TRYING TO PROVE LESS CAN SOMETIMES COST MORE

IS THE premium-small-car trend going anywhere? It’s been big in Europe for years, but $30K hatchbacks still have limited appeal in the United States. Wherever the nation’s automotive Zeitgeist is headed, enthusiasts will like the A3. It’s a tight, light, tossable small car with one of the best engines in the business, the 2.0-liter FSI turbo four. Thanks to the VW Group’s innovative six-speed direct-shift gearbox, you can click off lightning-fast up-and downshifts with the Fl-style paddles, or you can let the transmission do the thinking and waft along with smoothness and silence that rivals a conventional automatic. Once you’ve used the DSG, you won’t want any other transmission. The A3 proved a rare find among our sportier Car of the Year nominees; it’s as much fun on our short,…

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MotorTrend (Digital) - 1 Issue, January 2006

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