[deetjohn]

Thank You for sharing a great review.

Lovely car there. I love the quality of interiors and the smaller outer dimensions. There is something incredibly attractive about the compact Germans. Love that all black interior.

It doesn't make much sense with the spec or when compared with other cars in the market, but I see volumes here. Very much a heart car.

[avdhesh15]

awesome review! i think this car will get in decent volumes for Audi considering their target audience would be young couples on self drive with kids. after all as a lot of people have echoed here, an Audi is an Audi - period. when someone asks you which car do you have, the answer is merely going to be an Audi and perhaps not the finer details!

[moralfibre]

Originally Posted by merve_extreme

Great Review !
The Audi brochure states that the A3 35TDI has a power output of 105kW, which is same as the Octavia and which equals ~ 141bhp or 143 PS. Have Audi tweaked the power delivery ?

You could be right. However, the press kit we received said 143 bhp hence we stuck to it.

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Give me a Jetta Highline DSG in blue over the A3 any day. If I was chauffeur driven, the Superb is priced the same. No brainer really for the chauffeur driven.

Considering the benefits offered by a multilink suspension in the back seat, I'd pick the Jetta over the Octavia anyday despite the latter having modern tech.

Originally Posted by deetjohn

Love that all black interior.

Me too. Beige is a strict no-no for me.

[Amey]

Excellent review there moralfibre! Very detailed, in depth and informative.
The new VW diesels sure look quite compelling in terms of performance. Should go and TD a car with one of those engines.

Rear headroom is a joke. Guess my Vento has better headroom. So this is essentially a 2 seater most of the times. Hmm

Rear multi link suspension is a nice touch, should make it's presence felt in handling, isn't it ?

Anyway, keep up the good work. Cheers

[moralfibre]

Originally Posted by Amey

Rear headroom is a joke. Guess my Vento has better headroom. So this is essentially a 2 seater most of the times. Hmm

Rear multi link suspension is a nice touch, should make it's presence felt in handling, isn't it ?

Anyway, keep up the good work. Cheers

Yes it is strictly a two seater for most purposes. The handling is at par with how a typical German premium sedan would offer. Let us know how you feel driving it in FWD config since your daily drive is a RWD mamoth (with traction control off )

[Amey]

Originally Posted by moralfibre

Yes it is strictly a two seater for most purposes. The handling is at par with how a typical German premium sedan would offer. Let us know how you feel driving it in FWD config since your daily drive is a RWD mamoth (with traction control off )

Well it's not my daily drive
If my Vento or the old Octavia is any indicator, I am dead sure this kid must be right up there in terms of handling.
Not being biased but how much ever one refines the chassis and suspension in a FWD car to make it exciting, it still lacks the fun factor of a RWD!
I know I am being greedy

[noopster]

Nice review Kiran!

I think there is a clear market for "aspirational" folks who want a luxury badge at a relatively affordable price point. Case in point the Q3S which omits the Quattro and replaces the DSG box with a nice 6-spd manual. The A3 similarly offers a nice option to someone moving up from the likes of Vento or Laura . The entry level A3 will cost about double the Vento offering the same size, a more diesel powerful engine and the DSG box. Plus the power of the 4 rings and the fact that a compact Audi is a boon to drive around in our congested cities.

But typical of Audi the entry level will be stripped of any cool features whatsoever and buyers will be expected to shell out through the nose for those extras that make it special. That will push it firmly into A4/C/3 territory and there the battle is lost before it's begun.

I have a hunch that the A3 will take off, though. Do we have a feature by feature comparison against variants to see what exactly you get at what price?

[iliketurtles]

Originally Posted by noopster

Do we have a feature by feature comparison against variants to see what exactly you get at what price?

Just because you asked nicely Here's a grab from the A3 brochure showing what's packed into each variant. It's a bit large, would suggest opening it in a new tab or using hoverzoom in chrome to take a better look at it!

