Comparison between 135i and an A3 3.2

warmtoes · 08-01-2008, 10:30 AM

http://en.autos.sympatico.msn.ca/gui...mentid=8974093

Not sure why they thought of this comparison. It just seems and odd comparo.

I guess, at least in Canada, they are very similarly priced and they are both "smaller" cars.

ManMachine · 08-01-2008, 01:22 PM

Well, it's a more fair comparison in Europe, where the 1 series hatch is offered. If you need AWD, Audi gets my nod. Otherwise, get the BMW. If you need space, well, 328iT will do.

ptack · 08-01-2008, 04:46 PM

It was what I was cross-shopping...until I test drove the 135i. Suddenly the practicality and sensibility of the A3 got swamped by one big "yeeeehaaa" and the rest was history.

yankees25 · 08-01-2008, 08:20 PM

I'd say it's pretty much spot on. I enjoy my A3 (and the 6MT in the 2.0 is decent enough). I was waiting on the 135 to launch, but last September I found myself needing a new car and couldn't wait it out for another 6-7 months. But with a growing family, there's no way I could cram the amount of gear into the 1 that fits in the A3. Plus as a travelling salesman, the added doors are pretty much a must when entertaining. Down the road maybe there's a spot for a 1 in the garage, but for now the practicality (and the great fuel economy) of the A3 wins out. When the warranty is up, it's time to chip it and maybe a bit of suspension work.

Quote:

Audi A3

BUY THIS CAR IF ... You need the practicality of a hatch and seating for five. You like the ease and performance of the dual clutch S Tronic tranny and AWD.
DON'T BUY THIS CAR IF ... You want to shift gears for yourself ... and you consider the driver the most important person in the car.

warmtoes · 08-01-2008, 08:22 PM

I think the big thing is that if you get the A3 with 2.0T and the Quattro that is just available or shortly available it makes the A3 a better vehicle compared to the 3.2.

MrRoboto · 08-02-2008, 07:23 AM

I just sold my A3 3.2. Their is no comparison. The A3 is over priced, underpowered, and had terrible maintenance issues.

ptack · 08-02-2008, 08:54 AM

Is that Lava with the Titanium package? That's what I was looking to get.

[/quote]

yankees25 · 08-02-2008, 10:42 AM

Yep, Lava Gray w/Titanium. Seems most people with the Titanium either get Lava Grey or white.

Dr_Jones · 08-03-2008, 08:48 AM

good luck with the a3....

Ive been a3free now for a few weeks and loving every s1ngle minute of it

Darth One · 08-03-2008, 10:16 AM

i looked at the A3 when comparison shopping for my 1. it's a nice car, with typical jawdropping Audi interiors, but at the end of the day, i would save a bunch of cash and go with a GTi

slipshot · 08-03-2008, 11:55 AM

as an owner of both cars, 2007 A3 3.2 quarto, and a 2008 135i their both great cars. A3 for hauling goods, dog, girlfriend, etc.. the 135 for just hauling... instead of taking the a3 this weekend to the west coast, ft. myers bch. i said it was time to see if the dog fits in the new 135. yes she does all 72lbs. of her. (golden re.) the car handles great.. very smooth at 100. 3100rpms. the A3 at 100 4000rpms. a great combo to have in your driveway. as i looked at the speedo, noticed it was reading 1100 miles, so i decided it was time to let her take her first DEEP breath.../ she wasn't even panting at 140.. THE DOG OF COURSE.. drive safe...

C_Topher · 08-03-2008, 12:52 PM

I really wanted the A3 quattro w/ the big motor, but no stick was a deal breaker.

IanM · 08-04-2008, 02:42 AM

Give the DSG a try. I never thought I'd ever buy an auto until I tried it, and now I've switched to a manual 135i, I actually miss it.

I had a 3.2 A3 Sportback for several years before my 135i 'vert and the article seemed spot-on to me. The A3 is more practical but the 135i is more fun. I occasionally miss the practicality, but having the top down more than makes up for that. Things might be different in Winter though, when I'll probably miss the AWD on icy roads. The handling of the 135i is far better in the dry though.

The interior of the Audi felt of a higher quality - much less plasticky than the 135i.

On the performance front the 135i is clearly faster overall but doesn't beat the A3 in every department. The A3 throttle is so much more sensitive and responsive that you get a much bigger shove in the back when you floor it at medium revs. The 135i feels faster afterwards, but that first second is nowhere near as impressive. Probably due to the slight turbo-lag. I miss that initial responsiveness but it's more than made up for by the 135i's amazing surge of torque right across the rev range.

