2015 Audi A3 2.0 TFSI Premium review notes

A compelling entry model that can get expensive quick

SENIOR ROAD TEST EDITOR NATALIE NEFF: I might be of the minority on this, but this 2015 Audi A3 2.0 TFSI disappoints me on a very fundamental level, if only because my expectation of an Audi A3 is that it’s a hatchback. Seriously, why else would I shell out this

kind of cash for a subcompact? A nice subcompact, sure, and a capable one, but it’s not like it’s that much more luxurious or flingable than, say, a fully loaded Ford Focus ST, which maxes out at far below where the Audi even starts.

No, the only reason I’d ever consider an A3 is (or, I should say, was) that it combines the quality Audi experience (clean, stylish interior design, high-quality materials, easy-to-use MMI interface, Quattro surefootedness, etc.) with the fantastic flexibility afforded by the airy cargo hatch. Take away the hatchback, and the A3 falls right off my cars-I-could-live-with list.

That said, this sedan is fine, I suppose. The engine certainly makes for a fun go of it, what with a power band that stretches across the tach and a satisfying responsiveness to throttle inputs. The wheels provide a good deal of grip, and it’s easy to get the nose pointing exactly where you need it. I do enjoy me a bit of quattro action.

Still, even ignoring my penchant for compacts-as-hatchbacks, I’m not sure all that adds up to $37K’s worth of car. Maybe if I was more of a badge snob, I might attach more significance (and dollar value) to four linked rings. As it is, with the gap between luxury-level and “regular” cars increasingly shrinking, I’ll pass on this particular Audi, thanks.

WEST COAST EDITOR MARK VAUGHN: Everybody’s yapping about how the A3 sedan represents the new, smaller entry level European sedan, competing with the Mercedes-Benz CLA for young buyers. But a little research shows that it’s within inches, often tenths of inches of the first Audi A4, introduced to U.S. showrooms 18 years ago. The cars haven’t gotten smaller, just our perceptions small have changed.

As did its more recent predecessors, this A3 shares a platform with the Volkswagen Golf, in this case the new MQB underpinnings (try saying Modularer Querbaukasten five times real fast). But the Audi execution feels quite a bit sharper and sportier behind the wheel than the Volkswagen take. The steering feels precise, especially at slow speeds around town, but also when taking a corner with verve. Verve rides shotgun in this car.

The turbocharged 2.0-liter transverse four offers power aplenty, peaking at 220 hp in this application, but there is a little lag down near the lower part of the tach. Likewise, the S-tronic dual-clutch transmission is great when you’re hammering on it. Here, finally, is a car that really deserves to have paddle shifters on the wheel, but doesn’t have them. Usually it’s the other way around (I’m looking at you, Mitsubishi Outlander Sport!). When hammering on it, the car responds. Audi lists 0-60 at 5.8 seconds, published reports list lower fives. So it can rise to the occasion nicely. 

But if you’re just tooling around town, the transmission has a bit of lag before it decides to fully engage and start transferring torque to the wheels. This is especially true when backing out of a parking spot or even when pulling away from a stoplight at partial throttle. There’s a delay, then engagement. Such are the trade-offs of dual-clutch sequential manuals.

The benefits of those trannies are supposed to include good gas mileage. For the one tankful that I drove the A3, I went 194.7 miles, used 9.9 gallons and got 19.7 mpg. That’s not really impressive for what was mostly easy freeway driving with not too much heavy throttle.

And there’s no way you could even jokingly call this an entry-level car. Audi lists an A3 entry price of $29,900, but our 2015 A3 Sedan 2.0 TFSI Premium stickered at a sticker-shocking $37,195. Even with discounts for good behavior there is no way that qualifies as an entry level anything. And at that price I still don’t get a backup camera or keyless ignition? The passenger seat had manual controls. The horror.

For that price you’d expect the navigation to work, too, but this one did not. Try to type in an address and it spits out a list of numbers then seizes, providing a list of symbols topped by (I am not making this up) the word “Dawg.” What the hell is Dawg? Probably needs software reboot or something. I used my aging Apple iPhone to navigate.

I will say that the interior is really nice. It even had the soft dashboard that seems to be a requirement nowadays, though you never touch the dang dashboard unless you're a car reviewer. This car had the sunroof, which I hate and which robs you of headroom, particularly in back, where my noggin scraped the roof. I thought the trunk was big enough for everything you’d ever put in a trunk.

So I know this sounds like I didn’t like the A3 sedan, but that’s not true. I found it promising, just hampered by too many shortcomings to make me truly happy owning one. 

ASSOCIATE WEST COAST EDITOR BLAKE Z. RONG: I really like this car. I really liked that the A3 felt like an Audi, instead of a small car with an Audi badge. I really like a car that’s been specifically focus-grouped towards what my generation wants, which should mean that somewhere, a guy who helped curate that awful Super Bowl commercial will be getting a nice bonus.

