This Audi ended up being our rental car for our trip to Switzerland. We were originally supposed to have an Alfa Romeo Giulietta, but that didn't happen. So we went to look around and found a BMW 1 Series. It turned out that it was a 120d (we didn't want a diesel), and a rear light was out. I recommended we rent a Fiat 500L, or the Aston Martin Vanquish Volante over in the corner. Neither of those things happened and we rented a 2013 Audi A3.
One good mark for this car is looks, up until recently the A3 looked kind of boring, but now that the front end has been altered to look more sinister, it looks better. The interior though is a different story. The front passenger seat is uncomfortable, there really aren't enough controls, you basically get a radio and climate control. I do like how the radio comes up from the dashboard, though in Switzerland we didn't know what they were saying. Another thing on the radio, it chooses to come on when ever you start the car, which is annoying.The controls do look nice in the interior, and the air con dials have a quality feel to them. The whole car does seem to be quality. You know that all of the car is put together with the utmost precision.
One thing that this car has that no other car on this blog has is an electronic parking brake. This turned out to be a bad thing, as it took about two minutes to figure it out (alright alright we didn't use the owners manual), and it makes a really annoying sound when you engage it. Sounds a bit like a spaceship that needs some work.
On the driving front, i can report that it has enough power. We overtook a lot on the roads of Switzerland and this car had the power to do so. It even handles nicely, though the signature Audi understeer is still present. However, the steering does feel (I was told) disconnected. The driver of the Audi said he would much rather be driving a Mini on the mountain passes of the Swiss Alps.
The handling may not be 100% spot on, but this does make for a ride that is very nice. This is rather spoiled when you are in the seats for more than half and hour. The driver's seat especially is a problem and the driving position is uncomfortable. I didn't have enough room in the passenger's seat. The back seats aren't as bad, but for some reason the ride is much, much worse.
As far as space, it isn't too bad. We managed to get quite a lot into the back. We did notice that the car we were supposed to have rented, the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, may not have been big enough. We definitely loaded the Audi up. The Alfa probably couldn't handle all of it.
So the Audi may not be a rival in performance to say, a Mini, however it is a bit more day-today. Though it doesn't do that very well either.
Specifications:
Engine
2.0L Turbocharged I4
200 Horsepower @ 5100-6000 RPM
207 ft-lb of torque @ 1800-5000 RPM
Top Speed: 144 MPH
Emissions
Tons/yr C02 @15k mi/year: 7.8
EPA Greenhouse Gas Score: 7
Mileage
EPA Hwy: 30 MPG
EPA City: 21 MPG
Range Hwy: 435 miles
Range City: 304.5 miles
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