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KBB.com Consumer Reviews
Overall4.6Out of 5
A flawed but nice car.
By Nick D | on Wednesday, July 29, 2020
4.0
I'll start with the bad. There are a handful of known issues with this car that you shouldn't be going in blind on:
- Like the GTIs of the same era, the A3's 2.0 TFSI engine has a known issue with the original timing chain. The stock timing chain should be replaced with the newer, more robust model (likely to the tune of around $1000) or you risk unpredictable catastrophic engine failure. If buying this car, verify that this work has been done on the vehicle (in most cases it probably has) and if not, adjust the purchase price accordingly.
- The original intake manifold can develop cracks, and needs to be replaced as a single unit. This is covered under a 10 year 100,000 mile extended warranty so if it breaks act fast on 2011 models. If you're out of warranty, it's not the most expensive fix and the car can be driven (with limited power in the upper RPMs) until you can get the work done, so this is less of an issue. Again, most A3s with this problem have likely already had the work done.
- Carbon buildup can occur on the headers, leading to some loss of power. Carbon buildup can be cleaned.
- Electronics issues have been reported. In my experience, the only thing I've ever noticed is that occasionally the single touch auto-down/up window functionality won't work and I'll have to hold the button, which isn't really a big deal. It usually resolves next time I power up the car.
Now you know the major issues. If you plan around them, for the most part, they are either one time fixes or routine maintenance that can be planned around. If you're reasonably good with cars, you can fix the intake and carbon issues yourself (I would only recommend messing with the timing system if you're very experienced.)
Aside from that, everything on this car has been routine maintenance. It won't rival a Honda Accord for carefree reliability but if you keep the known flaws in mind and keep up with the maintenance intervals it'll treat you right.
To further scare you away however, here's a handful of issues that aren't related to reliability:
- This car isn't too friendly for very tall or heavy people. If you're over 6 feet tall or 250+ pounds, be sure to take a long test drive in one of these before committing. It's a small car.
- If you want a standard transmission, good luck. They're not easy to find in the wild. I'd recommend getting a similar year GTI if you don't get super lucky or can't swallow using the dual clutch auto (which I've heard is very good fwiw.)
- The cupholders... Audi thoughtfully included one normal sized cupholder for you, one teeny tiny "cappuccino" cup holder for a passenger you dislike, and two dubious cupholders that fold out in the back (as in, don't use them unless you can supervise your drink because a bump could send things flying.)
- The ride can be loud and bumpy, especially in the s-line variants, but this is the tax you pay for good handling and a relatively low suspension.
There you go. All the reasons to not buy this car. Hope you enjoyed reading!
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Oh wait, you're still here? I suppose we should go over the pros then:
- If you're considering a similar year GTI and committed to all the issues that go with it, this is nearly the same car but dressed nicer, for a similar price. It shares the same frame and engine, though everything else has been redesigned. The A3 was also made in Germany versus Mexico if that's worth anything to you. If you have the option, I'd take this over a similar GTI, especially if you can get your hands on a manual.
- The A3 drives exceptionally well. You'd expect it to, since it's essentially a badge engineered Golf GTI. The 190hp 2.0 TFSI makes adequate power to satisfy most people, especially given the small footprint of the car. You won't have any problem accelerating in 6th gear on the highway. The car also handles well, traction control can be defeated, and it turns on a dime (making it very easy to park.)
- Even 9 years later, it looks s-h-a-r-p. It has a more chiseled look than most rounded off 2010s cars, and it manages to stand out in a sea of crossovers and Japanese econo-boxes. Don't think "toast of the town" so much as "understated person with taste."
- The interior is well built and feels upscale. Plastics are high quality, accented with aluminum trim. Upscale materials are used where it counts (leather steering wheel and brake pull.) The seats are leather. If I could make one complaint, try to find one without a black interior because you'll bake in the summer... but that's an issue with any car.
- Nice little touches are abound, pleasing the happy center of our fragile monkey brains. Here's a non-exhaustive list of random examples. The wipers automatically do an extra little swish 10 seconds after using the washing fluid to get the remainder. The heated seats (if you have them) have six degrees of control, and the intermittent wipers have something like five settings, excluding the full-on settings. The radio has an option where you can set a "power on" volume (so you don't pierce your eardrums getting in your car the morning after rocking out.) The instrument cluster has a customize-able center section, and the car is nice enough to tell you if a headlight or taillight go out. Setting the time is not an arduous task as it is in many Japanese cars; you just pull the little stalk and twist. Most controls are intuitive and feel right. You can tell that allot of effort went into the driving experience, and making you want to drive the car.
- Routine maintenance is relatively easy. They put the oil filter right up top. Do note that you'll need a torx bit to get to the air filter (ugh), but really, that's not a huge bother.
- Since it's a hatch, you get a good amount of storage in the rear, doubly so if you fold down the rear seats. You can also mount roof racks, and the center has a pass-through for snowboards or skis.
- Gas mileage on the TFSI is reasonable. I can get over 30mpg on a good day highway driving, and 25ish with normal driving. It doesn't stand out as amazing or anything, but it's also not terrible. It does take 91 octane gas. The TDI is the model to get if fuel economy is your prime concern.
- Speaking of the TDI... due to the dieselgate recall, these models were, erm, recalled, fixed and rolled back out over the course of a couple years. This means that the market is flooded with low mileage 2009-2013 A3 sportback TDIs for bargain basement prices. If you want a 20,000-40,000 mile 45ish MPG luxury hatch for $8-12k depending on exact year mileage and options, I highly recommend looking at one while they last. The only drawback is that they lost a few HP with the fix and that NO TDIs were made with a stick shift.
- Some models offered AWD, panoramic roofs, cold weather packages, sat-nav, bluetooth, etc. Allot of bells and whistles for a compact hatch.
Overall, I'd recommend this car to somebody who wants a refined driving experience on a decent budget, and can handle the responsibility of doing routine maintenance on a car.…
Good on gas, fun to drive
By Tformers1 | on Friday, April 13, 2012
4.0
Bought this car used as my daily driver. its a fun car to drive the Fwd did great in pa 09-10 snow. I've been pulled over from other audi drivers to look at this car. I've added audi's ground effects kit and larger spoiler with audi's ECU upgrade ( done by audi with 4yr warranty) for better performance which has no turbo lag and better throttle response . Have had no issues since ive had the car but be prepared for the cost of owning ( ie; brakes, tires and overall upkeep) a german car. Overall a sporty,fun, nice interior and great handling car.…
Sophisticated, hi-performance small sport wagon
By Bigbenbob | on Friday, October 14, 2016
5.0
Acceleration, braking, cornering, clutch action, gearbox are all first rate and extremely refined. I have thoroughly enjoyed this car, more than any other. Solid construction, things go thunk and not clank when they are closed. The car wants you to push it. Also, seats are comfortable, back seats roomy for 6 footers. I'll stop gushing before I get tedious.
@75k Miles, it needed all new brakes. @88k miles, a new AC system. other than that, minor issues only. She still wants to go.
Note that I have test driven the new series (2015+) and it seems dumbed down to me, less exciting.…
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