Category: Small Family 
Price Range: £15,265 to £26,525
A hatch with a touch of subtle glamour, the A3 is superbly built, and has safety engineering second to none.
Expensive and confined in the rear.
Consider it as a classy, practical coupe (even the five-door), and you won't be disappointed. Don't consider it as an expensive Golf - it's too cramped.
A slightly sharp clutch, a notchy gearchange and poor visibility rearwards are mild problems, but in other respects the Audi is an easy drive, if not as low effort as the best Japanese models. It's a pleasure to drive the A3, but not really fun. The 1.8T with optional sports suspension gets closest to entertaining, but the Ford Focus is more willing and able. The S3 hot-hatch is reviewed separately.
The 1.6 and 1.8 are brisk, the 1.8 Turbo more so, and all are fairly smooth in their power delivery, though they could be silkier. The S3 hot-hatchback is reviewed separately.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Audi A3
wrote on 18 05 2007
wrote on 07 10 2006
wrote on 09 06 2006