AnimaTTor
02-08-2006, 10:12 AM
<center><img src="http://images.forbes.com/media/lifestyle/2006/02/07/0207test4_420x279.jpg"></center><p>
An exceptionally positive review:
Overview
Jumbo shrimp. Military intelligence. Compact luxury.
If the first two of those terms strike you as oxymorons, then the last one may as well.
Indeed, in this country, bigger is almost always seen as better. From sirloins and stogies to mansions on the beach, we equate size with success. That is never more true than with cars. We like 'em big! Even when we can't afford the fuel that's needed to move them, it seems no American can get what he needs done without a far bigger car than his parents required. It's as if today we're all carrying with us in our cars the provisions required for a yearlong trip.
If you haven't clued into it yet, I'm being a bit absurd here. But only slightly. The thing is, old habits die hard. Our president (an oil man from Texas) may complain that we're addicted to oil, but you don't see Dubya riding around in a Kia Rio, do you? That wouldn't be the way we'd want it, either. It wouldn't be presidential. And in many ways, it would be almost un-American.
Maybe, but our definition of luxury--and indeed of what a good car should be--is about to be challenged by the next wave of cars coming to our shores (some, in fact, will even be built here). Small will be the new big. And from first class on down to coach, little will be the new "just right." At least that's what automakers hope we'll think. But we've been here before, when the last gas crunch hit. That's when the Volkswagen Rabbit debuted, and the Civic from Honda Motor (nyse: HMC - news - people ) arrived. When gas prices eased, both companies went upscale, with Honda eventually debuting Acura, and VW bringing Audi across the pond.
Now, a quarter century later, we're back in a gas crunch. Only this time, Audi is bringing us one of the first smaller cars of the next wave. The 2006 Audi A3 starts life at $24,740--about the price of a Subaru WRX Sport Wagon--and just about the same size as well. Of course, the Audi can be made (for a price) much more luxurious than the Subaru. And let's be honest: Audi drivers like more refined cars from the outset. Which is why the must-have A3 isn't the 200-hp version--though it that model is plenty quick. No, the one you want has a 3.2-liter V-6 with 250 hp and the slickest transmission on earth (really!), the DSG automatic (more on the latter below). And stop calling us gas hogs--even with this bigger, badder motor, the A3 3.2 S Line gets 21 mpg city/27 mpg highway fuel economy--easily besting the WRX.
But wait a second, you say. Isn't that hotter motor going to cost me? It is: $33,980. Ouch, right? Well, maybe not. The BMW 325xi Sports Wagon with all-wheel drive stickers above $35,000. It isn't any larger inside than the A3 3.2 hatch either, and it comes with a less powerful motor. So the A3 might be just right after all.
From The Driver's Seat
Be forewarned, we're about to get technical. Don't worry though, as it won't last. It's time to explain why you must experience DSG for yourself. Before we even tell you about the rest of the A3, you need to understand that this car can be had with a truly sweet transmission.
Here's a little background. Prior to DSG, there have been many attempts at paddle-shifted gearboxes that act, more or less, like what Formula 1 drivers use. The problem has been--for Ferrari and Maserati and even BMW--that these transmissions have felt like they shifted more slowly than you or I could shift manually. Or, in their most aggressive modes, they shifted so harshly that you were sure you were about to break something--like your marriage, should your unsuspecting spouse be riding shotgun.
Then there's the six-speed DSG transmission in this car. The only letter of this acronym you need translated is the D, for "dual,"--as in two clutches. One clutch releases the driveline from its connection to one gear, while the other simultaneously engages the next gear. It works going up through the gears, and it works going back down. There's also no jolting, because the car is essentially never out of gear and emulates the smooth shifting of an automatic. In fact, if you drive in the auto-shift mode rather than using the paddles that bracket the steering wheel (left for down, right for up), your passengers will likely never even know they're not in an automatic. Then again, if you have no passengers, you can rifle through upshifts or downshifts at an astonishing rate--always matching the power output with the terrain of the road, which allows a far more even balancing of the car in corners.
And oh, does this car love corners. Its strut front suspension and multilink rear suspension, as we said earlier, feels a lot more sophisticated than what you'll get from the aforementioned WRX. So on rough roads, the Audi won't beat you or your passengers to pieces, while on smooth, silky blacktops, the A3 will carve esses with the best small sedans. The evenly weighted steering and planted all-wheel-drive grip conspire for hoots and grins.
Oh, right--you were shopping for a practical car. Well, the A3 is game for grocery shopping too.
