Audi's look of the Irish

WE MAY NOT BE able to boast of our own car brand or even a production plant, but Ireland can now lay some claim to a big-selling premium car. Audi’s new A3 owes its styling and design to a rising star in the car maker’s management who hails from Co Dublin.

David Caffrey has one of the dream jobs for every doodling petrolhead. At 38 he currently heads up a senior team at Audi’s future design centre in Los Angeles.

And while he’s now tasked with penning cars we’ll be driving in 2020 and beyond, his work can already be seen on our roads. The Dubliner, who grew up working weekends at his father’s panel-beating business in the city centre, already has a strong-selling Audi model to his name; he was also the designer of the Q5. Now he’s adding to his road-going portfolio with the new A3.

The Newcastle, Co Dublin native designed the third generation of A3 under the guidance of VW Group chief Walter de Silva, but the end product is very much the work of him and his team.

So what of the new car? Well, Caffrey can be proud of the design. “We were looking to reflect not only the car’s performance but also its lightweight structure,” he tells The Irish Times. While a lot of people assess the overall style, Caffrey says that every little nuance of styling is debated and discussed.

Many discussions, it seems, revolved around the need to reflect the significant weight savings of this new model. Audi has managed to shed an impressive 80kgs on average off the new A3 compared to the outgoing model. The savings have been made in things such as the engine crankcase, lighter seats and body panels.

The car now boasts a similar weight to the first A3 that was launched in 1996, despite the fact it’s loaded down with far more safety and infotainment equipment than anyone imagined in a hatchback back then.

In terms of its lines, while this new model takes its cue from previous generations in that it’s clearly an A3, the creases and curves are a lot more striking than before.

Inside the A3, and once more Audi stakes its claim as being the best interiors in the motoring world. There’s a quality feel and finish to the cabin and controls that would not be out of place in a larger – and more expensive – premium car. In this area alone, it leaves the other premium hatchback rivals in the shade. There’s never a sense that you are paying a price for choosing one of the smaller Audis in the range.

Smart new features include a standard 5-inch colour screen that’s iPad thin and pops out of the top of the dashboard. The various features from the car’s set-up to infotainment system and sat-nav are controlled using an intuitive control dial and toggle switches just behind the gearstick. It’s smooth, smart and feels premium.

Buyers get the chance to activate the sat-nav system with an SD card of maps for €250, or opt for an upgrade to the larger 7-inch screen and added features in the Audi i-Touch range. These include the chance to have internet connection in the car, sat-nav with very impressive Google Maps views and an upcoming Facebook interface. The i-Touch adds an extra €1,500 to the price, which seems steep at first but once you use it then it becomes a tempting proposition.

The technology theme continues when it comes to safety. While mid-level SE versions will get cruise control and rear parking assist systems, additional options include a self-parking assist system that self-steers the car into and out of parking spots only 80cms greater than the vehicle’s length. An adaptive cruise control system can also be added that will bring the car to a stop at speeds below 30km/h if it detects a potential collision. While 30km/h isn’t really that much, the system will prevent low-speed shunts in traffic if the driver is distracted.

The new A3 features five engines in the range. Petrol versions start with a 1.2-litre 105bhp, a 1.4-litre 125bhp and a 1.8-litre 180bhp. In the diesel range, undoubtedly the biggest selling versions, will be a new 1.6-litre with either 90bhp or 105bhp and a 2-litre with 150bhp and 184bhp. All but the 1.8-litre petrol version qualify for lowest band of motor tax, just €160 a year, while the 1.6-litre diesel boasts emissions of 99g/km.

On the road, the 1.6-litre – likely to be the biggest seller of the range in Ireland – is smooth and silent, if a little underpowered. We test drove the 105bhp version and while it’s quiet and economical, it drops significant torque when you change up through the gears, so you need to work the throttle more than we expected.

The 2-litre diesel is obviously more powerful, but paired with a dual-clutch automatic transmission that seemed tuned for economy over speed it also lacks the expected punch. Perhaps the most agile of the range is the 1.4-litre petrol, which seems most at home in this car.

The ride on 17-inch wheels was firm, particularly in the 2-litre diesel, but things would improve with the 16-inch standard wheels, although the car does lose some of its character. There’s only marginal bodyroll and the A3 feels stable and nimble even on twisting roads.

Prices start at €21,500 for the 1.2-litre version, but on paper at least that seems like a very small engine for the A3, even after dropping 80kgs. Our money would be on the 1.4-litre petrol or the 1.6-litre diesel, although if you want more performance then the 1.8-litre petrol could be the answer. The €1,000 step up from standard to SE specification seems like a smart investment and tech fans will probably justify the extra €1,500 spend on the improved i-Touch features.

The A3 used to be regarded as a posh version of the VW Golf, but the improvements in the cabin, along with its styling and high-end safety features, means it can be classed as a fully-fledged premium car that just happens to be a hatchback. And the fact that an Irishman designed it offers a little bit of Irish pride.

FACTFILE

Engines/emissions (motor tax):1.2-litre petrol 105bhp/117g/km (€160); 1.4-litre diesel 125bhp/120g/km (€160); 1.6-litre diesel 105bhp/99g/km (€160); 1.8-litre petrol 180bhp/135g/km (€225); 2-litre diesel with either 150bhp or 184bhp/ 108g/km or 114g/km (€160)

Specification:Standard model comes with front, side and curtain airbags; Audi's MMI system with 2 SD memory card readers; Bluetooth phone connection and music interface with Apple iPods and iPhones; 5.8-inch colour control screen. Sat-nav can be added to this via SD card for €250. MMI+ system (€1,500) adds 7-inch screen; sat-nav with Google Maps, Facebook interface (coming in 2013);

Starting prices:(Petrol engines) 1.2-litre €25,100; 1.4-litre €26,600; 1.8-litre (SE version) €30,400. (Diesel engines) 1.6-litre €27,500; 2-litre 150bhp €29,000; 2-litre 184bhp €31,750.