For you young people out there, whose feet the Audi marketing department is kissing en masse, the Audi won’t impress if you’re coming from your dad’s A6 -- but as your first big-boy car, it’ll feel “premium.” All the plastic knobs are knurled, all the windows are automatic. That big rubber dashboard is soft and squishy, as are the leather seating surfaces: there’s hardly a rough or brittle surface in here. The buttons make the same clicky noise as any other Audi, which has to inspire some level of brand-coddling reassurance. Luxury car makers are blowing their budgets on cool vents, it seems; Benz and Audi are at an arms race to see who can turn their circular vents into something vaguely resembling steam punk. The climate control panel is three knobs, and four buttons -- that’s all you need. That’s the center console design that MMI and iDrive and COMAND promised us from the beginning. MMI here is fairly intuitive, by the way, and the top of the knob can be used as a touchpad (on our $1,900 navigation package).

The A3 drives like a bigger Audi, too: excellent power, quick shifts, and great steering buildup -- a quattro version of the Volkswagen GTI with a trunk. There’s a bit of lag in the drivetrain, but once it comes on it. I’d like D to be more aggressive and S to upshift more often, something I wouldn’t complain about if the A3 came with steering wheel paddles. It rides smoothly, too -- a vast contrast from the heinous Mercedes-Benz CLA250.

The abhorrent little Benz felt like a Mercedes-Benz in the same sense that if I wear a wristwatch, I become a founding member of Public Enemy. The Audi A3 feels like a luxury car that happens to be cheap -- instead of a cheap luxury car.

Except it is not cheap -- our car came in at $37,195. For that exalted price it should come with features that are so ubiquitous they’re practically an Audi standard: backup camera, for example, and blind spot monitoring. Imagine climbing into an Audi and having to put a key into an actual slot, like a barbarian.

When Mercedes-Benz CEO Steve Cannon tried to justify the CLA’s tawdry existence by claiming that it could be cross-shopped against a $32,000 Ford Fusion, he forgot to remind the entry-level luxury segment of one thing: in a $32,000 Fusion, you get every option. In a Benz or Audi, you still have to fight for scraps.

But OK, yes, I am a young person, and hopefully the sort of modern-day Renaissance Man trendsetter. Would I buy an A3? If I did, here’s how I’d spec mine out: ditch the quattro (Cali, bro) and also the cold weather package (ditto). No navigation. Instead: sport suspension, driver assist package, iPod integration -- so I can listen to Vampire Weekend or whatever else is “cutting edge.” Go for the 2.0 TDI? Don’t mind if I do. Beluga brown metallic paint, a dazzling tone of lights and darks, would be a necessity, too. Bam: $35,150 -- or two grand less than what we have here.

You can fully option up a Prestige with a standard sport package and a $1,400 advanced technology package (with adaptive cruise control and lane assist) to $45,250, but that not only gets you into an A4, but it also kills the spirit of the A3 itself. Small and cheerful, cheap but not really, the A3 is a charming little city runabout that, ultimately, I can’t afford.

Whoops.

Or, I’d just wait for the S3. Maybe it’ll come with a six-speed in the U.S.  

EDITORIAL INTERN BRAD WILEY: The 2015 Audi A3 sedan is a great way to break into the Audi brand without breaking the bank. With a base price just a touch over the $30K mark including destination, the performance/luxury package that you receive is fantastic. Bearing in mind that the A3 is just touching the surface of sophistication and high-dollar gadgetry, the whiz-bang features so closely simulate those of our long-term Audi S7.

And what an amazing car it is. The center stack is simplistic, and what’s better is the ease of use interface that controls everything from the radio to the navigation. The center control wheel is trending heavily across many brands, and I enjoy it. This setup allows the driver to remain planted in the seat without overexerting to reach the dash mounted controls, or stare down a button-heavy steering wheel. It is simplistic and clean.

Additionally, the functionality of the climate control in the A3 always melts me like butter. I might be a millennial, but I enjoy buttons and knobs. Now, other editors remarked in the past that the dash of the A3 looks bare and feels as if something is missing, but I think the dash is perfect. And the aviation style vents offer just another unique touch. It offers a bit of driver tranquility while keeping things uncluttered. While cruising I don’t want to feel like I am trying to land a Boeing 747 just to access the radio controls. Besides all that, this A3 is perfectly up to snuff with quad-ring standards. The leather is supple and the carpet is plush.

But what happens when the rubber meets the road? The A3 does a good job of tearing things up. The turbo four-pot is a thrill, and the suspension is dialed in to handle the road submissively through the slightest driver inputs. It has a quality to it that you wouldn’t really expect for something built on a chassis that shares so many hats.

On the outside, the A3 looks particularly classy. LEDs and projector headlights look amazing on some cars, but Audi’s take the cake. From the front, the A3 looks aggressive, but doesn’t put on a show. 

Options: Audi MMI navigation plus including single CD/DVD-player with HD radio, navigation plus with voice control, MMI touch, color driver information display ($1,900); ice silver metallic exterior paint ($550); cold weather package including heated fronts seat and exterior mirrors, heated windshield washer nozzles ($500); aluminum style package including aluminum mistral inlays, aluminum interior package, high-gloss aluminum window surrounds ($450); Audi music interface with iPod cable ($350); credit -- single zone climate control (-$350)