Welcome to London's Audi Specialists.We have a team of Audi specialists who can sort out anything from basic Audi servicing to advanced technical Audi cars problems. One of the best Audi Master Technician on site offering knowledge and experience using the latest Audi Main Dealer compulsory diagnostics equipment.

Audi Q3 review by TopGear

Comfortable interior, good engines, neat detailing, zero excitement. Oh dear.

  • Comfort

    The ride isn't hard (except with the S-Line chassis), but it's annoyingly clumpy, letting you know all the time how hard it's working. There are optional adaptive dampers, but you probably shouldn't bother. If you're really looking for improvement in this department, buy a different car.

    Rated 5 out of 10
  • Performance

    The base 138bhp diesel with FWD and a manual gets along OK, but most people will get the same 2.0-litre diesel uprated to 175bhp and with quattro drive. It's an impressively quiet installation. The petrol is Audi's 2.0-litre TFSI quattro set-up, in 168bhp and 208bhp outputs. They're smooth, and the 208bhp one is brisk. 

    Rated 7 out of 10
  • Cool

    Not distinctive enough to mark you out at a driver of, erm, distinction. So no, then.

    Rated 4 out of 10
  • Quality

    Despite being a smallified Q5, it's still built like an Audi, and so the cabin quality and attention to detail is very, very impressive.

    Rated 6 out of 10
  • Handling

    Much of the suspension is as per the Volkswagen Tiguan's, because it's tougher than what's under an A3 and can cope with medium-duty off-roading. The cornering's surprisingly capable if you don't mind the dead electric power steering.

    Rated 5 out of 10
  • Practicality

    Thanks to its engine being mounted transversely, it doesn't actually give up that much space to its larger Q5 sibling. Boot capacity is 460 litres with the seats up, and 1,365 litres with the seats down, comparing unfavourably with the BMW X3's 500/1,600-litre split. Even the Evoque gets 1,445 litres of down-seat space.

    Rated 5 out of 10
  • Running costs

    Choose the 2.0-litre TDI and you'll benefit from 54.3mpg and 138g/km of CO2, both better figures than an equivalent BMW X3 with a 2.0-litre diesel (50.4mpg and 149g/km). You only lose 2mpg and 5g/km of CO2 if you plump for the 211bhp 2.0-litre TFSI (36.7mpg and 179g/km of CO2), while still good for a 6.9 second 0-62mph dash.

    Rated 5 out of 10

Article source: www.topgear.com

Audi A7 Sportback review by Top Gear

Great-looking and groaning with tech, if a bit stolid on the road, the A7 takes the fight to the Merc CLS and wins

  • Comfort

    Avoid the 20-inch ‘S-Line' alloys and refrain from clicking the adaptive dampers into the knobbliest mode, and the A7 doesn't ride too badly. We'd guess it won't tackle smashed-up UK tarmac with the fluency of the Jag XF, but it's less brittle than most sporting Audis. However, it isn't a whole lot of fun. It doesn't give much back to the driver: the steering, though sharp, feels artificial, the chassis erring on the side of inert caution.  

    Rated 7 out of 10
  • Performance

    The 245bhp, 3.0-litre diesel is the best of the all-V6 engine line-up - there's a lower-powered version of the same engine (only available with a CVT gearbox - avoid) and a pair of petrols: a 204bhp, 2.8-litre unit and a supercharged 3.0-litre. The latter's essentially a detuned version of the S4's engine and, though quick, isn't rousing enough to justify the premium over the quicker diesel. 

    Rated 5 out of 10
  • Cool

    This is finally an Audi Sportback that appeals. Yes, it's still got a whiff of marketing guff about it, but frankly the great looks overcome that.

    Rated 8 out of 10
  • Quality

    Audi makes some of the best cabins in the business, and this is one of the finest, easily approaching A8 levels of luxury. The optional layered wood trim is reminiscent of something from the budget end of the Ikea catalogue, but otherwise the cabin is beyond reproach.

    Rated 9 out of 10
  • Handling

    The A7, particularly in four-wheel-drive guise, is an easy car in which to make unruffled progress. Though the torque distribution is slightly rear-biased, it's impossible to provoke the A7 into any sort of tail-wagging antics: you'll only find a near-inexhaustible supply of grip, just the merest hint of body roll through even the quickest corners and, at the very limit, gentle understeer. 

