This is my wife’s car. I will (try) to give you a fair review of this car.
Looks
It’s a matter of taste, it’s not quite as sexy as the alfa 147 and nowhere near as cool as the mini, but imho it’s the best looking german premium hatchback (the bmw 1 series looks pretty much like a shoe (as Clarckson said) and the Mercedes B-class is… eerrrm… well… boring to say the least).
Even if the hatchback-station wagon mix is not a heart-stopper the 17″ inch rims (standard on Ambition) and open sky panoramic roof (optional extra) make it stand out from the crowd.
Interior
The interior is the best part of this car, and it was the main argument for buying this, instead of it’s cheaper sisters – the golf/leon and octavia. Even though this is a compact you get interior trims better than in most mid-sized sedans. If something in the interior of an A3 looks like aluminium or wood, than it’s actually made out of those materials (I really hate alu and carbon-fiber painted plastic bits in a car… it’s lame, it’s not a shame to use plastic, just don’t pretend it’s something else).
The steering wheel is one of the best I’ve ever tried: it’s small and meaty, it actually makes you feel like you’re in sports car (even if you’re actually in a diesel powered hatchback). Better yet as far as I know all trim levels (there are 3 of them) come with this lovely steering wheel, so you won’t find any plastic steering wheels on a A3.
Since I mentioned trim-levels there are 3 of them: Attraction (entry level), Ambition (the sporty one) and Ambiente (the “luxury” one). Unlike most German premium cars where everything except the steering wheel is an optional extra, the A3 came very well equipped (though pricey). Even the entry level A3 came with 16″ alloy wheels, leather steering wheel and climate control while the Ambition added 17″ alloys, sport suspension (not present on my wife’s car), and other gizmos.
Ride & comfort
Since it’s a compact you shouldn’t expect much more than you get from this class. The front seats are incredibly comfortable while giving you plenty of lateral support. The suspension (even the standard one) is rather “sporty” and while it gives you an almost go-kart like feeling do not expect it to smoothly glide over bumps.
It’s also not the roomiest car in the class (though I think it’s marginally larger than the golf V), front seats are OK and actually you have plenty of legroom in the back too but the rear seats are quite uncomfortable and the low roof can literally cause headaches to taller passengers.
Dynamics
“Power is nothing without control” but this car has too much control and not so much power. I’m pretty sure this car was developed with the 2.0 TFSI in mind rather than this lazy oilburning TDI engine. Stability is way over the standard of it’s class. With 105 hp it’s almost impossible to spin it or take it off course, at this small amount of power even understeer is very well controlled.
It’s quite frustrating that such a great combination of chassis, suspension and gearbox (excellent gearbox btw) is powered by such a lazy engine. So if you really want to take advantage of the cars “sporting” credentials you should go for the 1.8 TSI or 2.0 TFSI turbocharged petrol engines.
It might not be as good as the 1 series on the track (I’m quite sure it’s nowhere near as good on the track) but it can certainly put a smile on your face on a twisty road.
Reliability
We had this car for 4 years, the problems so far where:
- the armrest got stuck in a weird position (fixed under warranty)
- the sunroof roll-shutter broke (fixed under warranty)
Pros:
+ Very nice interior and premium interior trim
+ Great stability – can deliver sporty performance if powered by proper engines
+ Feels very solid and reliable
Cons:
– Price ! It’s highly overpriced.
– A bmw 1 series will be faster on a track.
Specifications:
Carfolio.com
Fastestlaps.com
HalbaSus.wordpress.com 