DRIVEN: Audi A3 3.2 Quattro

Story by Mark Atkinson
Photos courtesy Audi Canada

The 2006 Audi A3 has already found friends at Inside Track thanks to its sharp styling, potent and flexible turbocharged engine and the super-trick Dual Shift Gearbox (DSG) transmission. The only issue we had was the price. A reasonably equipped A3 2.0T was at the sharp end of $40,000 for what is essentially a compact five-door hatchback.

Well, Audi’s now introduced a high-performance version of the A3, this time loaded with a 250-hp 3.2-litre V6, quattro all-wheel-drive. Remember the Volkswagen Golf R32 that Canadians were denied? Well, this is essentially the same package, only bolted into the much-lauded fifth-generation corporate platform, independent rear suspension and all. And, like the 2.0T, it’s available with either a six-speed manual transmission, or the aforementioned DSG.



How’s it drive? Bloody quick, despite the bloated 3,650lb curb weight, a 328 pound penalty versus its two-wheel-drive sibling. While the DSG in our tester isn’t equipped with any sort of launch control, the V6 builds power progressively, and if you leave the transmission in Sport and let the computer sort out the shifts, acceleration is impressive. Audi claims 0-100km/h runs under six seconds.

Despite having driven a few cars with DSG, it’s still stunning to experience just how quick and seamless the shifts are, all without seeming to stress either itself, the clutch or your neck. Turn a BMW SMG transmission to ‘full-kill’ for a day and you’ll swear you just tried to keep ‘roid-raging Barry Bonds away from ‘the Cream and the Clear’.

Anyway, the only complaint is that even in fully ‘manual’ mode, the computer still keeps things in major check – i.e. banging off the limiter is verboten, and the electronics will quickly shift up to the next gear in a, perhaps vain, attempt to save the engine. At least in an M3 you can ride that 8,500 rpm limiter all the way to the Nurburgring and back.



Enough about the transmission… our tester was also equipped with the S-Line performance/equipment package, which includes 18-inch wheels wrapped in sticky rubber, a more aggressive body kit, special S-Line badges, and a more aggressive suspension tune than the regular 2.0T. Unfortunately, the steering is ridiculously light and doesn’t transmit anything in the way of feedback to you, and at speed it weights up artificially. Not the sort of thing to engender confidence.

However, the car as a whole is a useful tool, and is quite capable in the curves. You can definitely sense the weight when you’re in transition, and since the quattro hasn’t caught up with the rest of the uber-sporty Audi range, it still splits power 50:50 f/r rather than 40:60 like the RS4 and S8. That leads to predictable understeer at the limit, and the A3 isn’t as sensitive to throttle steer as, say, a WRX on its original tires…

All that weight does make it a very decent highway cruiser, though the seats could use some extra bolstering to keep you held in place.

The brakes will pull you to a stop in a hurry and are easy to modulate, but Audi’s nanny-ish electronic throttle won’t let you do the two-step on the brake and gas pedal at the same time.



Inside, it’s ‘Audi Modern’, with ultra-thin panel gaps, soft-touch plastics, and the whole shebang. It’s obvious why they’ve become the industry standard. Our tester featured the dual glass Open Sky roof, DVD-based navigation system, DSG transmission, leather seats, HID headlights… just about every option you could throw at an A3, including a brace of airbags and safety equipment.

Price? You don’t want to ask. How about $55,490? Yes, you read that right. Audi’s obviously banking on having their ‘premium hatchback’ be a hit in North America as an aspirational choice because the value equation was rocked about $20,000 ago. It’s only another $1,500 to get into a similarly equipped and much larger A4. Hopefully for them, Canada’s more hatch-friendly market will play their tune.

Or maybe they’ll all buy Golf GTIs for considerably less money.