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RURAL DRIVER
Country mile flier On the farm, or in the workshop, there comes a time when everyone gets the urge to park up a practical utility for a zippier model.
but smartly tucked away until needed. The media system, for instance, slides out of the dashboard at the touch of a button. Passing is also deceptively easy, as the gearbox quickly responds smoothly to a tricky situation, with a dab on the accelerator. Whether as your second off-farm vehicle, While we are not talking about V8 power for touring or as a well-earned treat for a here, it’s more than enough to get out of a good payout, what better than the Audi tight spot. The A3’s ride and stability are TFSI Sports S. also a delight A confirmed sports with minimal hatch disciple and road noise. Audi fan, reviewWhile the ing this A3 sports entry level Specifications: model was like a ‘sport’ packs Audi A3 1.4TFSI Sport S Tronic child being given the reasonable pep, Engine: 1395cc, four cylinder, 16 valve keys to a chocolate if you are lookFSI fuel injected turbocharged engine factory. ing for more puts out 90 Kw (122hp). Blair at Farmer get-up-and-go Torque: 200Nm from 1400-4000 Auto Village in out of your rpm. Tauranga gave me Audi you are Transmission: Seven-speed S Tronic, a rundown, before spoilt for choice with paddle shift option. Acceleration: Reaches 100 km/h from deciding to head (from the 2.0 standing start in 9.3 seconds. over the hill to TDI offerFuel economy: five litres per 100 km. Hamilton to test her. ing 110 kW Safety: Antilock Brakes System (ABS), I have always said through to the Electronic Brake Pressure System the secret to assessS3-A3’s top-end (EBPS) apply braking force to disc ing a small hatch sport –with its brakes on all four wheels. Active head restraints, front and side airbags. is spending time in astonishing 221 Price: Starts at $48,400. one – so it was in kW). Dealer/contacts: Farmer Auto Village, touring mode that I I have always Hewletts Rd, Mount Maunganui. headed out of town. found a big Phone: 07 578 6017. The Kaimai Ranges challenge with were dispatched with hatches to be ease, the seven-speed the unfolding automatic system oneself after quietly going about a drive. The its business with an astonishing lack of litmus test, on the suitability of the car to a noise, hesitation or lag. I didn’t even know broad market, was going to be getting out what gear I was in until I checked. of the A3 in a vertical position in HamilThe interior layout is simplistic yet unobton. trusive. It has all you require and expect, Surprise, surprise, my ancient limbs
arranged themselves in a reasonable order, and I could actually stand upright. Usually, after a journey in a small car it would take five minutes to rearrange my posture. It’s a gigantic tick for the A3 as a genuine comfortable tourer. Leaving the ‘Tron’ in the rear vision mirror I headed for the back roads around Walton and Matamata to put the ‘sports’ part of the badges through its paces. The last time I travelled these roads, I was putting a Fiat Abarth, and later a Golf GTI, through their paces on test drives. In those days, the hills were alive with the sound of sheep not hobbits. Before I commenced my spirited journey through the rolling hills, I took some time sorting out the electronic gear system, as I am a fairly ‘old school’ sort of guy. A gear stick is for me not a flappy paddle thing on the steering wheel, so I set the car in sports mode. The A3 was superb. Point it into a corner and out you come the other end under acceleration with the chassis as flat as the Canterbury Plains. The hobbits were possibly in a state of shock, hearing an Audi under power (a joyous sound) with the driver singing and laughing as he drove by. Honestly, I have not had this much fun in a vehicle since the days I drove the forementioned marques through these same hills. Stunning. Changing gear was quick and precise, the rear discs and a system called ‘brake force recuperation’, making sure plenty of stopping power was available on demand. The seats held me tight in position, as I was going from a left-hand corner straight into a right-hander, no body roll (car or human). It was with absolute regret that time was
never to allow me to head to Wellington and basically keep driving this superb car. Through Matamata, then over the Kaimais – but not without one last flick of the gearing system into sports mode for a blast up the hill. Simply brilliant. My big question is how can Audi get this sort of performance from a 1.4 litre vehicle? It’s obscene. The A3 ticks all the boxes I’m looking for in a vehicle – fun, affordability, performance, safety, economy, comfortability – it even offers surprisingly generous luggage capacity. If you are looking for a vehicle that offers all the above for a small family, or a fun sports hatch, you will be hard pressed to find a better made or driveable By Tony Breeds car. Would I own one? Absolutely.
Audi intensified
The new Audi A3 Sportback. Bigger, faster, lighter, stronger, better.
Bay Prestige 116 Hewletts Road, Mount Maunganui Ph 07 578 6017 www.bayprestige.co.nz