In-depth reviews

Audi A3 hatchback (2005-2012): owner reviews

"The A3 hatchback is expensive, but it’s really well built and good to drive. The Audi badge offers cast-iron resale values, too."

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by Richard Ingram

28 Jun 2013

.polaris__post-meta--date { display: none; } .polaris__post-meta--date.no-script { display: block; padding-left: 45px } 28 Jun 2013

Carbuyer Rating

3.2 out of 5

Owners Rating

4.2 out of 5

Price

£28,055 - £50,330

Reviews

Owner Reviews

5 out of 5
4 out of 5
3 out of 5
2 out of 5
1 out of 5

52%of people would recommend this car to a friend

Common Problems

Engine (4 cases)
Other (3 cases)
Brakes, Electrics, Engine, Suspension (1 case)
Electrics (2 cases)
Brakes (1 case)
Gearbox / clutch (1 case)
Engine, Gearbox / clutch (1 case)
Suspension, Other (1 case)

Review 1 of 33

Tell us what you think about your car?

The ideal every day performance car. Magnetic ride provides a sports car ride that is equally comfortable on long journeys whilst the performance matched to decent economy enables me to enjoy the drive without breaking the bank. Residual values are the icing on the cake and make good sense. Perfect and equal to many much more expensive motors.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

I think its a good a all rounder however having two kids its a bit of a pain to get the kids in the back as the sports seats don't go forwards too far. other than that is a good car and has not so far gone wrong at all!!

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Truly disappointing. Problems under warranty with engine laking oil and a creaking glove box. Just out of warranty, turbo unit went at only 30000 miles with very expensive repair bill. At 40,000 miles drive shaft went. I'm a careful low mileage driver- didnt expect this at such low mileges

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

Suspension hard on 18" wheels. S-tronic gearbox sometime vicious on engaging the clutch the buttons for the rear window and front window demist are en ergonomic nightmare - small and right at the bottom of the center console. Seats feel hard but this could be the combination of 18" wheels, low profile tyres and rock solid suspension.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

Biggest issue i have with the audi a3 is the design and use of the front seat release mechanism for when entering the rear seats, it's poor design, and the fact that the rear seats do not fold flat to allow a flat load area from the boot. very poor design for an audi, something that all my previous cars did very well. Audi missed a trick there.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

I had a few teething problems with the car from new but now these have been rectified the car has never let me down.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

Great car. Nippy, looks fantastic in black edition spec (looks like an s3), averaging 60+ mpg. Not the most comfy car i have driven, but not as bad as reviews make out. Great quality and spec. Boot not big enough for a family holiday (but i didnt like the 5 door). Overall, 1 one the best cars i have ever owned. Cracking choice. Combination of looks / economy and pace...

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

I drive at a steady pace but can never achieve the claimed combined mpg (67mpg) - i'm lucky to get 50mpg. I achieved the same economy from my previous audi a4 1.9tdi. In between these two audis i had a bmw 318i which was even worse with mpg claims. I wish i'd bought another a4 now.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

Ive been generally very happy with the car, but since it hit 3 years of age it had many problems- ie new turbo, and new ecu. If this was a private car rather than a company vehicle i would have changed it more recently.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

Great car in the wet and dry conditions, but....... put snow in front of it and you may as well walk. My car has 18" alloys with low profile tyres, standard factory fit, and driving in snow is dangerous.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

After previous experiences with audi this is a very dissapointing venture back with them. The designer who thought that chromed fittings that reflect off windows and mirrors; or daylight running lights at the front only; or seats not wide enough for the average modern male (causing the left leg not clearing the clutch and many crashed gear changes); should be forced to drive one for 100k himself - before being retrained as a bin-man. (and these are only a very small example of my moans) The car has been in for repair on 7 separate occasions since hitting the 70k mark, for an average of 3 days - not good enough for a company car. Backward through technology or what???

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

This is one of the best all round cars i have had. Only real niggle is getting in and out of the back i not easy (even for my son who is only in his twenties). Would buy again but would go for the 5 door

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Great car to drive. A brilliant compromise of comfort, practicality, economy and performance. Going back i would have preferred to have had the 170 ps 2.0 diesel over the 140 ps that i chose. Only problem i've had was the fuel filler trim became mis-aligned and i had to have the locking solenoid replaced.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

I was told by friends about the build quality of audi and my expectations were not let down. The car is sound feels good to drive but most importantly haveing a young child i feel safey whilst driving. The road handling compared to other cars i have had is the best i have experienced. I would not hesitate in replacing this model with the same or simular from the audi range.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Its the third audi i have owned, the build quality is good and it lives up to its reputation for reliability. Audi serving is also of a high standard and they 'look after' their brand customers

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Starting to get some intermittent problems with some of the lights. For example the front indicator bulb was being shown as blown by the computer, but as it is such a difficult job to simple replace the bulb I put it off, two weeks later the bulb just started working again!

