A base A3 2.0 TDI FWD S-Tronic runs $29,950. The VW Golf TDI we recently tested runs $23,090. In the review of that car we mentioned how the $7k discount for the Golf might be the way to go. After all, you can’t get this flavor of Audi with quattro AWD, which would differentiate the Audi diesel from the Volkswagen. And both share a chassis, a 2.0-liter turbocharged motor good for the same juice—140hp and 236 pound-feet of torque—and get identical fuel economy as well, 30 city/42 highway.
But the counter argument is that you can get baubles with the Audi that the VW doesn’t offer. Options we’d find very hard to resist include the $2,000 Titanium Sport Package, which includes 18-inch wheels with 225/45-series tires, a tweaked suspension for sportier character, S-line seats in Alcantara, gorgeous piano black trim that’s way slicker than wood inserts and a black headliner that subtly ups the sex appeal of this cabin (and if you add up those seats, trim and headliner the entire cockpit is way hotter than the quarters in the VW).
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