The rehabilitation of diesel just keeps on rolling. If you haven't driven a diesel car in the last few years, be prepared for a shock. Gone are the days of belching fumes, deafening clatter and vibrations so severe you felt you could feel the car disintegrate around you. Take a drive, for example, in the 140bhp 2.0-litre version of Audi's latest A3 TDI and you'll be a diesel convert. Guaranteed. In fact, you could well swell the ranks of Diesel Bores.

They're everywhere, clattering, vibrating and belching forth predictions of diesel Formula One cars, power stations, diesel wristwatches?. You name it, they'll want to pump derv into it. Ignore them. Just take on board the simple fact that the top diesel A3 - the 2.0 TDI - is probably the pick of the A3 Range. There's a 105bhp 1.9 TDI version available too, but why would you want it when the asking price is only £1,300 less and you'd be losing out on a 35% power hike with the TDI 140 car? The sums don't add up.

Whichever way you go of course, you're getting a diesel car with all of the build quality, syrupy smooth controls and attention to detail of larger Audi models, condensed into a smaller and now even more appealing package.

Bulletproof build quality, intricate detailing and a prestigious badge once only came with a stratospheric price ticket. These days such highway snobbery is arriving in smaller and smaller packages and the latest Audi A3 line-up makes downsizing look positively attractive. As well as a meaner look, this second generation version boasts a larger body, a clever rear suspension system, smart electromechanical power steering and a revolutionary S tronic semi-automatic gearbox that comes as an option on the 2.0 TDI models featured here.

A3 Range prices start at £15,515 for the entry-level 3-door 1.6-litre petrol version but, as with the 1.9 TDI (priced from £16,725), there doesn't seem much point in buying it. After all, for only slightly more, you can get the real deal. For petrol people, that means the 157bhp 1.8 TFSI unit borrowed from the larger A4, while for diesel dwellers, it's the 2.0 TDI 140 we're testing here, priced from £18,340. The alternative for the more performance-orientated buyer is the 2.0 TDI 170 model that's available from £19,165. Five-door Sportback models with their extended wheelbase are also available and there is the choice of three main trim levels - base, SE and Sport. A further option for buyers picking the Sport model is an upgrade via the S-line pack. This features bigger alloy wheels, spoilers and S-line badging as well as various interior trim upgrades.

"The most powerful diesel version of this latest A3 is one of Audi's best efforts yet?."

Those familiar with the original A3 will notice the difference in the latest one once they climb inside. The wheelbase has been increased by 65mm compared with the outgoing model, extending the interior length by 55mm. It's also 30mm wider and 10mm lower. The result is 42mm more shoulder room at the front, 30mm more at the rear and 29mm more rear knee room. The luggage compartment benefits too, with a capacity of 350 litres with the rear seat backrest in place and up to 1100 litres with the backrest tilted down. Go for the Sportback and the 68mm of extra wheelbase helps to create a 1,120-litre luggage capacity with the back seat down.

You can hear this sort of thing, then get inside a car you'd been previously at home with and fail to notice that much difference. This time however, Audi have indeed produced a cabin which, despite the all-pervading blackness of the trim (do the Germans recognise any other interior colour?) feels less of a coal hole than in the past. And this despite the fact that you sit lower in the car (necessary to preserve headroom since the sleeker roofline is also lower). A few simple ergonomic tweaks help in the overall feeling of space and well-being. The steering wheel height adjustment Range has been increased by 20% and the reach by 5%. Moreover, the gear lever and accelerator pedal have been repositioned and there's a clever 'Z-shaped' shortened handbrake, which frees up space on the centre console for two additional cupholders which are also accessible to those at the rear.

Best of all, the cabin is built to even higher standards than before. Nothing you can buy in this sector feels as solid. We particularly liked the aluminium-fringed round air vents, the rotary ventilation knobs and the struts between the transmission tunnel and centre console, all of which are reminiscent of the Audi TT sportscar.

On the road, the 2.0 TDI 140 is impressive enough to convince the most determined of diesel doubters. The Ingolstadt engineers have created a car that can create 236lb ft of torque at only 1,750rpm. In other words, it's got more pulling power than a Porsche Boxster or a Honda NSX. In the original model, the use of a simpler suspension than that of the larger A4 used to tell over bad surfaces at lower speeds, but thanks to freshly developed four-link rear suspension, that's no longer the case and the ride quality is near perfect during faster progress. With this engine, buyers get the option of standard front-wheel drive or the quattro all wheel drive system that's fitted to the Quattro Sport model.

So, the most powerful diesel version of this latest A3 is one of Audi's best efforts yet. The 2.0 TDI satisfies on two distinct levels. Drive one and you might feel it to be the first small car that seriously challenged your need for a larger vehicle. You'll also question why you ever considered buying the petrol version. Have you been converted yet?

TOP 5 A3 DEALS

The results below show the top A3 deals on buyacar

	Audi A3 2.0 TDi 170 S Line 5dr S Tronic Hatchback
	ETR	Mthly £379	Saving £2,087	Price £22,798
	Audi A3 2.0 TDi 170 Quattro S Line 3dr Hatchback
	ETR	Mthly £385	Saving £2,037	Price £22,373
	Audi A3 2.0 TDi 170 3dr Hatchback
	ETR	Mthly £297	Saving £1,517	Price £17,668
	Audi A3 2.0 TDi Sport 3dr Hatchback
	ETR	Mthly £310	Saving £1,634	Price £18,701
	Audi A3 2.0 TDi S line 3dr Hatchback
	ETR	Mthly £345	Saving £1,814	Price £20,321

typical 10.10% APR

PCP finance quote over 48 months,  10,000 miles pa,  deposit of £1000