Reverendbiker

My wife's beloved 2013 A6 crapped out in the middle of the road and had to be towed to the dealership. As perturbed as I am with Audi, there is one silver lining--they put us in an A3 TDI loaner. To be honest, I was put out because I preferred something a little larger but I've gotta say that I've come to appreciate the little A3.
The torquey little diesel provides great acceleration in street driving conditions, and on a recent 400-mile trip delivered an honest 45.7 MPG. There is a bit more torque steer than I'd like, but I am really impressed with the total package. My wife is not about to give up her A6, but I could be happy living with the TDI for a while. Just my $0.02.

uberwgn

Reverend, welcome aboard.

Many have come to realize that once you go diesel, you never go back (to gas)! Torque is addicting!

Dr_Evil

I had an A6, now I'm happier with the smaller A3 TDI. I can zip around in parking lots more easily. I also like the gas mileage as you pointed out and the power at low rpm for city driving. If only diesel fuel was taxed more fairly, like gasoline, to make it less expensive, I think more people would agree.

MRYFLYGUY

I really wanted to love the 2015 A3 TDI. I did the math on an A3 2.0T vs TDI back in September when the lowest gas price here in Tucson was $3/gal. and diesel was $3.50/gal. ($0.50/gal difference). For a 900 mile, one way trip I make frequently, I would burn $103.50 of gas vs. 90.00 diesel - a $13.50 advantage over gasoline.

Now, with gas at $2.39/gal and diesel at $3.25 ($0.86/gal difference) I would burn $82.80 of gas vs. $81.00 of diesel - a $1.80 advantage over gasoline.

The taxes on Diesel fuel are just killing the market in the US. This is really evident if you observe the disparity between the price of gas price vs. diesel - especially as gas falls. They do NOT move up and down proportionately, which is due to the taxes.

While considering EVs (I have a 5.2Kw solar array on the roof), I found a tag line that is my new credo - "there are only two certainties in life - the sun is going to rise and gasoline prices are going to go up." I can't deal with a dedicated EV that gets 87 miles so I called my favorite Audi rep and had him put my name on the list for a 2016 A3 Etron, which seems like the best of both worlds (gas & plug-in EV). With free electricity, it blows both gas & diesel out of the water!