2014 Audi A3

Sometimes, a car appears and you immediately say, “I’d really like to drive that.” Other times, you see a car and think, “if all goes well in my life, I might actually be able to afford to drive that.” Rarely does a model fit both criteria. But the new Audi A3 sedan is one of those.
Audi teased the A3 for weeks ahead of the New York Auto Show, creating high expectations. They didn’t disappoint. After a tantalizingly annoying “slow reveal” under a sheet, the first glance seemed a little Jetta-like. Other than some slick, narrow LED headlights, the car could transport itself back in time to 1998 and not frighten anyone. But it does the job well enough, and the interior, featuring now-industry standard leather seating with accent stitching and sloping horizontal dash, is refreshingly modern without trying too hard. By the time we considered the whole package, we found ourselves thinking, in extremely sophisticated car-guy lingo, "ermagerd I want one."