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Wheels: Audi A3The new A3 looks great and it runs strong but that might not be enough.June 16, 2005; Posted: 10:59 a.m. EDT (1459 GMT)
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - I'm still not sure what to make of the Audi A3, but I like its looks. Now, many may call the A3 a fancied-up hatchback but it's got side windows that extend beyond the back doors. To me, that's a wagon. But it's a stubby little wagon, rather like a Toyota Matrix or Pontiac Vibe. While my front-wheel drive test car's drivetrain -- meaning its engine and transmission -- was lots of fun, its steering and suspension didn't seem to match. Unfortunately, the car I tested didn't have the "Sport" option package which may have helped the whole thing make more sense. Not every car needs to be tuned for driving enthusiasts' preferences. Most people don't get into a car looking for thrills. They just want to get where they're going safely and in relative comfort. But fun is important in the A3. Buyers paying real money for a luxury car -- even a small and relatively inexpensive one -- expect a few smiles behind the wheel. Otherwise there are plenty of other cars that offer a more enjoyable -- or just as enjoyable -- driving experience with more usable space inside. Audi A3 prices start at $25,460 with the manual transmission and $26,860 with an automatic. At those prices, it's the cheapest Audi you can get. The "Premium Package," which my test car had, costs an additional $2,025. The "Sport Package," which includes sport-tuned suspension and sport seats, costs $1,800. One of those packages and a few more options, like the available panoramic sunroof, pushes you toward the $30,000 mark and beyond pretty quickly. The A3's 2.0-liter turbocharged engine feels very responsive and quick with none of that "wait-where-did-I-put-that-other-engine?" turbo lag. (On the downside, while hybrid-quiet at idle its sound at higher revs turns into a rasp rather than a roar.) The engine's already excellent performance is greatly helped by the A3's transmission, which is truly a thing of engineering beauty. Gear changes snap off sharply like a Las Vegas dealer tossing out a black-jack hand. The A3's six-speed automatic behaves almost eerily like a manual except that the shifts are impossibly quick. In sport mode, it holds gears like a bulldog even as the throttle is eased off during turns. Stop at the top of the hill, lift your foot off the brake and the car rolls backward. Unlike most automatic transmissions, it's really an all-metal system -- no transmission fluid, just gears -- with two clutches so there's no pause between disengaging one gear and engaging the next one. As a result, the A3 with the automatic transmission actually has a slightly quicker top zero-to-60 time than the version with the six-speed manual transmission. Like a lot of cars these days, the A3's automatic transmission allows you to manually select gears using steering wheel buttons or by moving the shift lever back and forth in its gate. My guess is that most drivers will try this feature a few times and discover that the car does just as well or better all by itself. Reviewers at CNN.com's automotive partner, Edmunds.com, felt that, while the steering might be on the lightweight side, road feel was still good. I'll disagree with them there. The steering just didn't feel good to me. I thought on-center feel -- the physical sense of whether the front wheels are pointed straight ahead or not -- was particularly lacking. Firmer suspension might have helped by at least delivering better road feel. The car Edmunds.com tested (see the link here and below) did have the upgraded suspension package. The suspension on my test car did a nice job of smoothing out badly patched city roads and off-kilter manhole covers. But the car's body motions didn't encourage me to drive it hard into turns. The wide, slippery front seats didn't help much, either. The A3's got plenty of potential for thrills. Given its good looks and nice interior design, it might offer a compelling buy with the "Sport package" installed. But without it, especially if you go beyond the base vehicle, the parts just don't add up.
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