2015 AUDI A3

My favorite car ever, with a few warts.

Comfort Rating: 4 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 5 Safety Rating: 5 Technology Rating: 5 Value Rating: 4

I purchased this car new in October, 2014 and have 60,000 miles on the car. I average a combined 30mpg and I am a spirited driver. The engine in this car is phenomenal. The acceleration is fantastic. It's a real sleeper. I doubt there are many other cars that have four doors and excellent fuel economy that can handle and drive as well as this car. I'm 6'2" and the driver's seat is adequate. Be sure to purchase the upgraded seats, I did not and the passenger's seat controls are very difficult to use. The passenger seat confuses every single person who enters my car, including those who have been in my car enough to know how to operate them. There is a knob to lean the seat back and it is not easy to use. For an extra $500 you can get power seats all around. There are two things with this car that annoy me to no end. At low speeds the transmission on my car clunks in and out of gear. It's unsafe. I've been on a slight hill and trying to get the car moving and it's started rolling down the hill in the opposite direction rather than engage D or R, nearly causing an accident. I've had it to the dealer several times and they've reset the transmission computer, but the issue was never resolved and I am now out of warranty. The cure is to give it more gas, and this is counter intuitive and not what you want to be doing when you're in a tight parking space or on a slight grade. It truly is a safety issue and I don't like it at all. The transmission on my car also doesn't shift that great. The automatic transmission is nowhere near as good as the engine. I've had several loaners and none have had the awful and dangerous clunking in and out of gear at low speed transmission issue my car has, and they seem to be smoother shifting as well. My next major gripe is the sunroof. Mine has been rattling since around 4,000 miles. It took me a long time to determine where the rattling was coming from. Once I found it, I took it to the dealer where they broke more parts and damaged my car. I've taken my car to three dealers and all they've managed to do was break things and put dents, dirt and grease stains on my ceiling and lie to me and tell me don't come back. I'm not making this up. I tried in vain to get support from Audi USA, but they were not helpful either. So I have a clunky, defective transmission and rattling sunroof and no support from Audi or the dealers. My experience with the three Audi dealerships I've visited has been horrible. I've owned two BMWs and two Mercedes and never had issues or outright lies from dealers like I have with Audi dealerships. Due to this, I will likely not be buying any Audis in the future. This is a conflicting review. I absolutely LOVE driving the A3. The engine, handling, ability to cruise in the snow, and the car's confidence in the rain combined with excellent fuel mileage offset the miserable transmission and horrible support from the dealers and Audi USA. I really love this car, but It's a mixed bag for sure. For the $$, I wasn't expecting annoying rattling and non existent dealer support starting at 4,000 miles. It's a shame the dealers have been unable and unwilling to help me resolve my transmission and sunroof issues. I will not to go back to the Audi dealers due to the horrible treatment and outright lying I experienced. I will deal with these annoying problems until it's time for me to find a new car, which will likely not be an Audi despite my love of this car. Audi USA, if you're reading this, I tried to contact you MANY MANY times about my experiences. It's clear that you don't care.