My top three Audis are:

1. Audi RS4 Avant
2. Audi RS4 Soft-top/Convertible
3. Audi A6 Allroad

I like the Audis in one of the nice metallic soft-toned colours please, with brownish leather and with all the whistles included. Why not the RS4 limousine?

Well, what’s the point, the RS4 is great fun, the Avant adds a little bit of practicality, such as the possible of throwing a bicycle in the boot for example. And the soft-top is best to listen to that incredible sound. Although I currently prefer the Avant to the convertible, the choice is more a question of mood and it is raining at the moment. Give me both and the problem is solved.

Do I prefer the Allroad with a diesel or would I go for the V8? If I had to pay for the fuel myself, I would probably choose the diesel or try to get GPL / Autogas conversion for the V8. The Allroad is a bit more ruggedized than the normal A6 Avant, maybe a bit more versatile and it looks refreshingly different compared to a SUV.

Honorable mention goes to the Audi A2, which was a very promising car with no real successor, which is a shame for Audi. The car was too expensive to build and it was not the commercial success Audi had hoped for. What went wrong? Well it was too thin, too narrow, which lessened the appeal as the A2 somehow came over as not mature enough, not solid enough, not sporty enough. Widen the body a bit and all the pieces fall into place. It would also solve the other problem, too little room for the elbows. Sitting in the A2 I always felt as if it was tailor-made by some fashion-designer who has also recently designed these tight shiny shirts which only the young and the very thin can wear. And don’t forget, the car is for four people only, widening the body would have given room for a fifth passenger. A wider A2 might have put the car in competition with the A3, but hey that’s what VW is doing with the Golf Plus and the normal Golf. Big wheels and that sunroof compensate for the a2norexia and suddenly the A2 becomes a very desirable and cute car.

All the other Audis are good cars, but they lack a bit of personality, the chassis are often too harsh without being sporty. I don’t get the point of the A3 and the A3 Sportsback, why should someone pay the premium for a car which is tighter than the normal compact car and not really that sporty? The A6 has become a (too) big car, the A8 range is great with probably the nicest interior of all big luxury cars, but I am just not interested. And the TT? The old one was a great design, just too small for me. I felt as If I sat in a converted submarine, the windows were just too low for my height. I am not sure about the new one, but it doesn’t have the same design appeal as the older one.

If someone handed the keys of one those “other” Audis to me, I wouldn’t decline the offer – one exception though, I really don’t like the Q7, if someone told me that I would have to drive it over the next year, I would beg for another car. I don’t care how much it costs and if I would have to settle with a smaller model, but please no Q7. And probably no Q5 or Q3 for that matter. I hope for Audi that those two additions will have more sex appeal, but I really start to dislike this Euro-SUV trend. Hey carmakers, SUVs will be dead ducks in a short while. Even in the US buyers increasingly avoid big SUVs. Audi guys, you might not like minivans or other multipurpose cars, but under different names and in sporty disguise, those will be the cars of the future. Not these fat things which occupy more space than they offer inside. Four wheel drive is great, but trucks as the Americans rightly call the SUVs are not. (The Allroad is not a truck and I like it, call me inconsistant if you wish).

So what would I like to have from Audi which doesn’t exist yet. Well, an A2 successor of course, please. And a sporty minivan or MPV if you prefer, any catchy abbreviation is ok for me if it is a sporty and practical car such as the Road Jet, as long as it is not a SUV. Ah and I forgot, an A8 Avant would be interesting. I loved that Avantissimo, a pity, that Audi decided against production.

Enjoy the video rides

let’s start with BBC Top Gear and Jeremy Clarkson

part 1

Fotos Parker’s (RS4, A2), What Car? (Allroad) and In.gr (Avantissmo)

Although this blog won’t be only about the top three per brand, this might be an interesting start. See if you agree with any of the choices. The charts won’t be based on any researched data, such as JDPower or reviews of magazines. Long live the subjectivity. Sure some mags are all about data, measurements and comparisons. But in the end most car decisions are gut guided, mostly emotional choices. Even fleet purchases and company car have hierarchical and other social influences. What sane person would want a limousine? Why not going for some convertibles or sportscars instead, financially they are much better investments than executive cars with a boot. Now, that is rational thinking we like.