IF you are in the market for a prestige car there is plenty of choice available. But if you are looking for a prestige compact hatchback your choice is definitely more limited,
Audi's A3 is one of the few cars that fit the bill - but if you want quality you have to pay for it.
My A3 Sportback 2.0 FSI quattro in basic form would have been more than £22,700 on-the-road but with a long list of optional extras on board that price jumped to £28,560.
Now admittedly that included more than £2,500 for a DVD satellite navigation system but it does show that you have to pay for quality.
And you definitely do get what you pay for with the A3. My Sportback test car had a real upmarket feel to it. The doors all closed with a solid and very positive "thunk" and the Alcantara and leather seats all added to the quality feel.
Everything feels in the right place too on the A3, there is no fumbling around for switches that are awkward to find. Even the traditional style handbrake has been replaced with a z-shaped one so now you can use the centre armrest and still use the handbrake.
The new model is longer and wider than its predecessor, offering more internal leg and shoulder space and with a far more stylish exterior while at the same time retaining the basic A3 image. It also offers more knee and head room than the three-door A3 which went on sale first.
With the Sportback, or five door, you also get some 20 litres more luggage space than with the three door.
In keeping with Audis's policy of creating a family "face" the latest A3 gets the new deep grille. On the A3 - the smallest model in the range to get the grille - this means a far more aggressive appearance and certainly a far more eye-catching one.
The engine range on offer in the new line-up goes from 1.6-litre to 3.2-litre quattro Sport, as well as 1.9-litre and two-litre diesel models.
As a quattro my test car came with permanent four-wheel-drive, but despite this averaged well over 30 miles per gallon. This is all the more surprising considering the performance of this car which will hit 62mph in an ear popping seven seconds and go on to a top speed of 146mph.
The power hits the road via a six-speed manual gearbox which is silky smooth to use and gives plenty of flexibility. The delivery of power is decidedly refined too. There is no throaty exhaust noise here, just smooth, silent power.
As with all quattros the road holding is superb - that is what they are designed for - and even if you are not the sort of person to use the performance to the full this is a car that will give you a feeling of safety what ever the elements throw at you.
FAST FACTS
Audi A3 2.0T FSI quattro Sport 5dr
Price: £22,705
Mechanical: 200bhp, 1,984cc, 4cyl petrol engine driving all four wheels via 6spd manual gearbox
Max speed: 146mph
0-62mph: 7 secs
Combined mpg: 31.4
Insurance group: 15
CO2 emissions: 214g/km
BiK rating: 29%
Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles; 12yrs anti-rust; 3yrs paint