Audi A3

allhorizon

the A3 is mechanically the four-door GTI that we don't get in the United States.

Says who? We know form available US specs that there will be a 4-door GTI, and perhaps also a Golf 2.0TFSI.

Think in a positive way. There will be more, not less/ or for more money.

When the 4-door Golf and GTI appear, it will be a great opportunity to introduce the quattro 2.0 TFSI A3 to these shores ...

allhorizon

The A3 and the upcoming Golf, as well as new Passat and Jetta, show that VW is still trying to market Audi as its performance line and the VW as its luxury line. Misguided, of course.

How would you come to this conclusion? The GTI was elected car of the year, and has been heralded as the new, true performance reincarnation of the original --- consistently scoring better in performance reviews than the A3 - at least in FWD version.

The GLI is basically a Jetta version of the GTI. As good as the inside of package 2 US Jettas is, anything but the base A3 still beats it. Have you seen an Open Sky System or NAV+ on the Jetta?

allhorizon

look at the sales of the A3 during May! Not that impressive!!

Not sure what you base your expectations on in the very first month of sales (excluding pre-orders).

Selling more than three other, established Audi cars in the first month seems quite impressive to me. Learning from dealers that they have sold out their allotment for 2005, it looks to me that Audi won't be able to produce enough A3s to cover US demand in the first year, or at the very least, they will go way above projection.

At any rate, Audi is doing very well both in Europe and in the US, at the moment.

allhorizon

I'm not sure about that. The specs on Edmunds show different wheelbases and lengths (A3 being smaller than the new Golf actually).

The A3 is about 80cm (~32") longer than the Golf V. The wheelbase is the same, and is shared with the Jetta. The A3 has a slightly sloping roof line, accounting for less storage in the back than the Golf.

The A3 comes standard as a very capable, sporty vehicle. However, the 2.0TFSI GTI Golfs (and, likely, Jettas in GLI version), beat the standard FWD A3 in road handling, according to all reviews available. Quattro (perhaps available with both engines) and a stronger VR6 will make the difference in the upscale A3s.

dabeas

A while back someone brought up the question of how many "old" Audis do you see on the road? Reliability is a concern of mine, especially with the 2.0T being the “world’s first direct injection turbo”. I usually drive my cars 10+ years and 200,000 miles. I’ve been test driving cars recently – Acura TSX, Audi A3, Saab 9-2X and Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT LTD wagon. I’m 6’-5”. I found the 9-2X cramped, but a steal at $20,000 (with discounts). The Legacy had power to spare, but blah styling. If test reports were a reason to buy a car, the TSX would be the clear choice, but I like to drive and 20 min. behind the wheel of an A3 with the 6MT was all I needed to know that this was a special piece of machinery. The driving position (inc. leg room), fit and finish, handling and performance were all superb. All I could utter after getting out of this car was WOW! I just hope my '95 Saab holds up until I figure this out.

kyfdx

1) Xenons are almost always worth the money.. I'm not sure what the standard headlights are like on the A3, but the halogen headlights on other Audi products in the past have been sub-par..

6) I agree with the previous poster.. The dealer won't cut you any deals on tires.. Take the car with the tires that come on it... You may find that these Pirellis will be different from the ones you had experience with... If not, get all the use you can out of them, then dump them..

kyfdx

I wouldn't recommend the Audi for someone that keeps their cars as long as you do... But, you just kept a Saab for ten years, so you should be used to torture..

The TSX or the Saabaru 9-2X will probably be easier on the wallet over the long term... but, ten years is a long time to drive something that isn't your first choice..

regards,
kyfdx

dewey

"At any rate, Audi is doing very well both in Europe and in the US, at the moment. '

True about Europe! USA?? About a 2 percent decline in sales YTD and a 6.1% decline in sales during May(new A4/A3 intros). Is that good!!!

