Car and Driver Comparison Test: 2015 Audi A3 Sedan Defeats the Mercedes-Benz CLA250 4MATIC and BMW 228i! Can Anyone Take Down the A3 Sedan?

To answer the question: Yes, the A3 lost to the 320i and CLA in R&T this month but the article isn't online yet.

Hmmm...the nut had nothing to say about this little tidbit. Perhaps somewhere crying or in denial that his precious audi lost?

He doesnt seem to read anything other car&audi, which is the ONLY mag impressed by audi, (or rather, the ONLY mag to which audi writes checks big enough) so Im guessing he's in denial.

Disclaimer: I read the article I mentioned in R&T briefly from the shelf. Not sure if it was a full review/comparison, though.

And...as always I put no credence in ANY magazine comparison anymore. It's almost too painfully clear where bias exists, no matter how much each publication denies it. I couldn't imagine that, from publication to publication, that there could be so many disparate opinions on certain cars especially when multiple reviewers and editors are involved.

To get you up to date: R & T said the BMW was best of the three. The CLA was stylish but compromised. And the A3 is stubby and shitty and giving the brilliant new Golf a bad name.

These cars are not shopped on performance anyway. They are purchased 100% for the combination of what the brand says about the owner and how attractive the lease rate is.

For somebody that appears to be involved in selling cars, you seem to have a pretty blinkered and self important view of what other peoples wants and needs are. Statements about what 100% of buyers want are pretty stupid to be frank.

It's funny, somehow a luxury brand touting having the best ENTRY level sedan just doesn't sound attractive.

Leave entry to Toyota and focus on the removing the Luxury Titans S Class and E Class from their lofty thrones.

Either way kudos to Benz for having a launch that dwarfed the A3's despite less than stellar reviews, low practicality, limited inventory.

And kudos to Audi for making arguably the best ENTRY level sedan. I'm sure Volkswagen is proud

The A3 sedan's larger rear-seat room, better driving dynamics, higher quality materials, better technology and softer ride once again gave it the victory over the Mercedes-Benz CLA250 4MATIC and now the BMW 228i.

I have to agree with this Car and Driver review as it gave the Audi A3 Sedan the win based on factors that every other publication said it does better than the Mercedes-Benz CLA250.

The CLA's rear-seat rom is certainly cramped, it doesn't feel as sporty as the A3 Sedan and the interior has been criticized in several reviews for offering materials that aren't up to Mercedes-Benz's usual standards such as the plastic on the dash and the navigation unit that looks like it was an after-thought that was bought at Best Buy and screwed onto the dash.

Furthermore, the CLA doesn't offer 4G LTE Wifi Hotspot Connectivity or the equivalent of MMI touch and the ride has been criticized as being overly harsh.

I think Mercedes-Benz had the right idea in creating a swoopy and distinct exterior design for its entry-level car but it didn't think the entire product through. The 3-pointed star on the grille can only do so much until buyers realize they aren't getting a typical Mercedes-Benz with the hallmark plush ride, high-quality interior and ample room.

The A3 sedan's larger rear-seat room, better driving dynamics, higher quality materials, better technology and softer ride once again gave it the victory over the Mercedes-Benz CLA250 4MATIC and now the BMW 228i.

Technically if you look at the numbers, the BMW is larger interior than the Audi, so wondering how the back seat in the BMW is tiny.

Audi 48 cubic feet volume up front vs 52 cubic feet for the BMW
Audi 39 cubic feet in rear vs 37 cubic feet for the BMW

& yet the BMW is smaller. Plus the BMW has trunk capacity at 14 cu ft vs. the Audi at 10 cu ft.

How does the Audi best the BMW in Performance? The BMW is 6/10 of a second quicker than the Audi. Road holding is 47.2 mph vs 47.7 mph for the Audi . Yet the BMW loses 3 points & the Mercedes which is 1.3 seconds slower with worse handling gets 20 points ....

I parked next to a black A3 today (apparently a loaner dealership vehicle). This is now my 3rd one and I seriously couldnt' tell much difference between it and the Passat that was parked nearby.

Interesting comparo.

Interesting to note that despite the lowest rating for performance, the BMW still gets the highest 'fun to drive' score... I guess that's the benefit of RWD. And as ever, the BMW looses out because the Bavarians are way too stingy with the options!

I disagree with their style ratings too... The A3 is smart but dull, the 2-er looks like it needs to go on a diet, whereas the CLA looks pretty good (though I admit it's more of a like it or hate it proposition than the other two).

Over here we get the 1 series hatch, so it seems a little wierd to be testing a RWD Coupe against two AWD 4 door saloon cars.

I'd rather park next to an A3 that looks like a Passat than a CLA that looks like some kid's bad drawing.

The 228i ran 0-60 in 4.9s? Holy crap. If it was the quickest and most fun to drive on those shit runflat tires, a 228i with the Track Package, which gives it the suspension, brakes, and Pilot Super Sport tires from the M235i, is going to be quite a car.

Yeah but the price tag for a 228i with the most basic of luxurious extras will be very high. The 228i might be a nice car, but for the price there are other cars out there such as BMW's own 3-series that might attract buyers.

Luxury brands have to have entry level models to make money.

Exactly, its meant to pay the bills, not to carry the crown, image, and reputation.

The A3 Sedan's purpose is to serve as the affordable entry-level gateway to the Audi brand for young customers and hopefully satisfy these customers enough so that they become lifetime Audi customers and move up to the A4, A6, A7, A8 etc. as they get older and make more money.

The BMW 228i lost not because of its driving dynamics but because of its sky-high price due to its 'bare-bones basic car and everything else is optional' pricing strategy, which is the same strategy as Porsche (except Porsches drive better than all their BMW counterparts). The BMW is missing key luxury features such as a navigation system along with other items despite its high price. Also, while it's better than the A3 Sedan in terms of driving dynamics, the BMW should have been leagues beyond the Audi A3 Sedan in terms of driving fun but is only slightly better.

The cars are priced with similar options for about the same money and the BMW is ALOT faster, larger with similar fuel efficiency ... Plus more fun to drive. You forgot to mention that BMW includes the Maintenance. If you equip both cars the same the MSRP is only $3,000 difference.

Car and Driver obviously concluded that the BMW 228i's added points due to better of driving dynamics and acceleration time was not as great as the point negation for lack of luxury features, relative high price given those lack of luxury features and smaller than expected premium for driving fun.

Another words the A3's additional luxury features and technology, similar price even with those luxury features and only marginally less fun driving experience wins out points wise.

So the Audi won due to a few more features? Technology wise, everyone agrees that the BMW I-drive offers more technology than anyoher system around. So the slower, less fun to drive, smaller car won based on Subjective Opinions ... That makes perfect sense ...

Actually, wonder how the A3 would do compared to the BMW 320xi sedan.

The build quay of the Merc is poor.

It wasn't even close.