10/12/09

• Price21,350
• We like...Economy; low emissions
• We don't...S-line is expensive

Luxury spec, but eco-engine. Do the two make for a happy mix? Read the motors.co.uk expert review and find outCan a prestige car be luxurious and eco-friendly at the same time? This latest version of Audi’s much-loved A3 has a fair crack at such a challenge. Our test car was in top-spec S-line trim – which means huggy sports front seats, sports suspension, big alloy wheels and skinny tyres.

But a 1.6 diesel hauls it along. Teamed with a stop-start system that switches off the engine whenever you’ve halted in traffic, it pumps out 109g/km of carbon dioxide – little enough to put it in the lowest but one road and company-car tax bracket. It produces just 104bhp but then it is also good for up to 68.9mpg, fed a diet of varying-length trips.

So you’re sitting in something that looks sporty but which is actually an eco-special. Is there sense in this? Yes. For a start, there’s the low fuel bills and cheap road tax, to say nothing of the savings in company car tax that its output figures promise.

If your work for an eco-conscious firm, it’ll be just right. On the one hand it looks classy and conventional, so you can’t be accused to trying too hard. On the other, its economy and emissions would shame all but the greenest small cars.

To drive, it feels gutsy enough in the lower gears but flat in the top three of its five forward speeds so that you’ll frequently drop down a ratio to keep the motor spinning. It cruises beautifully on the motorway, its engine note no more than a mild hum, the cabin quiet aside from faint wind rustle at the top of the screen and a muted grumble from the tyres as they cross joins in the tarmac.

And, like other A3s, it feels taut and pleasing to drive, with pedals wheel and shift nicely weighted and working sweetly together. The ride is firm but if those narrow-walled tyres transmit more bump-thump than you’d like, save cash and buy an SE or a Sport instead. In town, Stop-Start works dependably and well. You must learn the habit of putting the gears to neutral whenever you’re stopped for more than a moment but, this done, the system dsn’t interfere with your driving.

Of course, you get everything that every A3 delivers – reasonable space for five to sit in, a long rectangle of a boot that’s well shaped but averagely sized for the car. And, best of all, a superbly crafted cabin that’s sober and satisfying.

Should you buy one? By comparison, the list price for the ‘eco’ version of Ford’s Focus is only (at time of writing) £1200 cheaper. The Focus may be (just) cleaner and more economical but the Audi counters by retaining a better percentage of its original value over time. Not only will the A3 work out cheaper in the long run, it’ll also be far more enticing to own. We know which we’d take. But if you want better value, look at the SE model.

To read our review of the A3 2.0 TFSi S-line 5dr and watch the video, click here
To view and buy new and used Audi A3s on motors.co.uk, click here

• Engines1.6 turbodiesel
• Power104bhp
• 0-60 mph11.7secs
• Economy68.9mpg
• CO2g/km109
• Insurance groups11
• EuroNCAP
• Airbags6
• Seats5

Motors.co.uk value verdict: