2010 Audi A3 TDI

I'm the proud new owner of an Audi A3 TDI. It's my first diesel vehicle, but I already love it. As I understand it, the A3 is the same basic car as the Jetta and Golf TDI, but I haven't found any mention of them on the site yet. Does this board consider it that way or should I post/search for info in the non-VW areas?

thanks,
an excited n00b

Yes its a TDI but when this web site started there was Only VW's TDI's here on this side of the pond.

Welcome.

Congrats on your A3 TDI!

Indeed the MKV Golf/Jetta and the A3 share the basic platform, there are obviously a bunch of things that differentiate them. That said, the 2.0L TDI-CR engine is the same as the '09+ Jetta and '10+ Golf TDI's, which is the CBAA/CBAB engine. I'd [hopefully safely] assume everyone would welcome you with open arms on this forum since you have a VAG TDI.

Cheers,
Ryan

Very nice, congrats on the new car!

TDI-TID said:

I'm the proud new owner of an Audi A3 TDI. It's my first diesel vehicle, but I already love it. As I understand it, the A3 is the same basic car as the Jetta and Golf TDI, but I haven't found any mention of them on the site yet. Does this board consider it that way or should I post/search for info in the non-VW areas?

thanks,
an excited n00b

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Congrads!! You bought my dream car!

Post some photos inside and out!

P

I love the A3 TDI, but am disappointed that it is only available with the DSG transmission. I would prefer the old-fashioned 6-speed manual if it was available. Enjoy your new car!

Pictures - no problems, soon to come. It's raining in my part of Texas right now though.

I think I'd prefer the standard shift too. The DSG seems to shift waaaaay too soon and bogs down the engine. If I'm not driving aggressively I'll find myself accelerating in 2nd and 3rd gear from 1400rpm.

TDI-TID said:

Pictures - no problems, soon to come. It's raining in my part of Texas right now though.

I think I'd prefer the standard shift too. The DSG seems to shift waaaaay too soon and bogs down the engine. If I'm not driving aggressively I'll find myself accelerating in 2nd and 3rd gear from 1400rpm.

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1400 is where the power curve starts at these engines. You want to rev 1400 to about 2500, then enjoy 1400 all over again in the next gear, and the next . . .

It takes some getting used to. Your not going to be working in the revs where your last gas car peaked.

Welcome!!

Welcome to a fellow Texan to the group. Yes, pics would be nice to make us feel even more excited

Congrats, and welcome to TDIClub! Looking forward to seeing the pics.

+1 for the manual!
The paddle shifters are unique to the A3, no? I never even bothered to test drive an automatic when we bought our 09 TDI.

LeadSSled said:

I love the A3 TDI, but am disappointed that it is only available with the DSG transmission. I would prefer the old-fashioned 6-speed manual if it was available. Enjoy your new car!

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Welcome! Im in the excited n00b category like yourself. You will find this site a brilliant source of information and help. Many a question answered and problem fixed thanks to this place.

Yeah, the paddle shifters are just on the A3. I've never liked them before, but now that I've driven a few hundred miles with them on MY car, it's kinda fun to use. Only problem is trying to use them in a sharp turn - the paddles way out of line with your hands and you end up over revving while fumbling to find the shifter.

BTW, did I miss this board before, or did they just make it when they moved the post here?

This would be a brand new forum. Congratulations!

When the wheel is turned (or not) you may also bump the console shifter up or down. I,ve been driving manual VW diesels for 32 years aand just got a Golf DSG. Nice, but different from the manual, I'm having a hard time sensing engine speed without looking at tach. Engine is so quiet and smooth. Paddles are also on Golf TDI DSG.

TDI-TID, once it's fully warm and past the appropriate mileage, don't be afriad to use the full powerband, from 1500 to 4200 RPM. Full powerband is fun

TDI-TID said:

I'm the proud new owner of an Audi A3 TDI. It's my first diesel vehicle, but I already love it. As I understand it, the A3 is the same basic car as the Jetta and Golf TDI, but I haven't found any mention of them on the site yet. Does this board consider it that way or should I post/search for info in the non-VW areas?

thanks,
an excited n00b

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you got the right spot. welcome to the club

VW Derf said:

Just a quick welcome to our Audi TDI members. Now that Audi TDIs have finally been in Canada and the US for a while we have added a section dedicated specifically to the Audi A3 and Q7 models. I realize that many of the engine items are the same as the VWs, but for the first time there are a couple of place to discuss the Audi platform specifics.