The A3 is supposed to be the high volume car for Audi. Being number four during the hot intro months is not what I call sensational. Especially when you consider all the three top Audi volume cars had negative sales growth! Also look at the new intro of the A4 sales during May===If BMW 3 series had such negative sales during intro months there would be PANIC in Muenchen!!

In Toronto I saw some interesting lease deals for the A3(you will rarely see such deals for a hot car that is fully booked). Have you ever seen any great Prius lease deals lately?

wale_bate1

I'll beg to differ respectfully with the man from Kentucky on one point: Xenons are worth about $200 bucks as an option to me. More than that, and I don't have to have them, unless the halogens provided are pathetic beyond reason. Since I know nothing about the A3 halogens and their patterns, I can't say m'self. But I have HIDs now and have driven a few others with them and haven't found them advantageous. Whiter, yes. Generally more even pattern (depending on mfr), yes. Truly advantageous? No. All that said, I'll probably take 'em anyway if'n I pull this trigger! ;-}

As for the tires, I'm with everyone else in thinking the dealer will smile at the suggestion, and will offer to charge retail for something else, but not credit for the existing. For this particular car, I can't see Turanzas in any form. I personally think "minivan" when I read "Turanza", even with an elevated speed rating. This car is all about handling, so Potenza seems a much better match, IMO. S03 Pole Position pops right up, if Bridgestone is a must. After a year + on Goodyears, I can heartily recommend the Eagle F1 DS-G3. Heartily.

senor_jefe

Dewey,

I'm curious as to the interesting lease deals you found in Toronto. My experience is that not only are there no good lease (or financing) deals, they aren't moving much off the MSRP either. That being said, the inventory seems a little tight...

dino001

The GTI was elected car of the year, and has been heralded as the new, true performance reincarnation of the original.

Elected by whom? Auto Welt? In Europe they have all those "car of the year" titles with usual following winners: German owned (e.g. Springer) magazine: VW/Audi/BMW/Mercedes, French owned (e.g. Hachette) magazine: Peugeot/Citroen. It is especially visible in third countries without their own automotive industry and with pubisher market clearly divided between those two(like Poland or rest of Eastern Europe).

I think only UK owned magazines are more like US, where preferences are based on personal biases (RWD vs FWD vs AWD, etc.), rather than plain national.

wale_bate1

That's funny about inventory considering how many the Livermore shop got in their first shipment. I can't remember what I posted a ways back, but it seems to me it was like ten or eleven of them in the first round alone, plus one that had been sold same day! That seems like a lot to me considering the bread and butter is the A4...

senor_jefe

Perhaps the inventory is only tight on the features that I am looking for. They seemed to have enough A3's with colours or features I'm not interested in...

wale_bate1

Ahhh, gotcha!

I'd say that's accurate. The cars seem to be formatted two ways, with either a manual lean on options in general or a DSG loaded up. Sounds familiar to me. Most lots end up with mild variations of those themes regardless of mfr.

I'm ordering my next car. I've lived with a color on the outside and inside and features that I didn't really want for the last time! It's a minor incremental cost to get what I really want when all is said and done, and I'm past the point of scrimping to end up with less than full satisfaction!

eddie2310

They made a bad move not to sell the A3 2door and the S3 (225hp model)
Who cares if it competes with the GTI 2 door we need more Euro cars over here.

dewey

I saw deals last week in the Globe & Mail. I will look out for future lease deals and post it here, but dont expect me to post every deal I see. These deals are quite irrelevent for the majority down south of the border.

Also regarding a comment made by Allhorizon that A3s are selling better than expected!

VW said the same thing about the May 05 sales of the Jetta. Jetta sales were 7.9k and VW expectations were 6k. 33 Percent above expected. Is this a Victory for VW?

I dont think so! In fact the dated Jetta sales in May 2004 was in the high 11k range vs, 7.9k during May 05===meaning the new Jetta sales dropped 31% since last year. .

It amazes me that VW/Audi provides lowball expectations and then congratulates themselves for beating those expectations.

