2012 Audi A3 20 Tdi Premium Wagon 4d Review
The Car Connectedness Expert Review
Editor
February 26, 2012
Likes
- Excellent S tronic transmission
- Versatile layout
- Treatment and roadholding
- Fuel efficiency
- Stylish exterior
Dislikes
- Road noise
- Bluetooth is a pricey option
- $40k loaded
Buying tip
features & specs
4-Door HB Transmission FrontTrak 2.0T Premium
4-Door HB Manual FrontTrak 2.0T Premium Plus
4-Door HB Manual FrontTrak PZEV two.0T Premium
The stylish, versatile 2012 Audi A3 is as deft for the city commute as information technology is at ease on the highway.
Every bit Audi's entry model for the U.S. market, the Audi A3 pairs a practical hatchback body style with finely drawn lines and an interior that feels fashionable enough for the Audi badge. Yet it costs but a few thousand more a number of comparable mainstream-brand vehicles.
Audi's sleek A3 doesn't look much dissimilar than when information technology first made its U.S. debut for 2006; yet it still looks quite fresh and contemporary from the outside. Within, it's beginning to wait a flake dated, mainly considering most of the other Audi models have been recently refreshed and taken a new design management, peculiarly with respect to interior trim.
Drivers can choose from two different engines on the A3, and while their power figures are quite different, their performance is remarkably similar. A 140-hp, 2.0-liter turbodiesel inline-four is narrowly our editors' favorite, considering it churns out loads of low-rpm torque, making highway trips a cakewalk, merely the the 200-hp, 2.0-liter gas turbo-four feels very eager and doesn't need to exist revved loftier either to tap into the torque. In both, the dual-clutch transmission doesn't cut into the driving fun, the way conventional automatics tin. All-wheel bulldoze isn't available in turbodiesels or on cars fitted with the manual transmission, so much of the A3 lineup is front end-bicycle bulldoze. Savvy commuters will probably notice the TDI model's 42-mpg highway fuel economy irresistible.
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The A3 has steering that's pretty light, simply it has good roadholding and a refined driving experience overall. We recommend Audi's magnetic ride system, every bit it improves ride, handling, and the entire experience. In any case, the A3 hits a sweet spot in both maneuverability and quick response, nonetheless relaxed highway cruising, so it's as well-suited to the open up route as it is for urban commuting.
Compared to any other vehicles approaching $30k, the A3 has a well-organized, exquisitely trimmed interiors. Tailored leather seats yield a low driving position, and could use more than bolstering. The back seat is merely okay. Two adults will be fine back there, as long as those in front are willing to surrender an inch or two of legroom. One of our simply complaints-and one yous'll demand to listen for on the test bulldoze-is that road coarseness tin can sound into the cabin, and the ride with the standard break tin exist harsh over Rust Belt potholes.
The A3's standard features-and especially its options-are also what assist distinguish it from sporty mainstream entries like the Mazda 3 or Subaru WRX. Power features, automatic climate control, leather, keyless entry, and a 140-watt, 10-speaker audio system come standard. Premium Plus cars go a power driver's seat, steering-cycle audio controls, and ambient LED lighting, with options for premium sound, navigation, and USB/iPod connectivity. Bluetooth isn't complimentary on the A3: information technology's part of a $2,000 packet.
The A3's impressively truthful to Audi'southward spartan styling language.
The Audi A3 blends the styling of a hatchback with the more elongated look of a wagon, and although that may propose it looks a footling honor, nothing could be further from the truth. The A3 should sit down well with anyone who enjoys clean German blueprint, and in particular Volkswagen Golf game fans looking to upgrade to something a little more premium.
Audi added some sportiness to the A3 in 2010 by making some of the previously optional Southward line bundle standard. Items similar the roof spoiler, reskinned bumpers and aluminum trim make the A3 a lot more macho-looking than some of its rivals.
There's no denying that the A3 is starting to bear witness its historic period after being on the market for and then long, just a successor is planned for 2013 so some buyers may want to resist buying the current automobile.
The interior of the A3 is a very nice identify to be, with round, chrome-trimmed air-conditioner vents and well laid out buttons all calculation to the cool German language factor. The cockpit may seem to exist well-aged at this bespeak, but in its price grade it nevertheless looks well-fitted and refined.
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The A3 isn't thrilling but it is a well-balanced performer.
In that location are two different engines to cull from when buying the 2012 Audi A3, 1 of them diesel. Both are 2.0-liter iv-cylinder units that are turbocharged, still, the diesel is the much more fuel efficient pick.
The base of operations unit of measurement is the gasoline one. It's rated at 200 horsepower and 207 pound-feet of torque, and will accelerate the A3 from 0-sixty mph in 7.1 seconds with the standard six-speed manual transmission. Opt for the six-speed dual-clutch gearbox, or 'Due south tronic' in Audi-speak, and you lot'll run across that acceleration figure drop to 6.9 seconds. For even faster acceleration you'll need to opt for the quattro all-wheel bulldoze, which together with the Due south tronic gearbox will see your 0-lx times drib to a brief 6.vii seconds.
The TDI turbodiesel is the slower option but with the 0-60 fourth dimension taking less than 9 seconds it's still faster than some rivals. Where the TDI really shines is its strong torque, which peaks at 236 pound-feet at just i,750 rpm. This translates into strong off-the-line performance, which counts more in the real earth. Note, the diesel fuel is only offered with the Due south tronic gearbox.
