Audi A3 Oakland CA

Welcome to the premium compact car segment where Audi's new A3 Sportback joins a limited number of competitors, foremost among them the Mini Cooper and Volkswagen GTI.

The Audi is not a wagon. It's a 5-door hatchback; think upscale VW Golf. They share the same platform and as such there is a 3-door A3, but the model is not coming to our shores (see sidebar). Besides the two extra doors, the Sportback has an extra 2.7 in. of length over the Europe-only A3. The new Golf Mk V coming next year is a close cousin of the A3 obviously, but in the Audi-VW family, Audis have the finer tailoring.

Being the last in the Audi model line to receive the wide-mouth grille, the Sportback has raked headlights, square shoulders and a canted-rearward roof for a purposeful look. Even without the sport package, our A3 had a cat-stalking-a-mouse facade. Its stock 17-in. all-season Pirelli tires on good-looking multi-spoke alloys do an adequate job of filling the wheel wells. The A3 resembles a shrunken A4 Avant.

A very chic and very TT-esque interior features a matte-black anti-glare rubber-covered dash and instrument pod. It's soft to the touch and contrasts nicely with the leather and aluminum trim, which includes Audi's TT-style circular air vents with metal bezels. Interior lighting is the familiar stealth red. Dual-zone climate control and a CD player are standard, and all cars are ready for your choice of XM or Sirius satellite radio. Our car was fitted with a premium package that included heated leather seats as well as brushed aluminum trim. All windows are one-touch up and down with pinch sensitivity, and the car has central locking. Audi is about understatement, and the interior is a good example. The cabin is well assembled and Audi definitely has given the A3 all the accouterments one might expect on a larger premium car.

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