No Audi RS6, BMW M4 or Mercedes-AMG in this article. On the contrary, we are interested in the most stripped-down possible entry-level versions of premium models. The other side of a scene that you are only shown very rarely, if not never. Overview.
Some motorists swear by the premium. They are as much seduced by technological treats, charged extra and from which generalist brands will benefit later, as by engines that can be more powerful than average. And yet, there are here and there – in Europe – much less brilliant versions.
The entry-level models with their plastic hubcaps hiding the small sheet metal rims and their halogen headlights immediately have a less haughty look. At the rear, scrolling indicators or LED lights are also absent subscribers. Premium manufacturers won’t go so far as to impose gray plastic shields on you… Although.
A Q2 cheaper than an A1 City Carver?
However, in Romania, a first-price Audi Q2 still sports its set of matte black plastics. In France, alloy wheels are delivered as standard and the equipment is a little more extensive, which justifies the price difference. Count 28,760 € for a basic Q2 (30 TFSI 110 BVM6) tricolor against 26,100 € for the basic version in Romania, i.e. the price equivalent of an A1 Citycarver (the adventurous version of the Audi A1 Sportback) at we. There is even a reduction right now – an unthinkable word in France at Audi – which lowers the price of the Carpathian Q2 to €25,056; a 23% discount. However, don’t be tempted! Such a version would be very difficult to resell in France. Another example: a Mercedes-Benz Class A whose entry-level version in Poland is the A180 version (136 hp) at a price of €25,788, while in France the basic version (A160 with 109 hp) is billed at from €29,399, with certainly more complete equipment. This partly justifies the price difference.
READ ALSO. What do French cars look like in basic versions?
No car radio in an Audi A1 Sportback
And what about an Audi A1 Sportback that doesn’t even have a car radio? Instead, there is a storage compartment… From a pragmatic point of view, it’s practical. And no air conditioning either, but traditional manual ventilation. Obviously, the more you go upmarket, the less the difference in presentation is obvious. This is then nested in the details, such as automatic air conditioning but with the only basic functions in an Audi A4 or even needle counters on an Audi A6 which cannot decently, for reasons of manufacturing costs, be separated from the touch screen in the center of the dashboard. Because, for the mark with the rings, it would have been much more expensive to design a plate with buttons for only a few copies of A6 sold in central Europe.
Digital, a question of size
At Mercedes, a basic A-Class does sport digital instrumentation. But don’t expect a full frame (10.25 inches). Both slabs are small, 7 inches each. The thick black edges bear witness to this. At Porsche also we find some stinginess such as manual air conditioning controls that are not very ergonomic or steering wheels whose rim sports an unflattering plastic material on the basic versions. But there is no question of observing this on the configurators, it would be far too demeaning and would risk breaking the myth…