2018 BMW 2 Series vs Audi A3

What's the difference?

With a six-cylinder sweetheart of an engine and a thrilling drive experience on offer, there are some seriously good reasons to consider the BMW M240i. But there are a couple of question marks over some of the finer details - none of them are deal-breakers, however.

So, back to the preposition I plotted at the beginning - does it make sense as a more affordable alternative to the M2? The answer is yes... but it's also, no.

I'd spend the extra money and get the M2, but power and presence matters more to me than it might to most. And then again, I'd probably buy a manual M2 Pure, which is not as far a stretch.

The Audi A3 is now five years into this current generation and it’s beginning to show its age in terms of tech and styling in the cabin, despite updates adding new equipment. It’s expensive compared to most small cars but is spot-on for a prestige vehicle. 

The Sedan is, in my view, the best looking small sedan on the planet and offers the biggest boot space in the A3 range. The Sportback, however, is arguably more practical, with better legroom, headroom and cargo carrying ability (with the rear seats down). The Cabriolet has the same perfect proportions as the sedan, but like all good convertibles doesn’t make practicality a priority. 

The sweet spot of the range would have to be the Sportback 2.0 TFSI quattro S Line with its $50,000 list price making it the most affordable but most 'specced up' A3 in the entire range.