TO THE POINT
What’s New? The 2006 Audi A3 is a new entry-level luxury car or premium-grade hatchback, depending on your world view.
Selling Points: Turbocharged 2.0T engine; Sport Package suspension tuning; five-door hatchback configuration; stylish design inside and out
Deal Breakers: Cramped and noisy interior; DSG is more hype than substance; aggravating MMI system; annoying ergonomic glitches
Our Advice: Buy your 2006 Audi A3 2.0T with the Sport Package and xenon headlights, saving thousands of $$$ and your sanity. Read the owner’s manual in detail. Use the car as a performance driving machine that can carry passengers or cargo in a pinch. Don’t look back.
Small, premium-brand hatchbacks have not fared well in the United States, where any vehicle with a giant cargo opening and folding seats but which cannot go off-road is considered to be an economy car that people buy because they have to and not because they want to. Never mind the obvious utility of such a body configuration, the improved fuel economy of a four-cylinder engine, the ease of parking a small car, and the fact that some hatchbacks are equipped with all the luxury accoutrements of other upscale automobiles – Americans are always about appearances. BMW was first to give the segment a try with the underpowered 318ti and failed. Then Mercedes-Benz attempted success with the C230 Sport Coupe only to find that consumers weren’t fooled by the nomenclature. Now Audi hits the market with a luxury hatchback called the A3. But with fuel prices rising, parking spaces getting tighter, and the resurgence of small-car popularity, Audi might just make a go of its new 2006 A3. After a week behind the wheel, the 2006 Audi A3 2.0T proved to be a fun drive in a stylish package. But unfortunately, the way our test vehicle was equipped, that was all. Cramped seating, a loud interior, the aggravating Multi Media Interface (MMI) for the stereo and navigation systems, and annoying ergonomic glitches made the A3 a bit of a chore to live with unless we were flinging it down a favorite back road. That’s too bad, because this is the first European hatchback to wear a luxury badge that comes remotely close to getting it right thanks to its two extra doors and entertaining performance.
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