The first review of the North American A3 3.2

[AnimaTTor]

Automobile.com has an extensive review of the new A3 3.2 S-Line. As expected, it's very positve:

2006 Audi A3 Sportback 3.2 V6 Road Test
by Justin Couture / American Auto Press

An S3 In Everything But Name

A quick lesson in Audi-speak: Any vehicle that wears the letter A means regular, which can usually be found in front of even-numbered designations of increasing size from 4 through 8. S means schnell, which is German for fast, and S with an R in front of it means radically fast (or possibly really fast or ruddy fast?), although we in North America have only received one of four RS-cars produced to date. Then you have Avant, which means nice-looking wagon, and Cabriolet that means even nicer looking convertible. The only exception to this rule is the TT, Audis drop-dead gorgeous sports car that doesnt abide by any of the aforementioned guidelines.

Put a few of these alphanumeric monikers together like a compound noun, and you can make up 99 percent of Audis range. Take for example S4 Cabriolet, an excellent all-weather drop-top cruiser, or A6 Avant, a nice, premium station wagon that I am just itching to test out. You may run into a few problems if you try and pair Avant with S8, though, which would make for an all-aluminum V10-powered superwagon - a tasty treat that would have Audi-o-philes frothing at the mouth (see 2001 Audi Avantissimo Concept).

The lesson gets a little more complex starting in 2006, as Audi has just launched a new premium compact vehicle which necessitates a few new rules. Its called the A3, and its available in a practical five-door package called Sportback, which is somewhere between Avant and hatchback. And, while quite a few have already experienced this compact premium hold-all with the invigorating 200-horsepower FSI-T motor, for the New Year, the car will gain a V6 engine that makes it very schnell. So, by all measures, shouldnt this one be called the S3? It very well could, but it isnt according to Audi. No problem, I can appreciate a good rule bender.
What makes this A3 3.2 stand out even more, as it flashes past into the horizon, is its drivetrain. Where you might expect a humble inline-four, the upgraded model packs a big, powerful narrow-angle V6 engine complete with the kind of mechanical goodies you might find under the hood of a formidable sports car like, say, the Audi TT. This comparison makes plenty of sense considering the engine is the same as the one found in the swanky two-plus-two coupe, complete with variable valve timing and a set of variable intake manifolds. Output is rated at 250-hp and 236 lb-ft of torque, identical to the range-topping TT.

Like the TT, the A3 V6 only comes in one format: with quattro all-wheel drive and without a clutch pedal. Sounds like a bit of a let-down to the performance enthusiast, but make no mistake, this is no regular automatic; its the DSG twin-clutch transmission, the worlds most advanced gearbox. The six-speed w?nderbox has the ability to change gears at an almost surreal speed at the computers discretion, or by the drivers command through Tiptronic-style transmission gate, or via a pair of brushed aluminum steering column-mounted paddles. Some, however, may wish for a clutch and a stick shift that, if we were in Europe, Audi would happily provide. But we arent in Europe, so tough luck.

I recently drove the FrontTrak A3 2.0T (see yesterdays road test by Jonathan Yarkony) with a manual gearbox; its a quick little hatch in its own right, taking just a tick over seven seconds to reach 100 km/h. Drop your foot down in the V6-equipped Sportback, however, and the same journey takes place in what seems like warp speed, particularly if youve got the DSG in Sport mode. It accelerates to 100 km/h in six seconds, and if it werent for its electronic limiter, would top out at just under 260 km/h. As if the sheer speed werent enough, the noises that reverberate out the back of the variable resonance exhaust system are simply fantastic - they wouldnt be amiss in a thoroughbred Italian sports car. But when youre just cruising along, or shuffling through slush-logged traffic, the V6 is the tamer and smoother partner compared to the four.

Off the North American continent, the A3 is available as a three-door hatchback with this and other wonderful FSI and diesel engines, but the sales case for adding complexity to the lineup isnt particularly strong in North America, given the product overlap between it and the forthcoming Golf. The Sportback makes plenty of sense though: North Americans are familiar with five-door hatchbacks, such as the Ford Focus and the Mazda3 Sport, so its not an odd-ball like the peculiar Mercedes-Benz C-Class Sport Coupe or the truncated BMW 3-Series Compact (no longer available). And while the additional 68 mm (2.7 inch) growth from the 3-door hatch doesnt go towards the interior volume, it benefits trunk space. Surprisingly, the V6 has caused the trunk to shrink to 12.4 cu-ft down from the FrontTraks 13.0 cu-ft. But, lets not forget the fact that back seat access is infinitely greater with an additional set of doors.
The A3 Sportback is definitely not anonymous looking, sticking out on the road with its slender, European body, yawning-mouth grille and squinty headlamps, but the visuals on the standard 2.0T arent particularly loud. Move up to the 3.2 V6 and the car does start to shout for more attention - all 3.2 V6 models come with the S-Line appearance treatment that includes a bodykit which sports larger intakes and bigger foglamps as well as larger, chunkier 17-inch alloy wheels. Extra-keen sportsters, can upgrade to BBS-style 18-inchers, though their beauty may not be enough to offset their $1,000 asking price, or the reduction in ride quality because of the nearly zero-profile tires they are wrapped in.

