This review is based on my experiences of running this car over 10 days and 800 miles as a courtesy car.
The Audi A3 is a premium small family car and priced at the top of this particular segment. The car I used was the limited special edition version available on the road at a discounted price of just over £16,000. My initial reaction to being given the cheapest Audi in the range was one of disappointment as my own car is a well specified A4 with quattro and I also prefer the response of petrol engines. I was very pleasantly surprised by the A3 though.
As expected the interior build quality is superb and equal to that of more expensive models in the Audi range. Where the savings have been made are in the basic specification: Manual air-con, standard cloth seats, no front fog lights and single CD player etc. There is a good amount of room in the front seats, while the rear seats will carry 2 or 3 people over short journeys with an acceptable amount of room for this type of car.
The 1.9TDI engine in this particular model is rated at just over 100bhp. I expected to find the car noisy and slow in comparison to my own 3.0 petrol car, but in actual fact the 1.9TDI really suits the character of this car - it pulls well once the turbo has spooled up and is very economical. If buying a car purely for short trips around town, the 1.6 special edition will be quieter as well as offering the benefit of costing just £14,995 OTR which would probably more than offset its slightly poorer fuel consumption. However, if you plan to use your A3 on the motorway, the 1.9TDI offers much more torque and is able to keep up with rush-hour traffic. The handling is good and the ride quality firm but controlled. Another benefit of the 1.9TDI is it is slightly less prone to spinning the front wheels unlike 2.0TDI cars I have driven.
I expected not to like this car, but after 10 days of running it I found it made a compelling argument for the lower end of the Audi range. It could be argued that a higher-specified Ford Focus or VW Golf can be had for the same price. While this is the case, if sheer performance is not your priority, but solid build quality and good fuel economy are, then the Audi is a prudent choice. Moreover, after 3 years it has the highest residual value of all its competitors - you can expect to sell it on for around £12,000 or part-exchange it above £10,000.
More details
Purchase Price
£16,500
Reliability
Good
Spaciousness
Good
Customer service
Good
Security
Good
Fuel consumption
Excellent
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