2008 Audi A3 Consumer Reviews

Excellent, Fun Car for the Money!

Written by: ASM on 09/05/2008

Vehicle

2008 Audi A3 2.0T PZEV 4dr Wagon (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6M)

Review

This is a great car, and I have had plenty to compare it to. I also own a Prius, which I kept, but I wanted a "fun" car, and I got that. I know everyone raves about the automatic, but frankly I love the stick shift. It is very responsive, and once you get use to the great distance the clutch goes in (I am only 5'4") shifting is very smooth! I have an hour drive to and from work everyday, and this has made it a pleasure!

Favorite Features

Styling, manual shift, great pickup, the hatch back (I can fit tons in this car for its size), great sound system.

Suggested Improvements

More features should come standard, rather than as "options", more storage, move the cupholders so large drinks don't inhibit the manual shift.

1 out 1 people found this review helpful

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Sports Car plus

Written by: philsoc8 on 08/03/2008

Vehicle

2008 Audi A3 2.0T PZEV 4dr Wagon (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6A)

Review

I wanted a sports coupe, but couldn't live without a backseat and some cargo space. The A3 completely fits the bill. Great engine; amazing transmission; handles like it's on rails. Small size makes it tossable and zoom with an efficient engine, but the A3's real secret weapon is the practical space. Audi doesn't want you to know this, but the back seat in the A3 is bigger than that in the A4. My kids love it! True, it is not a bargain, if you price things on a per-inch basis, but if you value things because of how good they are, not just how big, you will love this car.

Favorite Features

Transmission, engine, handling, drivers seat

Suggested Improvements

More options should be standard.

4 out 5 people found this review helpful

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Great Car!

Written by: Bzk on 07/15/2008

Vehicle

2008 Audi A3 2.0T 4dr Wagon (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6A)

Review

After owning several Audi vehicles, I can say that i'm a big Audi fan. So, when it was time to change my car again, I took to my local Audi dealer for my base model A3 with DSG. This car is great and I saved a good amount of money by not choosing many costly options. I'm pretty much happy with all standart equipment such as dual A/C, great stereo, excelent transmission, well designed and built interior and exterior. If you want a Audi vehicle, beware of costly options. This car can go well over $30k with a few check marks on the option list. Oh, did I mention how great the gas mileage is?

Favorite Features

Exterior and Interior design and built quality. Great engine 2.0t and DSG transmission. Excelent stereo!

Suggested Improvements

Standart Ipod and/or usb connection. These days, everybody carries a ipod or usb key. It would be nice to just plug in without costly ipod kit.

3 out 3 people found this review helpful

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Overall a great car

Written by: N. HERNANDEZ on 06/09/2008

Vehicle

2008 Audi A3 3.2 quattro 4dr Wagon AWD (3.2L 6cyl 6A)

Review

I test drove many vehicles for about 6 months. Between them were BMW 328x & 335x, Acura RDX, BMW X3, Infiniti G35x and Lexus IS 250 AWD. Audi A3 overall had all the features that I wanted, AWD, cargo flexibility, compact size, powerful engine and a good level of luxury. The A3 is impressive the way it handles. Coming from a previous S4 I was worried that the car wouldn't satisfy me but it has proved me wrong. I like this vehicle more and more as a continue to drive it.

Favorite Features

Smooth power and great transmission. The ride of the vehicle is sporty but not punishing. Flexibility of the cargo space. Size of the car is excellent since I live in NYC.

Suggested Improvements

Xenon lights should be standard at this price. Paddle shifters shouldn't turn with the steering wheel. Fuel mileage could be a little better. Touch screen navigation would make this car perfect.

2 out 2 people found this review helpful

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Nice compromise between GTI and BMW 3

Written by: Jay on 05/31/2008

Vehicle

2008 Audi A3 2.0T 4dr Wagon (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6M)

Review

My Audi A3 6MT is a blast to drive. It has mostly every feature I could ever want. It gets great mileage, is comfortable, fun, sexy. If you're looking at a cheap BMW 3 series, but don't want to spend $38K to get the options you want, but don't want to settle for a VW, then this is the car for you. Audi really knows what they are doing!