Enjoy.
Fred

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(http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=268747)

I highly recommend reading, and doing, what is outlined in this thread:
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=48940 (original)
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=252501 ("updated")

Wah-Hoo!!! Just had my first trip at 44mpg. It was only half a tank or so, but thrilling all the same.

Sip'n D,
I've been trying to follow those recs as best I can, though it's hard as hell because 90% of my driving is highway miles between Austin and San Antonio.

Just hit 1000 miles this morning and grossly scaled back the agressive driving to see what I could get for milage. 75 mile trip at 60-65mph (with some coasting down hill) got me 51mpg. I gunned it up a hill once, going from 55-80mph, at the end of the trip to clear out the system as recommended. It was fun but it knocked my mileage down by 2mpg.

TDI-TID said:

Sip'n D,
I've been trying to follow those recs as best I can, though it's hard as hell because 90% of my driving is highway miles between Austin and San Antonio.

Just hit 1000 miles this morning and grossly scaled back the agressive driving to see what I could get for milage. 75 mile trip at 60-65mph (with some coasting down hill) got me 51mpg. I gunned it up a hill once, going from 55-80mph, at the end of the trip to clear out the system as recommended. It was fun but it knocked my mileage down by 2mpg.

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Hi there, congrats in your new A3 TDI! I'm thinking about trading my 2010 prius to an 2010 A3 TDI.

Do you mind some questions?

1- What is your overall (lifetime) MPG on it, hwy, city, and combined.
2- I know you live in TX but I have lived around there too and I know it gets a bit cold. Does the winter affect the MPG?
3- Is the interior pretty solid? No rattles?

I've had my 2010 A3 TDI for about 5 weeks now. Really enjoy the car! I can comment on some of your questions. I don't have an overall mpg yet. Just starting to track this data on fuelly. I live in Chicago, so my city driving can involve alot of short trips/stop and go traffic. That type of driving gets around 22-25mpg, roughly. If I'm on Lake Shore Drive heading downtown I'll average 31-33 mpg.

The best I've gotten so far is 42mpg driving on I-35 from Kansas into Oklahoma. Driving back from Oklahoma to Chicago I averaged in the high 30's (mpg).

Don't have any hands on comparison to know how the weather affects mpg, but after reading threads on this forum I'm seeing it does.

The interior is nice. No rattles, feels solid. I like the small things like how you can set your cruise to a speed using a digital mph readout. You can increment it by 1 mph or 5 mph by holding down a lever. One thing I don't like is the driver side window switches. They are too far back on the door.

Overall I'm very happy with the car!

2ndCityA3 said:

I've had my 2010 A3 TDI for about 5 weeks now. Really enjoy the car! I can comment on some of your questions. I don't have an overall mpg yet. Just starting to track this data on fuelly. I live in Chicago, so my city driving can involve alot of short trips/stop and go traffic. That type of driving gets around 22-25mpg, roughly. If I'm on Lake Shore Drive heading downtown I'll average 31-33 mpg.

The best I've gotten so far is 42mpg driving on I-35 from Kansas into Oklahoma. Driving back from Oklahoma to Chicago I averaged in the high 30's (mpg).

Don't have any hands on comparison to know how the weather affects mpg, but after reading threads on this forum I'm seeing it does.

The interior is nice. No rattles, feels solid. I like the small things like how you can set your cruise to a speed using a digital mph readout. You can increment it by 1 mph or 5 mph by holding down a lever. One thing I don't like is the driver side window switches. They are too far back on the door.

Overall I'm very happy with the car!

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Thanks for the info! It looks like the cold weather does affect the MPG. Admittedly, your MPG numbers are a little disappointing so far, since they stay bellow EPA estimates, but it may be too early to draw any conclusions. I do mostly hwy driving so, if I get the car, I will be able to get the most efficiency out of it. I'm trying to find a used one to trade but since it is so new in the market, I will have to wait for a good while.

Glad to know the interior is solid. Have you had any Audi before? If yes, how reliable have it been? Thanks again.

Agreed about the disappointing MPG numbers. Granted January has been pretty chilly, teens to mid 20's for day time highs. And I do live in an area where stop signs grow like weeds. When I'm back in Kansas/OK visiting relatives, being able to drive for miles without a stop sign or light is just great

If you're doing mostly highway driving, the A3 should shine. Looked at the 2010 Prius -- online, didn't drive it. I believe it's the better car for city commutes. From what I could tell in the specs, it has more tech stuff compared to the Audi. In the end, we really liked the handling, performance, and overall looks of the Audi. Like the DSG transmission. Had a 91 Mustang GT, and a 91 Acura Integra both manuals. That was fun, but in Chicago I'll stick with the auto.

