor, the NHS is buggered big time and getting married has now become about the most silly thing a young man could possibly do with his entire exsistance, it is just as well.
Its not too late, I am 47 now and only started 9 years ago. I currently consider riding a motor-cycle to have been one if not the best decision I have ever made.
My BMW 7 series is only usefull for shopping and hiding the gap in the driveway. I will not be replacing it when the wheels fall off and one of the things my wife is still usefull for is doing the shopping all by herself in her own 4 wheeled nightmare.
Just wondering which older, more "experienced" hands you had in mind when you talked this morning about the shadow-cabinet reshuffle?
ReplyDeleteGet on yr' bike Iain
ReplyDeleteAfter all you would look loverly in lycra!!
My other car's a 4WD Honda lawnmower...!
ReplyDeleteAudi, Schmaudi. In Norfolk realo men drive trucks.
ReplyDeletegay gay gay
ReplyDeleteI went into Audi NW3 to discuss the potential merits if their RS models.
Unfortunately after ten minutes no one had approached me (after requesting some assistance) and the salesman were evidently attempting to imitate premiership footballers by discussing "bling" and pimp rolling up and down the showroom!
Audis are very very definitely the poor mans BMW. Sorry Iain.
I made my excuses (to no one in particular) and left.
I bought a horrible BMW instead, just to spite them. And myslef.
Good for you, Iain, you've earned the car you love. I'm considering a pious Prius - or even a Smart car for business use, would you believe - for the sake of our dwindling natural resources, for business kudos with certain large, environmentally aware clients and because I'm sick of paying so much tax.
ReplyDeleteMark Clarke - if you read this - piousness aside, how does your Prius perform?
I may get an A5 next March, when my A6 is a year old - I think they look great - like compact Astons. They will have to bring out a tip' version though, I'm not going back to manual. So it's an auto diesel or nothing.
ReplyDeleteHave you ordered GSM mobile prep with yours Iain? If so, be very sure to check if Audi have the requisite cradle for your phone. They are hopelessly out of date in this regard and I have had to go on eBay and order a Nokia 6310i - a dinosaur in mobile terms - as Audi don't support new Nokias. I will be posting the list of currently supported phones on the VW/Audi forum in the week, under "Gary64".
I'm also regretting economising on the full MMI and Voice Recognition, although I don't know whether they can be retrofitted.
This whole thread reminds me that if you pluck the Rs out of @Tory Boys' you get Toy Boys!
ReplyDelete( for whom throbbin and pumpin power on for wheels will probably be best observed being administered mechanically by indonesian nurses in their wheelchairs in the private care homes they're heading for).
Amazing Toad, I have ordered an Automatic. the dealership reckons they will be 2 months behind the manual but they don't really know. According to one website I looked at yesterday it may only be a month.
ReplyDeleteYes, I did order the Bluetooth facility. I have a Blackberry. I am sure they won't have a cradle for that. Halfords do though! Let me know if it is on your list!
I must admit I have gone a bit overboard on the gadgets and extras, but hey, you only live once.
Have you actually seen the car yet? It is far better looking in reality than in pictures, particularly the back end, which is very Aston Martin.
The LED daytime lights at the front are excellent too.
Tim, I suggested David Trimble and Ken Clarke.
ReplyDeleteCars could apparently be removed under the proposed new anti-terror law which would give police the power to stop and question identity and movements. This would remove the requirement that police must have a "reasonable suspicion" that crime has been committed before they can stop people. Sunday Times claims that Tony McNulty has advised Blair that "stop and question" measures would be 'very useful UK wide'.
ReplyDeleteSuch measures have so far been used only in Northern Ireland and Hain is warning that this could alienate whole communities. Nick Clegg has accused the government of seeking a police state and warns that this could increase the problem of radicalisation.
Another charter for Walter Wolfgang style abuse?
BBC's Have Your Say has published a comment calling the government fascist for this "stop and question" proposal and it's the second most recomended post.
ReplyDeleteNow that's what you call "educashun, educashun. educashun". Although Blair and noolabour have wised up the people of UK in a way they certainly did not intend.
So why aren't the Conservatives opposing this disgraceful proposal?
Audi's have long been known as cars for posers who don't like driving. They look good but have the worst dynamics in almost every class - the previous Audi TT being the most egregrious example. It looks great - if a bit gay - but handles like a shopping trolley.
ReplyDeleteMercedes are for people who want a mobile lounge and who don't really want to go round corners in a hurry - or for brand snobs. I'm with Iain on the C series though: it isn't luxurious; it doesn't say your rich and it still doesn't do corners.