My 2006 New Years Resolution will be to gain 150lbs. If I gain only 125lbs I will consider this a victory and celebrate by eating a whole chocolate mousse cake.

dewey

A3 article in autoweek:

http://www.autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=102477

Hatchback for me is not a dirty word!!! But that may be a cultural thing. In Canada hatchbacks are more frequently seen vs. in the USA.

Similarily in politics. A Canadian politician is almost guaranteed to win an election if he calls himself a proud and devoted liberal. I guess that does not apply in the USA?

kyfdx

I just stopped in to the local Audi dealer to check out the A3.. I didn't drive it, as it was raining.. but, I did check out the inventory.. They had 7 or 8 of them.. They had both manual and DSG strippers, a couple of DSG very loaded, and one manual with sport, leather, skyroof and cold weather package..

One strange thing.. If you don't get the sport or premium package with the DSG, then you don't get the steering wheel paddles... You have to shift like with the old tiptronic..

Also, the salesman says the DSG works exactly like a regular automatic in automatic mode.. He says you can't tell the difference.. Having driven the SMG in the BMW, I can tell you that is definitely not the case with the SMG. Anyone who has driven DSG feel differently?

Sky roof.. Now that I've seen how it works, I have no qualms.. It is basically two separate openings.. A traditional sunroof upfront, and a second fixed glass opening over the rear seats.. Very neat..

Sport package.. The dealer here gets all of the sport package cars with all-season tires, instead of summer rubber.. A 'no-cost' option. Since the car is FWD only, I'd rather have summer rubber, and swap out for winter tires later.. a small quibble.

Colors: Red, Silver, Lava Gray, Black.. All looked good, especially the gray. which was an extra cost upgrade..

The manual, sport pkg, cold weather pkg, skyroof, leather car MSRPed at just over $29K.. That one would have been my pick.. No premium package, so probably missing some luxury goodies, but definitely everything you would need.

Also... wale is just plain wrong about xenons..

regards,
kyfdx

blueguydotcom

I can't see buying a car without HID. I love mine and my feelings were reinforced on a visit to no cal last week. driving the twisty, hilly, tree-lined, pitch-black roads near my parents' house at night I was blown away by the difference bi-xenon lights make out there. night to day.

wale_bate1

"Also... wale is just plain wrong about xenons..."

Now who could argue with that? :-}

Personally, I think you're both blind as bats from Biloxi.

[-P

I've definitely decided the Sky roof and sport pkg are musts for me on this car. I failed to check the rubber on the CA shipments in Livermore, but if it's an all-season tire on there, first order of business is a rubber switch. Over the years, I've come to view 4S rubber as a bad compromise...

ralpher

I don't think the may sales numbers are bad. There was no ad campaign in the first weeks of May. I'm sure a lot of people have ordered instead of buying off the lot given the limited selection of colors and the overloading of options. One problem has been Audi predicting a slow turnaround on orders when apparently they are quite quick. The lack of advertisement on the itunes and bose promotion undoubtedly didn't help. But I see plenty of advertisement. In LA we get A3 radio commericals. I see constant banner ads on yahoo.

jrct9454

I haven't driven any of the VWs with DSG, but ALL of the reviews have been raves - smooth, fast, seamless.

On the other hand, I have yet to read anything but overwhelmingly negative reviews of BMW's attempt at the same thing. My friend's Z4 SMG was exactly as described in a recent C & D article, that is, a disaster to drive.

Clearly, VW is on to something, and has the new standard for this kind of transmission. It seems to be without penalty vs a traditional automatic: no loss of efficiency, fast shifts, all the control you want [or don't want, if you leave it in auto]. What's not to like?

stickguy

I think it could pass for a true automatic, but IIRC it did dwonshift as you slowed to a stop (one gear at a time). Neatest thing was watching the digitial gear display as it went up and down.

As of last week, my local dealer 9a pretty big one) probably had 6-10 floating around, but they were mixed in with the A4s.

