Test drove the A3 TDI sedan

My Passat was getting serviced and I had some time to kill so wandered over to the nearby Audi dealership to check out the current 2015 A3 sedan and ended up taking it for a test drive.

Overall thoughts:

1) Decent pickup (amazing torque) and great handling for the car.

2) Interiors: Nice level of trim, a slight downgrade from my 2012 Passat in a few areas but nicer than the equivalent Golf TDI and GTI.

3) Backseats: The rear seats are a joke IMO for something that aspires to be an entry luxury car. I'm 5'8 and with the front seats adjusted accordingly I was not even close to being able to sit in the back seats. Not even small kids I could imagine would be able to sit comfortably there.

I'm surprised you found the interior not as nice as the passat, what stuck out to you the most?

Weekendering said:

I'm surprised you found the interior not as nice as the passat, what stuck out to you the most?

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The main thing I responded against were the overly techy looking air vents. Seemed like a needless add-on to the underlying function. Felt chintzy to me but others might disagree.

Maybe I've outgrown the boy racer aesthetic…

In a few areas the Audi A3 was quite nicer in terms of interior (sound system and infotainment unit) but you can also spot the overlapping sharing of parts and textures with the more pedestrian VW models (sunroof and steering wheel looked mostly identical).

Also sat inside the A4 (gorgeous understated interior) and the Audi A5 (drop dead gorgeous exterior and interior) and really wished they brought the TDI version of these models to the state.

So in the end it might be a case of the noticeable gap in terms of interior between the A3 and A4.

A6 and up are just simply beyond my means and I didn't want to know how good they were so stayed far away…

Stimulacra said:

A6 and up are just simply beyond my means and I didn't want to know how good they were so stayed far away…

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Once they start calling you by name, offering drinks, and winking then its hard to resist

fowvey said:

Once they start calling you by name, offering drinks, and winking then its hard to resist

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I'm surprised that TDI Club doesn't have a dedicated discussion area for the Audi A6 TDI. I see them a couple of times a month around Houston and figure they've been on the market long enough to warrant it.

Stimulacra said:

I'm surprised that TDI Club doesn't have a dedicated discussion area for the Audi A6 TDI. I see them a couple of times a month around Houston and figure they've been on the market long enough to warrant it.

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Yeah, an A6-8 section would be nice, but I haven't seen many in here with them . Think I saw one poster with an A6 but a while back and forgot the name.