jagtoes

I'm over on the A4 site as my kid has owned 2 (2007, 2009) and is starting to look at getting another Audi. The thoughts are to either get a low mileage late model (2013,2014) A4 or consider a new A3. I had stopped at an Audi dealer yesterday and took a quick look at the A3 and thought it would fit the needs. It appeared to be the same size as the old 2007 A4 so I don't think that would be an issue but I was curious as to how you feel about owning the new A3. How much difference in ride and performance vs the A4 and I was also wondering about why they went with a 6 speed autobox vs the 8 speed in the A4. We are about a month away from selling the A4 and then hunting for a replacement so any opinions both good and bad would be appreciated. Below is the present ride we'll be selling . It was a 1 owner CPO we purchased and is still in great shape. Now has 65K miles and the kid wants to upgrade. Thanks.

gamegenie

The A3 is more sportier than the A4.

The 8-speed CVT multironic of the A4 makes it too smooth and less sporty.

When I'm in my A3 with drive select in Dynamic the revving of the S-tronic make the car fear real game for competition.

In the A4 loaner I'm in, you put your foot on the pedal and you're at the mercy of the car's electronics on how it want to take off, often slow and less punchy thanks to the A4 big size that makes it slow and it's 8 continuous gears speed that zaps the fun out of accelerating in the car.

If you're shopping between A4 and the A3 right now. The best choice is A3.

Not to mention the current A4 will give you 2008 technology which is not impressive at all.

audifoxtoS4

Having owned a lot of Audis, every generation of B series cars, the A4 is a wonderful vehicle. Now that I have said that, the new A3, in both sedan and cabriolet is just plain fun! The 6-speed S-tronic is responsive, combine it with the sport package and drive select, and you are just grinning from ear to ear. The only other car in this size in the Audi lineup to beat it is the S3.

Do yourself a favor, buy a new A3, buy AudiCare and just put gas in the car and drive for the next 4 years with a smile.

Squalo

Multitronic CVT is only available in the front-drive model. Picture shown is a quattro. CVT, by definition, has no speeds--even if it lets you artificially shift manually--Everything you say about the "...8 continuous gears speed that zaps the fun out of accelerating in the car..." is inaccurate for the Tiptronic. The more speeds the less it will zap the performance. I have driven both, and while I prefer the dual clutch S tronic for fun and control, the 8-speed Tiptronic is no slouch.

But I do agree that the A4 is now old technology and the A3 is the latest.

whitby

I went from an RS4 to an S3. The S4 was no better and older tech. The S3 feels a lot like my old B5 S4. I am very happy I went the route I did.

jagtoes

Just so we are on the same page we will be looking at the A3 2.0l Quattro . Due to winter the AWD is required. As for any performance attributes they aren't necessarily the main reason for getting either the A3 or a 1 or 2 year old A4 P+ . My kid likes the style and appointments and as I mentioned the AWD is key.It will be my kids DD and expect to see about 12K miles per year mainly 60/40 city/highway miles. Thanks for all of the comments here.

gamegenie

Tiptronic, multronic, it's nothing compared to the S-tronic on the A3.

I do know the A4 loaner I'm in is a 2.0T Quattro and it doesn't respond like my A3 at all, or perhaps I don't feel like the A3 did with it's punching revs.

I miss my A3 greatly.

gamegenie

How old are your kids if you don't mind me asking?

AgisA

I would compare A3 2.0l vs A4 quattro, 6 speed manual. This A4 is faster than the Tiptronic and also lighter. I think they are equally fast from a rolling start 5:60 mph.

jagtoes

Over 35