Although it’s not quite time to pop open the champagne
corks, we tend to forget that it is 18 years since the first A3 went on sale.
Launched in the UK in September 1996, it went toe to toe with not only the 1994
BMW 3 series Compact, but also the VW Golf which, in 1996, was still in its Mk
3 guise. While the two cars might have looked broadly similar underneath,
however, the A3 was in fact based on the new PQ34 platform which would underpin
the Mk 4 Golf, due to be launched in 1998. Styled by Dirk van Braeckel
(currently chief designer at Bentley), the A3 was another ‘just right’ car from
Audi. Van Braeckel had also styled the original A8 concept car that entered
production almost unaltered.
Audi A3 out look
The A3 was Audi’s first small front - drive hatchback since
the demise of the Audi 50 some 18 years previously. Fuel was getting expensive,
parking wasn’t as easy as it used to be, and the trend was turning firmly in
favour of smaller cars. BMW had launched the Compact in 1994 to great acclaim –
not so much by the motoring press but by the buying public who lapped the car
up. this is an interesting phenomenon – the Compact was in fact only $3,029.4
cheaper than the regular 3 series saloon, used the older semi-trailing arm rear
suspension to save weight and money, and some of the interior trim was
decidedly low rent. New and fashionable it may have been, but it wasn’t as good
as the four-door.
Audi must have viewed this newcomer with interest, and if
they were planning to launch the A3 with some Golf-quality interior plastics
(not the best in the world) then they must have had a quick change of heart
because, upon its 1996 launch, the A3 would be built and trimmed to the same
high standard as the A4 – itself always a notch above the 3 series.
Audi A3 the
transverse engine
The A3 was also Audi’s first transverse-engined car since
the 50 and that did lead to some accusations of the car being an upmarket Golf;
to some extent it was!
Launch models were the 1.6 and 1.8 with the 125 PS 20V unit,
both available in SE and sport models. The 1.6 used the 8-valve version of the
regular Golf /Audi four-cylinder EA827 motor and it was available with an
automatic gearbox. Model for model, prices were similar to those of the
Compact, and above the Golf, but the A3’s superior fit and finish justified
this and the car began to sell very quickly, generating impressive waiting
lists that the Ingolstadt factory worked flat-out to try and meet.
Press reaction to the A3 was also very positive and one of
the very first tests was by What Car? which compared the A3 1,8 with the 318Ti
Compact and the Mk 3 Golf GTI 16V. Performance and handling fell behind the 143
PS BMW and the 150 PS Golf, but the ride was felt to be better than both
competitors. Show room appeal is where the A3 scored, though – the facia was
very similar to that of the A4 with the big red needle instruments, excellent
quality trim and plenty of thoughtful touches and oddments space. It also had
the biggest boot and the most interior room and, to cap it all, was priced at $26,689.014
compared to the $27,668.52 BMW and $27,584.37 Golf. A fairer comparison would
have been to the cheaper 8V Golf GTI, but the $26 086.5 100 PS 316i would
have been out of contention. Anyone looking for a diesel hatchback would have
bought the superb 1.9 TDI version with 110 Ps.
The A3 was also Audi’s first transverse-engined car since the 50 and that
did lead to some accusations of the car being an upmarket Golf
