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The struggle for alpha leader

Cracking prestige is insidious. On the one hand, the brand is remembered only with a meaningful aspiration, it is, after all, on the other hand, the owners of the superbrand themselves find themselves in the claustrophobic space of the highest world. The circle of buyers is closed and limited, and the inconspicuous hordes of connoisseurs and fans can only consider pictures in magazines. There are only two options for further evolution. One increase the degree of exclusivity, surprising all the Middle Eastern luxury, Far Eastern technologies and pricks with Italian number of zeros. Create a Vertu platinum mobile phone, a timeless PATEK Philippe chronometer and an infinitely powerful Bugatti. But you can lower this very degree, sacrificing the shares of steepness and allowing a little more suffering to the shrine.

The emergence of the most modest golf-hatchbacks of the most immodest brands is one of the measures to expand the spheres of the influence of premium brands. Four, three of them are produced today, of course, in Germany: Audi A3, BMW Compact and Mercedes-Benz Sportscoupe. The Teutons are fingering, universal recognition went to another car that determined the standards of dynamics, design and equipment in this supernova niche. It is, of course, about Alfa Romeo 147 from the hot south of Europe. ALFA, SportScoupe and Compact of the second generation entered the markets almost simultaneously, in the summer and surveillance of 2000. And more recently, this company was moved by a new treshka Audi, moved not at all without claims to dominance. There is such a term alpha leader in zoology, in other words, the leader of the pack. And it is not at all a fact that the alpha leader is today the machine of the same name. Let's check?

Alas, we will not succeed in giving us one hundred percent objective alignment. BMW Compact is not officially delivered to Russia. SportsCoupe costs that kind of money that with more than justifies its name. Two remain. The criterion for comparison this time we have chosen not the coincidence of prices, and the coincidence of the sets is already painfully interesting to compare the technological level of machines. Against the basic Alfa Romeo 147 1.6 Progression is the Audi A3 in the basic version 1.6 Attraction today. The machines are equipped quite seriously: both of them have six airbags, ABS, front chairs with height and heating adjustment and steering columns adjustable in two planes. Disks stamped steel with caps, 16-inch in A3 against 15-inch at Alpha. Even Audi is preferable to the presence of climate control, an alternating power steering of a Servotronic and CD-reiver. The 147th is equipped with a simple air conditioner and cassette. But she has foglights, headlight washing and heating the nozzle of the windshield washing glass.

The treshka that you see in the photographs has some pre-equipment. To be precise, it is painted with metallic, decorated with fog and fake, voiced by the Concert audio system and is protected by ESP. Moreover, oddly enough, the car has risen in price by only 1250 euros, although, according to the official price list, it should have been for all 2730! As for the alpha, the 105-horsepower engine corresponds to only one set of equipment. Moreover, the number of doors three or five does not affect the price.

Cars can be safely called relatives, because they belong to the brushes of one master of the ubiquitous, but from this no less brilliant Walter and Silva. The 147th closed the Alpha period of creativity and Silva, and A3 became his first work on Audi. In the interval, the maestro managed to work on the Seat, creating a Toledo II and the Ibiza/Cordoba family of the latest generation. However, it is pointless to find related features in cars, since the Italian and German schools are different worlds. Alfa is impressive, elegant and, despite its color, is devoid of gloomy aggression. The car is woven from traditions and emotions: the nasal part appears to the romantic fifty to sixties, the sensual lines of the body breathe with life, mirrors and door pens standards of high style. Beauty will save the world! Why fight? We must love!

The appearance of Audi says: there will be no no way. A very serious machine, the extract of German fundamentalism! A powerful front end with frowning headlights inspires thoughts about A8. And not only to us, to outlines the observers, but also to drivers traveling in front of cars, which ensures operational clearing of the left strip.

Otherwise, the treshka is massive, straightforward and not particularly intriguing. What to do, the Germans do not know how to have fun and easy to treat their compact machines! It seems that they did Lupo, but it turned out S-Class.

The same song sounds inside. The interior A3 would have honored any business sedan: solid, rich, soundly. At first it seems that even too solid. Why too much? Probably because such an adult salon suggests itself and the body is more mature, or something. Willy-nilly, you begin to squint towards A4. For all that, there are no original solutions in the TRASKA salon, there are no seemingly fresh body falsifiers at the bottom of the central console and round deflectors above it are spied on TT. I really liked the climate control unit with sectral handles. Twisted to the right added a degree, turned and hold it threw several degrees at once. Great! Perplexity is caused only by wood pads. An extra, far -fetched thing. Especially given the complete absence of a tree in the design of the front panel.

