2009 Audi A3 2.0T Quattro Milwaukee WI

November 18, 2009   By Brian Alexander, Road Test Editor

2009 Audi A3

2009 Audi A3
DriverSide Overview
There aren’t a whole lot of cars that fulfill the A3’s mission statement, and we imagine Audi wouldn’t have it any other way. In fact, the closest real competitor comes in the form of the car’s direct cousin, the GTI manufactured by parent company Volkswagen. Between them, the A3 and GTI share a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine and both manual and dual-clutch automatic gearbox offerings, and if you don’t care for all-wheel drive it’s difficult to justify shelling out an additional $3,100 for the Audi. Intelligently then, Audi is now offering its Quattro all-wheel drive system with both four- and six-cylinder A3 trims. And while a Quattro car will cost you quite a bit, it brings a lot of versatility to a small, fuel-efficient car that feels well-appointed in base trim but can be optioned out to the point of being downright luxurious.


What's to Like
Quattro all-wheel drive is now available with the 2.0-liter engine – until this year extra traction was only available to those who sprung for the 3.2-liter V-6. Audi’s seamless-shifting S tronic dual-clutch transmission has the power to make you forget about traditional automatics all together.

What's Not to Like
Pricing for the Quattro is pretty brutal considering that, on paper, the A3 amounts to little more than a four-door Volkswagen GTI with all-wheel drive and a few Audi trimmings. However, if you don’t want all-wheel drive, the price difference between the Audi and VW is much more reasonable. Quattro isn’t available with a manual transmission, and while adults will fit in the backseat, don’t expect them to do so happily.

The Drive:
DriverSide Driving Impressions
No one would describe the A3 as blindingly fast, but the low-end torque offered by its turbocharged engine gives it a largely usable powerband with plenty of kick. So much so that it’s hard to imagine the heavier V-6 being necessary in any circumstance. As good as the engine is, it doesn’t have a chance of matching the razor-sharp competence of the S tronic dual-clutch transmission, highlighted by a fantastic sport mode as well as paddles for manual shifting. Variable dampers are used to cushion the ride and give the A3 a taut, controlled feel. The system matches well to the accurate steering, and bumping the suspension into sport mode stiffens the ride noticeably, but not to the point where it’s unpleasant. In fact, half the time we forgot we even had sport mode engaged. Braking is adequate, but the car could really use improved pedal feel. There’s a big neutral chunk at the top of the travel before the brakes grab, and they’re anything but confidence inspiring until you really stand on them. Hopefully, this was isolated to our evaluation vehicle.

Engine and Drivetrain
The A3 utili...

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