MOTORING: AUDI A3
THE INSTRUCTOR
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www.ukdic.co.uk
Practical sophistication: Audi A3
Audi has upped the practical side of its A3
in 1.6-litre turbodiesel shape by adding the
company's new start-stop system. This works by
switching off the engine when the car is halted
at traffic lights or stuck in a jam.
All the driver has to do is put the car into
neutral and take their foot off of the clutch pedal.
As soon as the driver presses the clutch pedal
to select first gear, the car automatically starts
the engine. It all happens so quickly that you
never feel like you're holding up the cars behind
and Audi says using the system can boost fuel
efficiency by 8%.
That figure is hard to quantify, so what you'll
really notice is you have to stop less frequently
to fill up as the new A3 1.6 TDi provides superb
68.9mpg combined economy.
This economy figure is the same for the
three- and five-door models, or if you prefer
the A3 with a seven-speed automatic gearbox
economy drops slightly to 67.3mpg. However,
carbon dioxide emissions remain the same,
whichever gearbox you prefer, at a wallet-friendly
109g/km. Just as important as the financial side
of the equation, the new 1.6-litre turbodiesel
engine is a much smoother, swifter engine than
the old 1.9-litre turbodiesel it replaces.
The 1.6 offers plenty of low- to mid-range
There's an air of sophistication to the Audi A3 that puts all other small
hatches in the shade, with the honourable exceptions of its rivals from BMW
and Mercedes. Even then, the A3 remains the bigger sales success and the
more practical.
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Being economically friendly, and generous with space, the Audi A3 turbodiesel is
definitely a contender for driving instructors today's market.