| + Used Car Home + Used Cars for Sale + Car Reviews + Auto Repair |
| 2006 Audi A3 Review | |||
| Whether you're about to spend $40K on a brand new car, or half that on a used car, it is always important to learn as much as you can about the used car. Read these car reviews to learn about all aspects of the vehicle. Each of the usedcar reviews cover interior and exterior features, options, road tests, and more. | |||
|
Introduction
| Road Test
| Inside & Out
| Other Thoughts
| Last Word
|
|||
| Other Thoughts | |||
The A3 seems stratified into two worlds of both hardware and price. Competition, too. The lower-level A3 2.0T gets its motivation from a turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder with 200 horsepower and 207 pounds-feet of torque - nothing to sneeze at - and feeds its power only to the front wheels. Just as significant, the 2.0T gives the choice between a traditional stick and the DSG - the former for $25,460 and the latter for $1,480 more, or $26,940. No one said innovation's cheap.The 2.0T has two upgrades: the $1,800-higher Sport model with its harder suspension, summer tires, 16-spoke bi-color wheels, spoiler, fog lights, sport leather seats and steering wheel, map lights, and aluminum air vents. The $2,025 Premium model takes all that, subtracts the sport suspension and spoiler, and adds HomeLink, trip computer, auto-dimming mirror with light/rain sensor, and power driver's seat. Meanwhile, the A3 S-Line's V6, all-wheel-drive, and DSG transmission have it standing way up there at $34,700. The S-Line already has the Bose Symphony stereo standard ($900 on the others) but both A3s share most options: navigation ($1,950), HID headlights ($800), rear side air bags ($350), Open Sky roofs ($1,100), Bluetooth ($435), XM or Sirius radio ($350), premium leather ($800), Cold Weather Package (heated seats, mirrors, and wiper nozzles and ski sack, $700), and $450 / $750 for most colors. Comparisons are always easier with obvious competition around, but since there isn't we'll have to make do. The front-drive, 4-cylinder configuration of the A3 2.0T has it creeping close to plain-Jane brand names: I'm thinking Mazda 3 wagon, and Mazda's thinking 19 grand. The A3's 40 extra horsepower does not equal $7,000+ in my book, though most of the premium actually goes to the $5,000 German Engineering fee - something shared by the A3's very close relatives, most notably the 2007 Volkswagen GTI 4-door hatchback (all 2006s are 2-doors), which costs $24,305 with DSG. This means Audi's stiffing you $2,XXX for its name. In the A3's favor are made-in-Germany build quality (vs. Mexico or Brazil) and the Audi Advantage free maintenance program (which ends after 2006), but the GTI has better headroom, cargo room, and ergonomics. And thus Audi's inescapable dilemma surfaces: go any cheaper and the A3 looks like a redundant Volkswagen; raise the price and it's even farther in looney land. As for the A3 S-Line's competition, no luxury automaker makes a V6, all-wheel-drive micro-wagon either, but for reference, Audi itself asks $38,310 for the bigger A4 Avant 3.2 automatic. Since the A3 saves $3,610, it again looks fair enough in the VW-Audi neighborhood. It's too bad that just outside the gates stands the bigger and better-driving BMW 325xi automatic wagon at a negligibly higher $36,570. Finally, with the Subaru Impreza WRX Limited automatic wagon running a whopping $6,440 less ($28,260), the label whores and the brand-blind can share one mantra: adios, Audi. |
|||
| UsedCar.us.com - Copywrite - All Rights Reserved |