Currently have an '06 A3 2.0T, and am thinking about the Mini. I'm driving about 70 miles round trip, 75% highway, every day for work now and was thinking about trading the A3 for a Mini Cooper for among other reasons better fuel economy. (plus, I just like the Mini!)

So I'm curious if there are any other former A3 owners here that made the trade? Pros/Cons between the two cars? How are the Mini's on the highway? Smooth ride, noise? Thanks!

Presently have a 120mi/day round trip commute; 80% highway.

2005 took delivery of a 2006, base, front drive, A3 2.0T 6spd MT. Shortly after, added KW coilovers & 19" Neuspeed forged wheels. At the time, was also considering a MCS but the A3 barely won out due to the added room. Ended up needing more room, so I sold it a year later with 15K on the clock for a FJ Cruiser.

This past July, took delivery of a '08 MCS, 6spd MT, LSD, base suspension, no sunroof.

My Opinion...

PERFORMANCE
Mini hands down. Even with the stock suspension, the Mini feels more nimble than my A3 ever did after installing the coilovers. You always felt the weight of the A3. Both companies did a fantastic job at engineering out most of the turbo lag. Published 0-60 times are in the same ballpark (6.3 for the A3 & 6.5 for the MCS) but seat of the pants, the Mini feels quicker.

FUEL ECONOMY
With some *spirited* driving in the mix, I was averaging 24ish with the A3. According to the Mini's trip computer, I'm averaging 34.9. If I drive to the last indicator of the fuel gauge (which I don't) and drive sensibly (which I don't) I'm certain I can make my Mon - Fri commute on a single tankful of gas but I'll probably be on fumes when I hit my driveway Fri evening. Fillup is anywhere between $48-$53 of premium with 2 bars left on the fuel gauge.

BUILD QUALITY
Fit & finish goes to the A3; controls felt crisp, doors closed like a bank vault, panel gaps & paint finish were excellent. The only things I hated were the plastic dashboard, grab handles by your knees and the cloth material faded too easily.

The Mini's fit/finish is good, but some of the items simply feel too fragile. When I was installing the Clearmask on the sideview mirrors, it felt like I could tear the whole assembly off if I wasn't gentle. I recently installed the JCW front bumper. The materials weren't flimsy but they also didn't feel very stout to me. A lot of the fasterners were push type plastic pieces. However, once everything was finally in place it did feel secure.

RELIABILITY
The only issue I had with the A3 was a dash rattle which I eventually isolated and fixed. Considering it was the first model year for the A3 speaks volumes in how far Audi has come along.

As I type, my MCS with approx 3500 miles has been sitting at the dealership since last Monday. It started off the Sunday prior with some transmission chattering in 2nd gear when cold. It eventually went away when it warmed up but the transmission started slipping once on boost. The following morning there was a puddle of gear oil on my garage floor. Had it flatbedded to the dealer. Diagnosis, rear main seal failed causing gear oil to leak on the clutch which lead to the slipping. While the technician was in there, he notice the input shaft of the transmission was loose which probably explains the chattering. Since they don't repair transmissions at the dealerships, I'm getting a new tranny and clutch under warranty.

We've owned different makes of Land Rovers since 1995. I'll just say... the Mini definitely lives up to its British marque. When I told my wife about the tranny, she finished my sentence for me... "It's part of the charm."

Have I soured on my Mini? Well seeing that it's already at the dealership, I'm getting the JCW Stage 1 kit fitted.

Thanks for the reply/insight. Interesting to read your feedback on it, that is for sure.

My A3 has been great actually. I initially had an exhaust rattle that took several trips to fully diagnose & repair. Since then, it's been 2-1/2 years and 26k miles with no issues at all. After the recent move, my annual mileage will shoot up to around 20k/yr., so the A3 will get some more miles on her.

Mileage wise, I've been around the 30-32 on the highway. Not horrible, but upper 30's would be nicer. :-)

I'll have to stop and test drive a mini. I test drove them when they first came out several years ago, really liked them then. Had an '01 A4 at the time.

Thanks again.

Not sure if I could help you much, although we had an A3 and a couple of Minis they were not the ones you are considering so observations will be off base I think (had the last gen MCSs and the 3.2 A3)...

Interesting I had an 01 A4 also and loved the Mini when it came out in 02. Just couldn't part with the A4 so quickly.

I've done a few road trips in the Mini and I think it's a beaut on the highway. Stable and solid - very German. An A3 driver would feel right at home. My non-S averages about 40 mpg on my highway route.

A friend of mine has an '06 A3 2.0T and I almost talked him into a Mini earlier this year, but ultimately he didn't want to give up the extra space the A3 offers.

I've had the Mini about six months and haven't had a single issue with it.