    Rated 6 out of 10
  • Practicality

    As well as the expected airbags and traction control it has the option of night-vision cameras, a self-parking system, lane assist and Pre-Sense, which prepares the car in the event of an imminent accident.

    Rated 5 out of 10
  • Running costs

    Unsurprisingly, it's the 3.0 TDI that's the winner here. Its combined fuel economy figure is an astonishing 53.3mpg while 139g/km of C02 puts it in the 19% company car tax bracket. 

Article source: www.topgear.com

Audi and Joule pioneer sustainable alternatives to petrol and diesel using waste water

Audi e-ethanol and Audi e-diesel are produced by combining salt or waste water with waste CO2, sunlight and special microorganisms

  • New e-fuels developed by Audi and US-based fuels specialist Joule
  • Produced using a remarkably simple, cost-effective and resource-sparing process in facilities that can even be located in the desert
  • Genetically modified microorganisms suspended in pipes filled with brackish water react with waste CO2 and sunlight and secrete ethanol and diesel-range paraffinic alkanes – no biomass required
  • Audi e-ethanol which can power petrol vehicles with only minor modification already being produced by facility in New Mexico
  • Audi e-diesel capable of powering Audi TDI clean diesel models with no modification will enter production imminently

Audi engineers have contributed to a breakthrough of almost miraculous proportions by helping to develop fuels for the TFSI and TDI engines of the very near future using nothing more than lengths of ordinary-looking pipe, waste CO2, sunlight and microscopic organisms suspended in waste water.

The remarkable new ‘wonder-fuels’ have been developed by Audi and its US-based specialist fuels partner Joule. The ‘refineries’ responsible for them are the photosynthetic microorganisms injected into brackish water standing in the lengths of pipe. Measuring around three thousandths of a millimetre in diameter, these organisms have been genetically modified to prevent them from multiplying using the sunlight-aided photosynthesis process as they normally would. Instead, they are stimulated to use this process to convert the waste CO2 and the waste water into liquid fuels which they then secrete, and which can then be easily separated from the water and concentrated without the need for any further manufacturing steps.

The unparalleled global viability of these new fuels lies not only in the exceptionally simple and relatively inexpensive process which creates them, but also in the fact that the ‘feedstock’ used to produce them is entirely renewable. The crop-based biomass that has traditionally been a key constituent of synthetic fuels, and that could often otherwise be used for human consumption, is not required here. This has the added advantage of removing the need to locate the fuel production facility near habitable or arable land – a remote desert facility is entirely feasible.

Already a reality

Proof of this fact can be found in an unfertile, sun-baked region of the US state of New Mexico, where Audi and Joule have commissioned a demonstration facility which is already producing sustainable e-ethanol. This has the same chemical properties as bioethanol, a fuel which is consistently gaining in popularity, but which has the disadvantage of being produced using biomass. It will be possible to blend up to 85 per cent ‘Audi e-ethanol’ with as little as 15% fossil-fuel petrol for use by vehicles capable of running on E85 fuel.

Audi and Joule are also currently in the process of ramping up the same facility to produce a sustainable and exceptionally pure ‘Audi e-diesel’ fuel. In contrast to petroleum-based diesel, which is a mixture of a wide variety of organic compounds, this fuel is not only free of sulphur and aromatics, but is also easy to ignite thanks to its high cetane value, giving it exceptional performance credentials that promote outstanding engine operating efficiency.  Audi e-diesel will work highly effectively with existing Audi TDI clean diesel systems without the need for modification.

The partnership between Audi and Joule has been in place since 2011. Joule has protected its technology with patents for which Audi has acquired exclusive rights in the automotive field. Audi engineers with extensive know-how in the areas of fuel and engine testing are helping to further develop these remarkable fuels so that they can genuinely be brought to market.

Article source: www.audi.co.uk

Audi tradition at Goodwood: Revival of the Silver Arrow era

Auto Union Grand Prix cars join spectacular parade at Revival Festival this weekend     

  • Silver Arrows star at Goodwood Revival Festival from September 14 to 16, 2012
  • Audi Tradition giving demo runs and showing the newly acquired Auto Union Type D Dual Compressor
  • Four Auto Unions fielded in homage to Bernd Rosemeyer, who won his last race - the British Grand Prix - 75 years ago

In honour of racing legend Bernd Rosemeyer, Audi Tradition, the brand’s heritage division, will bring four Auto Union Silver Arrow cars to the Goodwood Revival (September 14 to 16) in West Sussex. Over the three days, renowned drivers will be demonstrating the impressive technology of the historic racing cars. Behind the wheel for the demo runs will be Formula 1 legend Jacky Ickx, five-time Le Mans winner Frank Biela and Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason. Audi Tradition will also be giving the newly acquired Auto Union Type D Dual Compressor its first official outing at the prestigious event.

