The Audi A3 sedan is Ingolstadt’s answer to the gorgeous Mercedes-Benz CLA. The A3 sedan is as dull and boring to look at as any other Audi sedan and is quite simply, a 30 percent photocopy of the A6. So, you would expect the A3 to excel at other things than just looks. But, that isn’t the case, as Matt Farah of The Smoking Tire found out during his first date with the Audi A3 sedan. For the U.S. market, Audi offers a 1.8-liter turbocharged petrol version with front-wheel drive and a 2.0-liter turbo-petrol model with Quattro all-wheel drive. Mercedes’ 2.0-liter turbocharged petrol engine develops 208 horsepower and a healthy 258 lb-ft of torque. The top-spec Audi A3 makes do with a 2.0-liter TFSI with 220 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque.
While, the A3 is priced reasonably under the A4 sedan, with a few options and the “Prestige” pack, it gets pretty expensive. A 7-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic with paddle-shifts in also optional. The interior is well put together and is definitely designed to please a younger audience. Quality is immaculate as well. All said, the Audi A3 is good car, period. However, there are other options in the market that are offer more in a similar price band. More importantly, there’s the Volkswagen Golf, on which the A3 is based on. As Matt rightly pointed out, when you buy an A3, you pay more for the badge.