The Audi A3 while a wildly popular enthusiast platform in the UK and Europe has not proven to be a huge hit for Audi stateside, where Americans have been slow to embrace it’s many charms. Not quite a hot-hatch and not nearly pedantic enough to be a humdrum utility wagon, the A3 occupies a sort of ill-defined niche for American enthusiasts that is just now beginning to be explored by the aftermarket enthusiast. Compact, spacious, sporty, luxurious and fuel efficient the A3 platform takes a something for everyone approach and in doing so provides a terrific daily with the underpinnings and pedigree to be a “hot-hatch.” Wherever the nation’s automotive zeitgeist is headed, enthusiasts will like the A3.
