Small, economical and far from boring

Small, economical and far from boring
Editors Rating

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Small, economical and far from boring
Small, economical and far from boring
Small, economical and far from boring
Photos by -Autonet.ca
Harry Pegg
Published: 01 04 2008

Who says small and economical needs to be boring?

The 2008 Audi A3 demonstrates that driving pleasure, even excitement, can be had in a properly-done small hatchback that looks good, feels good and gets good fuel economy.

It’s the picture of practicality with the performance attitude of a sports car.

I just spent some time in an A3 3.2 model with S Line package and boring never came to mind. Not once.

Under the hood of the test car was a direct-injection V6 that applies 236 lb.-ft. of torque to 250 horses in a car that weights just over 3,000 lb. The engine is specific to the S-Line quattro. The other members of the stable are powered by a 2.0L direct-injected turbo engine.

The V6 puts the power to all four wheels through an S-Tronic 6-speed automatic transmission and Audi’s quattro system.

It’s a potent drivetrain, capable of getting you to high velocities in a hurry and without much fanfare, which means you have to be careful or you might find the speedometer reading somewhat over the posted limit.

The musicians at Audi have the exhaust note tuned to an ear-pleasing, throaty, power note that increases in tone as you mash the throttle.

There are two ways to handle the shiftwork – let the electronics to all the thinking and have all the fun, or use sport shift and choose the gear changes yourself through paddle shifters on the steering wheel spokes.

Those paddles may be one of my few quibbles about this car: The system is left thumb for downshifts, right thumb for upshifts. The problem is that hard, sharp turns sometimes require moving your hands from the ideal 3 -9 o’clock position, meaning you will lose the ability to downshift or upshift depending on which way you’re turning. I much prefer a system which lets either hand move up or down the gear path.

Other than that, the transmission is a symphony in smoothness working in harmony with the engine—no shift shock, no hunting for gears. It’s a combination that responds instantly to demands for acceleration.

But fun isn’t just in the acceleration; it’s also measured in how easily you can drive it around the bend. The A3 S-Line, with its sport tuned suspension system with independent four-link rear setup simply eats up corners and uses quattro to keep cornering under control. Should you find yourself with enough courage to push it to the absolute limit (or if road conditions become less than ideal), ESP will intervene to keep you on course.

Getting into the brakes activates four-wheel discs with ABS and EBD.

While you’re having all this fun, you and your front passenger are riding in heated leather sport bucket seats. My wife loves these seats – and pretty much any heated seat from Audi – because the adjustment falls just short of a “fry” setting.

The tilt/telescoping steering column provides enough adjustment to help just about anybody sort out an ideal driving position. Switches are easy to reach, but the audio system adjustments take some getting used to…it’s more than a one-touch affair if you stray away from the presets.

There’s plenty of leg room for rear seat passengers provided the folks up front don’t have their seats all the way back. With four people in the car, there’s 12.4 cu. ft. of storage behind the rear seat. With the 60/40 split rear seat folded down, you have 54 cu. ft. of space – but not a perfectly flat floor – for your stuff.

The test car came with optional Open Sky system which gives both rows of seating a glass roof to look through. The front portion tilts and slides while the rear is fixed. Wear sunscreen.

Bi-xenon adaptive headlights provided near-ideal night vision, illuminating a large stretch of highway on highbeams and giving a little extra visibility in cornering.

Sure, you can pay a little less for your A3 and still have a lot of fun, but this is the car that would definitely be on my shopping list if I were hunting for a hatchback with a fun side.

This may be an entry level Audi but it ain’t cheap – in terms of fit, finish, materials or quality.

It ain’t cheap on the pocketbook either at $51,000.

Summary:

Year/Make/Model
2008 Audi A3
Price as tested
$51,100
Trim level
3.2 quattro
Price range
$32,300 - $43,700
Freight
$800
Options
Open Sky system ($1,500), 18-inch aluminum alloy wheels with performance tires ($1,400), bi-Xenon adaptive headlamps ($1,200), BlueTooth phone prep ($650), metallic paint ($650).
EnerGuide fuel economy ratings
11.3 L/100km city; 8.0 L/100km hwy
Observed fuel economy
11.1 L/100 km combined
Warranty (basic)
4 years/80,000 km
Warranty (powertrain)
4 years/80,000 km
Competitors
BMW 135i, MazdaSpeed3, VW GTI

Strong Points

Weak Points

  • - outstanding engine and transmission
  • - handling
  • - intrusive armrest
  • - rear headrests obscure rear vision

Editors Rating:

Fuel consumption
if you can keep your foot off the floor, it's reasonably economical to drive
Value for price
The least costly Audi takes boring out of economical
Styling
terrific interior, smooth hatchback design
Comfort
sports seats with leather upholstery and hot bum warmers, good leg room
Performance
Wow!
overall
A small car with pizzazz, performance and style

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