The Audi A3 Sportback was awarded Car of the Year for 2013 by What Car. And it's a "worthy" winner, says the magazine. It might look like a subtle evolution of what's gone before, but in fact it "brings new brilliance to a whole host of areas". It offers a mix of "refinement and an accomplished driving experience with easily the finest cabin quality ever seen in a small family hatchback".
The fact that it can win out over some pretty "stunning" rivals not least the Seat Leon and Volkswagen Golf makes its achievement all the more impressive. This Audi sets a new benchmark for the sensible family hatchback, and is also "pretty keenly priced".
The A3 is a grown-up, practical hatch, agreed Andrew English in The Daily Telegraph when he reviewed the car a year ago. Some might say the car's just a "gussied-up Golf" and in many ways it is, he said, but it also "brings a welcome dose of luxury to the all-plastic cabins of its non-premium rivals".
Subscribe to MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
It's also fast and "confidence-inspiring if not exactly joyful" to drive, and the ride is highly impressive: it handles "badly cambered roads and poor surfaces with aplomb". Sure, you can have a Golf for less and a Seat Leon for even less, but they're not quite as nice and not quite as practical. The A3 "would be a thoroughly enjoyable thing to own".
Price: £19,825 (for the 1.4 TFSI 122 SE model)Top speed: 126mph0-60mph: 9.3 secondsFuel economy: 53.3mpgCarbon dioxide emissions: 123g/km
-
8 of the best converted properties for sale nowThe best converted properties for sale – from an apartment in the former Hartley’s Jam factory on London’s Southbank, to a converted 18th-century mill in Itteringham, Norfolk
-
How taking a two-year career break could leave a £26k hole in your pensionCareer breaks are increasingly common but it is important to take steps to protect your pension, as gaps compound over time
