Without wishing to name any names, there are certain car manufacturers that just never seem to have got a handle on whipping up the crucial element of showroom desirability; the indefinable 'X' factor that separates a car that you admire from a car you'd hock yourself to the nines to own. Falling firmly into the latter category is the rather droolsome Audi A3 3.2 quattro, a car that presses all the right buttons with wealthy young urbanites with a handle on the concept of badge equity.

It's vitally important for Audi to be perceived as cool. Even though buyers appreciate that their wares are often little more than sharp suited Volkswagens, Audi customers are more than prepared to pay the premium for those four rings on the bonnet. Managing such a strategy isn't easy. Stretch the brand too far and customers will rebel, defecting to sister brands Volkswagen or even SEAT or Skoda. With a good nose for customer demand, Audi's marketing machine can tease the premium to its optimum. The safer alternative is to offer a car with no real equivalent in the Volkswagen line up. The Audi A3 3.2 quattro is just such a vehicle.

Despite packing a hefty 247bhp under the bonnet, this A3 is no Max Power centrefold. The Audi is a sophisticated, refined and - dare we say - mature proposition. It's a car that's defined as much by what it lacks as what it features. There are no tarmac scraping spoilers or chicken wire grilles on display. Bulging fenders and exhausts you'd need to check for tramps in the morning are notable by their absence. Drop into the immaculately crafted cabin and you won't find white dials, carbon fibre detailing or any other sporting cliché. Think clean, elegant, pared down and functional and you'll be going in the right direction.

Performance is suitably brisk, as you'd expect for a compact hatch with this amount of power. Expect 60mph to fly by in the low six second territory and where conditions permit, you'll easily achieve a rock solid 155mph maximum. Economy isn't bad for such a brawny baby, the A3 3.2 quattro managing an average of 28.5mpg. Grip is superb, as would be expected with quattro all-wheel drive and a multitude of electronic backups, but handling is typically Audi - competent but a teensy bit dull. If you do want more excitement, there's always the 263bhp S3 version.

"The A3 3.2 quattro is a car that's defined as much by what it lacks as what it features"

Audi offer the A3 3.2 quattro Sport with a six-speed manual gearbox for £24,920 and the Sportback 5-door version costs from £25,420 in Sport form. Pay £1,550 more and you can secure the S-line pack with its bigger alloys, interior upgrades, bodykit and rear spoiler. Audi's revolutionary S Tronic gearbox is also available as a £1,400 option. That may seem a hefty premium to pay for what at first seems like some fancy software, but bear with us here. Someday all gearboxes will be made this way. Jump into an S Tronic-equipped A3 and you're greeted with what looks like a relatively conventional automatic gear lever sprouting from the transmission tunnel. Closer inspection reveals that the gearstick can be knocked sideways into a slot so that you can push it forward to change up a gear and pull it back to drop down a ratio. There are also paddle shifters behind the steering wheel to achieve the same effect. But then a number of cars already feature such a system. What's the advance?

It's important to understand how these other cars' gearboxes work. Basically, they can be split into two forms. The first is a proper automatic gearbox that can double up as a rather poor manual 'box as typified by Porsche's Tiptronic system, and the second is a sequential manual box that will, at a pinch, function as a somewhat clonky automatic as typified by Alfa Romeo's Selespeed, Ferrari's F1 or BMW's SMG system. Neither system is ideal. Tiptronic style gearboxes use a torque converter and as such are inefficient and a touch slow witted albeit very smooth. The sequential manual gearboxes can be brutally efficient in manual mode but are neither smooth nor very convincing when trying to mimic an automatic gearbox. Just try a hill start in reverse and you'll see what we mean.

Audi have approached the issue in an ingenious way. The S Tronic system is a sequential manual gearbox in order to ensure efficiency and rapid responses, but it also offers a clever twin clutch system to ensure creamy smoothness. Engage first gear and the gearbox will pre-engage second gear in advance, the second clutch engaging as soon as you flick up to fire the A3 instantly into second gear. This means a seamless flow of power. The electronics predict what gear you're about to engage, depending on whether you're accelerating or braking and the result is astonishing, making every other gearbox look distinctly clunky. The other option is to slip it into 'D' and drive it like a normal automatic. Even in this mode it's butter smooth. One comes away with the impression that Audi have a tangible advantage over everybody else with this system. Porsche are already said to be sniffing about Ingolstadt to license the technology.

Standard safety equipment includes window airbags, electronic stability control, ABS, brake assist, a part-electric power steering system and anti-whiplash head restraints. The cabin has been restyled to offer a little more design flair, Audi realising that high quality alone isn't enough to lure buyers into showrooms. There has to be some style on display too. The fascia struts ape the interior design of the TT, as do the round air vents and chrome-rimmed dials. It's still not what you'd call revolutionary, but it's beautifully executed.

Although it can't claim to be a driver's car of the first order, the Audi A3 3.2 quattro is nevertheless eminently desirable. Understated but reassuringly overengineered, it more than justifies its hefty price tag. As a convincing candidate for the 'Best Hatch Bar None' title, the A3 3.2 quattro must be deemed a success. Prepare to want one.

TOP 5 A3 DEALS

The results below show the top A3 deals on buyacar

	Audi A3 3.2 V6 Quattro Sport 3dr Hatchback
	ETR	Mthly £394	Saving £2,085	Price £23,035
	Audi A3 3.2 V6 Quattro S line 3dr Hatchback
	ETR	Mthly £425	Saving £2,264	Price £24,656
	Audi A3 3.2 V6 Quattro S Line 3dr S Tronic Hatchback
	ETR	Mthly £444	Saving £2,404	Price £25,726
	Audi A3 3.2 V6 Quattro Sport 5dr Hatchback
	ETR	Mthly £392	Saving £2,135	Price £23,485
	Audi A3 3.2 V6 Quattro S line 5dr Hatchback
	ETR	Mthly £428	Saving £2,314	Price £25,106

typical 9.86% APR

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