Basically there are pros and cons to both cars. At the moment I love my 135i, but in Winter I may be missing my A3. We'll see.

ptack · 08-04-2008, 05:26 AM

I was never all that impressed with the A3 interior. Very competent, but booorringgg. No color or style. The interiors in the TT or A5 were worthy of praise. As for the speed part, there is no way an A3 is remotely keeping up with a 135i in any circumstance outside of a snowstorrm. It may be closer to an even match with a 128i. I thought they were rather similar.

MikeVictor · 08-04-2008, 05:41 AM

135i and S3 would be a fairer comparo.

IanM · 08-04-2008, 05:55 AM

Interiors are subjective I guess, but I prefered the interior of my A3 to my 135i.

I'm not saying that the 3.2 A3 would keep up with the 135i, just that the throttle response is much better. It took me a couple of months to sell my A3, so I regularly drove both cars back-to-back and the A3 was noticeably more responsive. As I said the oomph of the N54 at any revs more than makes up for it, but the throttle response of the A3 is much more satisfying.

Having said that the previous owners of my A3 were a motorsport company so I always suspected that it may have been "tweaked" in the past...

warmtoes · 08-04-2008, 09:14 AM

Quote:

135i and S3 would be a fairer comparo.

True but not available on this side of the pond.

08-01-2008, 10:30 AM	#1
warmtoes Lieutenant Colonel 31 Rep 1,917 Posts Drives: EBII 435i xDrive Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Vancouver iTrader: (1)	Comparison between 135i and an A3 3.2 http://en.autos.sympatico.msn.ca/gui...mentid=8974093 Not sure why they thought of this comparison. It just seems and odd comparo. I guess, at least in Canada, they are very similarly priced and they are both "smaller" cars. __________________ *2014 EBII 435i xDrive M-sport* Gone: 2011 TiAg F25 X3 xDrive35i M-sport Gone: 2008 TiAg w/Coral Red E88 135i Cab M-sport
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08-01-2008, 01:22 PM	#2
ManMachine Lieutenant 29 Rep 484 Posts Drives: E60 528 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Pacific Northwest iTrader: (0)	Well, it's a more fair comparison in Europe, where the 1 series hatch is offered. If you need AWD, Audi gets my nod. Otherwise, get the BMW. If you need space, well, 328iT will do. __________________ E60 528
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08-01-2008, 04:46 PM	#3
ptack Brigadier General 269 Rep 4,470 Posts Drives: 135i Join Date: May 2008 Location: NJ iTrader: (0) Garage List 2008 135i [6.50]	It was what I was cross-shopping...until I test drove the 135i. Suddenly the practicality and sensibility of the A3 got swamped by one big "yeeeehaaa" and the rest was history. __________________ 135i, SGM, Coral, Sport Package, Auto, Premium Hifi, USB/ipod, Apex EC-7s, PPK Stage II
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08-01-2008, 08:22 PM	#5
warmtoes Lieutenant Colonel 31 Rep 1,917 Posts Drives: EBII 435i xDrive Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Vancouver iTrader: (1)	I think the big thing is that if you get the A3 with 2.0T and the Quattro that is just available or shortly available it makes the A3 a better vehicle compared to the 3.2. __________________ *2014 EBII 435i xDrive M-sport* Gone: 2011 TiAg F25 X3 xDrive35i M-sport Gone: 2008 TiAg w/Coral Red E88 135i Cab M-sport
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08-02-2008, 07:23 AM	#6
MrRoboto Brigadier General 1846 Rep 4,836 Posts Drives: VO 1M Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Canada iTrader: (0)	I just sold my A3 3.2. Their is no comparison. The A3 is over priced, underpowered, and had terrible maintenance issues.
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08-02-2008, 08:54 AM	#7
ptack Brigadier General 269 Rep 4,470 Posts Drives: 135i Join Date: May 2008 Location: NJ iTrader: (0) Garage List 2008 135i [6.50]	Is that Lava with the Titanium package? That's what I was looking to get. [/quote] __________________ 135i, SGM, Coral, Sport Package, Auto, Premium Hifi, USB/ipod, Apex EC-7s, PPK Stage II
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08-02-2008, 10:42 AM	#8
yankees25 New Member 2 Rep 11 Posts Drives: Join Date: Sep 2007 iTrader: (0)	Yep, Lava Gray w/Titanium. Seems most people with the Titanium either get Lava Grey or white.
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08-03-2008, 08:48 AM	#9
Dr_Jones Major 71 Rep 1,027 Posts Drives: Join Date: May 2008 iTrader: (0)	good luck with the a3.... Ive been a3free now for a few weeks and loving every s1ngle minute of it
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08-03-2008, 10:16 AM	#10
Darth One drunk poster 6613 Rep 3,649 Posts Drives: M4 GTS \| E46 M3 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: FL iTrader: (0)	i looked at the A3 when comparison shopping for my 1. it's a nice car, with typical jawdropping Audi interiors, but at the end of the day, i would save a bunch of cash and go with a GTi
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08-03-2008, 11:55 AM	#11
slipshot New Member 0 Rep 11 Posts Drives: Join Date: Apr 2008 iTrader: (0)	as an owner of both cars, 2007 A3 3.2 quarto, and a 2008 135i their both great cars. A3 for hauling goods, dog, girlfriend, etc.. the 135 for just hauling... instead of taking the a3 this weekend to the west coast, ft. myers bch. i said it was time to see if the dog fits in the new 135. yes she does all 72lbs. of her. (golden re.) the car handles great.. very smooth at 100. 3100rpms. the A3 at 100 4000rpms. a great combo to have in your driveway. as i looked at the speedo, noticed it was reading 1100 miles, so i decided it was time to let her take her first DEEP breath.../ she wasn't even panting at 140.. THE DOG OF COURSE.. drive safe...
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08-03-2008, 12:52 PM	#12
C_Topher Señor Member 16 Rep 452 Posts Drives: 135i Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Georgia iTrader: (0)	I really wanted the A3 quattro w/ the big motor, but no stick was a deal breaker. __________________ Monaco Blue/Savannah Beige 135i
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08-04-2008, 02:42 AM	#13
IanM Enlisted Member 2 Rep 33 Posts Drives: Join Date: May 2008 iTrader: (0)	Give the DSG a try. I never thought I'd ever buy an auto until I tried it, and now I've switched to a manual 135i, I actually miss it. I had a 3.2 A3 Sportback for several years before my 135i 'vert and the article seemed spot-on to me. The A3 is more practical but the 135i is more fun. I occasionally miss the practicality, but having the top down more than makes up for that. Things might be different in Winter though, when I'll probably miss the AWD on icy roads. The handling of the 135i is far better in the dry though. The interior of the Audi felt of a higher quality - much less plasticky than the 135i. On the performance front the 135i is clearly faster overall but doesn't beat the A3 in every department. The A3 throttle is so much more sensitive and responsive that you get a much bigger shove in the back when you floor it at medium revs. The 135i feels faster afterwards, but that first second is nowhere near as impressive. Probably due to the slight turbo-lag. I miss that initial responsiveness but it's more than made up for by the 135i's amazing surge of torque right across the rev range. Basically there are pros and cons to both cars. At the moment I love my 135i, but in Winter I may be missing my A3. We'll see. __________________ 135i M Sport Convertible, Le Mans Blue, Black Top, 18", Lemon , Grey Poplar, Prof Nav, Adaptive Xenons, USB, Prof DSP, Phone, Heated Seats, Folding Mirrors.
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08-04-2008, 05:26 AM	#14
ptack Brigadier General 269 Rep 4,470 Posts Drives: 135i Join Date: May 2008 Location: NJ iTrader: (0) Garage List 2008 135i [6.50]	I was never all that impressed with the A3 interior. Very competent, but booorringgg. No color or style. The interiors in the TT or A5 were worthy of praise. As for the speed part, there is no way an A3 is remotely keeping up with a 135i in any circumstance outside of a snowstorrm. It may be closer to an even match with a 128i. I thought they were rather similar. __________________ 135i, SGM, Coral, Sport Package, Auto, Premium Hifi, USB/ipod, Apex EC-7s, PPK Stage II
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08-04-2008, 05:41 AM	#15
MikeVictor Brigadier General 210 Rep 3,288 Posts Drives: anything given a chance Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: .au iTrader: (0) Garage List 2016 Mazda ND MX-5 [10.00]	135i and S3 would be a fairer comparo.
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08-04-2008, 05:55 AM	#16
IanM Enlisted Member 2 Rep 33 Posts Drives: Join Date: May 2008 iTrader: (0)	Interiors are subjective I guess, but I prefered the interior of my A3 to my 135i. I'm not saying that the 3.2 A3 would keep up with the 135i, just that the throttle response is much better. It took me a couple of months to sell my A3, so I regularly drove both cars back-to-back and the A3 was noticeably more responsive. As I said the oomph of the N54 at any revs more than makes up for it, but the throttle response of the A3 is much more satisfying. Having said that the previous owners of my A3 were a motorsport company so I always suspected that it may have been "tweaked" in the past... __________________ 135i M Sport Convertible, Le Mans Blue, Black Top, 18", Lemon , Grey Poplar, Prof Nav, Adaptive Xenons, USB, Prof DSP, Phone, Heated Seats, Folding Mirrors.
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