2008 Audi A3 Research & Reviews

Overview & Reviews

Average Score

4.67/5 Average
37 Total Reviews
This Year's Model Updates:

There are no major changes for the 2008 Audi A3. Satellite radio and an auto-dimming mirror are now standard on the 3.2 model, while iPod integration and manual rear sunshades become available on both A3 models.

Pros:
  • Versatile interior space, enjoyable driving dynamics, availability of F1-style sequential-shift transmission, excellent safety for a small car.
Cons:

User Reviews:

Showing 31 through 37 of 37.00
  • Buy this car now. - 2008 Audi A3
    By -

    Great car. Drivers car. Not floaty like IS 250 or G35. Very responsive, fast, engine has a very nice growl to it. Quattro is unmatched, do the research. 3.2 liter engine + Quattro = 0-60 in 5.9 at least. Tons of great standard options such as autodimming mirrors, bose upgraded audio system, rain sensing wipers. I love this car.

  • Just bought this car and its a blast! - 2008 Audi A3
    By -

    We came on the lot looking for an A4 and drove off with this one instead. The baseline A3 is pretty boring, but the S-Line is amazing! The Blue Sky package makes this car look very unique. Also got Sirius radio with the Bose audio package. The sound couldnt be any more clear. Well follow-up if anything bad happens, but so far so awesome! If you go to Audi of Tysons Corner, make sure you ask for Ron! Very cool guy and extremely low intensity.

  • Fun and Thrilling to Drive - 2008 Audi A3
    By -

    Just a little time with this car, but it has proven to be an excellent upgrade from my typical conservative Japanese sedan class of cars that I have driven for years. Fun, sporty, economical (best gas mileage in the class) and the engine and transmission are amazing.

  • Great so far! - 2008 Audi A3
    By -

    Had the car a little more than 3 weeks. 2.0T w/ S-Line. Test drove the 3.2 but it felt too heavy with the 6 cyl. and quattro. Plenty of kick in the 4 cyl. The S Tronic shifters are responsive and addictive.

  • Most FUN car EVER! - 2008 Audi A3
    By -

    In my years of owning different cars, one car stands out as the most practical, the most fun, and provides the most absolute joy when driving. That one car is my 2008 Audi A3 3.2 Quattro with DSG. I have gone from (in order of ownership) 87 BMW 325iC to 99 Audi A4 2.8 Quattro to 02 Audi A4 1.8T Quattro to 05 Audi S4 Cabrio to 08 BMW Z4 Coupe (Sunday car) and 08 Audi A3 3.2 Quattro DSG (everyday car), owning the last two the same time. I was a bit torn deciding between the Z4 and A3 before I moved to Chicago. I decided I just need one car so I had to sell one of the two. Needless to say, I sold the Z4 and decided to keep the A3. Sure the Z4 was sexier, faster, and just had more prestige maybe for the lack of a better word, but overall, I simply thought the A3 was just the car to keep. I am glad I did. I didnt want to regret giving up the A3 again. Rewind back to 2009, I actually owned a 2007 A3 3.2 Quattro DSG in 2007. After two years, Audi offered to buy it back from me, so I did sell it to Audi. It was a mistake because I really missed that car shortly after. And in the U.S. production stopped that year. So I went looking for another but none available -- not the A3 3.2 Quattro. So for some time I had the 08 BMW and I got myself a Subaru Tribeca as my everyday car. By chance I went looking for another A3 again in 2012 and found my now 08 Audi A3. Hallelujah! This Audi A3 is pure joy to drive. I have gotten out -- without digging around the car first -- of 19 inches of snow here in Chicago in the Blizzard of Super Bowl 2015; I have taken corners in this car that I probably would not dare take in any other car; I have gone up a circular freeway on-ramp at high speed enough to scare (and impress) my friend while he hung on for dear life to the "Oh Sh!+" handle; I have passed many cars on an uphill climb without the engine gasping for air. And whats another thing that makes this car such a delight to drive? Its that buttery and silky smooth dual sequential gearbox (DSG). Whether Im driving in automatic mode, or sport mode, or manual with the option to switch gears with the stick or paddle shifters, the double-clutch transmission is so silky smooth and quick shifting up and down. Of course, when down shifting it may not feel smooth as the engine will roar down-shifting at high speed, but that engine sound sure is music to my ears. I know there are other cars that can outperform this car out there. But for the what I get out of this 5-door hatchback -- 250 HP, 255-lb torque, DSG transmission, just to name a few -- theres no other car out there for me. I can now and honestly say, "I love this car!"

  • Joses review - 2008 Audi A3
    By -

  • Fun to drive. Poor to maintain. - 2008 Audi A3
    By -

    We bought 2008 A3 in 2015 with only 27000 miles on it. It is FUN to drive! It feels like a race horse wishing to run! This thing is made for highway driving. Its ability to accelerate and maneuver is the best I have ever felt. That said, it is annoying to drive in city. The least little bit of pressure on accelerator causes it to jump, sometimes too far too fast! It is very uncomfortable / awkard to get in and out of, and I am an average size American guy (58, 200 lbs). The worst aspect is the inability to find qualified, reliable mechanics who are willing to work on the vehicle. I have owned Ford, Isuzu, Honda, and Toyotas. I never had an issue with find qualified mechanics with those brands. Here, it took awhile to find one outside of a dealership. Audi has a management software that few mechanics have access to, and I live in south Florida, not middle of nowhere Montana, North Dakota, etc.! Also, due to low profile, going over any railroad tracks or potholes can be annoying at best, or expensive at worst. We went over one, and fractured the radiator support, which needed to be replaced. I saw later that it was made completely of plastic! How cheap! A front-end structural support made of plastic, how cheap on Audi!

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