BMW's are known in the U.S. as 'sports saloons', the saloons that is. They're for people who don't care about brand image (in fact they're awful on this as most people think BMW drivers are tossers) and people who buy BMWs to pose in are IMHO idiots. They're also for those who don't care about edgy, inelegant looks (even before Bangle). Instead they are for people who really enjoy driving.
Oyster Card and a pair of trainers for me.
ReplyDeleteSad to see infantilism has spread to this blog. First West Ham drivel and now car worship.
ReplyDeleteWhat next: "Why I like Beckham's latest tattoo", "What do you think of Paris Hilton's new handbag?" ad nauseum
It looks a beaut, Iain.
ReplyDeleteAudi has long made handsome cars. Sensible but rarely dull. Your Audi should "love you long time" and so is very environmentally friendly. The Audi appears to also have timeless, non-faddy styling.
In a few years somebody is going to get a great secondhand deal ;-)
Hmm...this blogging lark must be quite lucrative. If Audi's are poor mens BMW's then surely VW's are poor mens Audi's (or so a car salesman trying to sell me one implied).
ReplyDeleteI really can't connect with this obsession over cars. They're a means of transport, a metal box on four wheels that usually depreciates like a stone and costs an arm and a leg to run and maintain. On top of that, especially on our overcrowded UK roads, you can rarely drive the thing in the way in which the advertisers would have us all believe. So why bother with something that's theoretically capable of 120+ mph? I just don't get it....
ReplyDeleteP.S. My last car was a 15 year old Ford Sierra. That probably tells you all you need to know... :-)
I have driven BMWs for more than twenty years. (My aunt used to have an Audi - the accelerator pedal fell off, but that was some years ago.) BMWs are smooth, efficient and reliable.
ReplyDeleteMy other car is the train. That's the most efficient form of long-haul travelling.
Anonymous 8.53...
ReplyDeleteI ain't no anonymous leftie I am an anonymous Conservative mostly of the right bent.
Iain I always find it amusing that
whenever an anonymous poster questions anything you say he/she is invariably branded a 'leftie'. Incidentally I'm not either.
""What do you think of Paris Hilton's new handbag?"
ReplyDeletewe already have the Alan Duncan thread!
Iain - I must have missed the part where you names names. But I like those choices! Can't help thinking that you might be trying to tempt me into something by suggesting those two, though... :0)
ReplyDeleteIain - as you said, you only live once. Don't you find it a little boring to buy the same marque ten times and don't you sometimes wonder whether you might be missing out - which other cars, if any, did you consider?
ReplyDeletePeter, I have strayed on occasions - I had a Mercedes once, a Volvo, a Rover, but I always go back to Audis. I did think about an Audi Q7 but it is a bit like driving a bus.
ReplyDelete'I did think about an Audi Q7 but it is a bit like driving a bus.'
ReplyDeleteAnd it is named because it uses slightly less than the entire oil production of Q8.
Responses on this thread so far seem to accept the assumption that a Prius (or other hybrid, such as Cameron's Lexus) are genuinely 'greener' than non-hybrids. Yes, they use less petrol in urban conditions -- but more outside town, where they become simply petrol cars loaded with hundreds of kilos of batteries and electric motors. Their overall energy use is high, once you factor in the much higher energy cost of manufacturing these complicated things, and producing the extra materials required for their gadgets.
There was a study published a few months ago claiming that the most ecologically sound car, in terms of its lifetime energy requirement, was a Jeep Wrangler with a 4 litre V8 engine; its heavy fuel consumption was more than offset by its mechanical simplicity and the cheapness of making it, and that most of the parts had remained unchanged for decades and were shared by many other models.
It may have been an exaggeration. But I have never seen a deatiled, independent survery of the total lifetime cost of various cars, and would like to.
Meanwhile, the rational choice looks something like a secondhand diesel Fiesta.
BMW are cars for people who like driving!? Pull the other one Scary Biscuits. If you like driving you get an Aston, a Noble or an Alfa, or less practically something timeless like a Morgan or a Caterham. Even a Porsche 911, with all the unfortunate poser associations, with give you a more fun driving experience than a BMW.
ReplyDeleteDidn't you tell me before that you didn't get paid as much as I thought you did?
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine that we'll find many nurses driving A5s. Surely if you can afford one of these you could afford to donate a days pay to the nurses Iain.
BMW is German for a flat-chested woman
ReplyDelete"Surely if you can afford one of these you could afford to donate a days pay to the nurses Iain."
ReplyDeleteWhy???
Iain Dale's rabbit. Nurses drive 2CVs but they cant post about them, I tried, Iain wont let that sort of post through!! No wonder women dont bother posting on this blog overmuch. Annabel.
ReplyDeleteAnnabel, for the umpteenth time, I have NEVER censored a post from you. I do wish you would stoptrying to suggest I have.
ReplyDeletePoop Poop!
ReplyDelete