I think the premium package is a must, to get the power (including lumbar) seats, leather, and steering wheel audio controls.

jrct9454

My understanding is that Audi USA is perfectly happy with the A3 being a niche vehicle, which is one of the reasons the pricing is on the high side. 6-7000 a year might be just fine with them.

Marketing is apparently another one of those attempts to bypass anyone who is not "with it" or "hip" - thus, not much mass media advertising is out there or planned. Car magazines and the internet....

kurtamaxxguy

make your car a theft target. Ask the Nissian Maxima and other HID folks who have had their cars smashed into and the lights ripped out. Also keep in mind there are legal limits as to how bright lights can be.

The pictures of A3 at the audi site were intriquing, as is the transmission.

wale_bate1

HID isn't about bright, it's about spectrum and pattern. Just two of the reasons I don't see (pun intended) any real significant advantage. For downrange vision, your standard halogen brights are every bit as effective as HIDs in illuminating hazards. HIDs can add detail to the picture in most circumstances, but not more illumination, unless your pattern is hopelessly sucky to begin with (see also "1995-97 Chrysler Corp. cars"). "Hopelessly sucky" is an engineering term, BTW.

As I've often said before, HID will allow you to identify the type of deer assaulting you from the roadside as it takes out your bumper, fender, sideview and possibly windshield, but you'll still hit it.

I have 'em, I like 'em, but they ain't worth more than a couple hundred bucks as an option!

blueguydotcom

make your car a theft target. Ask the Nissian Maxima and other HID folks who have had their cars smashed into and the lights ripped out. Also keep in mind there are legal limits as to how bright lights can be.

Certain cars are targeted because their lights can be removed easily or there's a big market for retroing the lights to similar models. Acuras and Maximas fit those criteria. Ya never hear about xenons getting ripped outa porsches or bmws...why? Because there's not really a big market for them. An acura's hids (especially the old TL) could be retrofitted to Honda Accords, thus a market.

Never heard of an HID theft problem with audis...

kyfdx

I'm thinking it has to pass for an automatic... as they don't have another automatic transmission available..

I wish I had driven it now.. But, I probably would have taken out the stick, so I still wouldn't know...

The HID theft issue has mainly been on Nissans and Acuras, as the previous poster stated... And, it seems it was a much bigger problem in the Northeast.. I have yet to hear of a single HID theft in my area... ever.. I'm sure it has happened, but it is pretty much a non-issue here..

regards,
kyfdx
(xenon junkie)

dl7265

They offer a convenience package that gives you the prem gadgets in the Sport. I have a garage door opener allready., no biggie. I did not get to drive a manual but a DSG. The only problem was how easy it was to spin the Front tires ! Not a good feeling if your used to proper drive. The A3 utility wise pretty much fits the bill. Four doors , hatch big enough for dog, bike ect.. However for about the 4th time Ive tried to like the Audi they manage to foul something up. In this case no AWD and no 2.0T AWD... And price a little up there. Also i was told 3-4 months for a special order. Yikes. My E90 special order was one month. They seem to get confused with an ordering process. If they could get it together with a ED program, well we could talk..

BTW Lava Gray Rocks !

DL

dl7265

The HID theft issue has mainly been on Nissans and Acuras, as the previous poster stated... And, it seems it was a much bigger problem in the Northeast.. I have yet to hear of a single HID theft in my area... ever.. I'm sure it has happened, but it is pretty much a non-issue here..

add BMW . Dallas BMW salesperson showed me their off site storage (graveyard), where several 3's and 5's front ends were Torn off to get the Xenons....it was in a chain link fence with rasor wire... So sad to see the cars in bubble wrap destroyed...

Personally I hate them. I live off a CR and was totally blinded by a 325i other evening. I learned to drive on a 6 volt VW. If people are that blind they dont need to be operating a motor vehicle. Honestly ,i think its a cool accessory that people like,more so than having better vision.

