2015 Audi A3 sedan: $29 900.

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Which in the US is the same price as the Mercedes CLS.

For that price you get a 1.8 Liter Turbo engine. Same as the 2014 Jetta/Beetle/Passat.
So nothing really premium here.
As an option you can step up to the 2.0 Liter Turbo. Or the TDI. (Again, just like the Jetta)
Or even a hight output version of the 2.0 Turbo in the S3 model.

The base car comes with a panoramic glass sunroof, leather seats and bi-xenon headlights.
No manual in sight, anywhere. As the only transmission for the US is the 6 speed S-tronic.

No bad. But the car itself looks like something that came out 15 years ago.
At least the CLA seems much more modern looking and different than most other Mercedes sedans.
The A3 is just another invisible Audi Sedan.

Maybe I’m old fashion, but I still think an Audi should be cheaper than a Mercedes. Especially one using the same engine as a $19 000 Jetta.

Conversation 7 comments

  1. Looks like a fifteen year old design? Are you high? It's clear that you don't like Audis, but it's kind of dumb to compare the A3 and the Jetta spec sheets and say that the A3 should therefore be cheaper than a CLA. I personally like this car because it's more like what the A4 used to be. Small and athletically proportioned. The base engine is weak sauce for those who want performance. But the 2.0 engine options are excellent, particularly in such a small sedan. A 20k Jetta is embarrassingly sparse and chintzy. My dad bought one, without consulting me, and it's immediately obvious that it's not anything close to an audi in any way. I like the CLA also, so it will be interesting to see how it and the A3 fare in the comparison tests.

  2. Now it all makes sense, why Jettas were purposely made with cheaper, more plasticky interiors than their predecessors…to look meek compared to the A3 sedan.

  3. I think it's priced fairly…not that anyone will be able to find one at that price. But the base model is very well equipped! I'd take this over the Jetta any day of the week.

  4. That VW turbo 4 is awful. VW engines burn an alarming amount of oil. I don't trust the way they engineer engines at all

  5. Sorry, you don't have to take my word for it. Check out Consumer Reports or reputable online source about VW engine reliability. They are oil burning POSs

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