Thirty years ago, luxury was sold by the pound. The bigger the car, the pricier the bill - and the higher the prestige. Thus, small sedans were exclusively aimed at low-income customers. But who would have thought, back when the Chevrolet Citation was popular, that a compact hatchback could one day retail for the same price as a big Cadillac?
Nowadays, luxury can be found in small packages, too. The Audi A3 is a great example. Barely larger than a Volkswagen City Golf (a not-so-distant cousin from a technical standpoint), it’s twice as expensive… and much more highly regarded.
Like the A4
A foot shorter than the A4 sedan, the Audi A3 sits on a 7-centimeter shorter wheelbase. Yet, cargo capacity is almost identical (370 liters vs 380).
What makes the trunk of A3 more interesting is the fact that folding the 60/40 split rear seatback triples the available cargo room (1,100 liters). Of course, you can find better (1,530 liters for the Mercedes-Benz B-Class and 1,257 for the Subaru Impreza WRX 5-Door), but it’s still a major upgrade from the A4.
The rear hatch of the A3, however, is pretty short and does not open very high. On the plus side, you can park close to another vehicle or a wall and still manage to open it safely. This is perfect for underground parking lots, for example.
Familiar interior
Inside, you don’t need to look far to find Audi family ties. The dashboard is decidedly modern and the controls are all accessible. The sport seats included in the S line Package (as tested) are snugly and provide high levels of comfort. On the other hand, headroom is tight. It’s a good thing, though, that Audi offers heated seats as part of the standard equipment.
While the front buckets are exemplary, it’s a whole different story in the back. The door opening is narrow, the step is high and limited legroom awaits you. Just to be perfectly clear: the rear seats are better suited for children. In fact, the A3 almost feels like a “2+2?.
The Open Sky dual-panel glass roof system ($1,500), featuring a power sunroof over the front row, somewhat makes up for the tight feel inside by flooding the interior with sunlight and creating an airy environment.
Mechanical twin of the A4
The A3 is the mechanical twin of the A4. My tester, a base 2.0T model, was powered by a 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder, turbocharged engine (also used by the Volkswagen Eos, GTI and Passat). Producing 200 horsepower, it propelled the smallest Audi from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.7 seconds — only 8 tenths of a second slower than the high-end A3 3.2 quattro with 250-hp V6.
The 6-speed manual transmission of the A3 2.0T offers well-calibrated gear ratios and a particularly precise shifter. A sophisticated, 6-speed S tronic autobox is optionally available with this model (and standard with the V6).
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