Audi? Umm no SEAT please....

[supersticky]

Why are Audi's deemed better than SEAT?
I've pottered around the VAG land for many many years yet find it hard to distinguish the difference between many VAG cars.
I've been asked a few times whilst out, why not a A3 as that's a fake Audi.
My response is mostly.... Find me a better looking Audi, VW and I may think about it .
Seat Leon MK1 TDI Cupra.

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[bruceR]

My thoughts exactly
I’ve had my mk1 FR TDI since new (Oct 2005) and still love driving it. It never seems to age shape-wise, unlike most other makes.

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[BadBoy03]

My thoughts exactly
I’ve had my mk1 FR TDI since new (Oct 2005) and still love driving it. It never seems to age shape-wise, unlike most other makes.

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Owned 3 mk1's & nothing better than seeing these on the roads!

 

[xyz]

Had two mk1s - a Cupra and Cupra R and both were good cars. Back then, the interior was a direct transplant but that’s changed over the years and I preferred its looks to the A3 of the time. I switched from a Cupra 280 to a Golf R and the interior on my R is streets ahead of the 280 plus I prefer the subtlety of my R. Pic of my old mk1 R below.

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[BigJase88]

Audi has a much more premium feel.

Open your SEAT boot and your looking at some crap arse grey felt that gets everything stuck in it.

Open the AUDI boot and you are adorned with lovely plush carpets.

The same goes throughout the rest of the car, AUDI has nice plush interior carpets and lovely mats. SEAT gets the old scabby carpets and crummy mats.

Other finishing touches in AUDI’s such as more soft touch plastics, greater sound deadening and nice brushed aluminium.

Also on the AUDI’s your more likely to get independant rear suspension whereas your equivalent SEAT gets a beam suspension on the rear.

AUDI’s are better but you pay more cash money.

I have also changed from a brand new at the time Leon Mk3 (2018) to an older Audi A3 (2014) and the Audi is by far the nicer car to drive (independant rear suspension) and the interior is miles ahead in terms of refinement.

 

[CalJames]

Audi has a much more premium feel.

Open your SEAT boot and your looking at some crap arse grey felt that gets everything stuck in it.

Open the AUDI boot and you are adorned with lovely plush carpets.

The same goes throughout the rest of the car, AUDI has nice plush interior carpets and lovely mats. SEAT gets the old scabby carpets and crummy mats.

Other finishing touches in AUDI’s such as more soft touch plastics, greater sound deadening and nice brushed aluminium.

Also on the AUDI’s your more likely to get independant rear suspension whereas your equivalent SEAT gets a beam suspension on the rear.

AUDI’s are better but you pay more cash money.

I have also changed from a brand new at the time Leon Mk3 (2018) to an older Audi A3 (2014) and the Audi is by far the nicer car to drive (independant rear suspension) and the interior is miles ahead in terms of refinement.

Can't agree with this.
Got given a 70 plate A3 as a courtesy car and it feels cheap. The doors have some nice soft plastics, but a lot of it is like a wheelie bin, the dash is the same. It's like they went over budget and to compensate added a bunch of awfully cheap plastics.
Not to mention the road noise which is far worse than our 2013 Fiesta.
£38K car with no heated seats.

 

[BigJase88]

Can't agree with this.
Got given a 70 plate A3 as a courtesy car and it feels cheap. The doors have some nice soft plastics, but a lot of it is like a wheelie bin, the dash is the same. It's like they went over budget and to compensate added a bunch of awfully cheap plastics.
Not to mention the road noise which is far worse than our 2013 Fiesta.
£38K car with no heated seats.

The new A3 has cut a few corners quality wise i believe from reports.

Just know whatever quality cuts the Audi has made Seat has also made them on the new generation

I cannot directly speak for the new Audi A3 as i have not experienced it for myself.

 

[xyz]

Can't agree with this.
Got given a 70 plate A3 as a courtesy car and it feels cheap. The doors have some nice soft plastics, but a lot of it is like a wheelie bin, the dash is the same. It's like they went over budget and to compensate added a bunch of awfully cheap plastics.
Not to mention the road noise which is far worse than our 2013 Fiesta.
£38K car with no heated seats.

That maybe true of new cars but never was of the older ones. I’ve got a Golf R but having seen the new mk8 R, my mk7 will be the first and last. Cheap plastics, cost cutting by removal of some parts, restricted colour choice, stupid touch sensitive buttons, more expensive options plus lack of body shell and gearbox choice. VAG are on a greedy profit hunt so my next car will be an 18 plate (pre gpf) RS3 or an AMG Merc. The C43AMG interior knocks spots off anything that VAG are doing at the moment.


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[jcbmally]

I agree with some of this. I have had 8V A/S3’s and yes the quality in that model was very good. I tested the new 8Y S3 and as others have stated it’s not as good as the 8V but I still liked it, would have had one if I didn’t have a glass back.
The Cupra Ateca quality is good, yes not 8V good but better than some others.
The new Formentor interior is a different story, the quality bar has definitely been raised and IMO feels like the 8V quality.
In comparison my father in law has just taken delivery of a new T-Roc and the quality feel is not good at all.
Another thing is the drivability of the cars, again my opinion, the Cupra/Seat brand drive better even though they share so many parts underneath.

 

[Sarah]

Audi has a much more premium feel.

Open your SEAT boot and your looking at some crap arse grey felt that gets everything stuck in it.

Open the AUDI boot and you are adorned with lovely plush carpets.