My 2c as an accident investigator.
DL

blueguydotcom

Motor Trend just did a review on the A3 DSG too. They scampered to 60 in 6.2 seconds. Holy cow. I can only imagine what a GTI will be able to do.

Can any owners of an A3 DSG pass on their experience with the car on long roadtrips? How composed is the car at 90-100-100+? What sort of mileage do you get running over 90 for hundreds of miles? Do you still have plenty of power on tap at 90 to jump up quickly?

I ask because I just finished a roadtrip yesterday in my 330i and my last big leg was a jaunt from San Fran to Santa Monica blvd (cool little italian place near century city actually) and then on to San Diego. My car's OBC was reset at the start of the drive and my average speed reads 87 mph and I got 30-31 mpg on the drive. I started at 2 pm so I drove through California's wasteland at the hottest part of the day too.

dl7265

Very impressive mileage with the zhp package..

wale_bate1

That is impressive mileage.

You must've been on the 5. Nobody averages 87 on 101 without huge luck or a little gift from the boys in beige in King City!

So, 6.2 for a 2.0, eh? Wonder what the 3.2 will be able to cook up. Maybe 5.7, maybe?

Cool little car. Very cool.

dhanley

Pretty good blue. Best i ever got at close to those speeds was 35.1 going from flagstaff to albuquerque, between 75 and 85 mph, mostly high seventies, though. I've gotten a smidge higher by scrupulously observing the 65mph speed limits around here.

There is technique involved. I wonder what i could do with a 2.0T.

6.2 to 60 is darn fast. I may need to try a DSG. I'm a good shifter, but i'm no machine.

dave

blueguydotcom

Glad my numbers impressed but I was really looking for if I can expect the same kind of mileage performance from an A3. My old 1.8T wasn't geared well for the freeway and at speeds over 80 mph the car's efficiency tapered off as if I'd simply dumped gas on the freeway.

I'd like to get some owner reports on the car's abilities. "anyone? anyone? something 'doo economics? 'doo economics?"

ralpher

We were seeing 27 mpg over 80 mph. Fuel economy does drop off quite a bit over 80 mpg. We drive the DSG like an automatic, as we still haven't figured out how to use the shifter in a more efficient manner than the automatic.

blueguydotcom

Ralpher, thanks for the feedback. discouraging as it may be, it's still useful to know.

kyfdx

So.. ralpher.. Do you have any of the packages? Does your DSG have paddles on the wheel, or do you have a base model?

And... Driving it in full automatic mode, does it act like every other automatic that you've driven?

regards,
kyfdx

ralpher

I have the premium package so I have the side shifters. I haven't had much of a chance to experiment because of all the traffic around here and we haven't read the manual. My wife isn't interested in trying.

It'd be nice if you could shift modes so you'd stay just in the DSG mode, but it seems you don't have that control. (Though there is a Mode button on the steerwheel which I haven't figured out yet.) Once you use the paddles in any gear it goes to DSG mode and it stays there for a short time, then if you don't shift anymore it goes back to automatic shifting. This doesn't seem ideal because the automatic shifts early anyway, so if I'm accelerating, I'd turn on DSG by shifting with even less torque?

As for DSG in automatic mode, it drives like any automatic except it is a turbo with almost no lag, and with six gears it shifts quite quickly. It is in the 6th gear around 60 mph, I think, pretty low. It shifts very smoothly around 1800-2000 rpm.

As for fuel economy, we're pretty happy with the economy in the city. It gets above the 25 mpg it's rated, and that's with really stop and go traffic. We get into the highway rated 31 mpg range when we drive 65-70 mph.

stickguy

you sure that isn't the mode button to change input sources on the stereo?

kyfdx

Thanks for the review.. that sounds pretty nice..

Looks like I'm going to have to go back and try it.. I figure the only way I can talk the wife into something like this, is if it can be driven as an automatic..

Not sure of it going back into automatic mode, though.. that seems wrong.. I know it shifts at redline, even if you are using the paddles and don't shift, right?

