2006 Audi A3 Sportback 2.0T Road Test

Little Red Rocket

Here I go again, babbling my semi-incoherent effusive praise of Audi wagons. I know, theyre not perfect, but theyre so good in so many ways that I just have a hard time putting on my critical hat and giving em a good nit picking or going over.

The minute I get into any car, I almost immediately take on the mindset of being at home (yes, anyone wanting to analyze my nomadic psyche can go and talk to my dad), with the odd conundrum of the difficulties we all have at home, be it loneliness in a big empty house (big wagons) or a family member that just wont give up the remote (obnoxious stability controls that cant be turned off) or waking up in the morning and realizing that youre still living at home and youve almost turned 30. Actually I moved out years ago, but Im feeling a little melodramatic and I thought that sounded

Audi wagons are not perfect, but theyre so good in so many ways that I just have a hard time putting on my critical hat and giving em a good nit picking. (Photo: Jonathan Yarkony, American Auto Press)

good... convincing? Perhaps too much so. No, really, I dont live with my mom.

What does all this have to do with the Audi A3 2.0T? Uhh...

Anyway. Where was I? Oh yeah, the A3 rocks. It is not without its faults, and in my streamlined lifestyle, what it gives up compared to its larger A4 Avant sibling actually improves it in my books. Namely, size and weight. In case the alphanumerical name didnt give it away, its smaller than the

In case the alphanumerical name didnt give it away, the A3 is smaller than the A4, ideal for two adults, two kids and maybe a pet. (Photo: Jonathan Yarkony, American Auto Press)

A4, and it weighs less, no doubt to its Golf-roots and the loss of quattro AWD, helping it to shed a few (hundred) pounds. Yet, the A3 is still big enough to easily manage my hockey gear, and though it went untested, Im quite sure it could handle at least two more sets of equipment and their owners. Ideally, it seemed about right for two adults, a pair of kids and their gear, with a pet adding just the right touch of nuisance and overcrowding.
Indeed, some people might feel overcrowded if they bring the entirety of the

Despite not being very wide in girth or large in stature, I felt like I was pushing the capacity limits of the optional sport seats. (Photo: Jonathan Yarkony, American Auto Press)

generous dimensions into the cabin of this most diminutive of North American Audis. You see, Im not very big in any direction (510", 180 lbs), but I felt like I was pushing the capacity limits of the optional sport seats and I had this horrible and unnatural thought crossing my mind throughout the week: "Do these seats make my thighs look fat?" not really a healthy attitude for any person and particularly uncommon amongst 20-something males, no doubt.

Wow, for someone who started off promising unbounded praise and adoration I sure have found a couple of flaws in my unflinching admiration

The T in 2.0T: 200 horsepower, 207 lb-ft of torque, 3,263 lbs, light and nimble enough to slip between and past so many overburdened and overweight vehicles. (Photo: Jonathan Yarkony, American Auto Press)

for this vehicle. On the other hand, thats about it from the complaints department. Okay, there was also the tire thing, but that was a product of seasonal crossover (they gave it to me with summer performance tires) and you cant really fault Audi for early snowfall, can you. On that note, make sure you find yourself some all-season performance tires or a second set of winter boots for your A3 if you happen to live in the northern part of the country, since its available in front-drive only. Enough said.

To tie things back into my opening theme, the A3 was like moving into a small, one bedroom apartment... with a really

The A3 2.0T manages an impressive sub-7 second time to 60 mph. (Photo: Jonathan Yarkony, American Auto Press)

big closet. But the kitchen! Oh, do I ever love cooking in that kitchen. It is like having a Sub-Zero fridge and big gas-element burners, plus built in double convection ovens, all black appliances with loads of stainless steel trim and a German-forged steel Henckel 10"� master series chefs knife. Everything was right where I wanted it, and I never even wanted to leave to go to the bathroom.

Before I get lost in my kitchen analogy, I suppose I should go over the comparable items in the car that made my stay so fitting. The 2.0T FSI: You dont appreciate the fuel saving until you drive something with a V8 that chugs premium unleaded like a linebacker downing Heidelberg at Oktoberfest. Right about now anything in the neighborhood of 23 to 25 mpg sounds

With Audi not willing to classify the A3 as a hatchback or wagon we may just toss it into crossover (CUV) purgatory until the matter is clarified beyond the shadow of a doubt. (Photo: Jonathan Yarkony, American Auto Press)

great. And the power? Restrict that linebacker to Powerade, pasta lunches and spring training, then set him loose like Waterboy (Adam Sandlers Waterboy for those of you wondering what Im talking about), and there you have the T in 2.0T; 200 horsepower, 207 lb-ft of torque, 3,263 lbs, light and nimble enough to slip between and past so many overburdened and overweight vehicles, and with enough power to lay waste to such slow-moving traffic.

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