AUDI A3 1.4 TFSI SPORTBACK review

Audi (owned by VW group) invented a new car class with the first A3 in the 90s: the premium compact hatchback. Strange concept? I guess not... Between the millions Vw Golfs roaming European streets, a group of clients wanted a little more, a car to satisfy daily transportation needs but with the capability of boosting also the social status. In early days, the VW Golf platform emproved in the essential parts and gifted with some interesting engines was enough to insure A3 commercial success. There was even an uber version called S3 with 1.8 T engine of around 225 hp. Time passed and competition has woken up trying to compete in this niche created by VW (Audi sorry). Bmw 1 series was, let's say, the main contender with some attents from Volvo (C30) and Mercedes. Audi implemented gradually a 4X4 version and higher spec versions (RS3 was a little bit exagerated and arrived a little bit late). The new VW platform used for Golf, Octavia, Leon gave birth of a new A3 version with a fresh design in order to compete with F20 version of 1 series, Merc A-Class and Volvo V40 (there are other competitors on the market with lower sales volumes than Ferrari, in Europe of course: Alfa Romeo, Lexus, etc.)

Pros:

• Modern design for the exterior and interior (a little boring for my taste in the cabin)
• Interesting gasoline and diesel engine offer
• Solid construction with secure setting of the drive-train
• Precise manual gear box, also DSG available
• Decent luggage compartment
• The quality feel is there, the VW Golf genes are not present
• Torque is present from low rpm

Cons:

• Average steering sensation, not very direct, not very soft, average precision
• The 1.4 TFSI engine (122 hp) doesn't like to be reved upon 3000rpm
• The screen exiting from the dash-board gives you a "cheap" feeling
• Very expensive

Test drive

The first contact with the car gives you a solid feeling: solid doors, nice quality interior, after the ignition key was inserted, a plastic screen pops up from the dash-board. The dash board is literaly dominated by some huge air-vents, the air-condition console is very well designed. The first speed-bums are very nice treated by the A3, no nasty noises (like the VW Golf to be tested later) and feelings are present. The car feels very solid and well made at the first glance.  The 1.4 TFSI is very quiet, no vibrations are sent into the steering or pedals. The engine has plenty of torque from the low rpm and is very pleasant to be driven in the city. The moment waited by all the readers is probably the hit of the gas pedal. Well here is the first disappointment and you will soon find out that the heart of the car is an 1.4 (which feels at low rpms like a good 2.0 litres engine): after 3000 rpm, the engine is starting to scream a little bit and is reluctant to go toward the red line. The sound is also a little bit disappointing and some feeling  "leave me alone, I dont't want to fight" is present. The engine will not disappoint, but is more suited  (my humble opinion) for VW Golf, and for city driving. The car is nimble enough and pleasant to be driven and after some minutes you will start to enjoy it. It is not an emotional moment (these days you don't have this feeling with many brands) but more of rock solid vehicle. By comparing it with WV Golf VII, there is a stellar difference, Audi did a very well job in hiding the common genes and the extra money spent are present every where in the A3. There are some Asian car-makers that are lowering the trims quality in the hided areas (trunk, under the dash board), this is not case for the Audi: even the luggage compartment is looking "premium" with high quality plastic and textiles. The doors design is a little bit spartan, but this could be emproved by adding some additional equipment lines. Another important issue is price: with the basic equipment and engine, this car is touching the 30k euros level, so depending on each country, you could choose e medium size sedan like VW Passat, Mazda 6, Opel Insignia, Ford Mondeo, etc. Nobody said that exclusivity comes cheap, but these days money are an issue.

Competition

The main competitor is the beemer 1 series with his fancy RWD and more outdated design.New A-class is another powerful contender with a higher price tag and some entry-level Renault engines (diesel ones). Volvo V40 is also a "fresh"car, but is dominated with low sale volumes.

BMW 320dA F30 review

Yes the big day arrived! Your dad's  wet dream came true! A Middle Manager best wish after months of hard work with associated bonus and some visit to a local bank...You are driving the new 3 series! It is the real deal, the bestseller of the most successful premium car manufacturer (yes they are selling now more cars than the Audi (overpriced VWs) and the Merc (your grandfather's dreamy car)). Really? Let's see...