Having just gotten out of the new 06 S4, the S3, er, I mean, A3 S-Line ofers a very similar driving experience. Its exterior size gives no indication of how it drives, feeling rock-solid, tight and nimble, always responsive to any input through its contoured three-spoke steering wheel, just like any of the sports-tuned Audis. At higher speeds, it cruises with the security of a big German luxury car, but doesnt carry any excess baggage that might otherwise compromise agility. Hurl it into a bend in the wet or dry and it sticks impossibly to the road, never once tripping the ESPs alarm. Its so incredibly easy to make rapid progress on winding back roads or endless highways with this vehicle.

The difference between the A3 and other Audis only begins to become apparent when you really start to push, or drive quickly in snow. Because its Haldex multi-plate clutch all-wheel drive system needs some loss of traction (1/7th of a wheel rotation) before diverting power to the rear wheels, the A3 behaves like a front-wheel drive car most of the time, safely understeering to the tires limits. You wont get the same neutrality that otherwise might accompany a Torsen-equipped car, particularly any of the new rear-biased quattros, but its hardly noticeable in day-to-day driving.

There is a fine line between the A3 V6 S-Line and a true S-Car, even though the straight-line speed, extra-firm, communicative ride, powerful, fade-free 312 mm brakes and most of its other specs disagree. The electromechanical steering, borrowed from the VW Jetta/Golf attempts to mimic larger Audis with its heftily-geared feedback and its ability to go finger-tip light at low speeds, but it feels a bit too one-way at times. You just dont get the same amount of feedback out of a pure electric system as you might from a hydraulic-electric system like the ZF Servotronic unit used in the A4, A6 and A8.

As one would expect, the A3s interior is as good as they come - its best in class, in fact, although theres really nothing on the North American market that competes with it. But even when brought nose-to-nose with the 3-Series or the new Lexus IS, the A3 comes out on top with typically stunning Audi details, beautifully crafted seats and instrumentation. The experience is enhanced if the A3 is equipped with the Open Sky panoramic power sunroof, where the interior is brightened via an open, airy feel. In terms of style, the A3 resides somewhere between the A4 Avant and the TT, particularly in the details. The sportiest Audi was rightfully used as a source of inspiration for the A3s HVAC unit, center console spars, the brushed aluminum trim, and textured alloy air vent rings.
Im also keen on the Navigation Plus system, the latest version of MMI applied to the A3 and A4. It features the same main rotary knob and clever intuitive four corners that the A6 and A8 have, but the whole system is mounted on the center console like a traditional navigation system. There is an extra button that non-Navigation Plus models dont have - one that cants the screen towards the driver to reveal a hidden panel that contains two slots to read SD memory cards! The $1,950 option groups the DVD-based navigation system with a six-disc CD changer, satellite radio prep, and Bluetooth hands-free phone capability with a Bose-designed speaker system that fills the interior with rich, warm sound.

With a base price of $33,980, and a fully-loaded as-tested price of $41,915, the A3 3.2 V6 carries a hefty price tag. So hefty, that you could walk into a dealership and have a tough time deciding on it, or the larger 255-horsepower A4 Avant. But when it comes down to the bottom line, theres really nothing quite like it on the road. Saabs 9-2x Aero might seem like a logical competitor, but its slightly less luxurious interior and obvious ties to the less-than-premium Impreza WRX Wagon put it in second place. The future seems to hold such secrets as the Mazdaspeed3, Alfa Romeo 147 GTA and BMW 1-Series, but until (and if) they appear, the A3 3.2 V6 stands alone.

By adding a V6 engine to the A3s lineup, Audi has provided the masses with a vehicle thats equally biased between performance, luxury, functionality and style. Its a modernized TT for those who occasionally need to carry an extra person or two, and who dont care so much about flash or attention (i.e. Me). Having now experienced the A3 3.2 V6, it makes me wonder if Audi will ever put together an S3, and what it will be like - or for that matter, an RS3... I can dream, right?

[Urban Rally]