Category: Small Family 
Price Range: £15,265 to £26,525
Classy looks, attractive cabin, safe handling, quality, 2.0-litre engines
Pricey, appalling rearward visibility, notchy gearchange, smallish boot, less sporting than Audi claims
Desirable but expensive. Good road manners and roomier cabin justify its high price
Standard-spec models with the smaller engines lack air conditioning - pretty poor, in a car this expensive - and even metallic paint is an extra-cost option. You do get electric/heated door mirrors and heat-reflecting windscreen, though. SE and S line models are better-equipped, though the prices soon mount up over the £20,000 mark once you start adding satellite navigation, an upgraded stereo and so on, even with the 1.4 TFSI and 1.6 engines.
The A3 has comfortable, well-shaped seats which prove supportive on long journeys. The ride can be firm, depending on the wheel/tyre combinations, but it is generally smooth and quiet in most road conditions. The TFSI and 2.0 TDI engines are pretty subdued, but the 1.9 TDI diesel can be a bit grumbly.
It's not the roomiest car in the sector, however, with front kneeroom quite tight for longer-legged drivers, and a narrow rear cabin section - it'll be a squeeze for three rear rear-seat occupants, and rear headroom is not generous, either. The boot is narrow and not very long, though the split/folding rear seats do help load capacity, and it is quite deep: instead of a spare wheel, you get a puncture repair kit. There's enough space for oddments, with cupholders, a large glovebox and door pockets.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Audi A3
wrote on 18 05 2007
wrote on 07 10 2006
wrote on 09 06 2006