Audi A3

Audi A3 2.0 FSI

Black is back in fashion - at the petrol pumps at least. More people than ever are switching from unleaded to diesel in search of lower fuel bills. But despite the recent advances in technology, some motorists are still unwilling to put up with the noise and smell of an oil-burner.

Auto Express Car Reviews

By Mat Watson

June 2003

Black is back in fashion - at the petrol pumps at least. More people than ever are switching from unleaded to diesel in search of lower fuel bills. But despite the recent advances in technology, some motorists are still unwilling to put up with the noise and smell of an oil-burner.

Well, now they don't have to because the new Audi A3 2.0-litre FSI provides diesel-like frugality without any of the drawbacks associated with the black pump. Offering an impressive 40.9mpg on the combined cycle, the 148bhp direct-injection petrol-powered car will cost almost the same in fuel bills as a 59bhp 1.3-litre Ford Ka. Yet it can sprint from 0-60mph in 9.1 seconds and go on to a maximum speed of 131mph.

If you do most of your driving on the motorway, the Audi will actually work out cheaper than the tiny Ford. That's because of the clever way the all-new engine works. There are two cycles of operation: when the car is accelerating or driving up a hill, the engine squirts petrol at high pressure straight into the cylinder. However, when the vehicle is simply cruising, it delivers just a dash of unleaded around the base of the spark plug - thus saving fuel.

On the move, the car is relaxed and refined, yet engine response is instantaneous with power building smoothly, even from low revs. With 200Nm of torque on tap, overtaking is easy. The FSI is priced ΂£16,970, making it ΂£210 cheaper than the equivalent diesel.