Individualism does not change the alpha. No other model in the line of Italian brand has such a salon. The center of attraction dashboard about three wells, blazing with bright red light in the dark. With a dried engine, the speedometer and tachometer arrow hang down, as if expecting an awakening. In general, the interior of the 147th leaves the impression of more sports: the main elements are visually isolated, which is facilitated by the generous use of silver. With the quality of performance and there are no problems here; As for the materials themselves, Alfa will be even more interesting. For example, the front panel is trimmed with real soft plastic, and not imitating softness, as in Audi.

Ergonomics of both machines at the level. Even so: it is so good that the following remarks can be safely attributed to the nit -picking. Let's start with A3. The non -alternative three -door is straining the fifty -door yet in nature does not exist. In close parking lots, it is inconvenient to get out of the car, and passengers, making their way on the back row, each time knock down the longitudinal adjustment of the driver's seat. Which also suffers from insufficiency of lateral support. On Alfa Romeo, the chair is more disgusting and softer, and more confidently holds in corners. As for the disadvantages of the alpha itself, I would make small buttons of radio and a flattened section of the steering wheel on the list. It will not be possible to ignore the fact that the 147th unequivocally loses to the three-license plate as the sound of the audio system: the tops lack transparency, the bottom of elasticity, and not everything is in order with the details of the sound. In the end, the banal maximum volume of Audi is significantly higher.

Give me to travel as one of the rear passengers, I would choose for a long time. The legs will not feel much difference: cars are equally hospitable. But two passengers will prefer the Audi car wider. At the same time, the 147th has a couple of far from extra doors! So the account is equal. And in a dispute of trunk, victory for A3. The capacity is larger, the opening is more extensive, the loading height is less. The possibilities of transforming trunk in both machines are identical.

The inevitable hour of X comes, and our heroes will have to dive from the observation deck into the city meat grinder. In the transport flea market, the Audi motor is more elastic and more responsive, the transmission mechanism shines with perfection, the suspension is easier to cope with the flaws of crippled asphalt. ALFA is tougher, and its long gearbox lever does not work so clearly.

An advanced electric power with variable action Audi is by no means impeccable. At low speeds, the steering wheel is quite heavy and completely numerous. Another thing is 147th. Here the steering wheel is slightly sluggish in the near -mesh range, but with an increase in the angle of rotation of the wheels, it becomes sharper and sharper, at the same time pouring such an important feedback. And if you light it?

When acceleration to the whole coil of Alfa Romeo is perceived as a more dynamic car. It is perceived, since A3 does not think to lag. It’s just that on the Audi the process of setting speed is all classic: the motor is smooth, the transmission changes, and it all starts anew. Let Alfa pull the bottoms a little worse, but how incendiary her engine picks up from medium revolutions! You even switch the programs more willingly, knowing that this energy surge is waiting for you every time. And both motors sound first -class! Audi low bass creates a skillful illusion that at least V6 is hidden under the hood, and the attacking tenor alpha fully corresponds to the temperament of its engine.

At three -digit speeds, Audi behaves perfectly: a clear zero and the desired reactive effort appeared on the steering wheel. The reactions of the machine are accurate and smooth, noise insulation does not leave much to be desired. Alfa is not so chain, but its steering is still light and sharp, which in such conditions requires a more concentration from the driver. In really angry turns, the 147th earlier than the A3 begins to screech with rubber and floats out in the front, going to the trajectory of a larger radius. Accordingly, the passage of a bundle of turns is more difficult. Treshka, in a similar situation, holds the road with a dead grip, until the last demonstrating the rotation close to neutral. It seems that, too, not super, because the driver should know about approaching the face! However, there is ESP, whose help is difficult to underestimate. But the brakes are equally effective.

The winner seems to be revealed by him an Audi A3 with her perfect, respectable, so to say, tuned chassis. ALFA Romeo 147 is largely owed to the narrow tires of Firestone with unconvincing coupling properties. For this one could put an end if not for one circumstance. Namely, the price. A 1.6-liter ALFA costs 19500 euros, and the Audi A3 in the initial set of 1.6 Attraction is about 21,600 euros. But already for 22500 you can buy a 147th with a two-liter engine in the DistINCTIVE version, which will be equipped with both the climate and the VDC stabilization system. And the key moment with rubber 205/55R16, promising to radically improve the picture. There is something to think about.

Autography
Audi A3 1.6 Attraction
Predecessor
A3 (1996)
Premiere
march 2003
Body
3-door hatchback
Engines
102-250 hp
Production
Germany
Expected replacement
2010-11

Autography
Alfa Romeo 147 1.6 Progression
Winner of the European Competition Car 2001
Predecessor
Alfa Romeo 145/146 (1994)
Premiere
june 2000
Body
3- or 5-door hatchback
Engines
105-250 hp
Production
Italy
Expected replacement
2006-07

The ALFA Romeo 147 car was provided by Center-Spraz.
For the duration of the test, LLC Naca-Center is insured.
The Audi A3 car is provided by RUSE-AUTO.

Text: Leonid Klyuyev
Photo: Roman Ostanin