A3 reviews

[newbeetleman]

Can you guys give me some of your personal reviews of this diesel?

I think the A3 looks MUCH nicer than the jetta wagon. This will be my wifes next car. Love the look.

Thanks

 

[Medic92]

I went from a 2004 Jetta to this car, and it is great!

I have not dealt with Audi customer service as of yet, but that was a big reason that I left VW (I sold a 2010 Touareg as well as the Jetta). I my opinion, this car, although built on the same platform as the VWs, is a more refined automobile. Plus, it was rolled down the assembly line in Germany, and not Mexico as my Jetta was.

I absolutely love the open sky sunroof for the kids in the back seat. The hatch back does not afford you the same room as a Jetta wagon, but it is bigger in the back, headroom wise, than the Jetta sedan.

The DSG is great as well. It is smooth and powerful.

 

[3waygeek]

I've had my A3 for about 13 months now, and have put almost 16,000 miles on it. I'm getting about 33 mpg in town, and about 38 on the highway with the cruise set at 80 mph. You could probably get 40+ if you keep it at 65 or 70.

It's a great car to drive, and as you point out, it looks really good, too. Insurance rates are pretty reasonable, as they consider it to be a wagon. My premiums went down when I switched to the A3 from my previous car (02 Mitsubishi Diamante).

Consider getting the AudiCare pre-paid maintenance package; it's around $750, IIRC, and covers the first 3 years of scheduled maintenance. I just had the 15K service (oil change, new fuel & pollen filters) -- total cost $0.00. You can probably get them to throw it in when you're negotiating over the purchase price.

 

[minienigma]

I've had my A3 about 11 months now. Just came from 25k mile service. Love the car. Just wish the transmission is a stick, though. Mileage similar to 3waygeek.

No complaints as far as the car itself, other than the transmission. When accelerating through turns from stop, the DSG will not upshift for some reason. I had on occasion revved all the way up to 4000 RPM in 1st gear making a right turn from stop. I wasn't flooring it or anything close to that.

The Audi Care only worth it for the 15k mile service, which is a major service. All of the rest of the service is very minor in comparison.

 

[newbeetleman]

Excellent, thanks guys.

Would this be a good car for a family of 4? I have never seen one in person just in pictures and it looks like it could be a good car for a family of 4. I know my wife loves the look as well.. I think I have her sold on it.

 

[newbeetleman]

Oh, I assume the TB needs to be changed just like the VW's correct?

 

[Medic92]

I've had my A3 about 11 months now. Just came from 25k mile service. Love the car. Just wish the transmission is a stick, though. Mileage similar to 3waygeek.
No complaints as far as the car itself, other than the transmission. When accelerating through turns from stop, the DSG will not upshift for some reason. I had on occasion revved all the way up to 4000 RPM in 1st gear making a right turn from stop. I wasn't flooring it or anything close to that.
The Audi Care only worth it for the 15k mile service, which is a major service. All of the rest of the service is very minor in comparison.

Did you try to upshift with the paddle shifter when this happens?

 

[Medic92]

Excellent, thanks guys.

Would this be a good car for a family of 4? I have never seen one in person just in pictures and it looks like it could be a good car for a family of 4. I know my wife loves the look as well.. I think I have her sold on it.

As long as you are beyond carrying any bulky cargo like big strollers in addition to other kid stuff. It is roomy enough in the back for passengers, but there is not much storage space.

 

[Medic92]

Oh, I assume the TB needs to be changed just like the VW's correct?

It is the same motor as the VWs with a different emblem on the engine cover.

 

[minienigma]

Did you try to upshift with the paddle shifter when this happens?

Yep. Using the paddle shifter, the DSG does upshift just fine. That's why I thought it was weird that it would not *automatically* do it. It really depends on how tight of a turn it was. Past a certain point, the DSG doesn't upshift. I'm not sure whether this is a algorithmic delay of some sort or if I just kept turning (i.e. drive in a circle) it would just not shift at all.

I suppose it could be an software setting to prevent accelerating through sharp turns to quickly, but then this seem to be only when doing it from stop, and the DSG would be stuck in 1st gear.

Anyways, the problem with the paddle shifter is I had to hunt for it during a turn since they move with the steering wheel.

 

[Medic92]

Maybe it is trying to outsmart you

Have you checked out the Youtube videos on how it works?

 

[oilbug]

I have a family of four (young kids, still using a stroller, child seat, and booster) and we fit in just fine. Posted this in another section, it's really convenient when you have the whole family, the dog, and your bags. Works great.


[URL="http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?p=3133311#post3133311"]http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?p=3133311#post3133311

(Hope I got that link posted correctly.)

 

[newbeetleman]

That looks pretty good and would be perfect of vacation like driving.

 

[Medic92]

I have a family of four (young kids, still using a stroller, child seat, and booster) and we fit in just fine. Posted this in another section, it's really convenient when you have the whole family, the dog, and your bags. Works great.


[URL="http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?p=3133311#post3133311"]http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?p=3133311#post3133311

(Hope I got that link posted correctly.)

Good news. I was a little worried about the space, but I got the car anyway. Most of the time, I am driving by myself to work, but I didn't want to have to trade it in for an Accord or a larger, more expensive German auto.

 

[oilbug]

I had the same issue with the space (thought about a Sportwagen, but couldn't get one over here in US spec). In the end we're really happy with the A3 and have only had to use the cargo box a half-dozen times, typically to open up the back for when we travel with the dog, and we've been traveling a fair amount around western Europe over the last year and a half since we got the car. We really like the A3.

 

[El Dobro]

I've had my A3 about 11 months now. Just came from 25k mile service. Love the car. Just wish the transmission is a stick, though. Mileage similar to 3waygeek.
No complaints as far as the car itself, other than the transmission. When accelerating through turns from stop, the DSG will not upshift for some reason. I had on occasion revved all the way up to 4000 RPM in 1st gear making a right turn from stop. I wasn't flooring it or anything close to that.
The Audi Care only worth it for the 15k mile service, which is a major service. All of the rest of the service is very minor in comparison.

Is the trans in D or S when this happens? My VW will do this in S, but not in D.

 

[chummer]

In S mode it will hold it at a higher rpm before it shifts, D will shift at a lower rpm.

 

[El Dobro]

What we're talking about is that when in S, my DSG will shift around 3000 when going straight, but will shift over 4000rpm when turning a corner from a standstill.