Will15

I had been thinking for a while about replacing my Qashqai with something smaller, perhaps a Golf or A3. Our other car is a 73 plate Kodiaq L&K which we love, but recently it suffered a software/battery fault that meant it had a 3 week stay at the dealer. We were given a Scala Monte Carlo 1.0 manual as cover with 200 miles on the odo (not the new version) which impressed us enough to enquire about buying one when we went back to collect the Kodiaq. It was the only Scala they had so couldn't compare to any other. Driving tends to be weekdays only with a 21 mile commute each way, 12 of which are on bumpy windy B roads. I'm torn between an SE L specced up with matrix headlights and convenience pack versus a Monte Carlo. It would be 1.5 manual. We have had matrix on Audis before and find it so useful to spot wildlife on the verge as well as potholes, so it has become a must for us. Monte Carlo has the looks, and whilst the seats surprised me, I feel a panoramic sunroof is unnecessary. I'm slightly turned off by the lack of tyre choice on the 18" rims but i would be prepared to downsize the rims if that became the deciding factor. Would the SE L offer any additional ride comfort on the B roads? Finally colour - if Monte Carlo I think a solid colour could work, while I would make up the difference with blue or red metallic paint on an SE L. Can any existing Scala owners offer their experiences or opinions on what colours look like in the real world rather than on the showroom ball?

This week our 73 plate Kodiaq L&K (6 months and 3 days old) had a flat battery and various warnings coming up on the dash when my wife went to start it. Car had been driven home from work the evening before without issue. Fortunately she was at home and VAG roadside assistance turned up within the hour. Roadside diagnosis was a flat battery, possibly due to a problem the infotainment system. There are no consumer addons (I have seen another thread in this section where a dashcam drained the battery). The background for the previous 2 weeks, we had been unable to use the radio, media, or Bluetooth for calls; no sound from speakers and 'volume' green bar didn't move by on screen touch or by steering wheel. Even in Park a warning said sound settings couldn't be changed until car was stopped. Voice control also didn't work. Ironically the car was already booked in for infotainment to be investigated in a couple of weeks. We have also had an intermittent issue where the speakers would make a loud brown noise for 20 seconds after the ignition was turned off after a long journey, which we managed to capture on video. However the cause couldn't be identified. It's related to infotainment but I don't think it would be related to the this week's problem as it hasn't happened for at least 6 weeks. Has anybody experienced similar with a flat battery and what was the outcome? I'm always suspicious if I hear from official sources that they haven't heard of the problem before.