Check out these proud Audi owners as they show off their vehicles

Take a look at this special on a new 2012 Audi A4 Premium Plus Sedan

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Audi's A6 and A7, the first siblings to NOT have a rivalry

For 2012, Audi’s given its mid-size car customers two attractive alternatives.

For those who like Audi’s understated Teutonic appeal, the new A6 sedan will give them the classic German sedan — a car that never looks bad, but also never steps into the limelight. Or if beauty rocks your world, Audi offers what is perhaps its best-looking car design for a long time — the A7, a five-door sedan that looks like a stunning coupe.

Even if they’re not Audi fans, most people like the looks of the A7. It’s simply designed correctly, and that means its emotional appeal depends on nothing but its own aesthetics. This indefinable quality happens rarely, but in this case, Audi has a car that would meet even an Italian’s artistic sensibilities.

While beauty is in the eye of the beholder, good design requires that all this prettiness does its job effectively, too. The Audi A7 meets this criterion. The stylish looks of a coupe let people enter and sit with the efficiency of a reasonably spacious sedan. Yes, the roofline is low in back, but not so much so as to interfere with most people’s comfort. The rear doors are wide enough to make entering and exiting easy and dignified, something impossible with any true coupe.

TheA7 is the next evolution of Audi design. There’s a commonality with the A6 face, but the A7 stretches two inches longer at 195.6 inches, two inches wider at 84.2 inches and it’s 55.9 inches high. So the A7 is longer, wider and lower, which is why it’s so elegant.

Other than their looks, the A7 and the A6 offer the same capabilities, except the A6 offers a four-cylinder engine as its standard engine. The A7 only comes with the 3.0-liter supercharged V6 engine.

Both vehicles share the same interior look — a modern, yet spare design. When I first got into the car, I was less than impressed with its simplicity. But the interior works so well that soon I became an admirer of the seats as well as the appearance of the instrument panel. I like Audi’s new Google Earth-based navigation system, which can overlay a satellite image on the map. I don’t know what real value it has, but it’s certainly cool.

You also get Wi-Fi connectivity that allows up to eight devices to access the Internet. The cars come with nice audio systems — either the standard 14-speaker, 630-watt Bose system or the optional 15-speaker, 1,300-watt Bang & Olufsen, which produces truly excellent music. Although it uses Bluetooth streaming, it almost seems like a waste to use it, given the limited bandwidth Bluetooth has and the level of technical quality of the signal.

Both of the Audis tested were powered by the supercharged 3.0-liter V6 engine, which generates 310 hp. and 325 lb.-ft. of peak torque. That power flows through an eight-speed transmission to all four wheels using Audi’s Quattro.

This all-wheel drive system uses an asymmetric rear-biased torque distribution of 40 percent in front and 60 percent of the power in the rear.

In the A6, the standard engine is the small 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbocharged front-wheel-drive with Audi’s continuously variable transmission. This engine generates 211 hp. and 258 lb.-ft. of peak torque.

Audi says this should get 24 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway. With the V6 engine, the mileage expectations change to 19 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway. These numbers aren’t too bad for cars of this size and this class. And after all, if you’re spending more than $60,000 for a car, your concern about the cost of gasoline is probably theoretical.

These are both quite comfortable cars to drive. They’re stable, with decent electronic suspension assists for safety and comfort. The interior is quiet, even under hard acceleration. They both have good manners. In fact, that’s a good definition of these cars: they’re sophisticated and well behaved, and you become sure they’d never do anything embarrassingly impolite.

These cars are siblings, with the more similarities than differences, except when it comes to looks. Even then, there’s no sibling rivalry. The A6 is sensible looking; the A7 is a real stunner.

 

courtesy of heritage.com

Tip of the Day: Fix small windshield chips

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Got a rock chip, crack, or ding in your windshield? Bring your car to a windshield repair shop. For far less cost than replacing the windshield, they can fix chips and cracks, even quite long ones. The repairs not only keep the chips and cracks from spreading and restore structural integrity, they also improve clarity.

 

courtesy of rd.com

The new A3, an unmistakable presence on the road

Is it time to upgrade your Audi? Audi is offering up to $3,000 towards the lease or purchase of a new Audi if you are the current owner or lessee of a 2001 or newer Audi

Click HERE to check out our inventory

The TT Coupe turns heads

With the passing of the legendary RS4 sedan a couple of years ago, Audi enthusiasts were left with the rather pricey R8 supercar to satisfy their uber need for speed. Thankfully the engineers at Audi HQ felt their sadness and waved the RS wand over the compact TT model. Debatably labeled a “chick” car early on, the TT Coupe was blessed with a sleek shape and a great chassis to use as a platform for a hyper-sports car. If the 2012 TT RS Coupe is a chick car, it’s Xena the Warrior Princess and she can kick some serious … let’s just keep it polite and say that the competition has been warned.

