Driving 5,000 Miles in Audi’s A3 TDI Shows Value of Clean Diesel

Green Car Journal's six months of seat time in Audi’s 2010 A3 TDI have done nothing but affirm the obvious value of this model. This sharp, luxury-leaning sportback typifies the clean diesel breed with its low emissions and impressive fuel efficiency – an EPA estimated 42 mpg on the highway…and better from our experience – while endearing drivers and passengers to the brand. There’s simply a lot to like about this car.

The Audi A3 TDI rose to the top as Green Car Journal’s 2010 Green Car of the Year® because it does so many things right. It’s fun, stylish, and thrifty, requiring a fill-up so infrequently there’s a sort of joy experienced in regularly passing stations at a blur. Its physical footprint is small enough to allow easy maneuverability and parking, yet large enough to accommodate a driver and four passengers in comfort.

Audi’s S line exterior treatment and upgraded alloy wheels are standard fare in the TDI variant. Windows are darkly tinted for privacy and a sort of stealthy look. LED lighting is incorporated front and rear. This is a smart-looking, thoughtfully executed package.

What we’ve liked best during our 5,000 miles behind the wheel of this car is the A3 TDI’s obvious focus on being a driver’s car. Instruments are easy to read and intuitive. Steering is precise. Controls are well placed. Drop the S-Tronic dual-clutch automatic in ‘drive’ and press on the accelerator, and you’re treated to a burst of low-end torque that presses you back in the seat, courtesy of this TDI engine’s 236 lb-ft torque at the ready from just 1750 rpm.

At an MSRP of $29,950, Audi’s A3 TDI is not the lowest cost clean diesel out there…but it is certainly worth the price of admission.