Audi A3 – the pocket executive
04/07/09 20:05 Filed in: Road
tests
Last year Audi gave the Audi A3 range
a subtle refresh. Knowing the Audi A3 very well, I could spot a few
of the updates – the lights, the move of the indicator repeaters to
the door mirrors, for example.
But I had to park a new and an old model side by side to spot things like the subtle re-working of the grille and the sculpted line that now runs from the bonnet down either side of the grille.
The lightness of touch in this facelift suggests that Audi felt there was little wrong with the A3. I would agree. This a model that seems to have increased its appeal as the years have gone on, especially with models like the Audi S3 adding a certain charisma to the range.
The interior is the usual high-quality production, as we have come to expect from Audi. It has an great feeling of quality, good taste, no-nonsense design and good ergonomics. It just feels like a good place to spend time.
The rear of the three-door A3 is not spacious. But, I can confirm that this car carried five adults with not too many complaints from those shoe-horned into the back seat.
My test car was the Audi A3 1.4 TFSI SE. I have to admit that seeing the 1.4 designation on the list made me fear lowly performance. Then I remembered the T in TFSI denotes that this one has a turbocharger. It feels both willing and responsive, with no sign of the surge that some turbos exhibit. Indeed, it just does not feel like a turbocharged engine. It feels simply like a bigger engine – maybe 1.8 or two-litre.
The 0-62 time is quoted at 9.4 seconds – a time that would have put the 1.4 TFSI well into hot hatch territory not so many years ago.
But this is not a car that you would buy as a hot hatch enthusiast. For that, you should (if you can afford it) choose the previously mentioned S3. The A3 1.4 TFSI is an everyday hatch.
The seats are designed for ease of getting in and out, not for lateral support on fast bends. The suspension is designed with the emphasis on comfort and compliance, rather than sporting tautness and body control. The result is that the A3 1.4 TSFI felt a little soft on the twisty B-roads that make up a large junk of my office commute. I would prefer a little more sharpness and tightness in the front suspension department. That said, I found it responded quite well to spirited driving.
As a lowly model in the Audi A3 range there appears to be no trip computer, so I cannot give you any actual economy figures from my test, but the official combined figure is 49.6 mpg.
It is normal in the Volkswagen Group to find the same platform and engine available from other other group companies, like Volkswagen and Skoda. The A3 is no exception.
The other badges will cost you less. The Audi A3 1.4 TFSI is positioned as a premium model and priced as such, starting at £16,880 and rising to £17,515 for the SE.
At the end of the day it is down to you. I really liked the Audi A3 1.4 TFSI and if, like me, you don't mind paying a little more for the finer things in life and you want a small family hatchback, the A3 is very possibly the car for you.
But I had to park a new and an old model side by side to spot things like the subtle re-working of the grille and the sculpted line that now runs from the bonnet down either side of the grille.
The lightness of touch in this facelift suggests that Audi felt there was little wrong with the A3. I would agree. This a model that seems to have increased its appeal as the years have gone on, especially with models like the Audi S3 adding a certain charisma to the range.
The interior is the usual high-quality production, as we have come to expect from Audi. It has an great feeling of quality, good taste, no-nonsense design and good ergonomics. It just feels like a good place to spend time.
The rear of the three-door A3 is not spacious. But, I can confirm that this car carried five adults with not too many complaints from those shoe-horned into the back seat.
My test car was the Audi A3 1.4 TFSI SE. I have to admit that seeing the 1.4 designation on the list made me fear lowly performance. Then I remembered the T in TFSI denotes that this one has a turbocharger. It feels both willing and responsive, with no sign of the surge that some turbos exhibit. Indeed, it just does not feel like a turbocharged engine. It feels simply like a bigger engine – maybe 1.8 or two-litre.
The 0-62 time is quoted at 9.4 seconds – a time that would have put the 1.4 TFSI well into hot hatch territory not so many years ago.
But this is not a car that you would buy as a hot hatch enthusiast. For that, you should (if you can afford it) choose the previously mentioned S3. The A3 1.4 TFSI is an everyday hatch.
The seats are designed for ease of getting in and out, not for lateral support on fast bends. The suspension is designed with the emphasis on comfort and compliance, rather than sporting tautness and body control. The result is that the A3 1.4 TSFI felt a little soft on the twisty B-roads that make up a large junk of my office commute. I would prefer a little more sharpness and tightness in the front suspension department. That said, I found it responded quite well to spirited driving.
As a lowly model in the Audi A3 range there appears to be no trip computer, so I cannot give you any actual economy figures from my test, but the official combined figure is 49.6 mpg.
It is normal in the Volkswagen Group to find the same platform and engine available from other other group companies, like Volkswagen and Skoda. The A3 is no exception.
The other badges will cost you less. The Audi A3 1.4 TFSI is positioned as a premium model and priced as such, starting at £16,880 and rising to £17,515 for the SE.
At the end of the day it is down to you. I really liked the Audi A3 1.4 TFSI and if, like me, you don't mind paying a little more for the finer things in life and you want a small family hatchback, the A3 is very possibly the car for you.