Topic: First Drive: 2014 Audi A3 Sedan

[micha]

I still dont get why someone would buy an Audi without Quattro.....that to me is what makes Audi so compelling, their awesome AWD systems. I mean how many fwd A4's did they sell??

Maybe they don't want the extra weight and complication. I prefer my cars to weigh 300 lb less.

I have seen plenty of FWD A4's here in Vancouver, where AWD really isn't necessary. I am glad we have the choice.

Really?? I dont know, a FWD A4....the 3 series is a better car in that case, at least the power goes to the right wheels.

To many people it doesn't matter which wheels are driven and/or they don't even know, especially in warmer climates. Canada has the unique condition of a cold climate where AWD makes a difference. And even in Canada to many people FWD is "safer" than RWD in winter and therefore preferable. I'm not saying that I personally prefer FWD to RWD.

[jamesautos]

the price needs to undercut the Benz CLA/B class or BMW 1 series for this to sell well... the three point star and the roundel still has better street cred then audi....

this should be prized similar to a up-level japanese or korean midsize to get customers to move to the Audi brand

[dragonfly]

 Nicely written, however, I came away wondering how much it is, and what engine is standard..Hopefully, not the boat anchor 5 cylinder in the VW Jetta, which seems pretty similar, if less than half the price...Who would buy this instead of a GTI for 10 grand less...even if it has those silly plaid seats..Danke   Jack

[bluelines]

People will still buy it. The current A3 is not only a golf, but a golf from two generations back, and people still buy it (I see tons of them in Toronto). A friend of a friend actually traded in a GTI for a bigger vehicle... and got an A3, which is slightly smaller than the current GTI. People will rationalize almost anything when it comes to a brand that has status attached to it.

At least among the non-car people I know, Audi is at least the equal in prestige now of BMW and Mercedes.

Personally I'd get one if it came in the sport hatch five-door version that is available in Europe. Still don't get why North Americans prefer sedans.

So the A3 hatch was a Golf....this is a Jetta?? The A4 pricing is also pretty close to this....I dont know, unless you get the stripped out model with the AM radio, no floormats and roll up windows this is way too close to an A4 to be competitive.

[sacrat]

 "a crash-avoidance system that can stop the car unassisted below 30 km/h, electronic stability control and so on. I bumped into the gentleman who is in charge..."

I'm wondering if the first sentence is related to the second, and if so are they fine tuning the crash-avoidance system before the release date 

[bluelines]

We do now, but as I understand it we are not getting the new one. It will only be offered in North America in sedan format except possibly for the eTron version. Would love to be corrected on this if it's not the case.

And yes, the Golf is bigger in almost every interior dimension

Cargo area dimensions (cargo volume (L))   413 (GTI)   370 (A3)

All the following are GTI followed by A3

Internal dimensions (headroom front (mm))   998    960    
Internal dimensions (headroom rear (mm))   979   914       
Internal dimensions (interior volume (L))   2,631   2,520       
Internal dimensions (leg room front (mm))   1,046   1,046       
Internal dimensions (leg room rear (mm))   901   884       
Internal dimensions (shoulder room front (mm))   1,389   1,381       
Internal dimensions (shoulder room rear (mm))   1,340   1,342

People will still buy it. The current A3 is not only a golf, but a golf from two generations back, and people still buy it (I see tons of them in Toronto). A friend of a friend actually traded in a GTI for a bigger vehicle... and got an A3, which is slightly smaller than the current GTI. People will rationalize almost anything when it comes to a brand that has status attached to it.

At least among the non-car people I know, Audi is at least the equal in prestige now of BMW and Mercedes.

Personally I'd get one if it came in the sport hatch five-door version that is available in Europe. Still don't get why North Americans prefer sedans.

So the A3 hatch was a Golf....this is a Jetta?? The A4 pricing is also pretty close to this....I dont know, unless you get the stripped out model with the AM radio, no floormats and roll up windows this is way too close to an A4 to be competitive.

the gti is not bigger than the a3 sportback.....and we DO get the sportback.

[TheNit]

The article says that the new A3 sedan has a 425 litre trunk. I was waiting for the new A3 because it was smaller (and cheaper) than the A4, as much fun to drive and still fit golf clubs abd cart in the trunk. Then they screwed it up by not having a manual transmission. If they never offer a manual transmission (they haven't had an A3 Quattro with manual) how do they know people won't buy it? This mentality scares me because they may decide not to offer the A4 in manual in the near future.

