How great is the Audi A3?

Jez · 9 Oct 2007 at 12:58

Whilst i agree the new A3 is a very nice car, the original picture isnt really an accurate representation of what the average TDI A3 you see tons of every day on the commuter run look like.

^^Fairer

Still a good car, but a lot less remarkable than the S3!

[TW]Fox · 9 Oct 2007 at 13:02

Most of the ones I see are in S-Line spec which appears to be pretty similar looking to the S3.

leaskovski · 9 Oct 2007 at 13:02

IMHO, you should never buy a red a3. For a non s3 its either black or dolphin grey. It just looks too wierd otherwise.

Jez · 9 Oct 2007 at 13:04

Moral of the story, great car, but get it in s-line spec

[DOD]Asprilla · 9 Oct 2007 at 13:06

Mr_Sukebe said:
they do have ace interiors.

Actually, that was the one thing that put me off when I looked at one 18 months ago.

It was just a standard A3 and I felt like I was in an old Fiesta rather than an Audi.

[TW]Fox · 9 Oct 2007 at 13:07

For a hatchback the interior isnt bad, ok there are some iffy plastics etc which I was quite harsh on when I wrote a thing about the 3.2 V6, but if you are getting a TDI or something you wont be expecting A6 levels of quality.

The Running Man · 9 Oct 2007 at 13:10

[TW]Fox;10236838 said:
The Leon is not as well built, is cheap inside, looks weird and wacky outside as well. No, no and then some more no.

but you pay much less for the privalege?

are you sure for example that a leon Cupra is that much worse inside than a bogo standard A3 as the Cupra probably doesnt cost much more, and may even be cheaper.

and as you've just said above the A3 interior is nothing to write home about anyway so it kinda moots that point...so basically it comes down to externals? cost and servicing/parts?

but as a car for primarily a-b journeys with reliability, comfort, handling etc i would not have thought that the leon would do a much dissimilar job to the A3, infact it would do the journey quicker and for cheaper...

lordrobs · 9 Oct 2007 at 13:12

The do look the part as long as they are in S-Line form or S3. I really like them, can't see me ever owning one though.

The_Judge · 9 Oct 2007 at 13:12

Joe T said:
S3 in white = very nice.

Picture doesnt do it justice

[TW]Fox · 9 Oct 2007 at 13:14

Nickg said:
and as you've just said above the A3 interior is nothing to write home about anyway so it kinda moots that point.....

It doesnt, the interior is not as good as an A6. It's still better than a Focus or Golf and noticdeably better than the new Leon. The new Leon SERIOUSLY dissapointed me. Wacky styling on the outside, cheap plastics and nasty centre console inside. Yuck.

Leon Cupra is nearly £20k. Not much cheaper than an A3 2.0T FSI.

Jez · 9 Oct 2007 at 13:15

Nickg said:
but you pay much less for the privalege?

are you sure for example that a leon Cupra is that much worse inside than a bogo standard A3 as the Cupra probably doesnt cost much more, and may even be cheaper.

Ive done a fair few miles in new Leon's and the interior are absolutely shocking, the A3 is a much better product. Worth the extra.

The leon does a similar job in the same way that flatpack furniture does a similar job to proper stuff, technically, yes, but meh nasty++

Housey · 9 Oct 2007 at 13:25

Audi, for all their lovely interiors and quality finish has one problem that in my opinion does not effect the other 2 German premium brands BMW and Mercedes, and is why I don't see Audi as a truly premium brand. BMW and Mercedes don't platform share outside their brand.

[TW]Fox · 9 Oct 2007 at 13:26

housemaster said:
Audi, for all their lovely interiors and quality finish has one problem that in my opinion does not effect the other 2 German premium brands BMW and Mercedes, and is why I don't see Audi as a truly premium brand. BMW and Mercedes don't platform share outside their brand.

Outside of us car enthusiasts, does this matter? Genuine question.

Does your mother, for example, know the A3 and the Leon platform share?

wassap · 9 Oct 2007 at 13:27

I like the looks of the A3, and it doesnt drive too badly, it certainly exudes quality much more so than the Golf.But the cars i have driven have had a much harsher ride than my ST,which was disappointing tbh.

Im more than likely going to have a diesel for my next motor, and the A3 is likely to be at the top, i think the new one musnt be far off now?

photoshop · 9 Oct 2007 at 13:28

the A3 is just an expensive version of the Golf GTI
and the S3 is just an expensive version of the R32

Look beneath it all and you'll see the cars share a lot of the parts. Not suprising really as VW own Audi

Housey · 9 Oct 2007 at 13:36

[TW]Fox;10237178 said:
Outside of us car enthusiasts, does this matter? Genuine question.

Does your mother, for example, know the A3 and the Leon platform share?

I don't think it matters to most people no, but to me it is a contrived brand. I remember when Audi and VW shared the same showroom, it is only in the last few years that VW group felt it devalued the brand to have them together. I felt it was more to do with being too obvious.

My mum thinks that there is only a single car in the whole world, it just comes in different colours!

Velocity · 9 Oct 2007 at 13:46

I've had 3 of them and another on the way.

I love them - build quality is just excellent, I have had 3 New Leon's as well and they handle a lot better than the A3's imo.

Jono · 9 Oct 2007 at 14:02

Velocity said:
I've had 3 of them and another on the way.

I love them - build quality is just excellent, I have had 3 New Leon's as well and they handle a lot better than the A3's imo.

Why so many?

Virdi · 9 Oct 2007 at 14:16

I love the current shape A3 - I would just love to have the S3...!! One s3xy car!!

audiolab · 9 Oct 2007 at 14:18

I agree with Fox's comments. About a year ago I was ready to change my car from an E46 BMW coupe. Looking around at the BMW line up at the time I did not fancy the E90 saloon, the E92 coupe was a month from release but the dealers were not budging on pricing as they had waiting lists.

I then went to visit my local Audi garage, they were very friendly and came in with reasonable and realistic offers on both trade in value and the discount off the OTR price of the new car.

I had a test drive in both an A4 and A3 and in all honesty I actually preferred the look and feel of the A3, so I bought a 2 litre TDI SLine. Over the last year of ownership I cannot fault it, I can drive a couple of hundred miles and get out feeling refreshed and looking forward to the journey back. It looks fantastic and still gives me a smile when I see it on the driveway in the morning, running costs are not too bad and I don't seem to get as much road rage from other drivers as I did in the E46 coupe.

Only problem I have is now that I plan to get rid of it in August this year I am having trouble finding anything that ticks as many boxes for me. Sure it is not the fastest, nor the best handling but as a whole package it is very very good. At this point I am not sure if I will buy another A3, not because I don't want another it's just that I normally like to get something different each time (any suggestions for an alternative would be welcomed), If I did buy another I would definitely buy a petrol version.

Perhaps the S3 would tempt me.

But just to show that even non-S3's can look good heres a pic of mine..