Advantages: A 5-door premium "mini-estate"
Disadvantages: Cost. It's really just a Golf, buy you pay for the badge...

...Last week (a fairly reasonable 9 weeks from placing the order) we took delivery of our brand new Audi A3 Sportback SE 2.0 TDI, to replace my Mercedes CLK (check out my other reviews), a splendid car but really not a suitable family-mobile... I know I've not had the car very long, so maybe am not in a fantastic position to give a full review, but as no-one else has reviewed this car on Ciao (yet), I wanted to make this information available to you all. I hope this is OK, and will update this review as time goes by and I can add more detailed comment. Audi itself is named after Auto Union Deutsche Industrie, a joint venture of four German automobile manufacturers, established in 1932 in Zwickau, Saxony, during the Great Depression. The trademark of Auto Union was a symbol of four overlapping rings, symbolizing the four member... Read review

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Advantages: Great comfort, economical, great value for money, excellent road runner
Disadvantages: Not as punchy as a Golf GTI 2.0

...I brought an Audi A3 2.0 FSI a few years back and had it for about just over a year. I brought it as an ex demo with only about 3,000 miles on the clock. I had to sell it last year as was buying my sisters Golf GTI. In that time that I had the Audi A3, it was truely an amazing car. It was very economical, I didnt have a computer inside to tell me how many miles to the gallon I was doing but it was pretty good, a much better road runner to the more guzzling Golf GTI. I had a dark navy blue exterior with a pale cloth interior. I brought rubber matts along with the carpet ones the car came with for durability, it was deffinately well worth it. I had a CD/Radio player in the car which was new to me because all the cars I had before that was more old fashioned, but it was well worth it. The only thing I would point out that now having... Read review

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Advantages: Peppy, fun and practical.
Disadvantages: stock tires, weird armrest/handbrake ergonomics, rear window buffeting

...I bought my A3 about 4 weeks after they were released in the US. I've now got almost 20,000 miles on it and have enjoyed every mile. I have a 60 mile daily commute, which is a good combination of open and mountainous freeway driving. The A3 is amazing uphill. The new Audi 4-cyl 2.0 Turbo combined with the 6 speed DSG doesn't even stutter when traveling up the 2 mile 3% grade I drive daily. I've got to watch myself to keep myself from doing 90 mph up it. I cannot imagine what the new S-line version will be like with the larger V6 engine and quattro. For those of you that don't know what DSG is, it stands for Dual Shift Gearbox. DSG is basically a semi-automatic transmission that uses two clutches instead of one - which the end result is faster and smoother shifting. The DSG model included paddle shifting controls on the steering wheel... Read review

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Advantages: Super looks, great build quality
Disadvantages: Audi service..AVIOD

...Audi is a german company. I could leave it there, but audi currently i believe lead the german luxury car market, the A3's competitors are the VW Golf and the BMW 1 series, this mercedes currently not offering a sporty hatchback. The golf firstly won't give you the same luxury that the A3 will which justifies it being £6000 cheaper, and the 1 series will give you the luxury at a slightly most expensive price and without the sporty looks of the A3. The A3 in fact runs over the other two in the looks department, with audi's signature large grill, it looks like a beast and is one, the S-line will offer you even better sporty look with nicer trim without having to fork out for the S3. The S-line is basically an option that gives in an enhanced sporty look almost as good as the S3 and the S-line option is available in the 5-door option... Read review

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Advantages: Size, Performance, Build Quality
Disadvantages: Electrical Problems

...A larger than average family saloon car with that little bit extra for the 'driver' in you! I had mine from new in December 2005 and have covered almost 75000 miles in less than 2 years. Standard equipment included 17" alloys, climate control, single cd player, dusk til down automatic lighting function and some very comfortable sports seats. I added 'cruise control' which is surprisingly not a standard option, though it is on the 'SE' and 'SEL' versions. The 2.0TDi (140bhp) engine delivers smooth, yet powerful acceleration and its 6 speed manual gearbox is fantastic as it is very close and quick to change through the gears. The car cruises on the motorway and gives in excess of 50mpg on a good run, and even through urban areas I have had no less than 40-45mpg returns. It feels a well built and quality vehicle and does... Read review