75 years ago – in October 1937 – the great Auto Union driver won his last Grand Prix in England. Just three months later, Rosemeyer was killed during a record-breaking attempt. To mark his victory in the very first British Grand Prix, Audi Tradition is putting on a remarkable parade of Silver Arrow cars at the Goodwood Revival. Goodwood, one of the world’s most prestigious classic motorsport events, will play host to a presentation of the Auto Union models alongside their Mercedes-Benz competitors from the 1930s. A total of ten Silver Arrow cars are expected. To complement the Audi Tradition cars, there will also be a privately owned replica of an Auto Union Type A from 1934.

On each day, Audi Tradition will give a demo run of replicas of the Auto Union Type C (1936) and of an Auto Union Type D Dual Compressor (1939). Then there are the famous “Karassik models” that are made largely from original parts: the Auto Union Type D (1938) and Audi Tradition’s recently acquired Auto Union Type D Dual Compressor from 1939. Since both vehicles were restored in the early 1990s, this is the first time that they have appeared side by side; Paul Karassik painstakingly tracked down the parts in the former USSR.

The drivers of the rare Silver Arrow models are also a big draw: Nick Mason, drummer of Pink Floyd fame, is driving for Audi Tradition for the sixth time. Mason played only recently during the magnificent closing ceremony of the Olympics in London, and is one of the most engaging personalities on the international classic car scene. No driver is more experienced behind the wheel of these remarkable racing cars, and Audi Tradition is delighted that he is able to participate. Mason, dubbed “the last Auto Union works driver”, is eagerly awaiting the occasion: “When the German Silver Arrows hit Donington 75 years ago, motorsport in England changed for ever. It’s really special to be allowed to drive such a racing car.”

This sentiment is shared by Formula 1 star Jacky Ickx. In anticipation of appearing at the Goodwood Revival, Ickx, who ranks alongside other racing legends of the 1960s and 1970s such as Sir Jackie Stewart and Emerson Fittipaldi, declared: “It is a privilege to drive these cars.” Audi Tradition’s team of drivers is completed by a representative of Audi’s more recent motor racing history, Frank Biela. Frank has not only won the STC and DTM Championships, but is also one of the true stars of the world famous Le Mans 24-hour race, with a total of five wins there to his name.

186mph in the 1930s

The Silver Arrow models built by Mercedes Benz and Auto Union dominated the racing scene from 1934 to 1939. They easily reached speeds in excess of 300km/h (186mph), a figure which remains impressive even in comparison with today’s Formula 1 cars. The esteem in which these models and their drivers were held was based on their superb technology, which was way ahead of its time, and their drivers, whose courage is still a huge inspiration to subsequent generations of drivers.

The legendary Bernd Rosemeyer captured one of the coveted places in the Auto Union cockpit at the age of 25. 1936 was his best season: European Champion, German Champion and German Hill Climb Champion. Within a year, the young German became the superstar of his age. While he was unable to retain the European Championship in 1937, he did break the world record. He became the first man to exceed 400 kilometres per hour (248.5mph) on an ordinary road in the Auto Union Type C Streamliner. However in 1938, the pursuit of the next record finally proved his undoing. At a speed of almost 440 kilometres per hour (273mph), his car was caught by a gust of wind and swept it off the road. News of his death caused widespread shock. Auto Union never again took part in record-breaking attempts.

Article source: www.audi.co.uk

Empowering designers to create positive change

The Audi Design Foundation was established as an independent charity by Audi UK in 1997 with the remit of using design to make a difference. Since its inception the charity has given more than £1million to support this ethos.

In March 2010 the Audi Design Foundation completed its final initiative, Sustain our Nation. This national competition challenged university design students to work with their local community to develop sustainable enterprises. The winning team from Glasgow School of Art, GetGo Glasgow, won £20,000 to help the Wyndford estate regain its community focus.

The Audi Design Foundation has encouraged and empowered designers to come up with ideas that create a positive change in people's lives. We sincerely hope that the excellent work of the Foundation has created a lasting legacy for the UK's design movement.

Article source: www.audi.co.uk