Design:

The two-door TT Coupe and Roadster (convertible) caused a stir when they first hit the road back in 1998 with big curves and a sleek design. The profile seemed like one unbroken line that came up the grille, along the hood, over the roof and down the short backside. There wasn’t one extra line or unneeded detail, something that Audi has become famous for. Clean designs straight from design school.

It was this first generation TT that was perhaps the cause of the “chick” moniker because although the design was beautiful, it was also non-aggressive and benign. Jump forward to 2012 and the TT RS, Audi’s high-performance badge, and things have changed.

The front fascia has been blessed with large air vents and LED festooned Bi-xenon adaptive headlight clusters that are similar to the R8. The huge egg crate grille opening is now a familiar feature with the subtle TT RS badge proudly joining the four interlocked chrome rings of Audi.

The side profile of the TT has remained relatively untouched with its hood and cockpit silhouette but it is more aerodynamic and purposeful in its third generation. The dramatically sloping roofline is still there, but the movable rear wing has been replaced by a fixed unit on the RS models. The unpainted carbon fibre sideview mirrors sit high on pedestals much like a race car to give the best view rearward as possible considering the limitations due to the low roofline and tall wing.

The rear fascia is as simple as can be with oddly non-LED taillights and dual exhaust pipes tipped with oval chrome outlets.

The cockpit of the TT RS is much like the exterior, all business yet very pleasing to the eye. The instruments are complete yet minimal and, above all else, practical. Gauges are large and circular making them easy to read at a glance. The centre stack is topped by three chrome rimed air vents, another signature of Audi.

Brushed aluminum is the characteristic choice of Audi and it complements the fat-rimmed, leather wrapped D-shaped steering wheel, console and door panels very nicely.

The front seats are covered in Napa leather and give excellent support for a car with such high cornering capabilities. The rear bucket seats look good but legroom is at a premium and headroom is virtually non-existent.

Performance:

I will describe the performance in two ways; by the numbers and specifications first, and then by the sensations experienced in the last paragraphs of this review.

The 2012 TT RS is has 360 horsepower, which means it’s fast. The high torque over a wide range of engine speeds means it launches hard from a standing start and pulls forever while pushing you back in your seat. The TT RS Coupé rockets from 0-100 km/h 4.6 seconds with manual transmission, 4.3 seconds with the seven-speed S Tronic automatic gearbox.

The test car was equipped with the slick shifting six-speed and going up and down through the close-ratio gears was always a pleasure. The clutch was form and very positive but I was used to it within minutes.

The TT RS Coupé boasts a power-to-weight ratio of only 4.3 kilograms per horsepower thanks to the ultra-lightweight bodies made of aluminum at the front and sheet steel at the rear.

The Audi TT RS rolls on 19-inch wheels; four-piston callipers and cross-drilled brake discs provide the stopping power up front. The sport suspension lowers the vehicle body by 10 millimetres, and the Audi magnetic ride adaptive damping system is available as an option.

Naturally all this power is fed to all four wheels through Audi’s famous quattro all-wheel drive.

Driving/utility:

There’s a magical “S” button on the centre console. Press it and the TT RS goes into its highest performance mode. The throttle response is more pronounced and responsive, the Audi Magnetic Ride firms up for even better handling and sharper feel from the speed-sensitive steering and the exhaust system opens a flap in the left exhaust tailpipe reducing back pressure and allows the TT RS to sing a very seductive song. Needless to say I couldn’t stop myself from pushing the S button every time I drove the car.

The TT RS is a driver’s car. Ingress and egress is not easy due to the high door sills that give the chassis incredible strength and rigidity for superior handling. The view out the side and rear windows is compromised because of the low roof, but besides these two compromises to function, the beautiful form of the Audi TT RS and its remarkable performance levels are for a true driving enthusiast.

2012 Audi TT RS Coupé

Price: $67,000; $75,850 (as tested plus freight and taxes)

Engine: turbocharged & inter-cooled 2.5L I5

Power: 360 horsepower, 341 lb-ft of torque

Fuel economy: 12.6 litres per 100 km (city), 6.8 litres per 100 km (highway)

Transmission: six-speed manual

Seats: Four

 

 

 

courtesy of montrealgazette.com

 

Tip of the Day: Lighten the load on your keychain

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Does your car key share a chain with a dozen or more other keys? That’s a pretty heavy load hanging off the car key when it’s in the ignition.  The weight, combined with bouncing while you drive, can wear out the tumblers inside the ignition and eventually lead to ignition switch failure.  To add years of service to your ignition switch, purchase a lightweight key chain that allows you to separate your ignition key from the others.  Drive with only the ignition key in your ignition. If your ignition key “sticks” when you try to turn on the car, it’s a warning that your ignition switch is about to fail.  Replace it before you get stranded.

 

courtesy of rd.com

The new Audi A6 bi-turbo diesel