Favorite Features

Bluetooth, clutch/shifter feel, acceleration, seats, stereo (std)

Suggested Improvements

6 disc in dash changer, better Ipod integration

2 out 3 people found this review helpful

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The big little German

Written by: Jos G on 04/28/2008

Vehicle

2008 Audi A3 2.0T 4dr Wagon (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6A)

Review

I've had this car now for a few months and am still impressed. I reviewed all the others in its class with extensive test drives for its competitors. The package is unmatched - performance, looks, build quality. This is the sexiest wagon on the road bar none. Strong selling points were: Great gas mileage 26/31 (actual). Adaptive lighting - to be able to see that deer around the corner before you hit it. DSG - Audi Innovation. Super smooth - six speed. Speed sensitive steering - No other car in its class has this. Overall, very few do. Easy steering in the parking lot that tightens as you go faster. Blue Sky package. Top notch audio - stock system rock too. Price/performance

Favorite Features

DSG, adaptive lighting, Speed sensitive steering, Blue Sky system, iPod adapter, speed adaptive audio (compensates for road noise), fuel efficiency, Sweet looking wagon.

Suggested Improvements

iPod adapter - would love to be able to fully browse content with steering wheel controls. How about track name in the heads up display and on the radio as well from the iPod. That would be nice.

13 out 13 people found this review helpful

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Why didn't I buy one sooner?

Written by: slushbox on 04/21/2008

Vehicle

2008 Audi A3 2.0T 4dr Wagon (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6M)

Review

Having been a BMW loyalist the last 8 years, buying a hatchback from Audi was a huge leap of faith. It was, however, the best decision I could have made. If you don't get silly with some of the options, this vehicle provides the optimum balance of performance, fuel economy, prestige, utility, and comfort. There are plenty of other cars that do each of these better, but the whole of the A3 is greater than the sum of its parts. Taking off ramps at 25+ MPH gives me the same giddiness as my last BMW did. It turns heads, and the interior is extremely well thought out. The trunk holds a lot of space, the mileage it gets is quite respectable, and it turns heads wherever I drive.

Favorite Features

The crash test safety ratings, S-Line Package suspension, Open Sky system, and torque in 3rd gear.

Suggested Improvements

More standard features, or more features added to Premium & S-Line packages.

6 out 6 people found this review helpful

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1-Year Update on A3 2.0T DSG

Written by: jlesica on 03/28/2008

Vehicle

2008 Audi A3 2.0T 4dr Wagon (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6A)

Review

I'm nearing 1 year of ownership! Haven't put on many miles (13k), but most were hard miles through Boston. Car was outstanding in the winter, traction control and stability performed very nicely. I was considering the Quattro when I bought it, but now I'm glad I didn't spend the extra 8k, it's not worth it. No mechanical problems to speak of. I found out that a golf bag won't fit in the back without putting the seat down. Maybe time to upgrade to an A4 Wagon? If only it had the A3 interior. Oh yea, and for those confused by the fact you can't tilt the windshield wipers up in the winter before a storm, turn the car off then hit the wiper lever, they come half way up!

Favorite Features

Engine, DSG, grippy cornering. Love the interior.

Suggested Improvements

Better windsheild wipers. The ones on there don't clear about 3" of the driver's side windshield making driving in snow a pain.

9 out 9 people found this review helpful

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Looking for comfortable seats?

Written by: Seattle on 03/18/2008

Vehicle

2008 Audi A3 2.0T 4dr Wagon (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6A)

Review

I love this car. Really fun to drive, sticks like glue to curves, great visibility, sporty but comfortable driving experience. I test drove a lot of small cars before deciding on this one, and preferred it to the A4.

Favorite Features

The fabulous seats are adjustable in about 92 ways, awesome lumbar support, up, down, back and seat tilt, "bun warmers". Plenty of power on the highway and up hills in Seattle, classy exterior styling, great sound system, solid but not heavy feel. Two skylights are very cool.

Suggested Improvements

Stingy console storage,clumsy interior temperature controls, improve the mileage please. Hate having the windshield wipers slow down at stop lights!

4 out 7 people found this review helpful

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Awesome car

Written by: david on 03/15/2008

Vehicle

2008 Audi A3 2.0T 4dr Wagon (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6M)

Review

This is an awesome car and fun to drive. Would recommend this over 3 series any day. Shifting is really smooth and the acceleration is great, got upgraded stereo and S-line package and I feel it was worth the money... stiffer seats/suspension. Heated seats work great and the AC cools down nice and quickly.

Favorite Features

Performance.

Suggested Improvements

None that I can think of, they did an excellent job.

1 out 2 people found this review helpful

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