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119 – Old and new side by side

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30 January 2009

Found myself parked next to a previous generation Audi A4 yesterday – another 2.0 TDI model. Looked like it was being driven some miles – the car was in need of a wash. It’s hard when you’re putting in the miles to keep cars clean in this weather.

I’d been reminded earlier of how easy it is to use the Audi’s handsfree phone system. I was on the phone to Mark Bursa, editor of sister magazine Business Van Manager. We were discussing the contents for the next issue of the e-newsletter.

While I prefer not to use the phone while driving – you know, it’s that man multi-tasking thing we can’t master – because it can distract you if you don’t concentrate 100%. But it is a useful feature. Easy to set up; and once set up easy to use.

Less useful is the problem when you stall. I often have to turn the car around outside my house. And the diesel when cold can be stalled fairly easily. Well, it can by me, anyway.

The trouble is the push-ignition key fob on the new Audi A4 – you plunge the whole key fob into the ignition on the dash while keeping your foot on the clutch to start it. But when you’re stranded across the road – stalled – and there’s a car waiting to get past, it can be a slow process to restart. I think it must be the electronics sorting themselves out. But you sit there like a beached whale waiting for something to happen. It’s not a pleasant experience.

Best not to stall I guess. Has anyone else found this an issue?

The purpose of my visit was to meet the tyre guys from Continental – Guy Frobisher and Angus Smith (see blog Check tyres, save money). I’m aware we could do with some good legal advice on what is and what is not legal on a tyre in terms of wear. Both for business cars and for business vans, too, on our sister site Business Van Manager. So we should be seeing that advice soon.

Current and previous generation A4s

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Ralph Morton

Ralph Morton

Ralph Morton is an award-winning journalist and the founder of Business Car Manager (now renamed Business Motoring). Ralph writes extensively about the car and van leasing industry as well as wider fleet and company car issues. A former editor of What Car?, Ralph is a vastly experienced writer and editor and has been writing about the automotive sector for over 35 years.

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