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Swedespeed, Fourtitude, VWvortex, mwerks, SpeedArena, Subdriven, TripleZoom

AWD was a must in my situation and the only way to get that in the Audi was the A3 3.2 or the A4 (2.0T). Fully loaded, as I did with my V50, and with dealerships unwilling to sell at less then MSRP on the A3, help seal it's fate as it was near $43,000. This was a savings of close to $6000 by going with the fully loaded V50. The A4 was a little too porky for what I wanted however sat roughly within $1500-$2000 over the V50. My conclusion was add an ECU software upgrade and power would equal the 3.2. If the A3 would have offered AWD in the 2.0T (also add software upgrade), I would be hard pressed to have bought the Volvo for many of the reasons you listed. The A3 holds a huge edge in technology. However, the V50 holds a huge edge in cargo capacity, also something I liked as I do a lot of outdoor activities.

Good write up

Modified by christophe at 10:46 AM 11-16-2005

Yeah because if you own an A3, comparing it to anything but an Enzo, there is no car in the world that can touch it

* Comparing manual transmission to manual transmission, the Volvo V50 T5 is faster 0-60. 6.6 seconds to 6.9, if I recall correctly.

* The A3 is teeny for a five-door. The V50 doesn't have a big wagon area, but it dwarfs the A3's. And cars like the Legacy GT or the 9-3 SportCombi have far, far, far more cargo room than an A3.

* Audi reliability isn't exactly stellar. It ranked 31 out of 37 for "dependability" according to JD Power for 2005.

* You can't get a power passenger seat or a memory driver's seat in an A3.

Just too different in my book. I also never bought the idea that the Subaru Forester is an SUV...sorry it's a station wagon. The Audi shouldn't be competing with the Volvo.

Mini vs. nobody
A3 vs. nobody
Volvo V50 vs. Saab 9-3 SportCombi
Audi A4 vs. BMW 3 vs. Merc. 320

1986 244 DL silver. 4-spd/OD
1986 245 DL volvo blue. 4-spd/OD
1994 855 jet black. 5-spd

Anyhow, the Audi's definitively a decent car (no Holy Grail though). Interior was nicely done, acceleration felt good (this was on the 2.0 engine never-the-less), couldn't really test the handling on the test drive too much, but it felt like it could handle pretty good. However, Audi's reliability reputation killed the deal for us. As an auditor, my gf needs a reliable car (yeah, yeah we all do). If she drove a set route daily, I wouldn't mind picking her up if/when it broke down (aside from it being a hassle though ). But in her case, one week she can be down in Miami, and the next in Vero Beach. ...plus we already had sortof/kindof settled on the Volvo anyhow by then

Anyway, two things I didn't like about the A3 (and an '06 A4 I recently sat in). First, is that the space between driver/passenger is tight. To the point that shifting was slightly awkward. And second, that the arm rest blocks the e-brake handle (and tends to be popped upwards when setting it.) Oh well, I'm still considering an A4 for myself eventually (but my drive to work is short and many co-workers can pick me up ) so those negatives were not all that bad.

Writing for multiple sites, it pushes us to be less 'fanboy' and more moderate. I hope we succeeded.

Swedespeed, Fourtitude, VWvortex, mwerks, SpeedArena, Subdriven, TripleZoom

I think you had a hard time coming to a winner, because the winner is which ever car is best for each person's lifestyle...meaning they aren't really competitors in the sense that an Accord competes with a Camry.

I think the A3 is not a good value...proof ? It makes the over-priced 325i look like a steal, meaning that the Volvo would be a smarter buy.

1986 244 DL silver. 4-spd/OD
1986 245 DL volvo blue. 4-spd/OD
1994 855 jet black. 5-spd

for my needs now, the v50 is a clear winner, for the following reasons:

3.2 l A3 is not yet available in the u.s., 2.0 l is too small, and i wanted a new car before this winter (baby due in january).

3.2 l A3 AWD will not be available in a straight manual transmission in the u.s. (just because i'm becomming a parent doesn't mean i'm going to stoop to an automatic).

i need the extra room of the V50 wagon (lots of outdoor sports, and the baby...)

i loved the volvo OSD experience.

all that being said, i would love a 3.2 l A3 as a second car....