Inside the cabin of the cars, the A3 has a bit of an advantage. Volvo gets points for its revolutionary center-stack design and the T-tec fabric is durable, attractive and actually a base cloth you might seek out over optional leather. That said, the A3s plastics have a slightly higher quality feel to them, while the interior is more handsome, its accents of aluminum a bit more sporting. The leather gater on the great-looking combination aluminum/leather shift handle beats the plastic handle amidst a plastic gate treatment in the Volvo.
Audis typically have highly bolstered sport seats, though the basic leather-clad chairs in the A3 left a bit to be desired, with a sliding rump the result of hard cornering. Contrarily, Volvo seems one of the best in the business with their seating, and the V50 benefits from that. Volvo seats never look as hardcore as some of the sport seats you might see on the market, but they hold well and provide plenty of comfort on long trips.
The V50s stereo and info center located in the top of the stack sounds good and is intuitive to work, and the personalized settings for the car can be accessed from this point a nice touch. Contrarily, the A3 included an optional Navigation Plus system thats also easy to use, but much more feature-laden aside from the Volvos personal settings. It also sounds great, though it doesnt have the same amount of punch as Volvos with the optional subwoofer something our V50 tester did not have.
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What the V50 lacked in the way of a sunroof, the A3 possessed in abundance, with its dual-panel Open Sky system. The wide expanse of glass adds to the cool quality, though the perforated sunshade leaves a bit to be desired for those seeking to hide from the suns rays.
Fire up the engines and the Volvos additional displacement and extra cylinder give it a throatier growl than the 4-cylinder Audi. Out on the road, however, the difference between the two cars really comes to light, ironically favoring the smaller engine.
With FSI and a turbocharger, the Audi has plenty of torque and a state-of-the-art transmission with which to make use of it. However, front-wheel drive really hampers performance, the Audi wanting to spin its wheels at any authoritative launch. However, it has larger 17 wheels and meatier 225/45 all-season tires that, once hooked up with the pavement, allow it to pull from 0-60 mph in a respectable 6.7 seconds, .2 seconds faster than a manual transmission-equipped A3 according to Audi.
Theres no raucous launch from the Volvo. Its Haldex all-wheel drive system allows no real perceptible spin, though the added weight of the system and the slushbox with one less gear keep it a tick behind the Audi at 7.1 seconds. Choose the Volvo with the cheaper 6-speed manual gearbox (standard equipment) and acceleration figures drop to 6.78, basically matching the A3 in straight-line performance.
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Fuel economy must certainly be another reason for consideration of each of these automobiles. EPA ratings for the Volvo are 20 mpg city and 28 mpg highway, while the A3 is rated at 25 mpg city and 31 mpg highway. One would think the A3 would have an edge here, though we were unable to record any better than 28 mpg in the A3, leaving it largely equal to the Volvo in fuel economy.
The architecture of both cars, with their fully independent rear suspensions, suggest theyd be close in handling. The A3 seems to be more satisfying, though pushed to the limits the Volvo holds close to the Audi. Were guessing it is hampered by its smaller 16 wheels and 205/55 series rubber as well as its XC70-inspired suspension. Volvo is known for tall suspensions on their all-wheel drive cars, but the gap in the fender wells combined with the smallish alloys made our V50 a visual dichotomy intending sport, but delivering more sport utility than would have been preferred.
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The Final Act
In any comparison of this nature, were also pushed to choose a winner. As the narrator of such an examination, its easy to settle on the choose the best for your needs answer, and thatd be quite simple to do here.
There were plenty of things we liked. From Audi comes technology such as FSI, DSG and Navigation Plus that certainly calls to us, while Haldex-all wheel drive, center stack dash design and significantly larger cargo capacity make a compelling case for the Volvo.
On the downside, the V50s highboy suspension, smallish wheels and 5-speed automatic slushbox werent exactly preferred. This small Volvo can at least be ordered with a manual tranny, and small wheels can be fixed with different choices in options. Suspension is a relatively easy fix with a quick call to one of several Volvo tuners.
The Audi, meanwhile, is somewhat cramped on room and surprisingly wont get all-wheel drive for 2.0T models for the foreseeable future. The A3s shortcomings are less easily fixed- quattro will be offered on the 3.2-liter A3 when it arrives later this fall and at base price, right in line with our two comparison subjects. However, the smaller size of the A3 is something youll simply have to live with should you prefer the more streamlined profile of the Audi.
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With this end must come a choice. Rather than taking desperate measures like Romeo and Juliet with their self-imposed tragic ending, wed suggest a test drive of each, and a satisfying new beginning with ownership of either car. Does that mean we havent chosen a winner? Not exactly. Theres no tragedy in that.
In a colder climate where snow is prominent, we might opt for the Volvo, skip the automatic Geartronic transmission and spend the saved money on more aggressive wheels and suspension. However, in climates where snow isnt much of an issue, the A3 would likely get the nod - thanks in part to the DSG transmission, a technology to which were quickly becoming addicted. Then of course there is the issue of style- admittedly something that neither car is short on. Either way, you can hardly be disappointed. Both the A3 and the V50 are capable and sporting choices for those with either active lifestyle or growing clan.
