Audi A3 sedan challenges opposition

Clearly, Merc pushed its A-Class sedan to compete with the BMW 1 Series sedan, leaving Audi with no choice but to jump on the premium sedan bandwagon also with its own candidate.

The new Audi A3 brings three models to the market, all turbo-fed; a 1.4 TSFI, a 1.8TSFI and an oil-burning 2.0 TDI, priced at R323,500, R340,500 and R355,500 for the manuals to R340,500, R358,500 and R372,500 for the DSG transmission choices.

And the bland played on

Of the Big Three, the Audi is probably the blandest and its interior, in particular, is not likely to get pulses racing, but it is friendly and familiar to all VW and Audi drivers.

We recently spent a week in the company of the TDI and although it is in essence a medium-sized premium family sedan, it is surprisingly spacious, having been stretched to 15cm longer and10cm wider than the Sportback. As a bonus its booth has also been enlarged to a generous 880 litres (with the rear seats folded flat), 45cm more than the luggage space of the Sportback. (In fact, the new A3 sedan has about the same dimensions as an A4 of a few years back).

The living quarters are more than adequate for four biggies with lots of leg and shoulder space and the layout of the switches, dials and gauges are pleasingly logical. I have always been a fan of Audi's tendency towards functional black and silver simplicity rather than the more complicated instrument panel of the other two.

The A3 has fingertip adjustments on the steering wheel and it also as Drive Select, which empowers the driver to choose a driving mode to suit his personal likes and needs. Although not a fan of DSG transmission, the Audi/Volkswagen is silky smooth and one of the best on the market and it will no doubt appeal to its target audience - but whether it is worth paying R17,000 more for DSG than the manual transmission is a question of individual taste, driving style and wallet thickness.

Some nice touches

In terms of looks, the exterior of the A3 sedan is straightforward but with a few neat chisel lines and elegant curves to add visual appeal to its otherwise boxy shape. The sporty chrome wheels, twin-pipe exhaust outlet and sexy running lights also add some extra flavour.

Out on the road the A3 is no slouch and its 2.0 four-pot kicks out 350NM and 100kW, which is enough for a 0-100km/h sprint in 8.6 seconds. The steering is perfectly suited to the family saloon and the car sits well through the corners although the suspension is on the hard side and on uneven surfaces, it can be quite bumpy (varying according to Drive Select settings).

Being the third model in the A3 series it is expected to give further impetus to the strong sales of the A3 three-door (which has notched up sales of more than 1,200 since its local launch just over a year ago) and the Sportback, introduced last April and already chalking up more than 1,800 sales.

Coming soon?

It is on the cards that an S-model as well as a cabriolet will also reach our shores in the not too distant future to crack the whip even more in the premium segment where the four-ring brand pushed up its premium market share to more than 22% in 2013.

On the reverse side of the coin, the A3 sedan is not inexpensive family transport and the tumbling rand will no doubt bring its own hardship during the months ahead but this aside, the A3 is sure to become a crowd-pleasing stepping-stone into the smarter segment of the passenger car market.

The Audi 2.0TDI's price of R372,500 includes a five-year/100,000km maintenance plan.

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