The same goes throughout the rest of the car, AUDI has nice plush interior carpets and lovely mats. SEAT gets the old scabby carpets and crummy mats.

Other finishing touches in AUDI’s such as more soft touch plastics, greater sound deadening and nice brushed aluminium.

Also on the AUDI’s your more likely to get independant rear suspension whereas your equivalent SEAT gets a beam suspension on the rear.

AUDI’s are better but you pay more cash money.

I have also changed from a brand new at the time Leon Mk3 (2018) to an older Audi A3 (2014) and the Audi is by far the nicer car to drive (independant rear suspension) and the interior is miles ahead in terms of refinement.

I'm afraid i agree. I really don't like the interior of the one I've recently bought. I've had the German brands for years plus Jaguars and I knew that the interior wouldn't be the same but I just can't get used to the interior or all that plastic on the grilles or the quality difference like you say when looking around the car, thin carpets, thin mats, really poor quality door cards. I really dislike the cheapness of the carbon look vinyl on the door cards. I'm afraid I'm going back to a mercedes. I usually buy pre reg for the savings and I can get a pre reg mercedes c300 with less miles on (3k miles) than my Cupra (5k miles) for not very much with my car. For me, it's a no brainer to part with it before it loses any more money.

 

[Sarah]

That maybe true of new cars but never was of the older ones. I’ve got a Golf R but having seen the new mk8 R, my mk7 will be the first and last. Cheap plastics, cost cutting by removal of some parts, restricted colour choice, stupid touch sensitive buttons, more expensive options plus lack of body shell and gearbox choice. VAG are on a greedy profit hunt so my next car will be an 18 plate (pre gpf) RS3 or an AMG Merc. The C43AMG interior knocks spots off anything that VAG are doing at the moment.


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I had a pre reg 19 reg C43 385 bhp estate. that i bought with a big reduction on it. It had always been my dream car so I thought that I would treat myself after having a couple of c class estates among my other cars. I even bought a reg number for it AA19 AMG that I still have (as I thought that i would keep the car long term). They are a lovely car but me being me, I didnt dare park it up anywhere (multistorey carpark when out shopping etc) and I was too precious about it. I was too worried about it being damaged or pinched when I was out in it. I only drove 2k miles in nearly a year (not lockdown related). I looked at it on my drive and thought that's a lot of cash to stand there plus the nearly £500 to tax it so I part exd/downsized it, got cash back from a dealer and put double figures back in my bank account.
My Cupra has just gone. I've just got a C300 saloon that had been reduced several times, lucky for me as I lost buying the Cupra but didnt lose too much. The C300 doesn't look as flash as my C43 that had the quad exhausts etc so I won't worry about it as much when i park it up.

 

[ChrisM75]

A lot of cheapening has to do with recycling regulations. They get tighter and tighter and time goes on and most of the premium feel plastics aren't as readily recyclable. This is why the premium German cars no longer feel much better than your average car.

Cars are also cheaper than they have ever been, surprisingly. Whats £40k now was, with inflation adjusted, £20K 25 years ago or so. Now look what you get for that money.

 

[Sarah]

A lot of cheapening has to do with recycling regulations. They get tighter and tighter and time goes on and most of the premium feel plastics aren't as readily recyclable. This is why the premium German cars no longer feel much better than your average car.

Cars are also cheaper than they have ever been, surprisingly. Whats £40k now was, with inflation adjusted, £20K 25 years ago or so. Now look what you get for that money.

If that were true, I wouldn't have lost a few thousand off loading my 69 Cupra st to go back to a German car after less than a month of owning it. It was very cheap inside

 

[camelspyyder]

Haven't owned any other VAG products than brand new SEATs or SEAT badged Skodas. Disappointed that they don't live up to VWs reputation for quality. No way I'd take a punt on an Audi for twice the money.

 

[BigJase88]

Another nice touch on Audi’s that you don’t get on your Seat / Skoda

rear door childlock button that you can press from the comfort of your drivers seat. To let grandma out of the back or such likes.

instead in your Seat / Skoda you have to get out of the seat, out of the car and open the back door from the outside.

just another example

 

[jcbmally]

Another nice touch on Audi’s that you don’t get on your Seat / Skoda

rear door childlock button that you can press from the comfort of your drivers seat. To let grandma out of the back or such likes.

instead in your Seat / Skoda you have to get out of the seat, out of the car and open the back door from the outside.

just another example

Do you mean this switch ?

 

[BigJase88]

Do you mean this switch ?

Pictures wont load fully for me, but is that not just the rear window disable button (so rear seat passengers cannot operate their windows)

 

[BigJase88]

Do you mean this switch ?

Pictures wont load fully for me, but is that not just the rear window disable button (so rear seat passengers cannot operate their windows)

see red buttons they are rear door childlocks.

 

[jcbmally]

Pictures wont load fully for me, but is that not just the rear window disable button (so rear seat passengers cannot operate their windows)

View attachment 23587

see red buttons they are rear door childlocks.

Ahh I get you. Cant remember having those on my S3, were they part of a pack.

 

[BigJase88]

Ahh I get you. Cant remember having those on my S3, were they part of a pack.

Oh pass i have no idea

the car is pretty stock, according to my Audi app the only options i have are sat nav and bluetooth.

If i didn’t have a kid i would never of known, but they are very very handy.

when i got it i thought the rear childlocks were broken as i couldn’t get them to work, read the manual and was mind blown that there was a button for them rather than the old manual key in door shut job