I am driving a 06' Lava Grey A3 right now! "The Ant" as we call it has around 58K and counting. It has been a great car to start out with. It has everything you would want, great space, speed when you need it and comfort as well. A great ride, and fun as peaches to drive..VROOM VROOM! Things I don't like about it are:
-Weak A/C.
-Navigation System is finniky and does not always work the way you meant it to (although it has only completely failed me once.)
- Oil Hog
-Wagonesque but almost in a cool way.
- A tad smaller than I imagined when I first got, but not too bad.

If you're already getting 30-32mpg then getting an S wouldn't make a whole lot of sense with the depreciation hit on your car and negligible gas savings. If you went to a standard and could get 40mpg you'd lose some of the performance and space you were used to while only saving about $50 a month in gas.

I have spent the last 3 months building, re-building, and lusting after my to-be-ordered-in-December '09 MCS. But then, two days ago, I ... I ... I started looking at the '09 Audi A3.

I feel so dirty and guilty, cheating on my Mini this way, but the A3 is captivating, and I've always had a thing for redheads... er, you get the idea.

The A3 has a strikingly similar torque curve and 0-60 time to the MCS, has more space, sacrifices only a tiny bit on mpg, has better build quality (I *really* hate rattles and squeaks... especially if I just dropped $30k on a car) and a longer warranty, costs about the same for how my MCS was to be configured, and (the kicker) actually has a dealer closer than 120 miles away.

My concerns are as follows:

1) The A3 is heavier than the MCS. This is balanced out some (as measured by the 0-60 times) by more horsepower, and I hear the A3 offers a much better ride than the MCS, but I don't know if the additional weight will overpower this and affect the overall driving experience.

2) The A3 has fewer build options than the MCS. Namely, I don't know if there will be a convenient way to hook my iPhone up to the A3's stereo without stuffing it in the glovebox... which makes it a little hard to dial someone up, should I need to do so.

3) The A3 is longer than the MCS. I like having a small car. But I also like carrying the occasional Ikea furniture flatpack. In the end, though, I like being able to get in and out of spaces, despite the extended-cab jackass who parked in the compact-only space across from me. Not sure if the A3 would let me do this.

4) I'm a big guy (6'4")... the MCS isn't bad for driver space, but looking at the A3's interior shots, that center console seems to encroach a bit on your leg as it comes up to meet the dash. (I already have a divot worked into my lower leg where it rests against the center console in my civic).

I'm hitting the Audi dealer this weekend to try and figure out if I should stay true to my first love, or if this new hot little strumpet is really what I am after. Others in here must have faced many of the same questions if they saw the A3 before plunking down a check made out to Mini.

Anyone regret not getting an A3?
Anyone regret getting an A3 over a Mini?
Anyone own both?

Fishbert

#3 With that additional room you also have to put up with "Hey you bought a station wagon?" No no... it's a sport cou... ahhh... forget it!

#4 mine was an '06, don't know if the '09s still have the grab handles... I'm 5'10" and on longer commutes that encroachment really starts to do a number on your legs.

"Anyone regret getting an A3 over a Mini?"
Even after my A3 modifications, I would always find myself gawking at other Minis on the road. At the time, I don't regret getting the A3 over the R53 Mini. The R56... a much closer comparison to the A3.

Re: the size, I found the A3 to be surprisingly versatile in the balance between small and useful/accessible space. It actually fit into much smaller parking spaces then I expected considering how much bigger I perceived it was based on having 4 doors. Of course it was bigger then the Mini, but actually I wonder how it does compare to the slightly larger R56 and Clubman.

Ours was a loaded 3.2 and I really enjoyed the engine, amenities (the electronics worked well and I really liked how the nav let you easily choose a route upon entering it) as well as the Haldex 4wd that could be programmed to change rear wheel bias if you wanted. The whole VAG.com thing was neat (don't know if it is still possible, but being able to change the steering feel was awesome). That engine, though, was pretty thirsty - or was that how I drove it?

With the new A3s I have a feeling the 4wd 2.0 turbo is going to be a real winner, I'd def give that a try if I was in the market for a hatch again.

Oh, and I would say that I would certainly take service into account, proximity and quality (my little experience was that the Audi service was a few notches above my local Mini service no doubt, loaners and all) as well as purchase price - I think Audis can be bargained down based on depreciated and stock.

I had a 2006 2.0T manual A3 for 2 1/2 years and 35K miles before trading it for my '08 MCS. I NEVER saw the 30-32 mpg you say you're getting, I averaged around 24 around town and 27ish on highway trips. My MCS is getting around 26-27 around town and 30+ on trips. I enjoyed my A3 (third Audi) and had no problems whatsoever with it, but it just never had the fun factor that the MINI offers. I previously had an '06 MINI that I had to sell when I got my Cayman, but I knew I'd have another as soon as the Audi reached a break even point. The A3's only advantage for me was its extra room but I can live with the MINI's cargo capability 90% of the time, I'll just rent a truck if I really need to haul something big.

I think the new A3s have better mileage then the older 2.0 engines - direct injection, etc, fwiw - they did make some kind of changes along the way