tell me about the a3

[Hardy_Boy]

currently looking at purchasing a new vehicle for my wife and I. I'd like to get back into a diesel so we've narrowed it down to the a3 TDI and the Golf TDI after building both online the a3 goes for $37,550.00 and the Golf $34,807.50.

Personally I'm leaning towards the Golf she's leaning towards the a3

from my understanding the a3 TDI only comes in a auto, it's only front wheel drive, has no navigation
the TDI golf can be auto or manual, front wheel drive too, comes with NAV.

is the a3 really worth $2700 more? Am I paying just for the name? IMO the a3 seems a little dated at the moment because it hasn't had a face lift like the rest of the line up.

I love the new A3 sedan but I have no idea when well see it here I heard as late as 2014. I don't know if a diesel would be available at that time either.

[chrid]

Re: tell me about the a3

Maybe it's obvious, but if you haven't done so already, go drive them both. That might just make the decision for you. (Very different than your situation, but when my wife and I were considering the gas A3 vs. GTI, it was a quick drive of each that meant neither of us even wanted to consider the A3.)

[bart]

Re: tell me about the a3

new a3 is around the corner i would wait for that!

[MusicalGenius]

Re: tell me about the a3

I looked at an A3 for a while, opted away from it for three reasons. Blind spots, lack of feeling engaged while driving, and the interior layout. Otherwise it's a killer vehicle.

[Wildfire]

Re: tell me about the a3

I had a friend on this side of the pond who owned a golf for years. Then his next car was a A3. After that he went back to the golf. His verdict was both cars were good. But for everyday use he found the golf a much better car. Better drive and more practical.

[Speed Cat]

Re: tell me about the a3

I don't even know why they make or someone would want to buy an Audi thats FWD

[bitskyline]

Re: tell me about the a3

^^
*ahem*

[cam_wmh]

Re: tell me about the a3

^^
*ahem*

Are you a Masochist?

[bitskyline]

Re: tell me about the a3

used to be...

until i took an arrow to the knee

[nismodrifter]

Re: tell me about the a3

used to be...

until i took an arrow to the knee

are you aware?

[Crusader]

Re: tell me about the a3

Maybe it's obvious, but if you haven't done so already, go drive them both. That might just make the decision for you. (Very different than your situation, but when my wife and I were considering the gas A3 vs. GTI, it was a quick drive of each that meant neither of us even wanted to consider the A3.)

We were in the same situation, comparing gas GTI to A3 for my wife and it also didn't take long to decide once we drove both. In our case it was A3without question and she was dead set on the GTI. I had to talk her into driving the A3 and she's glad she did. Of course,the A3 was Quattro which was important to me but not at all to her. They are actually very different cars once you sit inside and experience the drive.

[ColinAndrews]

Re: tell me about the a3

See, I am going to disagree completely with the last sentence of the above post. I have owned 2 MKV GTIs and 2 FWD A3s. Without hesitation I would say unless you are getting the Quattro A3, buying the Audi is a complete waste of money. You are buying nothing but the badge to me, and a FWD Audi isn't worth the brand premium. The FWD versions both drove identically to me, got the same mileage, and the VW felt more spacious.

If you're doing the Diesel, get the VW. Save yourself $2700 and spend it on something that matters more than a badge.

[Crusader]

Re: tell me about the a3

See, I am going to disagree completely with the last sentence of the above post. I have owned 2 MKV GTIs and 2 FWD A3s. Without hesitation I would say unless you are getting the Quattro A3, buying the Audi is a complete waste of money. You are buying nothing but the badge to me, and a FWD Audi isn't worth the brand premium. The FWD versions both drove identically to me, got the same mileage, and the VW felt more spacious.

If you're doing the Diesel, get the VW. Save yourself $2700 and spend it on something that matters more than a badge.

I absolutely agree as a VW fan for over 40 years. if the cars truly feel the same why would you spend extra? All I know is that my wife is the last
person to buy because of badge especially if it's more money. I only encouraged her to drive the A3 because I wanted Quattro which she didn't care about. She drove both cars back to back after telling me that we were just wasting time with the A3 because she wasn't spending more just for an Audi. She sat in the A3, adjusted the seats and nodded her head in approval. She drove the same route and after just a few minutes she was
sold on the A3. 18 months later she has no regrets. That was our experience. Others will be different.

Just saying that it's important to drive both cars and forget about the badge, especially if you want to keep the car long term. They are very similar yet quite different. At least that's what we found. They're both great cars. Chose the one that feels right.

[Canadian Turbo]

Re: tell me about the a3

New A3 interior unveiled at CES



And a render preview of the new car, I think we should see the official for the upcoming Geneva show.

[P Arkus]

Re: tell me about the a3

Oh if only the hatchback came across the pond :(