AUDI Q3 - Luxury , ride and review

Having driven my Audi Q3 35 TFSI for almost 5000+ kms I think I am in a position to share with you my first insights into how this luxury car-ish SUV feels to drive. 

Bought in July 2022 

Price: 64500 AUD 

Accessories: None except Window tinting - had no money left :(

Positives:

 - Quite cabin - very low road and wind noise

 - Stable ride at high speed like 120 Kmph

 - Spacious (550 ltrs) and usable boot

 - have done Airport runs with 3 max size suitcases

 - Powerful AC - Good Projector Lights and a cool Cockpit

 - Comfortable seats - Amazing built - feels like a tank! 

Some of the positives above were some key negatives in my erstwhile car that I owned - a Honda Civic. 

 

Negatives:

- 35TFSI seems to have a less power to weight ratio as a result you feel the car not pulling up through low gears (Recommend upgrade to 40TFSI)

- In harsh road conditions you feel the ride quality is on a tougher side i.e. not as plush as a Lexus 

- Missing ADAS , only available at higher grades - how could you AUDI! 

Questions:

What's the mileage like?

With 58 Litres full tank I have been able to drive around 760 -780 so approximately around 13 Kmpl.

Note: It drinks premium Unleaded fuel in Australia but things are different in Canada & US where sulphur content in the fuel is lower.

I have often been asked that whether I regret buying an Audi Q3 when the same money would have bought me a Mazda CX9 or Toyota Kluger? - Yes I Do - when I go for camping or I have more than 5 people to accommodate. But again you don't go to camping every weekend and you can hire a car if you have 9 people!

Ford Figo...way to Go!

This weekend I got my hands on a brand new Ford Figo (EXI, Petrol version), which had already done 500+ kms…
Well before I go into the details of my experience, let’s know some technical details about the car which really matters:
Engine: 1196 (Petrol), 1399 (Diesel)
Power: 71 hp (Petrol), 69 hp (Diesel)
Length / width: 3795 mm / 1680 mm
Road Clearance: 168 mm
Fuel tank Capacity: 45 ltrs

The one thing that I striked me as soon as I got into it, was the space. The driver’s seat was well positioned and gave you a good view of the street. The A –pillar is well positioned not creating a blind corner. The steering was well positioned and gave a good feel of the road, the 14 inch wheels made the car very stable at high speeds. The The AC was powerful but and did not have any direct impact on the engine, but at higher AC fan speeds made a lot of noise. The instrument panel was ok, nothing flashy about it. But at higher versions it does come loaded with features like Bluetooth etc. The central panel is ok, could have been good with some place to keep the Discs , documents etc.. The emergency break looks ugly and stands out like sore thumb. Moving to the rear, the rear seat is spacious and has enough leg space even when the front seats are pushed back to its maximum. The boot space is one of the best in this class, can easily hold two medium size suitcases and still have space for that small bag over it!
The interiors are the worst thing to happen to this car, it looks to plastic like and really does not go with the beautifully carved exterior. The front flaring headlamps give the Ford Figo a aggressive look and the streamline design does give the car a look of luxury sedan-hatchback feeling.

Mileage: The car is new to the Indian Roads, being here only for last 7 months, it would take somemore time to understand how much the mileage would be on Indian conditions. But from my understanding , in city condition, the Petrol version should give some where 12-13 Kmpl and the diesel version should give somewhere near to 17-18 Kmpl.
Price: The Ford Figo price range starts from 3.58 Lacs to 5.38 lacs, So on-road it the range would approximately be between 4.2 lacs to 6 lacs. It has 4 variants LXI,EXI,ZXI and Titanium in both Petrol and diesel versions.
Service & Repairs: I understand as soon as we talk of this parameter, only baseline we see is Maruti. Well honestly we need to stop this comparison, since Ford is a new entrant in India and would very soon build up the servicing chain. None the less, the servicing should not be a problem for buyers in Metros and Tier 1 cities.

Overall, I believe Ford has delivered with Figo and till now it has received amazing response from the market .
My rating: ***1/2