RmK_A5

Cloth/Fabric seats are standard for any A-model (S-models has some kombo), manual seats (i e not electric) are standard, no navigation, no sunroof, carplay is optional, passive speakers is standard, 17 inch wheels are standard etc.

a European Audi in its basic form is very spartan. You need to add at least $6000-10000 to get it nice. But I guess thats mainly because Audi ships medium to high-spec cars without any named customer to US, here it's mostly Built to order (BTO)

OT: My new Allroad will have Matrix LED

cuke2u

The price is relative to your income, I paid just over £32,000 for the one in my sig, so mondeo(fusion) prices. There are also plenty of petrol heads amongst us who despise the evil oil burners...

jetsfan101

For sure we get the most bang for the buck, here in the states. I often rent Audis, bmw, benz in germany and almost always i get things like cloth seats, manuals, etc. On a plus side, they are much more modifiable in europe, where here we get them in packages.

I had a CC R-line in the past. loved the exterior but interior lacked luxury options and i hated it. If i was in europe, i can have best of both worlds.

wdimagineer

Years ago there was a discussion about broadening the notion of Audi Exclusive here in the US to allow more a la carte options on vehicles, similar to BMW and Mercedes Benz. Both Audi and VW used to offer more flexibility before the market based ordering strategy kicked in, which bundled everything into trim levels.

I am strongly against - and always have been - forcing consumers into higher trims for certain features. Audi is terrible in this regard, but VW is even worse. Navigation, for example, only appears on the highest trim levels on just about every model. The reason why CarPlay and Android Auto are now broadly offered was to partly offset this, but it's not the same has having a truly integrated solution.

Of course, the MBO strategy makes it more economical to sell cars here. Standardizing configurations saves money. It also ensures cars are on lots available for immediate delivery.

I prefer choice though. I don't like leather. I'd love a low-end model with cloth or Alcantara, navigation, high-end sound, and a few other luxuries including three pedals.

VM

Exactly what would be so low-end about a car with navigation, high-end sound, etc? What would you be removing? LED/xenon headlights? Rain sensing wipers? Leather? The standard-in-North-America sunroof?

(And the idea that three pedals would be a "luxury" is beyond me, but that's a flame war for another day.)

wdimagineer

Much more goes into these cars to make them "high end" besides sound systems and navigation.

The last A4 rental I had in Germany was exactly what I'd spec:

- 150hp 2.0 diesel
- manual transmission
- MMI Navigation (not touch)
- standard cluster, grayscale
- rear parking sensors
- LED lights
- Audi sound system (a step above the basic but not B&O)
- Alcantara seating with front heating
- cruise control

I commuted in it daily for several weeks and it was perfect. That would allow me to have something fancier on the weekends.

The bottom line is that it is all about choice. Wanting something like Navigation shouldn't force you into the most expensive trim level. BMW and MB do bundle some things into packages, but not all. They still offer many individual selections, including Navigation.

Sam Da Man

Any timeframe in regards to an update on this full swap?

wdimagineer

When I get around to it?

Sam Da Man

Great, Thank You.

Yabogoonsky