2019 Audi A3 vs Mazda 3

What's the difference?

If there are to be any name changes then surely I should be first? I mean Dick Berry; who calls their son that? Well, they named me Richard, but still...

Anyway, I have more reason to do change my moniker than the Audi A3 1.4TFSI Sedan, which recently had its name changed to the 35 TFSI.

So, what does it all mean?

I'll do my best to solve that riddle, along with giving you the answers to other questions about the A35 TFSI Sedan, from what it's like to drive, to its safety features, and how practical and fuel efficient it is.

If you will indulge me, I'd like you to cast your mind back to the mid-90s. If you're too young, ask your parents or Google to do the same.

Have a peek at the pretty but not especially amazing 323 Astina. Some folks call it a four-door coupe, but it's a sedan. It was not nearly as attractive as the more adventurous hatchback.

The 323 went dull for almost a decade and then when the 3 arrived, it was the sedan that I thought was the looker. Sure, they weren't completely different like the old days, but the proportions were nicer and it was just a better thing to look at.

Then along came the most recent fourth-generation 3, the BP. The hatch, I think, is the gorgeous one while the sedan is a more sober. And while still made of lovely proportions, it seems to have been... flattened a bit.

Thorough as we are here at CarsGuide, I spent a week with the new sedan to ponder not only its looks, but whether it's much different to the hatch.