I'd say that the car is overpriced, compared to a TSX, but that turbo4 has a lot more torque than the TSX 4-cylinder, even though they have the same horsepower.. And, Acura has nothing like DSG...

Good thing I don't need a car, right now..

Enjoy!
kyfdx

blueguydotcom

Three modes for DSG - D, S and manual. D and S are automatic modes that you can influence with the paddle shifters, Manual will shift on its own at redline - otherwise you control shift points.

kyfdx

Gotcha.. Did you think it acted just like any other automatic in D mode? My wife would never put up with anything like the SMG in the BMW..

QRS, XYZ, or any other acronym, either..

blueguydotcom

Yes it was just like an auto in D mode - conservative shifting though - like 3k rpm. S mode is aggressive.

mvs1

For the Ipod connection Audi has an adaptor (hard wire) but the wife threw out the info the dealer gave me, the A3 is not listed I think. There are many FM modulated units available to connect Ipods to your radio. There is one imparticular that plugs into a 12-volt outlet (looks similar to a goose neck light on a computer desk), charging the Ipod, and provides an FM mod connectivity.

I happen to test drive the A3 at one of the dealer events. The car will be coming out as AWD, the salesperson stated a date but I can't remember for the life of me. I drove a DSG equipped model. It reminded me of the Lexus IS in operation. Several times I had my hand on the turn signal lever instead of the shifter. I didn't notice a difference if you perform the shifts with the shifting on the wheel or the gear selector. I did get it over 100 MPH, but not long enough to give a gas mileage reading. The car was poised at all speeds but overall lacked the balance of an Audi quattro, the A3 felt very front heavy, like the back end was nonexistent. The one item I noticed a difference was the seats, better side bolsters maybe not more comfortable but a more sporty feel compared with my wife's non sport A4 (d*mn should have got the sport package)

I believe all A3's have the 2.0T??? post #596 looks as if it states otherwise.

At 30k loaded the A3 is pricey, AWD would add a few K, making an A4 seem like a value if you don't need the rear cargo area. The A3 seems solid, well built, and use a higher grade of materials for the interiors in line with other Audi/VW products. Off the top of my head I can't think of a competitor for the A3, VW's polo which I believe it's based off is slated for the states at some point, maybe Audi/VW will continue to compete with themselves for customers???

blueguydotcom

The Q2.0T is no gonna be available here according to latest reports. The 3.2 V6 will have quattro though. Bummer as that'll add weight and not much power.

Reports from Germany show chipped 2.0T's turning 270 hp or so.

The A3 competes against the WRX/9-2x wagon, Volvo S50 and in my eyes the Mazda3 hatch. Many people on other boards are also comparing it to the TSX for some odd reason and the Mazda6 wagon/hatch.

Yeah the A3 runs to 100 without flinching, Not worried about the ability to do so, only the economy and he feel of the engine after say 400 solid miles of bouncing around at those speeds.

mapin

Thanks!
I payed $30,280, which is $855 over invoice / $1354 under MSRP.
I did all my bargaining online across several dealers that had the one I wanted.
Lava Gray exterior, light gray interior.

Actually picking it up tomorrow morning from the dealer, so I'll fill you in on my DSG experiences as soon as I drive it some more.

As for the ipod, I'd hate to rely on an FM transmitter. In fact, I just found an Audi brochure that mentions an iPod connector for standard Audi single-disc audio systems (it says its not compatible with 6-disc changer, PhatNoise, and Satellite). The brochure says it comes out in mid-summer. I can't wait, and I'm glad I didnt go for the Audio package since that says it would prevent me from using the iPod connector.



>>anyone know about an ipod connector for the A3 with standard audio ?
>>the dealer didn't know, he said he'd check into it for me.
>>
>>I just picked up an A3 yesterday for $30,280:
>>Lava Gray
>>DSG
>>Premium Pkg.
>>Cold Weather Pkg.
>>Open Sky
>>Xenon

kurtamaxxguy

two mundane questions

1) can A3's be fitted with chains for winter driving, with the stock wheels?