Traded in a 99.5 Jetta VR6 for the A3. That was a love/hate car. When everything worked I loved the Jetta. The interior was nice but it's made of cheap plastic parts that broke when you used it. The Audi interior seems to be built better, the glove box was my test. It has a nice feel, and so far the hinges haven't given way to the cold -- unlike the Jetta! After the third glove box hinge broke I left it.

Ideally the Prius would be your city car, and the A3 is the highway car. But if you had to have just one, I'd get the A3!

2ndCityA3 said:

Agreed about the disappointing MPG numbers. Granted January has been pretty chilly, teens to mid 20's for day time highs. And I do live in an area where stop signs grow like weeds. When I'm back in Kansas/OK visiting relatives, being able to drive for miles without a stop sign or light is just great

If you're doing mostly highway driving, the A3 should shine. Looked at the 2010 Prius -- online, didn't drive it. I believe it's the better car for city commutes. From what I could tell in the specs, it has more tech stuff compared to the Audi. In the end, we really liked the handling, performance, and overall looks of the Audi. Like the DSG transmission. Had a 91 Mustang GT, and a 91 Acura Integra both manuals. That was fun, but in Chicago I'll stick with the auto.

Traded in a 99.5 Jetta VR6 for the A3. That was a love/hate car. When everything worked I loved the Jetta. The interior was nice but it's made of cheap plastic parts that broke when you used it. The Audi interior seems to be built better, the glove box was my test. It has a nice feel, and so far the hinges haven't given way to the cold -- unlike the Jetta! After the third glove box hinge broke I left it.

Ideally the Prius would be your city car, and the A3 is the highway car. But if you had to have just one, I'd get the A3!

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Thanks again, the new Prius mileage ratings are similar for city and hwy, with hwy being a little less. It is indeed a very fuel efficient car, even in the hwy, but the drop in the winter is about 30% in coldest days here in the Midwest near Chicago area and southern WI. That has been frustrating. The interior quality is not very good either... too many rattles in mine but some others are not reporting the same. I'm considering trading mine to an A3 since I think my mileage in the A3 will be good enough, but I’m just a bit skeptical about reliability. The Prius is an incredibly reliable car and consumer reports don't have great ratings for the A3 up to 08 but there is no data yet beyond that... I guess I just have to take the risk.

Indy- If you would like to talk to some local guys about our tdi experiences, (all vw, no audi unfortunately) you should drop by the Indianapolis thread in the regional section.

Indyking said:

Thanks again, the new Prius mileage ratings are similar for city and hwy, with hwy being a little less. It is indeed a very fuel efficient car, even in the hwy, but the drop in the winter is about 30% in coldest days here in the Midwest near Chicago area and southern WI. That has been frustrating. The interior quality is not very good either... too many rattles in mine but some others are not reporting the same. I'm considering trading mine to an A3 since I think my mileage in the A3 will be good enough, but I’m just a bit skeptical about reliability. The Prius is an incredibly reliable car and consumer reports don't have great ratings for the A3 up to 08 but there is no data yet beyond that... I guess I just have to take the risk.

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I am trading in my Prius today for an A3 TDI for the same reasons you mention. The Prius has great technology and that's where it ends. The car rattles, has low mpg in the winter, poor paint quality, lacks all the bells and wistles, and has a dealer support that stinks. I hope that my experience with Audi proves more positive. I think it will after reading all the comments on line.

I sat in the back of a Prius on a long drive a few months back. Never again will I make that mistake. The seats in that car are junk. I don't spend much time in the back of my Jetta but I'd hazard a guess that the seats in an A3 are like the difference between my Herman Miller Aeron chair and an IKEA POS.

Rather Be Biking said:

1400 is where the power curve starts at these engines. You want to rev 1400 to about 2500, then enjoy 1400 all over again in the next gear, and the next . . .

It takes some getting used to. Your not going to be working in the revs where your last gas car peaked.

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During break in sure, but once your motor has a few miles on it the fun starts at 2500....

2ndCityA3

Just wondering where you were able to find an A3 TDI with all those options? I,ve been looking around the New Orleans area and all I can find is the demo model. If you don't mind me asking, what did you have to give for yours, MSRP or more? I have looked at the Sportwagon and the A3 is much more attractive.

David B.

When I was looking around, a dealer in Houston had 3 A3s loaded with nav, and in Austin there were three loaded sans nav. One in each city also had the sport package. There is now at least one less in Austin