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-   -   Audi A3 versus VW Jetta / Skoda Octavia? (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/sedans/154254-audi-a3-versus-vw-jetta-skoda-octavia.html)

I had shortlisted between Jetta highline and Octavia Elegance.
While Jetta has better ride quality, Octavia looked fresher. However the long waiting period of Octavia was veering me towards Jetta.
When the launch of A3 last week has added to the confusion.
The attraction trim of A3 is 23.5 ex showroom in bangalore. This is 3.5 lacs more than Octavia and 4 lacs over Jetta.
So wanted some advice on if the premium is worth considering the badge value versus smaller space in rear and Attraction being base variant.

This is a conundrum a great many of us have found ourselves in, and the A3 has only added to it!

Only you can say whether the absolute lack of features on the base A3 is alright only because it has the badge. The Jetta and Octavia have more features and more space than it, and in my eyes you shouldn't look at an A3 in the base Attraction variant. My pick would be Premium or Premium Plus, with or without the panoramic sunroof (an optional extra).

Take a call on whether the A3 is the car for you, but be aware it is bare bones in base avatar. By going for that variant, you are getting less car for more money. That's not something I find appealing. Thus, I'd say look at the Jetta Highline/Octavia Elegance and the A3 Premium/Premium Plus instead. The problem is the A3 Premium/Premium Plus is in a completely different bracket price-wise!

I'm just glad the CLA is not here yet, it would add further to the confusion lol:

In case you missed it, here's a thread talking about this very quandary.

The higher trims of A3 are too expensive for comparison! Thanks anyway for your suggestion. The other problem with A3 is the 4 month waiting period while Jetta is readily available. Octavia availability is also uncertain.

Indeed, the higher trims of the A3 are pricey. The Octavia has a 4-6 month waiting too if I'm not wrong. My advice: wait for the Octavia Elegance or go for the Jetta Highline, the base A3 is not worth it.

I would leave out the A3 unless you never have to accommodate any passengers in the rear. Either go all the way to A4 or buy something from Jetta/Octavia range. If you buy A3, never travel inside a Jetta/Octavia :-)

This iteration of Octavia doesn't look that impressive - both front and rear look rather dull. Only side profile is good. So my pick would be Jetta highline.

The Jetta and Octavia are essentially similar to A3 in almost all the aspects and in fact beat the base A3 trim hollow in terms of features & gadgets. With the Jetta & Octavia you also get better space, backseat comfort and bigger boot. And all that at a considerably lesser price!

If you are purely after badge value and road presence then you can consider A3 otherwise IMHO the other two options are better. All three cars offer similar driving pleasure, aesthetics, build quality and the works!

You haven't mentioned your choice of fuel, however if your running is less then you can consider the top spec TSI variant of Octavia which will offer you the best performance and also has very good ride quality.

I know that the waiting period can be killing sometimes but then hey you don't shop for cars every quarter!

I do 90 kms a day! So petrol is ruled out. I have been chasing Skoda dealers but the elegance trim supply is just not there. 5-6 months waiting. So i am likely to go for Jetta highline. I did have a fancy for sunroof and initially looked at Cruze vs Octavia. But After test driving Jetta and Octavia, have left out Cruze

I did a small variant-to-variant comparo of the A3 that you may want to look at. I haven't compared across Octy and Jetta but for sure the latter two would be more loaded than the A3 for the money you pay. When you consider that the Octy is on the same platform as the A3 it puts things into perspective somehow!

My advice: buy the A3 if the allure of the 4 rings is too strong to resist :D. But at least get the Premium A3 because it seems to me the features omitted in the Attraction may end up causing buyer's remorse.

Quick Facts:......Audi A3.......Skoda Octavia........Difference
1. Platform.......MQB............MQB..................... NIL
2. Engine..........2.0TDI.........2.0TDI.................. NIL
3. 0-100(ACI)....10.57(DSG)..8.84(Manual)..........1.73 seconds
4. 0-120(ACI)....14.77(DSG)..12.23(Manual).........2.54 seconds
5. Price(Top end)39 Lakhs.... 23.80 Lakhs...........15.20Lakhs
6. Segment........C Segment.. D Segment.............Octavia one segment higher
6. Rings on Grille 4............... NIL .........................4

I find these two points debatable. How are you calling an A3 a C segment car and the Octy a D segment car? Are segments only divided on the basis of length? Then the A Class is a B segment hatch.

How can you use difference between top ends of the two cars considering the A3 top model is much more loaded than the Octy. Comparable models like the top model Octy with the premium makes better sense. Just my thoughts.

If you are considering petrol - TSI AT Octavia would be my choice. If diesel, then may be Jetta. A3 I would consider if I can stretch my budget to get one of its well loaded versions, say a Premium plus or technology.

