CNN slams the new Audi A3- Man, are they going down the toilet!

Only an idiot would give a bad review of the new Audi A3 and we found him.

Guess where?

The network that actually used to matter...CNN

Snippets from the review...

Reviewers at CNN.com's automotive partner, Edmunds.com, felt that, while the steering might be on the lightweight side, road feel was still good. I'll disagree with them there. The steering just didn't feel good to me. I thought on-center feel -- the physical sense of whether the front wheels are pointed straight ahead or not -- was particularly lacking.

The suspension on my test car did a nice job of smoothing out badly patched city roads and off-kilter manhole covers. But the car's body motions didn't encourage me to drive it hard into turns. The wide, slippery front seats didn't help much, either.

The A3's got plenty of potential for thrills. Given its good looks and nice interior design, it might offer a compelling buy with the "Sport package" installed. But without it, especially if you go beyond the base vehicle, the parts just don't add up.

What happened? Did Audi cancel their ad buy with you?

In our opinion, the A3 is probably one of THE best small cars you'll ever drive.

And we're not alone in that judgement.

Hey, Peter!

You have a wonderful future in the hospitality industry!

Full review here:

MercBasher - 6/16/2005 10:08:40 PM

+1 Boost

For $30,000 there are many better purchases out there - I'd wait for the new Golf if you love the A3 - As all of Europe knows, the A3 is basically Golf in drag with a huge mark-up.

Matthew1 - 6/17/2005 12:16:44 AM

+1 Boost

What a laugh. First off, the review was not slamming the A3. It was just stating a few faults with its driving dynamics. The comment about the lightweight, dead-feeling steering has been echoed by numerous car magazines and automotive journalists.

Any car can be 'nice' to drive, but for an enthusiastic driver, steering feel, supportive seats and dynamics matter. I really can't see how an article giving truthful, un-biased remarks on a car can make news.

Yes, I like the A3, and it is a very good car, but no car is perfect, and Audi still has work to do on steering feel. 001's remark "What happened? Did Audi cancel their ad buy with you?" is pathetic and childish. Yes, it would be nice to go round saying every new car is perfect in every respect, but thats not journalism, its advertising.

The real world awaits your arrival.

993Turbo - 6/17/2005 6:26:02 AM

+1 Boost

What do you expect from the Communist News Network?

kedar - 6/17/2005 8:44:14 AM

+1 Boost

test drove the A3 twice and both times the dealer was not with us, so did some heavy triple digits speeds on the A3. We drove it so hard that when we got back it was smoking so we had to stand next to it and smoke a cig just to disguise the smell!.
Anywho! the car is a BLAST to drive. The steering is surely dead but the 2.0T engine is fantastic and eager to please. A3 is too pricey and their lease rates are crazy. the new golf is ugly, also chances of having the new golf in the US with quattro, 4-door VR6 engine is close to none. As you can tell VW is dumb to not realize the market. I fail to understand why they wont even allow European Delivery to see if the market exists.

niktee - 6/18/2005 5:09:43 AM

+1 Boost

CNN probably heard a rumor that the A3 was a favorite with conservitives.

Homer008 - 6/21/2005 9:43:42 PM

+1 Boost

If you own a Audi, you'll burn money eventually. Audi A3 for example piles on these new gizmos which about 95% of people will not use for a damn. All these crappy gizmos will pile on hefty price tag also i.e. around 25-35 grand for A3..Now, I checked reliability data on Audi cars. They are atrocious with problems.

Cooling
electrical
a/c
suspension
bakes
body integrity
power equipment

final verdict: NOT RECOMMENDED BY CONSUMER REPORTS

Go take a look at Mazda and its rock solid reliability rocks the house.

Almost all solid reds and of course its recommended by the Consumer Reports.

I personally like A3 but it'll burn your money in 3-4 years by falling apart into little pieces like VW does.

Homer008 - 6/21/2005 9:43:42 PM

+1 Boost