2006 Audi A3 Reviews

Audi is often in the forefront of vehicle design and the A3 is a classic example. The company was the first of the upmarket German marques to make the bold, some thought foolhardy, move to smaller, relatively affordable cars.  Prior to the Audi A3 you had to spend upwards of $60,000 to get into one of the big make

Audi is often in the vanguard of vehicle design and the A3 is a classic example. Audi was the first of the iconic German makers to make the bold move of moving down into smaller, relatively affordable cars.Prior to the Audi A3 you had to find something north of $60,000 to get into one of the big make Germans. The A3 dropped the starting price to the sub-40 grand region. There were mutterings that this would devalue the prestige rating of the larger, more expensive models in the range. That didn’t happen and soon arch rivals Mercedes and BMW joined Audi in introducing smaller, affordable cars.Though the Audi A3 is considered a small car by Australians, in Europe it’s often used as a family car. Four adults are more comfortable than you might expect given the relatively small size of the car. Rear-seat access in the three-door is better than in just about any other car of its type with front seats that move right out of the way in an ingenious fashion. Having said that, the five-door is obviously more practical if the back seat is going to get a lot of use.The Audi A3 has the solid feel that’s very much part of the marque.There’s plenty of stowage space in the cabin so this is a practical machine that suits many people living in crowded suburban regions in Australia. Two good sized suitcases can be carried in the boot together with some small bits and pieces. Tie-down clips secure the load in a crash or under heavy braking.Audi A3 sales were reasonably good from the May 1997 launch of the three-door, but didn’t really get up to full speed until the introduction of the five-door models in October 1999. Many of the earliest A3s are now on the used-car market, but they may be nearing the end of their lives - and they aren’t as cheap to repair or service as more mundane cars of this size.The Audi A3 has the solid feel that’s very much part of the marque and this has shown up in good durability as the years have gone by. Handling is very good, though there is perhaps just a little too much understeer at the limit to suit the full-on driving enthusiast.Engine choices in the original A3 were a 1.6-litre single-cam unit with two valves per cylinder and two 1.8-litre twin-cam models with the Audi trademark of five valves per cylinder (three intakes and two exhausts). The 1.8 came with or without a turbocharger, with the turbo engine tuned to give flexible torque and economy at low to mid-range engine speeds, rather than flat-out sports performance.Power in most Audi A3 models is transmitted to the front wheels.The second-generation cars retained the 1.6-litre in the entry level models, but also offer a 2.0-litre FSI petrol unit, with or without a turbo. It was also available with a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel. Best of all is a 3.2-litre V6 petrol engine that gives a huge amount of get-up-and-go in a relatively small car like this one.Power in most Audi A3 models is transmitted to the front wheels, the 2.0 turbo-petrol can be specified with Audi’s famed quattro all-wheel-drive system. It comes as no surprise that quattro is mandatory with the big V6 engine.Audi S3 is the high-performance variant. The S3 has a sporting three-door body and uses a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine driving all four wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox.Audi has been on fire in the Australian sales race over the last few years and the number of authorised dealers has increased as a result. Naturally, there’s a concentration on the major metropolitan areas, but some regional areas are starting to get into the act as well.Spare parts and servicing are reasonably priced for a prestige car but fairly expensive for a machine of this size. If you are shifting up to an Audi from an Asian or lower priced European car ask the dealer about servicing costs.Check your insurance company’s policy on turbo-petrol engines as some charge very high premiums that can add significantly to the purchase price of a used car.WHAT TO LOOK FORMake sure the engine starts quickly and idles smoothly even when it’s cold. If there’s any hesitation from the engine under hard acceleration there could be computer problems.Check that a manual gearbox changes smoothly and quietly and that an automatic transmission doesn't hunt up and down the gears when climbing moderate hills with light to medium throttle openings.Uneven front tyre wear probably means the car has been the subject of some hard driving, so is more likely in one of the high-performance models.Uneven tyre wear may also mean one of the wheels is out of alignment as the result of a crash, though that crash may have simply been a hard thump against a kerb.CAR BUYING TIPUpmarket cars almost invariably cost more to run than everyday ones, be sure to factor this into your purchasing budget.