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Initial problem with air conditioning unit under warantee several light bulbs have failed

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

Good fun to drive, easy to drive quickly on fun, twisty roads but thirsty when i do so. Equally, it's comfortable to drive long distance at 55mph, when the economy is at its best. Feels very solidly built, but i feel that service intervals aren't what they should be on a modern car. The downside of a turbo petrol, i suppose...

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

My car is an audi s3 ouattro ,it is amazing with great performance and handling,i simply love it,i am gonna buy myself the rs3 sportback az soon as it comes to south africa.i am great audi fan

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

Generally the a3 is a good medium sized family car. However, the audi dealer that services my car have no concept of good customer service despite the fact i have complained no apologies has been made.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

Excellent, quality hatchack. Feels solid and built to last. Excellent gear box. Over sensitive brake pedal only disappointment. Want another one especially as emissions now dropped for the 140 bhp tdi to 115.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Although i have had the odd problems with it, all were fixed promptly whilst the car was under warrenty. The car is comfortable, nice to drive and the build quality in the cabin is second to none.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Superb car had two other audi,s all superb and hold there money cheap to run i.e. Full and tax £30.00 per year for a car like this is fantastic dealer a bit pricey but arent they all !!!!! You pay for what you get also had many fords but you lose big time in value when you come to sell. The amount of money i have lost in fords over the years would of brought my audi

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

My audi a3 is a quality vehicle. As with my previous audi nothing has gone wrong (unlike my previous bmw's). The styling is up there with the best, the price is right, it offers the performance i want, after sales service is unbeatable, what more could i ask for? Gimme a lottery win and an r8 spyder!!!

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

Clutch failed within 2 years ... was told it was my driving leaving foot on clutch pedal .. Then it went back to have the fly wheel replaced under warranty Makes you think about the clutch ?? But they wouldnt listen.. I had to pay £1000 for new clutch plate replacement.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Fantastic! Love this car! I cannot recommend enough Negatives: Interior a bit too plastic and catches tend to snap off semi-regularly and wiper jets get blocked. Also i get alot of windscreen chips (more than any car i've ever had before, maybe caused by the angle of the windscreen). It burns a bit of oil - I need to regularly top up at least a litre between services on the long-life regime Reliability: Excellent - One fault (fingers crossed i haven't jinxed it) in 3.5 years of owning (engine sensor). On 112k miles and counting.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Well it has never broken down (touch wood) and it has never required any work other than it's usual service schedule.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

The an s3 has delivered everything we expected it to, the main qualities being performance, stability, ease of driving and quality. The audi delivers a heightened level of quality, much more than the golf it replaced. Performance to match a sports car. Desirability of a quality brand. Safety to match avolvo. All in all, a great car - well done audi!

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

For a so called prestige manufacturer my audi a3 as not lived up to its billing, in the nine months that i have owned the car it as been in my local audi dealership for three months out of nine !!! I will probably swop my audi for another manufacturer who produce a more reliable vehicle.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

Never had any issue with the car, but it is regularly serviced.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Impressive build and materials but many standard fit items e.g cruise/ auto lights & mirrors on previous car extra cost with audi. Radio/ ipod/ blue tooth very good. Economy/ performance balance very good.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

Excellent, the only downside is that vag diesel engines have a toothed camshaft belt. On this car it needs replacing at 80000miles(says the service book)however audi now say 80000 or 5 years. At 54000miles my car is approaching 5 years old and it should be replaced. I feel vey miffed about this - but what do you do? The cost should be £699 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But audi have a deal that together with a service the cost is reduced to £399 + the service costs !!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is an important factor in the running costs of a car, enough to make you choose a car replacement that has a chain driven camshaft system. The belt replacement costs are per annum equal to the car exise duty(car tax)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Apart from the small suspension problem, the car has been trouble free and absolutely reliable. Audi's are fairly expensive cars but worth every penny of the premium when you also consider: Style Finish Engineering Build quality Performance Reliability I would not consider other 'of the moment' makes such as hyundi and kia which only appear good value due to low price and long warranties. they are fine for getting from a to b but they are not cars to be proud of owing. I would also not consider a diesel engined car. There is far too much hype over these cars, particularly from auto express. Despite their supposed 'clean' status, this only equates to co2 levels, whereas other 'people unfriendly' outputs are vastly increased over petrol power and as such i consider them to be 'dirty'. Additionally whilst diesel cars are more economical, when the extra initial cost is brought into account there is little in it. Plus there are the additional problems of: Injectors Dual mass flywheels Dpfs Noise (internal and external) Fuel handling Heavy car handling Etc.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

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