The perfect small sedan

[zygrene]

For what it's worth, my 2011 A3 hatch weighs a bit over 3200lb with 2.0T, FWD, and manual transmission. The Quattro A3 is not available with a manual transmission, only S-Tronic. I don't think this redesigned A3 sedan is going to weigh less than 3000lb with the 1.8T and Quattro.

[mike@vossen]

Great addition to the lineup

[Dark]

I would expect the cheapest interior of any Audi.

[JoeBoxer]

Originally Posted by fatoni

why not just get a gti and save five figures?

quattro

Originally Posted by dsgerbc

Knowing Audi, the $38k S3 will probably have hand-cranked windows or something else making sure nobody actually buys it. I don't expect a livable S3 to cost under $42-$43k before taxes.

I'm sure it will have a lot of available packages but to say unlivable is probably a stretch. I'm sure the base would still have a nicer interior than a GTI/GLI.

Originally Posted by Dark

I would expect the cheapest interior of any Audi.

It's the cheapest car in the lineup so i'm sure it does but if you look at the pics on autoblog both the A3 and S3 have very nice interiors.

Like i said earlier the S3 would be out of my budget, i'd rather get the A3 and do my own stuff to it. I do plan on getting one of these in a couple years.

[fatoni]

Originally Posted by JoeBoxer

quattro


I'm sure it will have a lot of available packages but to say unlivable is probably a stretch. I'm sure the base would still have a nicer interior than a GTI/GLI.


It's the cheapest car in the lineup so i'm sure it does but if you look at the pics on autoblog both the A3 and S3 have very nice interiors.

Like i said earlier the S3 would be out of my budget, i'd rather get the A3 and do my own stuff to it. I do plan on getting one of these in a couple years.

the quattro in the a3 uses the same haldex system that is in the golf r. its not a good idea to buy the golf r over the gti so i still dont think its a good idea to buy the a3 over the gti.

[norsamerican]

I love my A4. Even though it has had some minor issues they have all been taken care of by Audi without question.

[EAGLE5]

I like the GTI and the Golf R is a step up. However, the cost to own is ridiculous because of depreciation. The A3 makes it that much worse because they start so much more expensive. Good luck finding a manual without special ordering, and then you're stuck with FWD. They're also heavy. A small car like the A3 should weight 3000lbs with AWD, not 3500. The auto manual transmission is also crap.

So yeah, if you want an A3 or Golf R, get a used GTI. If you want an A4, get a used GLI. If you want an A5, get an FRS. If you want an A6, get a used, low-mileage E60.

[f0rge]

I'll probably get shamed right out of this thread because it's not an audi, but the real perfect small sedan is an e36 M3/4/5. You can buy 3-4 for the price of this audi too.

[Snoopyalien24]

Originally Posted by dsgerbc

Read carefully then. It was never said that the weight is X lbs, it's stated as "shaves X lbs relative to current A3". Actual numbers like "2756lbs" are usually made up by journalists, taking the weight of he lightest of the current FWD A3 and subtracting the figure. Quattro is usually referenced as "quattro also available".

Euro A3 with tiny engine and FWD is about 2800lbs. No way in hell a bigger engine and AWD weigh under 200 pounds, so don't bet on it being sub-3000. The current AWD A3 weighs 3400+ lbs, my bet is that the new AWD A3 will be ~3200lbs at least.

Still... for a new 2013 SEDAN <2900lbs is pretty nice

[LSxJunkie]

Until 60k miles, when the window regulators, HVAC screen, left turn signal, stability control, and keyless remote entry fail simultaneously.