I was pretty pleased when the sales rep who took me on my last Audi test drive emailed me to let me know they finally got an A3 TDI in stock. I went over there right away, because it’s not likely to be there for long, considering the demand for them.

Pretty much everything about the TDI version of the A3 is the same as the standard A3, so for all the cosmetic stuff, refer back to my original review of the A3. What I was most eager to find out was if the drive was any better than the disappointingly hesitating transmission of the gas-powered A3. And I’m happy to report… it was!

I found the time between gas pedal press and engine boost was noticeably reduced. For me this made all the difference. The A3 actually became fun to drive! It aggressively went up hills with no problems and took curves easily. On the freeway I made an extra effort to discern if it was quieter or noisier than my car. The road noise is about the same. The engine noise is nearly the same as well. It is ever so slightly more noticeable at higher speeds than my BMW, but overall it was not intrusive.

The best part about all the zooming I was able to do, was I didn’t have to feel guilty about wasting so much gas to do it. Definitely the most attractive thing about this diesel engine is how fuel efficient it is. Its city mpg rating is higher than my BMW’s highway rating! The second-most attractive thing about this diesel engine is its torque. It’s able to get away with less horsepower by its ability to launch the car forward pretty quickly. Standard A3: 200HP/207lbs of torque. A3 TDI: 140HP/236lbs of torque. Horsepower really is overrated.

This model also came with onboard navigation, which I played around with a bit. I had read that the user interface was horrible, and they were right. It’s not very intuitive at all. I would need to sit down with the manual to figure everything out. It’s a huge contrast from Toyota’s onboard navigation. Despite its aggravating inability to be operated when the car is moving (hello, what’s a copilot for??), I must give Toyota credit that its touch-screen controls are feature rich and fairly easy to figure out. The Audi’s navigation did not offer a list of nearby restaurants or destinations, although it did mark them on the map. Not all that useful for exploring a new area. It’ll get me from point A to point B and that’s about it. A revamped navigation is in the works, and I read it’s actually in the newer Volkswagens, but it will not be available in the A3 this year or next year. Disappointing.

STYLE – It’s a look I can get used to, I think. Not one of my favorite designs, but not ugly either. Those fancy Audi headlights are pretty cool though!

MILEAGE – 30/42 mpg – This is by far the most fuel efficient vehicle I’ve ever driven outside of a bicycle. The only other cars that cold possibly beat this are hybrids, and not by much!

COMPACT – It’s small enough for my needs.

UTILITY – Plenty of storage space plus a handy hatchback.

RELIABILITY – I know three people who have said their Volkswagens have had to go to the shop more times than they’d like, and that they’d never buy another one. Does this unreliability also apply to their Audi line? I asked one former Audi owner, who had this to say: “Our first Audi didn