Test drive Audi A3 2003 - 2008 hatchback

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Why is the most powerful Sportback is obliged to have a Quattro system
 
Now, it seems, only the lazy manufacturer does not add the word Sport to the name of the next model. Fashionable! The active lifestyle is fashionable, it is relevant to be healthy and toned, it is prestigious to have a beautiful and fast machine. But, as in any other area of \u200b\u200blife, in the car there are true and ostentatious values, there are originals and parodies. So, the Audi A3 Sportback 3.2 is a real, very serious car, in the name of which the word Sport is not a tribute to fashion, but a reflection of its essence.
 
It was business
 
Once I chased a mighty VW Golf VR6, which, although I gave the dynamics, I constantly demanded service, and eventually died on the Moscow Ring Road due to the jammed motor. I had to sell to spare parts, which, I admit, I was only glad. In addition, the car had another significant drawback - the overloaded front axle. Which meant not only constant, with a frequency of 5 thousand km replacing the silent blocks and a number of front suspension elements, but also created certain difficulties on winding roads. The car did not turn too much, and the demolition came very quickly, which was nervous and forced to regret that he had not spent a little more time to search for an all -wheel drive version of Syncro.
 
A3, also with a difficult V6 volume of 3.2 liters, it seems, is a completely different matter. Engineers from Ingolstadt acted wisely, deciding that a lot of horsepower for one front axle is too much, and therefore the most powerful version of the model is equipped with an exceptionally all -wheel drive transmission of Quattro. Of course, the car is far from the perfect shaving of the axes, but in the case of Audi, this provides its advantages. It is no secret that driving a car, especially in critical modes, boils down to the proper transfer of the masses between the axes. With a sharp acceleration, the rear wheels are loaded, so the rear -wheel drive car on dry asphalt will accelerate faster than the car with the front wheel drive. A3 Sportback, due to the constant full drive, starts and accelerates more confidently than the monoprodic car, while the nose does not rise particularly due to a heavy engine.
 
On the bends, especially when entering the turn, you can not particularly take care of loading the front wheels - they already have more weights than enough. However, the whole charm is that it does not bring the stern either. In steep turns, A3 Sportback demonstrates typical for Audi, almost neutral rotation, striving for all four wheels outside the arc. One thing should be remembered: demolition occurs a little earlier than you can assume, and you have to be on the alert. Just throwing gas in this case is not enough - you just load the already sliding front wheels even more. True pleasure can be obtained if the gas is slightly discarded in front of the turn, put the body sideways with a short movement of the steering wheel, and go through a turn in a beautiful sliding. I admit, I could not resist this even in the city, which frightened the peaceful Muscovites at a public transport stop. It seemed to them that the car flying sideways (and with a roar) from the turn would inevitably turn them from potential passengers into heavy patients. In vain you are worried! I add the gas, loading the rear axle and, slightly correcting the trajectory with the steering wheel, I return the clutch with the roadbed all the wheels. Well, of course, this is a real stupidity - to behave in a similar way even on a deserted, but city road. I repent, and undertake to use for such experiments, as before, more suitable places. And I also from the heart recommend the owners of a powerful A3 to go through a special driving school and bring management skills to the level of unconditional reflexes. I repeat once again - this is a serious car that requires a respectful relationship.
 
Meanwhile, all of the above does not mean at all that managing the A3 Sportback is only prepared by a person. Of course, it will be easier and easier for him to use the mighty dynamic potential of the model, but just lovers of sharp starts from the traffic light will like the car. Once drowning the Accelerator pedal to the floor, I will want to, I am convinced, repeat it again and again. As a parachute jump - everyone is afraid before, but they want to experience again after. True, in the case of A3, everything is much safer. The EPS electronic stabilization system on the alert, until, of course, you will not turn it off by pressing the button on the central panel. ABS, together with EBD (the system of distribution of brake forces) is ready to stop the car very quickly on any coating, but the power of the calipers themselves corresponds to the potential of the motor.
 
The engine, in my opinion, is perfect. With almost any revolutions, the atmospheric power unit guarantees a good pickup and responsiveness to the work of the accelerator pedal. In addition, the car, which visited the test, possessed a 6-speed automatic DSG automatic box, the features of which were more than once talked about. Here I only remind you that such an automatic transmission fully allows you to enjoy the dynamics. True, for completeness, it is better to convert the selector into a sports mode by moving the lever to the lower position. In this case, the electronics allow the motor to unwind to the limit of 6500 rpm. You can manually move from one stage to another. To do this, it is necessary either to manipulate the automatic transmission lever, or use small petals on the back of the steering wheel, which, to be honest, is not very convenient with active steering.
 
As for the pendants, they are very good. There are practically no body rolls in the bends, but the irregularities are not particularly bored. So the only thing that can upset in A3 Sportback is fuel consumption. When I displayed data on the moment of gasoline consumption on a small on -board computer, the question involuntarily arose in my head - is it far to refueling? With a sharp acceleration on the screen, the number 40 jumped out, and even with a smooth movement in traffic, the computer claimed that now the motor consumes at least 12 liters of high -octane fuel. On the other hand, will the owner of such Audi pay attention to the little things? Model qualities are important to him and, of course, comfort in the cabin.
 
High class
 
Inside the car you feel like in a small private plane. The salon is sheathed with high -quality skin, the front seats have developed lateral support. Moreover, the driver is equipped with a complete set of electrical adjustments, and the steering wheel moves both in height and in departure. In a word, it will not be a convenient landing at the wheel of a convenient landing. The governing bodies are logical. In the end of the right steering switch - the buttons to control the on -board computer, whose readings are displayed on a small screen between a speedometer and a tachometer. In the upper part of the central console, at hand there are a cup holder and a disconnection button for the stabilization system. Below Audio Center Audi Concert with a compact disc player. You can manage it using buttons on the steering wheel. Under the musical installation, climate control unit, allowing the driver and front passenger to install an individual microclimate.
 
And the back is not crowded. The maneuver to sit down after myself was easily. Although the knees rested on the back of the driver's seat, it cannot be said that it was uncomfortable. By the way, the rear seat can be folded both for entirely and in parts, which will increase the already not small volume of the luggage compartment from standard 302 to 1052 liters. The designers took care of the preservation of the luggage, placing special eyes for fastening the grid in the trunk. So by car you can safely go on a short trip on good roads.
 
Expensive, this is a fact
 
I will not repeat the banal truth that everything good is expensive. I will try to better understand who exactly the Audi A3 Sportback 3.2 is designed for, even in version with a mechanical 6 -speed gearbox and in the basic, but very rich configuration, it costs $ 58,980. And the modification with DSG will cost $ 61,292. I think that such a car is addressed to those who appreciate primarily the prestige of the brand. Or, let's say, to whom it is not enough, or to have just a quick car like Subaru Impreza WRX or Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII, and a more stylish and comfortable, but necessarily compact vehicle is required.
 
The car warranty is two years without limiting the run, the service will have to visit every 15 thousand kilometers.
 
Text: Andrey Osipov

Brief technical characteristics of the Audi A3 Sportback 3.2
Engine volume, cubic meter. See 3189
The number of valves per cylinder 4
Power, l. With. at about./min. 250/6300
Max. Torque, Nm/at about. min. 320/2500
Acceleration to 100 km/h, p. 6.4 (6.3)
Maximum speed, km/h 250*
The average fuel consumption l./100 km. 10.6 (9.9)
The volume of the fuel tank, l. 55
Car mass, kg 1535 (1565)
Dimensions, mm. 4286x1765x1423

* Maximum speed is limited by electronics
In brackets are given data for versions with DSG

 

A source: "Automobile Izvestia"