Road Test: Audi A3 TDI
Review and Photos by Gerry Frechette
The ranks of premium compact cars are thin, but growing, currently dominated by European brands. And the number of diesel-powered cars is even smaller, with the Europeans again holding all the cards after the cancellation of diesel projects by other manufacturers.
But a diesel engine in a premium compact car? It’s a field of one at the moment, with the recent introduction of the Audi A3 TDI. Based on the previous-generation Volkswagen Golf platform, the A3 can now be equipped with the latest 2.0-litre turbodiesel four we first saw in VW products on these shores last year.
The TDI engine plays a bigger part in the A3’s performance profile than you might imagine. In the mid-range, this thing really pulls, with 236 lb-ft of torque available from as low as 1,750 rpm. Acceleration times are slightly longer than with the 2.0T gas engine, but they don’t feel slower.
Backing the engine is the 6-speed S-tronic twin-clutch automated manual transmission, which offers the options of a sport automatic mode, or shift-yourself manual. The traditional sporting driver might lament the unavailability of a full-manual box and pedal clutch, but really, the S-tronic is everything one needs.
The power is directed only to the front wheels in the TDI, as quattro all-wheel drive is not offered. Too bad about that, as it just seems like an Audi should have quattro.
The equipment at the four corners of the A3 was upgraded on our tester with the S-line Sport Package, which, for $2,900, includes great looking 18-inch tri-spoke alloy wheels around which are wrapped 225/40R18 summer-only performance tires.
The big, grippy tires plus the sport suspension of the S-line package yield a really taut ride, with all that implies. Cornering is level, steering reaction is immediate, and the suspension is compliant over rough pavement, but the ride quality is perhaps a bit less smooth than with the suspension on non-S A3s. The hunkered-down good looks of the bigger wheels and tires, and the elevated performance, are well worth a bit of ride roughness, it says here.
Inside, the design and trim details are all top-drawer. The S-line Sport Package adds very firm and supportive sport seats and a multi-function sport steering wheel, for $2,900. Options are many, and our tester had everything but rear side airbags. There is Premium trim for $2,700, Bose audio upgrade including Sirius ($1,700), Bi-Xenon headlights ($900) and metallic pearl-effect paint ($650). Our A3 was “loaded,” and its full price of $43,500 reflected that.
Still, with all this equipment, the A3 TDI can be seen as several different cars for one price. In the broadest sense, it is a fully-equipped premium compact car that will appeal both to people moving down from a big premium model, and moving up into a more luxurious small car. It is useful with its hatchback design and accessible cargo area. It is eco-friendly, as the TDI clean diesel technology garnered the A3 TDI the Green Car of the Year award for 2010. It is fun-to-drive with legitimate performance credentials, especially equipped with the Sport Package. And, of course, it is a fuel miser, with consumption rated at 6.7/4.6 L/100 km city/highway. That highway consumption translates to around 60 mpg!
With that kind of profile, the A3 TDI is very good value for the money.
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