Not so long ago you would have been laughed at if you'd suggested that your aspiration was to own a small car, but that's how far the market has matured in a very short time.Such is the maturity in our market that when Audi launched the A3 in 2004 it was quite open about its ambition for it to be a small car people would aspire to own.Audi said upfront that it wasn't out to become the volume leader in the segment; its ambition for the A3 was for it to be the benchmark in the class.MODEL WATCHThe A3 was the entry model in the fast growing Audi range and that put it up against cars like the BMW 1-Series, Mercedes-Benz A-Class, Volvo S40 and even the Alfa 147. Although it looked less aggressive than its predecessor, and was 55 mm longer, 30 mm wider and 10 mm lower, there was still a familiarity about it that reminded you of the old model.While the A3's looks were underwhelming there was big news under the skin with a number of innovations including new suspension, electro- mechanical steering, a new and innovative direct injection engine and a direct shift gearbox.The engine range was made up of three petrol engines and a turbo- diesel. It kicked off with a 1.6-litre single overhead camshaft four- cylinder engine that produced 75 kW at 5600 revs and 148 Nm at 3800 revs and ended with a 3.2-litre V6 that offered 184 kW at 6300 revs and 320 Nm at 2500-3000 revs, but the real interest was in the 2.0- litre FSi engine and the 2.0-litre turbo-diesel that fitted in between the bookend engines.The FSi was a direct injection engine where the fuel was vaporized in the combustion chamber and not in the intake manifold, as is the case with most petrol engines. Audi claimed significant improvements in response, economy and efficiency for the new engine, which put out 110 kW at 6000 revs and 200 Nm at 3500 revs and promised 0-100 km/h sprinting in 9.1 seconds. The turbo diesel produced 103 kW at 4000 revs and 320 Nm at 1750-2500 revs.The 1.6-litre engine was available with a five-speed manual gearbox or a six-speed tiptronic auto, FSi buyers could choose between a six- speed manual and six-speed auto, while diesel buyers got a DSG sequential-shift manual shift six-speed.The DSG was an innovative gearbox that had two clutches working in tandem for smooth, seamless shifting. While one clutch was engaged the other one preselected the next higher gear; then when it was time to shift up one clutch disengaged and the other automatically engaged bringing the higher gear into play.It works much like an auto 'box without the losses that come with an automatic transmission, and without the sloppiness that characterized the shifting of most other automated manual shift gearboxes.Audi offered two models in the A3 range, the entry level Attraction and the uprange Ambition. The Attraction came with a choice of the 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre FSi engines, along with 16-inch alloy wheels, cloth trim, split-system air, eight-speaker CD sound, stability control and traction control. The Ambition was available with the 2.0-litre FSi engine and the turbo-diesel. Perched above them all was the Quattro Ambition with the 3.2-litre V6, all-wheel drive and DSG transmission.IN THE SHOPOverall the A3 appears to be holding up well since its launch in 2004. The things most reported by mechanics are oil leaks and brake wear, the latter a common issue raised by owners of most European cars. Check for a service record to make sure the oil has been regularly changed; old oil can be a killer of engines.IN A CRASHWith front airbags, head and side airbags the A3 had plenty of protection in a crunch, while standard ABS braking, ESP stability control, and traction control it was also packed with the electronics to help avoid the crunch. When tested by ANCAP the A3 was given a four-star rating.UNDER THE PUMPThe turbo-diesel is the hero when it comes to fuel consumption with a claimed average of 5.7 L/100 km. Of the petrol engines the 2.0-litre FSi sets the pace with a claimed average of 7.7 L/100km, while the 1.6-litre has an average of 8.1 L/ 100 km and the V6 9.9 L/100 km. When Cars Guide tested it the 2.0-litre FSi Attraction averaged 8.9 L/ 100 km.OWNER SAYSThe only thing Aldo Scodella doesn't like about his 2007 Audi A3 is the cost of servicing it. It costs a "fortune" he says. It's a 1.8- litre TFSi and he's done 20,500 km so far without any trouble to report, but says he's still getting used to the hill-start assist and is having trouble getting away smoothly.LOOK FORUninspiring looksGood build qualityFSi performanceDiesel economyRobust and reliable.THE BOTTOM LINE: A well equipped, smooth and advanced small car that grows on you.

