My original intention was to test an Audi A3 TDI, however the dealer did not have a single one in stock. Apparently there is limited production, and demand for these diesel-powered A3s is fairly high. Even the majority of TDIs that were in transit to the dealer were already sold! And to think I’d never even heard of these cars until a few weeks ago.

The sales rep claimed that there was very little noticeable difference in the way standard and diesel A3s feel, so I decided to give the standard gas A3 a try. Cosmetically the two versions are identical with the same options available. I didn’t spend much time messing around with the controls, but they seemed fairly straightforward. The steering wheel didn’t have volume controls for the stereo, which I tend to use a lot. The stereo displays and buttons glow red, which I’m not a huge fan of. It feels kind of evil, haha. The speedometer and other instrument displays were white, which is fine.

Another annoyance was the fact that there was no solid sliding sunroof cover available. Instead it’s a mesh cover. They are assuming that people want to feel the sun all the time, and don’t give you the choice of blocking the sun altogether. I could easily feel the heat of the afternoon sun through that mesh cover. It would require unnecessary use of the air conditioning, I think. The sales rep said if I don’t like that mesh cover, I would have to order the A3 without a sunroof at all. :-/

Most importantly was the performance and handling. It has enough oomph for my needs, however the most noticeable annoyance for me was the time I had to wait between stepping on the gas and the car’s response. My BMW does this at certain RPMs, but never at a standstill. The A3 I tested seemed to hesitate every time. Gradual acceleration was fine, but there was no instant zoom until after a 1-second delay. The same thing happened while in Sport Mode as well. In fact, it seemed even more noticeable.

The ride is pretty good, and seems comparable to my current 325i. There is minimal lean when turning corners, and the handling felt good too. The brakes seemed… okay. I’m used to BMW’s super-brakes, so the braking in the A3 felt a bit mushier. Overall it felt like a decent car.

STYLE – I’m still undecided if I like the styling on this or not. The front is fine, but the back half of the car looks a bit too wagonish to me. The sales reps are eager to tell you “it’s not a wagon! Our Quattro is the wagon!” Still, it seems a tiny bit too elongated to be a compact hatchback. Granted it’s about 10 inches shorter than my 325i, but why doesn’t it look shorter?

MILEAGE – 22/28 mpg – My minimum requirement was that it do better than the 19/29 of my current car. It almost achieves this, but then again my main interest was in the diesel A3, which gets 30/42 — quite a lot better!

COMPACT – It’s a pretty nimble little car. I’m just not sure why it doesn’t look as compact as it actually is?

UTILITY – I love hatchbacks because they really make your car so much more versatile. The seats fold down and the hatch cover is removable, making for a spacious storage area.

RELIABILITY – I am unfamiliar with Audi’s reputation. Their parent company is Volkswagen, which I’m not sure what that means. I inquired about electrical problems, which tend to plague German cars, but the sales rep said there were no problems (as I expected them to say). Additionally, Audi discontinued its free four-year maintenance coverage in 2006.

PRICE – Starting at $27,270, it seems like a good value. The DTI that I want is about $1200 more. With options and goodies the price would probably be in the mid-30k range, which is okay by me.

PROS:

• Versatile storage options
• Decent price

CONS:

• Hesitation before quick acceleration
• Wagon-looking rear end
• Mileage leaves more to be desired (which is why I wanted the TDI version)
• Leather seats are standard, and the only way to not get leather seats is to order the Sport package, which would include the stiffer suspension that I don’t want.

CONCLUSION
It’s a shame the TDI was not available for me to test drive. Even though the rep said the two felt about the same, I’d like to judge for myself. If the TDI also has that same delay between the pedal and the acceleration, then I might have to think twice about considering this model. The A3 TDI looks really good on paper, but without that diesel engine, it’s not likely I will consider the A3 for purchase.