[dozer]

Nice review, everybody seems to have an Audi these days and I guess we'll only see more of them now!
Price wise what are the other competitors in the market, sedan, hatchback, SUV included?

[GKR9900]

Awesome review of an excellent product!

A3 is a dream come true for the self driven,considering its great dynamics, decent equipment, and aspirational brand value.
I would certainly be a taker, if I had the moolah :P

Considering the cannibalism of A4, it would only be a temporary phenomenon IMHO considering that the A4/C/3 segment is gonna get pricier in around the next 2 years.

Eagerly waiting for the market response as to how it fares against the likes of Superb, Passat etc

[Dieselritzer]

Excellent review, just a question, earlier the reviews always had that excel sheet comparing prices of cars in the similar segment, can you'll add that? It used to be very useful to understand the value preposition of the cars across the segment.

[Chogun]

Very detailed review! Very helpful in comparing other options available in the market!
Do you think that there will be a version with the full led light package like the US market soon??

[GKR9900]

Originally Posted by dozer

Nice review, everybody seems to have an Audi these days and I guess we'll only see more of them now!
Price wise what are the other competitors in the market, sedan, hatchback, SUV included?

From what I can gather,
Hatches-Merc A class,BMW 1 series,Volvo V40

Sedans-Passat,Superb,Camry,Teana,S60

SUVs- Fortuner,Koleos,CRV,Santa Fe, Q3,X1(base models)

The real takers will be those considering the A class,1 series,V40 but would want the added practicality of a boot,and some of the enthusiasts considering the other sedans who are willing to compromise on some space and equipment for brand value.

Prospective SUV customers won't find anything to love here,or they should change their priorities

[noopster]

Originally Posted by iliketurtles

Just because you asked nicely Here's a grab from the A3 brochure showing what's packed into each variant. It's a bit large, would suggest opening it in a new tab or using hoverzoom in chrome to take a better look at it!

Hey I asked nicely- what you trying to blind me?

Here's a quick summary for the lazy...

What you don't get in the Attraction (entry-level) A3: 17" alloys (you get 16"), High gloss package (whatever that is), Electrically adjustable ORVMs, Xenon plus headlamps, Fog lights, Leather seats, Load-through facility(?), Parking Aid Plus (you get rear parking aid instead-not sure what the difference is), Auto AC with sun sensor (basic manual AC provided: good enough), Storage package(?), Electric passenger seat, Auto-release function(?), Chrome package

What you get in the Premium over the Attraction: Leatherette seats instead of fabric, High gloss package, same 16" alloys but different type, elec adjustable and heated ORVMs (no anti-glare), light/rain sensor/interior mirror/ insulating windshield, Lighting package plus, Load through facility (probably the boot access through armrest), Storage package, both front seats electric

Premium Plus: gets everything lacking in the 2 base variants: Milano Leather seats, 17" alloys, bixenon headlamps, foglamps, heated electric ORVMs with anti-glare, S-line exterior package, Chrome package, Doorsill trims, Parking Aid plus, Auto-release function

except

Technology (only in the diesel): rear-view camera, Audi pre-sense basic

Premium Plus petrol: gets a Start/Stop system- the only variant to have one.


Courtesy carwale.com

To be honest, except the Bixenon headlamps, the Premium variant has everything you'd look for in a luxury compact sedan. Problem is it nearly touches 32L on the road which seems a bit high. The Attraction at 28L is definitely...well "attractive" but is it loaded enough?

A nice thing is that pan sunroof is optional on every variant excluding the Attraction. No idea what Audi charges for it but a Premium with pan sunroof would be a nice car to drive!

The "Technology" variant seems ridiculously priced, since the only seeming additional feature is the Audi pre-sense basic safety system and a rear camera. Surely Indian buyers are not going to shell out 5L additional for that??

[GTO]

Originally Posted by merve_extreme

Have Audi tweaked the power delivery ?

Thanks for the correction. Will have it taken care of.