The two-litre diesel in the A3 which is shared with the VW Golf is one of the sweetest performers around, while the three-litre diesel in the A6 is a robust weapon that has helped lift the diesel A6 share to more than a third of sales.In danger of being overtaken by its German adversaries, Audi is hitting back with a two-litre A4 TDI, a three-litre A4 TDI, two six-cylinder (2.7 and three litres) in the Allroad, and a 4.2-litre V8 TDI A8 in the next few months.But Audi should be careful not to get carried away with trying to lead the field in luxury diesels.The quality of diesel product is starting to make itself known in the car-buying public, but a couple of under-performers could set back the rise of oil-burners.While the 103kW 1968cc diesel is a gem in the A3, it seems a little underpowered and overworked in the bigger A4.The engine feels coarse under foot, it sounds noisy and there is an annoying lag between idle at 900rpm and about 1800rpm.If you could feed it some revs before dropping the clutch, it would launch just fine, but married to the standard-fit continuously variable multitronic gearbox, it is a bit of a traffic light slug.It actually responds better to a gentle squeeze of the accelerator, rather than burying your foot in the firewall.Thanks to that ponderous nature, the characteristic heavy Audi steering feels even heavier as you apply throttle from the apex of a corner.Once past 1800rpm, there is immediate and strong urge in the engine with plenty of acceleration for safe highway passing.Off idle, the coarseness filters out and the engine quietens down. It only comes back a little on full song.Peak power is listed as 103kW, but the four-cylinder turbocharged diesel produces its peak torque of 320Nm from 1750rpm to 2500rpm.The continuously variable multitronic transmission feels smooth, but is a little slow to kick down when in normal drive. Again, for best results, you have to squeeze rather than floor the throttle.Otherwise, pull the lever down to "S" for sport changes. Here it responds quickly, although it does to tend to hold on to gears a little long, bringing the coarseness of the engine back into the cabin. You can also flick the lever to the left for sequential changes which are even faster than the sport shift mode.And the flick left and down feels just like a manual selection of third to second to attack a rapidly approaching corner.While sport mode is responsive, it cannot interpret that you want to drop a gear or two as you rush up to a corner.So you need to push it up to drive (at which point it might even go up a gear and gain momentum), then flick it across to sequential, then tug it back once or twice to select the correct cog.This all takes precious milliseconds.I would prefer to have sequential accessible directly from sport mode than from drive.But diesel buyers aren't just after torquey driving performance. They also want good fuel economy and low C02 emissions.I can't vouch for the emission figures, but my rough estimate on fuel economy was a little over 6l/100km which included mainly city driving.Inside, it is all business in the usual A4 style with comfortable seats, plenty of legroom and no-nonsense black leather trim and brushed aluminium, plus one of the nicest red-light instruments displays on wheels.The sound system is a delight.Standard safety features include electronic stability program incorporating ABS, eight airbags, active front head restraints, electronic differential lock, anti-slip regulation, a brake-disc wiping system and brake assist.The A4 oil-burner will cost $56,990, which is less that the Mercedes-Benz C220 CDi which starts at $68,400.

The turbo Sportback is also available in front-wheel drive bringing it even closer to the Golf but Quattro is not available with automatic transmission.The Audi is a step up on the Golf in quality as well as price and really is a beautiful little car. Engine performance from the turbo-charged, direct injection, four pot is excellent as well as being economical and "clean".The turbo Sportback (a flash name for a five-door hatch) rates as one of the classiest small hatchbacks we have driven but costs a bit ? $50,550.Engine is the model of sophistication ? uses common rail technology as well as variable cam timing, balance shafts and is force fed by a turbo. Output is a healthy 147kW/280Nm.This is the most affordable entry into the all-wheel drive Audi quattro world.Engine passes stringent Euro 4 emissions regulations and runs on 98 octane petrol. Has a high compression ratio for a turbo for gains in response.All dynamics have sports setting meaning firmish ride, quick steering, differential lock and powerful brakes with grippy tyres. Electronic stability program part of the package and boosts safety.Six-speed manual a treat to use, short throws, closely spaced ratios but reverse in the wrong place.Sprints from 0-100kmh is 7.1 seconds, gets about 9.0 litres/ 100km fuel economy.Weighty little beast at 1470kg which explains why it's not as quick as the Golf GTi.Interior is relatively spacious as long as there are no large passengers in the rear seats. Load area expandable with folding rear pew.Looks fantastic, screams class and quality and shape is attractive. Front treatment is distinctive and profile is cheeky. Interior difficult to criticise on any score.Has impressive audio system and wide array of standard equipment, particularly like leather wheel with multiple control buttons.Sports seats need lumbar support adjustment but offer good cornering support.Leather upholstery and flash metallic-look trim is optional as is striking glass roof ? its all glass incorporating a front opening section and is called "Open Sky".Love the 17in alloys.Protected by DataDot and contains a high level of safety equipment including six air bags, ABS and other features.