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Car #1
Make
Model
Variant
Engine
Car #2
Make
Model
Variant
Engine

compare selected cars
2008. - 2012.
C - Small family car
hatchback, 3 door
front
Badges
Production
Vehicle class
Body style
Wheel drive
Safety
2008. - 2012.
C - Small family car
hatchback, 3 door
front

Marketing

Dimensons & Outlines

4238 mm
1765 mm
1421 mm
350 liters
1080 liters
55 liters
Length
Width
Height
Boot (min)
Boot (max)
Fuel tank
4199 mm
1779 mm
1479 mm
350 liters
1305 liters
55 liters
2008 Audi A3
2008 Volkswagen Golf

Engine

Volkswagen
1.4 TFSI CAXC
Petrol
4 - Inline, 4 valves per cylinder
Turbo
1390 cc
125 hp
200 Nm
Engine
Fuel
Configuration
Aspiration
Displacement
Power
Torque
Volkswagen
1.4 TFSI CAXA
Petrol
4 - Inline, 4 valves per cylinder
Turbo
1390 cc
122 hp
200 Nm

Performance (manual gearbox)

manual gearbox - 6 gears
1295 kg
9.6 s
203 km/h
7.3 l/100km
4.9 l/100km
5.8 l/100km
134 g/km
Gearbox type
Vehicle weight
Acc. 0-100
Top speed
Cons. (urban)
Cons. (highway)
Cons. (average)
CO2 emissions
manual gearbox - 6 gears
1190 kg
9.5 s
200 km/h
8.2 l/100km
5.1 l/100km
6.2 l/100km
144 g/km

Performance (automatic gearbox)

automatic - 7 gears
1310 kg
9.5 s
203 km/h
7.4 l/100km
4.8 l/100km
5.8 l/100km
137 g/km
Gearbox type
Vehicle weight
Acc. 0-100
Top speed
Cons. (urban)
Cons. (highway)
Cons. (average)
CO2 emissions
automatic - 7 gears
1216 kg
9.5 s
200 km/h
7.7 l/100km
5.0 l/100km
6.0 l/100km
138 g/km

Expenses

4500 EUR
Price from
4400 EUR

Virtual Adviser's™ opinion

Overview

Well, these are two pretty similar cars we have here! It's only details that could potentially make the difference. Considering they both belong to the small family car segment and utilize the same 3-door hatchback body style and the front wheel drive system, it all comes up to the specific petrol engine choice they offer. Both the engines are Volkswagen-engineered . The first one has a 4-cylinder, 16-valves 125hp unit, while the other one gets its power and torque from a 4-cylinder, 16-valves 122hp one.

Safety

A starting point here would be to take a look at the results from European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) tests which were performed on both of the cars, with the Volkswagen being a slightly better choice apparently. Still, apart from the official crash test results there are other things we need to be aware of. Both vehicles belong to the small family car segment, which is generally classifying them somewhere in the middle safety-wise, but it doesn't do much to help us decide between the two. Furthermore, when it comes to weight, a factor that most people underestimate, Audi A3 offers a marginal difference of 9% more metal.

Reliability

Reliability is not the best thing to consider on the make level, but it is worth mentioning that Volkswagen does have a slight advantage, at least on all of the models level. These are the official statistics, while our visitors describe reliability of Audi, as well as Volkswagen, with the same average rating of 4.2 out of 5. Some independent research have also placed A3 as average reliability-wise, and Golf is more or less at the same level.That apart, owners of different cars powered by the same engine as Audi A3 rank it on average as 3.6, while the one under the competitor's bonnet gets 4.5 out of 5.

Performance & Fuel economy

Volkswagen is a bit more agile, reaching 100km/h in 0.1 seconds less than its competitor. Still, it lacks the power to win the top speed competition, topping at 200 kilometers per hour, 3km/h less than the other car. When it comes to fuel economy things look pretty much the same for both cars, averaging around 6 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers (47 mpg), in combined cycle.


Verdict

Volkswagen appears just a bit more reliable, although the difference is truly marginal. The most important thing when deciding between any two vehicles should always be safety, both passive and active. In my opinion, everything taken into account, Golf offers slightly better overall protection and takes the lead. It all continues in the same direction, with Volkswagen offering somewhat better performance, just enough to call it quicker. It does come at a cost though, and that's the fuel consumption... It's really tough to make a final decision here, but if I'd need to, I'd say Volkswagen. Nevertheless, let's not forget that people have different preferences and needs, so what really counts is your personal feel. I'm only here to help. In case you have two minutes to spare I invite you to define your needs, desires and budget and see which car would be chosen by the virtual adviser, among thousands of similar, yet so different vehicles.

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