Many modern cars have tires so oversized that chains simply will not fit in the wheelwells.

My driving involves 3 4000' passes, two of which are plagued with ice and snow a third of the year. FWD with no chains won't handle this at all.

---------------

2. do people sitting in the vehicle find the side bolsters of the front seats constantly rubbing the backs of their arms or the sides of their chests?

this would be fine for spirited driving, but for half day, 800 mile trips, I am not so sure.

allhorizon

dewey wrote:
About a 2 percent decline in sales YTD and a 6.1% decline in sales during May(new A4/A3 intros). Is that good!!!
The A3 is supposed to be the high volume car for Audi. Being number four during the hot intro months is not what I call sensational.

If you look across all makes, almost everyone had a dismal May with strong declines. The A3 is not intended to be a high-volume car at all! As you all know, Audi is trying to bring in more customers and wants to ensure not to lose connection to a somewhat younger audience (who later will hopefully stick with Audi and buy A6s or A8s). The A3 is a stated cautious try at that, which also explains why they have not yet bothered with the expense of certifying the 2.0TFSI quattro emissions/exhaust.

As to the Jetta, just wait until 2-3 months sales reports for all three engines are available - not just the 2.5.

I think so far, reported mileage has been great for a car like this. I also would expect mileage to still improve over the first few 1000 miles. The lack of mileage decline in the BMW is hard to understand, given that friction at that speed is air resistance-dominated and the consumption goes as the square of the velocity.

I am not worried about running the A3 at 100mph all day long from a mechanical viewpoint - that's what it is built for. However, I have driven between San Diego and the Bay area more than 15 times in the past few years - I found it difficult to maintain more than 80mph without getting noticed by the force. Driving up the grapevine at that speed is fun, though, as long as traffic is low.

acorin88

I'll add some random thoughts of my own to the discussion. After about two weeks in my A3, sport package DSG (Moro Blue w/black interior), I can 100% recommend this car (at minimum a test drive) to anyone who is remotely interested - this car is a blast. With sport and convenience package, the only thing you lose is power seats (from the premium package) and you gain quite a bit of additional handling capability and better sport seats IMHO.

On the ipod question - I can confirm that there will be the ipod connector for the A3 that is similar if not the same as the BMW solution already available; my dealer was very keen to get me to select one since my car has the bose upgrade but not satellite radio (it's an either or with ipod or xm/sirius). I'm not really interested in it though as it seems to have fairly limited functionality.

On the three-spoke wheel's two "inside" buttons (mode and something like "))"). The A3 sport and premium steering wheel is the same as the A4 and A6 in my understanding and these buttons would have functionality with features of those cars, but in the A3 are non-operational. This is a bummer, but not the end of the world.

On DSG - this truly is the next generation of transmissions. As has been stated in "d" it drives exactly like an automatic and my understanding is that it also learns your driving technique to help smooth things out. On only highway driving, we have been getting ~28 mpg driving between 80-90. My problem is, on back roads, I have thus far been unable to resist slipping it into "S" mode, which is a great feature!!! Last thing on DSG and sorry if I'm saying it again, I hadn't seen others mention it before - there is a full manual mode and the way to lock it is by moving the shifter in D over to the "tiptronic" mode and leaving it there. When thus configured, you can up or downshift at will using either the shifter or the paddles (which in sport models are a cool alloy to go along with the aluminum vent covers).

I have also already found some good use out of the paddles in city driving to keep the car in D mode and downshift to pass a truck or other non-2.0T equipped car

Last note on the model's success so far - I agree with allhorizon, keeping in mind that this a new model not intended to sell more than 8,000 copies in its first year, I'd say it's on track to do that while generating some positive "younger" buzz for Audi as a company. If Audi reaches its 8k target, I would think then we might see some of the additional desired options like 2.0T Quatro or 3-door version come here as well. Personally, I'd say Audi is making a lot better business decisions than parent VW at the moment.