2013 A3 Sedan Poll Time

[BurtReynolds]

If the 2013 A3 was offered with a four door or a five door, which one would you buy?

[MML]

5 Door for certain, not interested in the 4 door...

[tgrundke]

Sadly we are only slated to receive the four door A3 sedan, not the Sportback. =(

This is per Johan De Nysschen himself during the Fourtitude.com interview a few weeks back.

[Sundowner]

5 door, same as the current one we own. My wife will NOT entertain a sedan, and will probably shift to a Mini Countryman when the time comes.

As an aside, Audi has really been failing when it comes to new product innovation. They were late to the SUV game, teh abominable A7 is a blatant rip-off of paths already well travelled by MB, BMW, and even VW, and now they're actively killing wagons or lampooning past products (A4 allroad, why?) while other makers are innovating with "shooting brake" designs. Will Audi change course on that later, too? where's the first ot market apporach that brought us LED running lights and first-class direct injected turbcharged engines?

[tgrundke]

I'm not sure I'm on board with all that, Sundowner. I've checked out the A7 several times and that car is a *real* looker. It's a completely different implementation than say, the BMW 5 Touring or the X6 which are, IMO, bloated overwrought designs.

Sure they were late to the SUV game, but I'd take a Q7 over a Benz M-class or an X5 any day of the week. The Q5, while a bit bland for my liking, has been selling like hotcakes and has more than made up for its late entry into the game.

Granted, I'm sad about wagons in North America as well, but they simply don't sell in high enough volume here to justify their existence in the Audi product range. Maybe when they've better than doubled their sales volume it will make sense to reintroduce those - but at the moment it just won't fly.

Originally Posted by Sundowner

5 door, same as the current one we own. My wife will NOT entertain a sedan, and will probably shift to a Mini Countryman when the time comes.

As an aside, Audi has really been failing when it comes to new product innovation. They were late to the SUV game, teh abominable A7 is a blatant rip-off of paths already well travelled by MB, BMW, and even VW, and now they're actively killing wagons or lampooning past products (A4 allroad, why?) while other makers are innovating with "shooting brake" designs. Will Audi change course on that later, too? where's the first ot market apporach that brought us LED running lights and first-class direct injected turbcharged engines?

[MML]

Originally Posted by tgrundke

Sadly we are only slated to receive the four door A3 sedan, not the Sportback. =(

This is per Johan De Nysschen himself during the Fourtitude.com interview a few weeks back.

That is too bad, I hadn't heard that. I think that is a miss.... The A3 is a small fun car that is more useful with a hatch than a small sedan, but that is just my opinion. The A3 SHOULD have come with a stick and Quattro, this would have increased it's sales in the US, and would have differentiated it from the GTI. Really as it is the GTI is the better buy in 5 door form.

[Sundowner]

Originally Posted by tgrundke

I'm not sure I'm on board with all that, Sundowner. I've checked out the A7 several times and that car is a *real* looker. It's a completely different implementation than say, the BMW 5 Touring or the X6 which are, IMO, bloated overwrought designs.

I sat in an A7, I still have no idea what it is supposed to functionally accomplish aside from... looking cool? Pandering to pure aesthetics rarely wears well in any product market place. It just comes off as trend chasing. I guess we'll jsut have to agree to disagree on this point

Originally Posted by tgrundke

Granted, I'm sad about wagons in North America as well, but they simply don't sell in high enough volume here to justify their existence in the Audi product range. Maybe when they've better than doubled their sales volume it will make sense to reintroduce those - but at the moment it just won't fly.

I'm just not getting the logic here: AoA wants to chase BMW and MB for sales numbers, and they plan on doing that by offering less models than the competition? That makes no sense.

I just feel like these days Audi's offerings have become not only narrower, but also, if I had to put words to it; intellectually insulting. A fastback A6 with all sorts of functionability compromises for more money? The death of the A3 sportback? Stripped-out drivetrain options across the board? A wide variety of colors spanning white to grey to black?

How did we get from a company that blew everyone's mind with a stick shift twin-turbo adjustable suspension off road wagon to a tiptroninc Q5? Where's the funky Audi?

[BojanRS4]

I wouldn't mind a sedan. As loong as it stays an A3, not and A4, if you know what I ment to say. Now, a sportback migh come and be based on A3 sedan, so, will loook like anA5 Sportback and A7,5 door hatchbacks will be called 5 door hatchback, Audi is saying. So A3 sportback i would buy if it looks like in the attached link

http://www.audiblog.nl/?p=46462

[ben721364]

Originally Posted by BurtReynolds

If the 2013 A3 was offered with a four door or a five door, which one would you buy?

Please define "five door" in this context. A 5 door car could be a sedan with a hatchback or a station wagon. Audi's current generation A3 wagon is unique for it's size class in North America. The market is flooded with very good sedans it's size.

[OceanA4.5]

4 door