Audi A3 1.9 TDI - Would you hit it?

[WRXtranceformed]

Um I definitely would!!! 50+mpg, could be chipped if you got bored with 180+ft. lbs. of torque, and throw on an S3 body kit and wheels and you got yourself a looker!

It's become something or an article of faith among the mainstream media in this country that the only environmentally friendly automobile is Toyota's Prius. True, the Prius and its fiendishly complicated and expensive hybrid powertrain is an innovative piece - innovative and accomplished enough, in fact, to be named our 2004 Car of the Year. But I've just spent the past five days in a car that not only trumps the Toyota for driver appeal, but arguably does a better job of saving the planet.

The car? Audi's new A3 1.9 TDIe, developed to meet the proposed 2012 EU CO2 emissions target of 120 grams/kilometer - roughly equivalent to 52mpg on the highway here in the US - and escape London's $16/day congestion charge. (Cars that met the target were to have been able to enter London without paying the congestion charge as of last week, but the British capital's car-hating mayor, Ken Livingston now seems to be backing away from the idea.)

With its revised engine and gear ratios, and low rolling resistance Michelin Primacy HP 205/55 R16 tires, Audi claims the A3 1.9 TDIe is good for 53mpg on the highway. In more than 500 miles of fast freeway hustling, rush-hour grind and regular urban running last week, my tester averaged 44.3mpg without any econo-driving techniques. (All the mileage figures quoted here are for small-sized US gallons, not the generously proportioned British ones.)

On a 48.5mile run to London's Heathrow Airport around the jammed M25, one of Europe's busiest freeways, I averaged an impressive 50.5mpg in the sort of bumper-to-bumper stop-start traffic you find on the 405 here in LA every day. Flicking through the A3's trip computer at the end of my drive, I found the car had averaged 42.6mpg over the last 1454miles at an average speed of 51.2mph. By contrast, our long term Prius never managed better than 47mpg between refills, and averaged 41.6mpg over 22,278 miles, most of which were on LA freeways.

With just 103hp, 1.9 TDIe is the least powerful of the three turbodiesel fours offered in the A3 (the others, both 2.0-liter versions, have 138hp and 167hp). On paper, the A3 1.9 TDIe's performance is modest, with a top speed of just 116mph, with the 0-60mph sprint taking about 11.5sec. But on the road, the little Audi is a delight to drive; a much more entertaining and rewarding econocar than the antiseptic Prius.

The secret is the little diesel's torque - 184lb-ft at just 1900rpm - plus a cleverly spaced set of ratios in the slick-shifting five speed transmission, great steering, and a nimble chassis. On the tight English backroads this combo means you can maintain a relatively high average speed by merely surfing the torque and not working the engine hard. The relatively tall gearing also means the A3 bowls effortlessly along the freeway at a relaxed 80mph, the engine turning just 2200rpm. I completed one 103 mile freeway stint at an average speed of 75mph - and still got 42.4mpg.

There's been a lot of talk about bringing diesels to America, and a lot of speculation as to whether American consumers would take to them. Most pundits suggest diesels in America only make sense for SUVs and pickup trucks. I think we're missing a trick here. It's a little noisier at slow speeds than a regular gas engine, and you feel a buzz back through the clutch pedal at low speeds, but a car like the Audi A3 1.9 TDIe seems made for the typical American commute, which generally appears to be a combination of stop-start downtown driving, slow to medium speed freeway running, and relatively open feeder roads or suburban streets.
Audi A3 1.9TDIe refuel

What's more, the little Audi's freeway manners are so good, it would make a great long distance cruiser, easily capable of eating the miles on the Interstates across Wyoming, Texas or Montana in giant, loping strides. Because you can expect to go 650-700 miles between fuel stops you'll make better time than almost anything else on the road.

The Prius is a car that does its best work standing still in traffic, when the gas engine shuts down. It's not quite as efficient as the Audi in almost any other operating condition, especially freeway cruising, and it's nowhere near as much fun to drive. So, Toyota hybrid or Audi diesel? If you like driving, and really want to cut your carbon footprint, it's a no-brainer.

What do you guys think? Should they bring it to the US, and would it be successful if they did??

[Jake]

I'd snag one. I think diesels are great if they're in fun cars... just as good of mileage as hybrids (if not better) and none of those pesky batteries to worry about.

[BLINGMW]

I'd love to see it here, we need to start getting some small diesels NOW so I can start buying them used in a few years. :wink:

Of course... Audi would need to clean up their reliability before I considered that car....

[WRXtranceformed]

Hahaha, here's what one of the guys on the IS forums said about it:

"11.5 sec to 60mph ..I would pee my pants every time I was merging onto a highway."

So true. I'd probably go for the beefed up 167hp because it would be so hard to get used to driving a car with that much less power. I bet it would still get as good of gas mileage as a lot of the hybrids out there if you stayed out of boost.

[Evan]

I dont get the big deal over deisels. And it looks like ass.

But at least it will be overpriced.

Count me out.

[WRXtranceformed]

The diesel is just for gas mileage really for people who commute long distances or who are stuck idling in a lot of traffic, not like you guys who don't drive far for work. And I guess to a lesser extent for people who like to mod for cheap. For me it would be appealing because although my work is now a 5 minute drive away, I'm going to be doing a lot more driving around western/central NC and northern SC. With corporate mileage reimbursement I would make up all of my monthly gas expenses with a bunch of cash to spare.

The looks are subjective of course. I saw a lowered white A3 with an S3 body kit and black multispoke rims on 7 one day outside of Winchester and MAN did that thing look good!!

[Andy]

I'd love to see it here, we need to start getting some small diesels NOW so I can start buying them used in a few years. :wink:

Of course... Audi would need to clean up their reliability before I considered that car....

Plus Juan