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| Road Test Audi A3 Sportback 1.6 TDI Sport |
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by David Finlay (29 Dec 09)
This reinforces my view that the simpler the A3, the better it is. To my surprise and delight, this seems to be close to the view within Audi as well; or at least, when I mentioned these thoughts to a friendly Audi person, his reaction was something along the lines of, "Yes, that's what the engineers think too." If you want an A3 1.6 TDI and care passionately about low cost and CO2 emissions, the obvious one to go for is the new super-economical version, which has a CO2 rating of 99g/km (making it exempt from annual car tax) and 74.3mpg combined fuel economy. It's also the cheapest car in the range, but that's partly because it's available only in the lowest trim level and with nothing other than the three-door body style. You don't, therefore, have the option of the Sportback five-door body shown here, nor of the extra equipment available on Sport models. Much as I admire the 99g/km car, none of this is really a problem. Thanks to its own impressive 109g/km CO2 rating, the cost of taxing this one for a year would scarcely buy you a decent dinner for two, and is nowhere near the cost of a ticket to a Premiership football match. And its combined economy figure of 68.9mpg is hardly to be sniffed at. I think we can safely say that running costs are going to be impressively low.
The 1.6 TDI engine produces a maximum of 104bhp, which isn't a great deal, but for normal everyday driving it makes the A3 as quick as it needs to be. And, like other low-powered A3s, it's a delight to drive, with a decent ride and pleasant handling - much better, in fact, than those of the disappointing (and significantly more powerful) 1.4 TFSI which was the subject of a previous road test. So this is a very economical car, cheap to tax, delightful to drive and not especially expensive as A3s go. The long-standing problem of cramped accomodation in the rear remains, of course, though at least it's easier to get into the back than it is in the three-door. The Sportback has more luggage space than the three-door, but only 20 litres of it - in other words, 370 litres to window level with the rear seats in place and 1100 litres to roof level with them folded. Both the mechanically similar Volkswagen Golf and the Ford Focus offer a lot more than that, though I suspect that Audi buyers are more interested in the badge and the quality of the product than outright practicality. Comment on this story on Facebook or Twitter. Price: £20,440 |