Messy stuff like tie-downs fit below the trunk floor. The 12.4 cubic feet of trunk space behind the rear seats is on par with most midsize sedans, and folding those rear seatbacks yields about as much room as you'll find in the rear of that 3 Series wagon.
During tests, we piled a few six footers in the back of the A3 more than once for 30-minute errands and didn't hear any complaining. Indeed, this is a quite well-packaged car, with excellent headroom, legroom and shoulder room for most passengers. Sure, three abreast in back would be a stretch, but you already knew that.
Then again, this is clearly a car meant for the front passengers, which is why standard features include baubles like dual climate control, electronically controlled leather seats (with lumbar) and a steering wheel with many controls (like audio) built in. You might also note that this is a very clean, very "adult" looking cockpit. Indeed, even if you're used to bigger cars, we think the A3's interior might grow on you.
Should You Buy This Car?
The A3 isn't cheap, and it does require certain compromises. For similar dough, you could get the larger Dodge Magnum wagon, for instance, and you'd have something sporty, fast, relatively handsome (save for the bland interior you'd spend a lot of time staring at) and far roomier--at least for cargo. For the same money, you could also buy any number of crossover sport utility vehicles that aren't nearly as sporty or as luxe, but are certainly more capacious. And if you dig small cars for less money, you could get a loaded Mini Cooper S that isn't as fast as the Audi in a straight line but could cartwheel right along with it around corners.
All of these other choices (save the last) tell you something about why "small luxury" hasn't done so well here in the past.
But maybe times are changing. For one thing, small luxury cars of the past--from both BMW and Mercedes--were pretty cheaply made and felt like nothing but rewarmed versions of cars they sell to taxi companies in Europe (and that's essentially what they were). The A3 doesn't feel like that at all; it's solid, it's fast, it handles supremely well, and it has all the interior panache of any marque it competes with.
So we'll declare it right here: Smaller--it's the new big!
At least in Audi's case.
Specs
Manufacturer Contact: The Audi Web site
MSRP: $33,980
Suspension Type: front: McPherson Strut; rear: four link
Acceleration: zero to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds
Engine Type: DOHC 3.2 liter V-6
Horsepower: 250 @ 6300 rpm
Torque: 236 pound-feet @ 2,800 to 3,200 rpm
EPA Mileage: 21 mpg city/27 mpg highway
Article by Michael Frank/Forbes Magazine
An exceptionally positive review:
Overview
Jumbo shrimp. Military intelligence. Compact luxury.
If the first two of those terms strike you as oxymorons, then the last one may as well.
Indeed, in this country, bigger is almost always seen as better. From sirloins and stogies to mansions on the beach, we equate size with success. That is never more true than with cars. We like 'em big! Even when we can't afford the fuel that's needed to move them, it seems no American can get what he needs done without a far bigger car than his parents required. It's as if today we're all carrying with us in our cars the provisions required for a yearlong trip.
If you haven't clued into it yet, I'm being a bit absurd here. But only slightly. The thing is, old habits die hard. Our president (an oil man from Texas) may complain that we're addicted to oil, but you don't see Dubya riding around in a Kia Rio, do you? That wouldn't be the way we'd want it, either. It wouldn't be presidential. And in many ways, it would be almost un-American.
Maybe, but our definition of luxury--and indeed of what a good car should be--is about to be challenged by the next wave of cars coming to our shores (some, in fact, will even be built here). Small will be the new big. And from first class on down to coach, little will be the new "just right." At least that's what automakers hope we'll think. But we've been here before, when the last gas crunch hit. That's when the Volkswagen Rabbit debuted, and the Civic from Honda Motor (nyse: HMC - news - people ) arrived. When gas prices eased, both companies went upscale, with Honda eventually debuting Acura, and VW bringing Audi across the pond.
Now, a quarter century later, we're back in a gas crunch. Only this time, Audi is bringing us one of the first smaller cars of the next wave. The 2006 Audi A3 starts life at $24,740--about the price of a Subaru WRX Sport Wagon--and just about the same size as well. Of course, the Audi can be made (for a price) much more luxurious than the Subaru. And let's be honest: Audi drivers like more refined cars from the outset. Which is why the must-have A3 isn't the 200-hp version--though it that model is plenty quick. No, the one you want has a 3.2-liter V-6 with 250 hp and the slickest transmission on earth (really!), the DSG automatic (more on the latter below). And stop calling us gas hogs--even with this bigger, badder motor, the A3 3.2 S Line gets 21 mpg city/27 mpg highway fuel economy--easily besting the WRX.
