Greetings from Seattle,

I currently drive a 2008 335i w/the Dinan software upgrade. I LOVE it. However, I'm moving to Omaha in three weeks...I know, stop laughing. Bottom line, my RWD BMW will NOT work in the Nebraska winter, thus I'm considering my options.

Naturally when looking for an AWD German automobile, Audi comes to the forefront. I've decided to pursue more of a commuter class car. The A3 comes to mind for it's size, and the German quality/driving attributes I've become accustomed to. No $30k offering from Toyota, Nissan, Honda or Ford is worth my time. Neither was the Lexus HS250h or CT200h.

The $40k A3 is the logical choice. The TDI offers almost Prius-like fuel economy in a quality German package. I am, however, apprehensive about spending $40k on an Audi and not have Quattro. After all, Quattro is one of the things that made Audi famous on the rally scene.

My conservative fuel calculations suggest the TDI will get roughly 40% better fuel economy than the 2.0T costing me roughly $100/mo more in fuel. I have never owned an Audi so I'm curious what this group of owners/enthusiasts thinks. Would you drop $40k for an Audi w/o Quattro, or is the insane fuel efficiency of the TDI too much to pass up?

Lastly, with respect to the A3, what the general consensus on the Open Sky sunroof option? Personally I like the idea of it since it will give a compact car a larger, more airy feel. The downside is that it's not a moonroof so I think it will keep the car noticeably warmer when the sun is beating down on it.

Thanks in advance for you thoughts,

Smashmouth

 

I bought my 2007 A3 2.0 FWD from a quy in Omaha. I say this just to point out that maybe AWD is not necessary.

The Open sky does make it lighter inside, especially if you have a black interior. On the other hand I rarely open it, and would think the car would be a little cooler without all that black on top.

My Houston dealer had a TDI for $34,000.

 

Well living in Germany I can tell you that $40,000 for a new A3 is not too extreme. I have seen Germans pay 38,000 Euro's for a 1.4T (125hp) A3 fully loaded Sline, in $ that is around $47000.

If you are going for an A3 and living in snow/ice country (and paying $40,000) I would go for a Quattro. My A4 is Front trac and it handles well here in Germany during winter (I live in the mountains so it snows pretty good). But there have been times I wish I had the Quattro system. Have you checked out the A4 B8? The A3 is getting ready to be replaced (in Germany next year) so your A3 would be an "older" model.