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Advantages: Quick car, excellent handling, potential economy, cleverly designed, beautiful exterior
Disadvantages: Overuse of plastic in cabin wears quick, no room in glovebox, a few rattles

...the bonnet of the TDI FR is an up rated version of the 16v 2.0 TDI VAG engine introduced by Audi and VW, with Seat and Skoda following slowly behind. But Seat are really one of the first to actually use this new version of the popular diesel which now generates 170ps (168bhp) at 4200 rpm giving a staggering 350nm/256 lbft of torque at the low end of the revs. The engine is also the first in the VAG group to benefit from DPF (diesel particulate filter) which cleans up the emissions and takes away that diesel smell, especially first thing in the morning. Like the Golf and I would assume the A3, the Leon uses the same electromechanical steering system (which I like to call arcade syndrome) but on the FR Seat have added DSR (dynamic steering response) which helps the steering handle better when under performance conditions and when handling needs... Read review

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Advantages: Looks stunning, goes like the wind!
Disadvantages: Short clutch

...in that case, would you like to drive and A3 madam?" at this point I was getting a little tired of being called Madam at 21!!! " yes please Mr Salesman!" So off he toddled to get the keys to said A3 and to bring it around to the front of the showroom for us. WOW! This was not your normal run of the mill A3 we had here! it was a flippin S-Line! Brand spanking new with 500 miles on the clock. Bright red, black leather sports seats that hugged you tighter than any bloke ever could! What a stunning 'pulling machine' we had! A3 2.0 FSI TDI S-Line to be precise. As it was the demo it was all taxed and therefore we didn't need to have a Salesman surgically attached to us! Off we drove…all I can say is….WOW! you press the accelerator and Woosh you're off! 0-60 was just incredible! Anyway, to the point! After the test drive etc. we went... Read review

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Advantages: Well Built, quick and economical
Disadvantages: Costly Servicing and arrogant dealerships!

...expensive it was initially but after owning it for 2 ½ years and traveling 55,000 miles it does feel like the money was well spent. The A3 has met and surpassed all my requirements, it is certainly not sluggish in pulling away from junctions and round-a-bout's and is fantastic for motorway driving where the miles pass effortlessly. In addition to this the car is on flexible servicing mileage and if you drive on the motorways it can go 20-25 thousands miles before needing servicing which is good because when the services do come around you are looking at around £200-300 pounds for an Audi main dealer service! I would certainly recommend the Audi A3 to anyone and especially the TDi as I have had the pleasure of driving both the 2.0 FSi and the 2.0 TDi and I definitely prefer the diesel as it feels more responsive at lower speeds. I have... Read review

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Advantages: Incredible build quality, performance/economy mix from diesel, looks
Disadvantages: Expensive to buy new, other rivals more exciting to drive, diesel noisy from cold

...When Audi launched the latest generation A3, in three-door form first, I failed to take much notice unfortunately. It wasn't until I saw the first preview pictures of the new five-door version, dubbed the "Sportback", that my interest started to increase. My wife and I used to run two cars, but with my change of job to work locally we knew one car between us would make sense. It also meant we could buy one really nice one, too! Choosing a diesel-powered model from the range would not only mean low running costs and slow depreciation, but also flexibility in all driving conditions. The 2.0TDI engine is surprisingly noisy from cold, especially when compared to Ford's TDCi, but once warmed up it's not too bad. Like the best diesels though, forget about the 138bhp power output; the maximum 236lb/ft of torque dominates the driving... Read review

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Advantages: Size, running costs, Motorway muncher
Disadvantages: Not ideal for Town Driving. Not for 5 large adults.

...Been driving a 2.0TDI SE for the best part of 2 years. I have done about 60,000 miles in the car and have had very few complaints, so lets get them out of the way first. The steering can feel a tad light at high motorway speeds if you are not carrying a lot of weight. The sensitivity of the steering wheel can lead you to contsantly adjust your steering wheel slightly every few seconds. You can however get this adjusted at your dealer (it has six settings). So this is easily fixed. Secondly the button handbrake can take a little getting used to, especially if you do a lot of motorway miles and rarely use it. But thats just because it is a new system, not one that is faulty. Now onto the good points. Cruise control is fantastic. Pull the level to turn on at your current speed. Tap up for 5 more mph and tap down for 5 less mph... Read review

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