I know it is very difficult when you are at the buying point to make a clear choice. Do you want the best offering from one brand or the lowest trim from the other brand. Cars basically are designed as the fully loaded version. That is how the car is meant to be. Anything less is a stripped version to lower the costs. If you have a budget, go for the best trim of car you can get with that budget rather than the entry level trim of the next brand. Companies very well know this dilemma and they offer you a stripped out version to drive some sales in that direction.

If your priorities are fulfilled with the entry level trim or if you give higher weight-age for snob value, then the above thought doesn't matter. Basically what you still get in the lower trim would be the engine/performance and the brand name. If added safety features and the creature comforts on offer in the higher trims are not on your list, then entry level A3 is a good option.

Buying a more expensive, less loaded car from the same stable doesn't make sense. You can't even justify it to yourself saying it's a better brand/car, when a lot of components under the hood (and around the car) are probably identical.

This really is just a case of swapping badges (as mentioned in the official review about the steering wheel, but applies equally to the engine, gearboxes offered and a lot of other components).


Why do you want to pay through the nose for what's almost literally the same car in a smaller package and lesser features?

Well! I am not sure how much sense i'll make here. My 2 cents:

I was in the market last year for a luxury sedan with a budget of about 20- 30 lacs. I wanted to spend the least money and get the most car I could manage. I ended up with the Passat Trendline which on trim basis is very comparable to Audi A3 Attraction, although mine comes with more niceties like Milano leather upholstery, auto start stop, and a few more give or take.


My point 1 being It is hard to live with a car in such a luxury segment without much features. Don't get me wrong, Its a dream to drive around in that car with its state of the art suspension setup, 170 HP engine and 6 Speed MT that is supremely slick. My problem is when people sit in my car or even me, We expect a lot of bells and whistles that aren't there. The whole experience is anyway great and when you step out you feel satisfied. My car dosen't have Bi xenons, and that was something I really really wanted, but after a few night drives I realized the stock halogens are great with immense illuminating power. Trust me when I say this, Minus the colour which is Yellowish, they are strong if not stronger than Bi Xenons. Hell, in low beams the cutoffs are so neat that it feels as if the light is coming from projectors. So yeah All I say is that the car is still a quality package and though you miss the bells and whistles, You are SATISFIED at the end of the day as the car does what its supposed to and that to amazingly well.


Now Point 2, A badge is a badge. My car options included, Passat, Jetta, A class, V40, 320d. Now keeping in mind that I wanted to spend the least and get the most car, I ended up contemplating between Passat and the A class. I drive alone so A class made too much sense. Now A class had everything going against it what was going in favor of the passat. i.e. Engine, Power, NVH, Size, Practicality, space, 10 airbags etc. A class was more loaded than the passat but i think the features can be compensated by the price difference which was about 2.5 lacs (A class being more expensive).

So ultimately, I bought the passat. It was so much better to drive, had much better ground clearance, oodles of space, shockingly better mileage (I get 17-18 on avg., the test car was giving 16 and Merc was giving 14.5 ish during a long test drive, all meters reset, Probably the reason was that A class is heavier and required more push to drive fast). That said!

Well today, If I had to make the choice I would have gone for the A class. The one and only reason being that Badge. There is NO replacement for the Badge. For me more than features, a satisfaction matters that comes from premium brands. When you step out of the Audi, and look back while locking your car, your heart will say " it was worth it, my car reads AUDI OOOO" stupid:

So ultimately, if from the practicality front (i.e space and money, you ultimately need to fit in the car :P) A3 makes sense, then go for it. I would rather have an AUDI key in my pocket than a feature loaded VW. Satisfaction of the heart is very different from satisfaction on paper.:thumbs up

and anyway A3 does what a car should beautifully.

I hope I made some sense. Happy shopping for the new car (whoever!). I know its beautiful.

The waiting periods on the Octy seems to be making decision making very tricky for buyers in the 25L segment. For a majority of buyers looking at the Octavia/ jetta the A3 is never going to be an alternative.

Consider the A3 only if...

1. You rarely carry more than 2 people in the car.
2. You are very brand conscious and consider it a compromise to be seen in a VW or Skoda
3. You have another large car in your garage that can do the people carrier duty and are looking for a good fun to drive personal car.

The general consensus on forum says: If diesel : Jetta, if petrol : Octavia.

I'd even say if you are looking at petrol and not particular about AT and are not lured by the explosive performance of the 1.8 TSI Octavia, the Jetta 1.4 TSI is a better bet than the Octavia 1.4 TSI. I can't digest the lack of multilink suspension at this price point.

It all comes to heart. Mind says practical solution when paying that much which also means more features. But the heart says the 4 rings are better smug than the crappy VW or the skoda.

Secondly consider the post buying expenses. The rings may cost you more on the long run to maintain.

For that price i feel the X1 makes more sense and its a Bimmer.

Practicality usually suffers when heart takes over :)