THE Audi A3 is a hatchback that shouts quality all the way and its logical progression, the five door A3 Sportback transports the whole A3 experience to a new audience.
The sportback is basically a compact lifestyle estate with optional mini roof-rails to emphasise the point. There is a choice of seven engines, three transmissions and three trim levels - standard, SE and Sport.
The 2.0 TDI tips the price scale at £18,605 in standard rig, but this particular car came loaded with a raft of extras including Sport specification, DSG gearbox a TV and much more which upped the ante to £29,920.
Whether the optional extras load up the price to an unacceptable amount for what is essentially a diesel engined hatchback is a matter for conjecture. I think the basic price is a much better reflection of what this vehicle really is all about.
What pulled me like a magnet was the amazing combination of the two-litre TDI engine and the DSG transmission.
There are some cars on the market that are just fantastic to drive and this is one of them.
The mid-range punch of this engine really does have to be experienced and the Audi recipe of practicality, economy and performance is a showcase of just what can be achieved with modern diesel technology and transmission engineering.
Firstly, the six-speed direct shift gearbox offers all the advantages of a sporting, close-ratio manual transmission and a slick-shifting automatic, with none of the negative aspects of either.
Manual changes are achieved in 0.02 of a second, and yet, this car can behave as a normal relaxed automatic for urban driving.
The two-litre TDI with a four-valve cylinder head is the most powerful and dynamic four-cylinder diesel ever to enter the Audi range.
Meeting Euro4 emissions targets, the TDI can whack out 140PS, can sprint to 0-62 in 9.5 seconds and reach 129mph all in the greatest possible taste with an combined consumption figure of 47mpg.
By far the most impressive feature of this car was its punch-in-the-back way of accelerating from 30-60mph. Its maximum torque of 320Nm at 400rpm says it all for the low down grunt of this sporty little load carrier.
The Audi A3 in general always impresses as a massively solid car. Specific use of strong and extra-strong body panels, tailored blanks of varying widths and the most advanced joining technologies ensure outstanding stiffness and crash resistance properties.
The entire front area of the main structure now consists of just one unit helping to reduce weigh and boost rigidity.
FAST FACTS
Audi A3 Sportback 2.0 TDI
Price: £18,605
Mechanical: 140bhp, 1,968cc, 4cyl diesel engine driving front wheels via 6spd automatic gearbox
Max speed: 129mph
0-62mph: 9.5 secs
Combined mpg: 47
Insurance group: 11
CO2 emissions: 161g/km
BiK rating: 19%
Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles; 3yrs paint; 12yrs anti-rust