A GTI and a Jetta GLI have manuals and room for golf clubs so that's where I'll be going. Not as nice but we just got a A6 with auto and I almost fall asleep while driving it. Boring!!!

[Jp45654]

I like the styling; much nicer than CLA but will have to see the interior in person before passing final judgement. I agree; pricing will have to be in line with BMW 1 series to be competitive.

What I don't like about Audi is that there is too much trickle down to Volkswagon which is why they will always be considered a slight notch below BMW & Mercedes on the prestige meter. The same engine that goes in a $50k Audi should not also be available in a $30k GTI; great for VW buyers but not so much for the Audi guy.

[bluelines]

I didn't measure either car. Those numbers for the mark VI are from VW's own website. Anyway, my point was that this friend of a friend was so desperate to have an Audi badge over his current VW that he had convinced himself that the A3 was a much bigger and more practical car than the GTI. Clearly that's not the case by any stretch of the imagination.

The bigger issue is getting the new sportback in Canada. I really don't think we are going to see it here except for the eTron. From Audi's website:

   A3 Sportback will return with A3 Sportback e-tronŽ Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) confirmed for the Canadian market

Everything else on the site is about the A3 sedan.

We do now, but as I understand it we are not getting the new one. It will only be offered in North America in sedan format except possibly for the eTron version. Would love to be corrected on this if it's not the case.

And yes, the Golf is bigger in almost every interior dimension

Cargo area dimensions (cargo volume (L))   413 (GTI)   370 (A3)

All the following are GTI followed by A3

Internal dimensions (headroom front (mm))   998    960    
Internal dimensions (headroom rear (mm))   979   914       
Internal dimensions (interior volume (L))   2,631   2,520       
Internal dimensions (leg room front (mm))   1,046   1,046       
Internal dimensions (leg room rear (mm))   901   884       
Internal dimensions (shoulder room front (mm))   1,389   1,381       
Internal dimensions (shoulder room rear (mm))   1,340   1,342

People will still buy it. The current A3 is not only a golf, but a golf from two generations back, and people still buy it (I see tons of them in Toronto). A friend of a friend actually traded in a GTI for a bigger vehicle... and got an A3, which is slightly smaller than the current GTI. People will rationalize almost anything when it comes to a brand that has status attached to it.

At least among the non-car people I know, Audi is at least the equal in prestige now of BMW and Mercedes.

Personally I'd get one if it came in the sport hatch five-door version that is available in Europe. Still don't get why North Americans prefer sedans.

So the A3 hatch was a Golf....this is a Jetta?? The A4 pricing is also pretty close to this....I dont know, unless you get the stripped out model with the AM radio, no floormats and roll up windows this is way too close to an A4 to be competitive.

the gti is not bigger than the a3 sportback.....and we DO get the sportback.

Your numbers are wrong.  The mk6 has about 350 litres of cargo space while the sportback has 370.  You must have measured the gti with the hatch open.

The mk7 will have 370 while I believe the next sportback will have 380.  The sedan is actually going to have even more cargo space.  Go figure.

[dkaz]

I don't get how the A4 is available with a stick shift but not the A3. Which is too bad because it is a sweet looking car.

[Brendan McAleer]

I don't get how the A4 is available with a stick shift but not the A3. Which is too bad because it is a sweet looking car.

It's worse than that. Audi indicated only the S4, TT, RS6 and maybe the S3 would have available stick-shifts in the future - for our market, anyway.

[Brendan McAleer]

(Sorry, I meant RS5).

[SKYMTL]

Sorry for bumping an old thread but I noticed the A3 TDI is finally listed on the Audi Canada site. 

Starting at $1000 less than the A3 petrol but no available Quattro.   

The EPA says 36MPG combined:  http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/noframes/35320.shtml

Not bad but without Quattro, I can't see this being very appealing to us folks North of the border. 

I'm thinking they're going to launch an A4 + TDI + Quattro in the near future and don't want any segment overlap. 

[Northernridge]

I still can't get over how fast the S3 and CLA AMG are...something like 4.2 / 0-60 for the Benz?

[OliverD]

Sorry for bumping an old thread but I noticed the A3 TDI is finally listed on the Audi Canada site. 

Starting at $1000 less than the A3 petrol but no available Quattro.   

Correction: It's $1000 less than a 2.0T Quattro but it starts at $3800 more than a 1.8T FWD.