The 2011 Audi A3
The 2011 Audi A3 is the newest offering from the company to the North American market. It has been around Europe for a few years and has proven to be very successful. The goal now is to convince American buyers of its benefits. This may prove to be a bit of a challenge since it is quite a bit different than any other car on the market. Whether it finds buyers or not is something that we will have to wait and see.
The 2011 Audi A3 is a bit of a strange car because it doesn't really fit into a particular class. This is something that Audi have done before, creating a car that is in a class by itself and they have been quite successful with it. Whether it works again remains to be seen but it is definitely an interesting option. What Audi have done is create a luxury hatchback. Depending on your perspective it is either an expensive hatchback or a cheap luxury car. Obviously you don't find luxury cars with a hatchback every day but there are benefits to it so it may be worth considering.
The A3 is definitely an Audi, it has the level of performance that you would expect. The suspension is a bit stiff for a luxury car in order to allow for better handling but this is true of all Audi's. The engine provides plenty of power and offers nice smooth acceleration. If you go with the diesel version you will be getting one of the most fuel efficient cars on the road, better than most hybrids. The gasoline version isn't quite up to the same level but it is very good.
The interior of the Audi A3 is very much that of a luxury car with the kind of refinement that you would expect to find on any of the company's other cars. There are a number of upscale features available that can be great additions but really add to the price. When it comes to interior space the A3 is probably the best hatchback that you will find, it offers a lot of room.
Whether the Audi A3 finds buyers remains to be seen, it has done well in Europe but that is a completely different market. It is definitely a very good car that offers a lot for the money, it drives great and it has the feel of a luxury car. The challenge is going to be to convince people to buy a hatchback with a price of more than thirty thousand dollars. Audi have been successful before at bridging the gap between different classes so it would probably be a mistake to think that they won't be able to do it again. But for now we are going to wait and see and probably not expect to many other manufacturers to follow suit.