The Southward tronic is worth a mention on its own. It can be fully automatic or manually-operated and it's more than fuel efficient than a conventional manual. It besides shifts very apace and decisively.
The Audi A3 driving experience is a joy in about respects: light, direct, and refined. Audi's magnetic ride system is available on the A3. The adaptive-activity shock cushion command arrangement uses voltage to electrify a magneto-rheological fluid in the shocks to change their response inside milliseconds, allowing the suspension to rapidly modify character from soft to firm, depending on driving or road conditions.
You take the choice between Normal and Sport programs, which can be toggled with the flip of a switch. The electric ability steering arrangement doesn't wind and unwind quite like a traditional hydraulic system would, though information technology provides the A3 with good maneuverability and a combination of crisp response at low speed and proficient stability on the highway.
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The A3 splits the quality difference between luxury cars and upkeep sedans.
Audi is a leader when information technology comes to quality interiors and its A3, despite being on the lowest rung of the automaker'south U.S. lineup, has none of the signs of toll cut that some rivals are guilty of with their entry-level offerings. The buttons are all well laid-out and exquisitely crafted and the materials have a premium look and experience to them.
The standard leather-trimmed seats are very comfortable, though some may find they lack side sufficient side support. You also sit very low in the A3, which can make getting in and out a chip tough for older drivers, but the plus side is that you take great visibility out front.
There's no denying that cabin space in this five-seater is tight. For the segment, rear-seat accommodations are simply acceptable, assuasive you to squeeze a pair of adults in at that place--provided the passengers in front don't mind scooting forward an inch or two.
Storage infinite in the trunk is also disappointing. The hatchback provides 19.5 cubic feet of storage when the rear seats are up, but fold these down using the lx/40-divide and you have a nearly apartment storage space that expands to 39 cubic anxiety.
While motel ambiance is mostly nice in the A3, road noise--and the thrum of the rather low-profile tires--can exist intrusive on coarse surfaces, and ride quality with the standard suspension can be somewhat potent.
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Crash-test scores have been excellent in the A3.
If you lot're in the market for a pocket-sized car and vehicle safety is a priority for yous, then the 2012 Audi A3 should be high on your listing of cars to test drive. It comes generously equipped with most of the latest safe gear equally standard, including stability control, anti-lock brakes, forepart-seat side-bear upon, full-length head-drapery airbags, and rear side-thorax bags.
In that location are besides three-point safety belts with pretensioners, a hill hold help to forestall your vehicle from rolling backwards when y'all left of the brakes, and even pinch protection for passenger compartment windows.
We recommend opting for the added traction of the quattro all-wheel bulldoze organisation if you live in an surface area where wintertime driving requires you to modify your tires.
The federal government'due south National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) hasn't tested the 2012 A3 though the Insurance Institute for Highway Safe (IIHS) has, finding information technology to score the highest rating of 'good' in its frontal offset, side, and roof impact crash tests.
Adding big options can raise the A3's toll big-time.
At the end of the twenty-four hours the A3 is a luxury car, and when information technology comes to luxury y'all usually have to pay extra for features. That said, the A3 comes reasonably well-equipped for its segment but if you desire some niceties be prepared to pay for them.
The good news is that even in base 'Premium' trim you lot go 17-inch alloy wheels, daytime running lights, sportier S line body trim, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, leather upholstery on the seats, a 10-speaker (yes, 10 speakers!) stereo, and dual zone climate control.
Pay a little more for the 'Premium Plus' and y'all get Audi'due south funky LED detailed headlamps with bright xenon bulbs. You lot also become an ambience lighting package for the cabin, controls for the audio volume, Bluetooth phone and audio seek functions on the steering wheel, and a powered driver's seat.
The downside is that several tech features that are increasingly included as standard on much more affordable cars-similar a Bluetooth hands-free interface-remain optional on the A3. Bluetooth is offered as part of a $600 Bluetooth Value Package (that doesn't seem like value to usa) on the base A3, though as mentioned above information technology's included as standard in Premium Plus models. But otherwise the options listing is very long, including a Sport Package that's more than than advent (it as well includes a sport pause) and an open up-sky sunroof. But on peak Premium Plus models, you tin speedily load the A3 upward past the $40k mark.
If you tin afford information technology, nosotros recommend getting the high-end Bose audio organisation as well as navigation and the iPod integration kit.
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The 2012 Audi A3 TDI is a very green choice, with one of the highest fuel-economy ratings of any luxury-brand vehicle.
Both engine options in the 2012 Audi A3 are fuel efficient only when it comes to mileage supremacy, the 2.0-liter TDI diesel is the mode to get. The diesel fuel-powered A3 volition get you an EPA-rated mileage of 30/42 mpg city/highway or 34 mpg combined, which is comparable to some hybrid models. In real world testing our editors have seen more than than 45 mpg in long-booty interstate cruising and even depression 30s in stop-and-become situations.
If you have to alive with gasoline the regular 2.0-liter engine will still impress you with its economy. In its most fuel efficient front-wheel drive setting with the S tronic gearbox, y'all'll become 22/28 mpg city/highway or 24 mpg combined. Opting for the quattro all-bicycle drive will simply encounter your city mileage drop 1 mpg so we recommend y'all add this characteristic for its actress safety and performance.
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Source: https://www.thecarconnection.com/overview/audi_a3_2012
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