[Giom]

Hi Everyone!

I'm living in Finland where car prices are sky high and I've decided my next car will be an A5 I'm about to order it, in November/December for an expected delivery in July'09... I'm loving the A5. Stunningly beautiful if it sits on large enough wheels.

I've already decided on the body colour i.e. Deep Sea Blue Pearl Effect (which I think is the best color for this car) and on the wheels i.e. 18" 10-spoke. I booked a 2-day test drive a few weeks ago, and they gave me a Deep Sea Blue A5. It just clicked!! It's really a beautiful color: almost black with blue reflections. What was at first the hardest choice (until then, meteor grey was my "best option", but I was disappointed with how it looks in daylight), ended up being very simple

As to the interior, I'm seeking advices ;-)
I'm thinking of star silver valcona leather standard seats with laurel nutmeg inlays. However, I'm wondering how this color stands a daily use, how the leather ages, and how sensitive it is to colored fabrics like denim. Any feedback would be much appreciated (while searching in this forum is rather cumbersome). My second choice would be the tuscan brown, but I still think it's too reddish. Definitely out of my list is black...
What bugs me though is the dash color... I don't understand how in 2008 car manufacturers still build dash with a top part which is not black and which thus reflects badly on the windshield in daylight! But if going for grey interior, there's no alternative (unless picking in the exclusive list which is far too expensive)....

And as to the bill... Finnish car taxation kills it... 1.8TFSI (soon to be replaced by the new 2.0TFSI with about the same power) starts at 43k€!!

Cheers!

 

[RGBArgee]

We have had Star Silver Valcona for 2 weeks now. It does need cleaning if you wear denim a lot. Easy enough to do and at least you can see when it's dirty. Also the top dash on our car is dark grey/black and seems fine regarding reflection.

DSB is apparently not a popular colour in the UK. It's nice and a bit like the old Moro Blue, I am told it is difficult to paint match (told by Audi Bodyshop). I personally would not entertain Brown seats nor wood inlays but recognise that tastes in Finland may be different to the UK.

 

[mactrack]

Before the S Line version came out recently in the UK, whereby you have to have a black interior, I was going to order a Sport in DSB with Star Silver interior. In my opinion this colour combo is stunning but I am lazy and wear denim all the time when driving so I know that keeping it clean will be a tough task.

 

[Giom]

Thanks for the responses! I'm not too afraid of cleaning the seats so I guess I could live with a bi-weekly cleaning I thought about the grey seats but the star silver is so much better. Looking for pics to see the effect of ageing... As to brown interior I'm split on that one - and am French

 

[RGBArgee]

Don't get me wrong I love DSB but.... in the UK dealers (I am told) find it hard to sell, hence values of used cars is not so strong. The Silver Valcona is lovely and if DSB/Valcona floats your boat go for it...

J'ai été en France pour le et toujours pense la semaine dernière que le Marron a l'air de la merde.

Cheers

RG

 

[mactrack]

Don't get me wrong I love DSB but.... in the UK dealers (I am told) find it hard to sell, hence values of used cars is not so strong. The Silver Valcona is lovely and if DSB/Valcona floats your boat go for it...

J'ai été en France pour le et toujours pense la semaine dernière que le Marron a l'air de la merde.

Cheers

RG

I'm surprised by that as my dealer was ordering nearly all his demo cars in DSB! Perhaps that was just his personal taste.

 

[RGBArgee]

South West had a load of Red cars ordered a couple of years ago. They didn't shift either. Talk to Ali at Listers in Stratford for an honest view of DSB.

I love it but if it's going to cost me at PX time I'll stick with PB!

 

[tlionhart]

DSB is a nice colour but a pain to maintain! (that rhymes!) If your really struggling on a colour silver is great! It's smart, chips, general paint defects arn't noticeable, minor dent not noticeable. The other great colour...but takes the excitement out of wax is ibis white. Very easy to maintain...a case of the hose and soap is all that's needed...but you will miss waxing it as it's considered a light colour. Therefore any hard work just won't help. However so little work in maintaining, so many heads still turn!

Silver is a happy medium. PB is good...but still requires care. But it's no where as bad as DSB.

 

[savo]

I think our prices are actually dearer here in Ireland !!

The lowest base model with zero extras (not even Metallic paint) starts at €46,000 - thats for the 1.8 manual.

My 2.0 (211bhp) with a few extras cost about €60,000 and i took it handy with the extras - i didnt even get all leather seats !! (Got leather/cloth with silver stitching)

I ended up going for Meteor Grey. I only saw it once in person quickly and i really liked it. I hope it wasnt just the light.

Having seen a silver and black A5 side by side in the dealer i think that it looks better in the darker colours. Much more aggressive.

Black is a night mare to keep though plus out of all the A5s i have seen around here 99% are black. (I saw one silver and one S5 in that bright blue) all others have been black (except the one Meteor Grey i briefly saw but that was owned a footballer here who was transfered to England so its not around anymore) So i thought the grey is a good compromise between a dark colour that makes the car look better, something still a bit different and unique and a colour that will hopefully hold some value and be easy to sell on.

 

[Giom]

Yes DSB will be hard to keep clean, but I'm already used to dark colours

Silver has always been a no-go for me It's easy and everything, but dull to me. Chrome would be different

I liked Meteor grey in the showroom with proper lighting, but seeing a few outside convinced me this is not what I want: it went from looking great inside, to looking quite average.

Eagerly waiting for delivery now the car is ordered