Pros

• Nice attractive design, especially when comparing with the "old" an chunky E90
• Grown car with the capability of transporting 4 persons and additional luggage 
• Quiet interior with "premium" feeling
• Low driving position associated with comfy seats
• Mature suspension setting (deals very well the bumps in the road, speed-bumps and eventually the potholes)
• Full of gadgets (8 speed automatic gear box with joy-stick, flappy paddles , automatic xenon lights, various driving modes(Eco Pro, Sport,etc), Idrive  etc)
• Sport line is very attractive with red trims on the dashboard, red stitches on the leather seats
• Cool diesel engine, likes to be reved up(for a diesel), quiet (inside), very economical ( on board consumption for the test car was 6,8 l/100km, so we expect around 7 litres of average consumption in real life), powerful enough, not brutal but with a constant pull from 1400 to 5000 rpms

Cons

• Semi synthetic steering wheel feeling, in is not as good as the old "trusty" hydraulic system
• The plastic parts of the interior are a little bit flimsy (doors and rear cabin)
• When accelerating, there is a little lag (around 1 sec) due to automatic transmission and turbo diesel engine
• Start stop system is annoying, when you stop to a small junction letting 1 car to pass, then brrr.... engine stopped
• Speed sensation is very low, this could be dangerous with speeding tickets

Test drive

Your previous car was build in the 90s? You are in trouble now Mister! Key less entry - you don't have a key to insert in the car, ZF automatic transmission - you must play with the joystick from P to D, car settings like ECO Pro, Sport, Sport Plus...Ok it will take you some seconds to start driving for the first time. First impression: it is a nice and soft car...it is not an M3 (just kidding)...for me it was a little disappointing for the first seconds, very low noise from the suspension, not rigid at all. The engine is very quiet and no vibrations are transmitted in the cabin at all, nor in the pedals. Ok... this is a soft beemer, ex owners of Audis/Mercs you could come and get one...you will be familiar with this car excepting  the super duper WV interior which is missing. I would not say that the interior is not showing quality, but it is not a reference one, for me the word would be ....decent for a 40k Euro car. Ok... so...., if you go in kick-down mode, the engine will starting to mumble and the speed will growing fast enough, 120 km/h will be easily reached, the engine is not shouting: I am a diesel one, do not push me! It is not at all brutal like old VW diesels, it enough linear and is developing the power gradually till 5000 rpm. The overall feeling is very nice/premium we could say and the cars give you the hovering sensation....cool! Ok next will be the steering feeling...not so good boys and girls. I know that today's ecologist trend will say that an electric steering will absorb less energy from the engine that the old trusty hydraulic thus improving with 0,1% the overall fuel economy, but the real sensation is like using a condom...yes it is ok, but you feel like missing something...in this case the connection with the road. I was heading toward a junction with relatively high speed with a car going in the same direction in my right side, so the road got a little bit narrow and a medium curve to the right "suprised" me suddenly, at that time the steering gave me a little bit of insecure sensation and I touched the brakes... the old beemers were appreciated especially in these types of situations when the rear traction combined with a direct steering was always a winning situation (not on snowy roads though).

So the car gave a little bit of "sportivness" in change for comfort, is this OK or not for the average beemer aficionados?  Who cares when they are selling hundreds of thousands of these middle sized sedans...For the front seats, the cars surrounds you and the space comfort is not acknowledged easily by the passengers  The big change is made by the rear seats where the space sensation is dramatically improved (not a Ford Mondeo size though), two persons could easily travel for long distances whiteout effort.

Some mixed feelings about the gearbox (8 speed ZF automatic) at this time, on "normal" mode it is a little bit annoying because is changing gears all the time and will try to maintain a low rpm in order to produce low consumption figures. In "sport" mode using the paddles behind the steering wheel, you could try to rev the engine till 5000 rpm in order to overtake more agresively. The feeling is sporty and the engine will not disappoint  but keep in mind the feeling of unhappiness of the 2 litres to be reved, he is like a trusty soldier which will try to accomplish the missions, but he is not a killing machine. This car is to be driven on highways with high speeds at low rpm and low consumption, not to be reved at 6000 rpm.

Ok, in order to conclude... does the new beemer got softer? Yes it does... it is not as nimble as the E36, and not giving the "tank" sensation of the e46 with his "direct" unbiased steering sensation. It is a better car? Probably yes! It is more fun to drive than his predecessors?  Probably not! It is more luxurious?  Yes a little bit, considering the space inside the cabin.

Competition

Reading the above review you could have a disappointing  feel, but when considering the existing competitors, the 3 series star will shine on the medium-sized sedans market. The Merc has an outdated version of the C-class, Audi A4 is only FWD or 4WD, the second one is boring to drive especially on dry roads. There could be some other contenders like Mazda 6 (lower build quality but superior habitability), Honda Accord (outdated interior design and fewer engines and equipment choices), but for the moment my humble opinion is: this is the king of medium size sedans!