But wait a second, you say. Isn't that hotter motor going to cost me? It is: $33,980. Ouch, right? Well, maybe not. The BMW 325xi Sports Wagon with all-wheel drive stickers above $35,000. It isn't any larger inside than the A3 3.2 hatch either, and it comes with a less powerful motor. So the A3 might be just right after all.
From The Driver's Seat
Be forewarned, we're about to get technical. Don't worry though, as it won't last. It's time to explain why you must experience DSG for yourself. Before we even tell you about the rest of the A3, you need to understand that this car can be had with a truly sweet transmission.
Here's a little background. Prior to DSG, there have been many attempts at paddle-shifted gearboxes that act, more or less, like what Formula 1 drivers use. The problem has been--for Ferrari and Maserati and even BMW--that these transmissions have felt like they shifted more slowly than you or I could shift manually. Or, in their most aggressive modes, they shifted so harshly that you were sure you were about to break something--like your marriage, should your unsuspecting spouse be riding shotgun.
Then there's the six-speed DSG transmission in this car. The only letter of this acronym you need translated is the D, for "dual,"--as in two clutches. One clutch releases the driveline from its connection to one gear, while the other simultaneously engages the next gear. It works going up through the gears, and it works going back down. There's also no jolting, because the car is essentially never out of gear and emulates the smooth shifting of an automatic. In fact, if you drive in the auto-shift mode rather than using the paddles that bracket the steering wheel (left for down, right for up), your passengers will likely never even know they're not in an automatic. Then again, if you have no passengers, you can rifle through upshifts or downshifts at an astonishing rate--always matching the power output with the terrain of the road, which allows a far more even balancing of the car in corners.
And oh, does this car love corners. Its strut front suspension and multilink rear suspension, as we said earlier, feels a lot more sophisticated than what you'll get from the aforementioned WRX. So on rough roads, the Audi won't beat you or your passengers to pieces, while on smooth, silky blacktops, the A3 will carve esses with the best small sedans. The evenly weighted steering and planted all-wheel-drive grip conspire for hoots and grins.
Oh, right--you were shopping for a practical car. Well, the A3 is game for grocery shopping too.
Messy stuff like tie-downs fit below the trunk floor. The 12.4 cubic feet of trunk space behind the rear seats is on par with most midsize sedans, and folding those rear seatbacks yields about as much room as you'll find in the rear of that 3 Series wagon.
During tests, we piled a few six footers in the back of the A3 more than once for 30-minute errands and didn't hear any complaining. Indeed, this is a quite well-packaged car, with excellent headroom, legroom and shoulder room for most passengers. Sure, three abreast in back would be a stretch, but you already knew that.
Then again, this is clearly a car meant for the front passengers, which is why standard features include baubles like dual climate control, electronically controlled leather seats (with lumbar) and a steering wheel with many controls (like audio) built in. You might also note that this is a very clean, very "adult" looking cockpit. Indeed, even if you're used to bigger cars, we think the A3's interior might grow on you.
Should You Buy This Car?
The A3 isn't cheap, and it does require certain compromises. For similar dough, you could get the larger Dodge Magnum wagon, for instance, and you'd have something sporty, fast, relatively handsome (save for the bland interior you'd spend a lot of time staring at) and far roomier--at least for cargo. For the same money, you could also buy any number of crossover sport utility vehicles that aren't nearly as sporty or as luxe, but are certainly more capacious. And if you dig small cars for less money, you could get a loaded Mini Cooper S that isn't as fast as the Audi in a straight line but could cartwheel right along with it around corners.
All of these other choices (save the last) tell you something about why "small luxury" hasn't done so well here in the past.
But maybe times are changing. For one thing, small luxury cars of the past--from both BMW and Mercedes--were pretty cheaply made and felt like nothing but rewarmed versions of cars they sell to taxi companies in Europe (and that's essentially what they were). The A3 doesn't feel like that at all; it's solid, it's fast, it handles supremely well, and it has all the interior panache of any marque it competes with.
So we'll declare it right here: Smaller--it's the new big!
At least in Audi's case.
Specs
Manufacturer Contact: The Audi Web site
MSRP: $33,980
Suspension Type: front: McPherson Strut; rear: four link
Acceleration: zero to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds
Engine Type: DOHC 3.2 liter V-6
Horsepower: 250 @ 6300 rpm
Torque: 236 pound-feet @ 2,800 to 3,200 rpm
EPA Mileage: 21 mpg city/27 mpg highway
Article by Michael Frank/Forbes Magazine