Hey all
Thanks for all of the great a3 info.
I am looking to replace a 2007 GTI and taking a look at an a3 Etron (2016 or 2017) or an eGolf (2017).
I live in Chicago and have a SUV for really long family trips. This would primarily be a city commuter car, typically 20 miles a day).
Both are a bit rare to buy in the Chicago area, the eGolf was only sold new in the east and west coasts.
The cost on an a3 is approx $22k and the eGolf SE is around $17k. (Of course the a3 has leather, etc and is higher end than the eGolf.)
My concerns with the a3 Etron is the battery system after a few years and also the overall hybrid system. It is 2 systems to breakdown or have troubles with.
The eGolf is interesting however I will have to wire my garage for higher power charging.
Is the a3 worth the higher price?
Also any other thoughts on both would be great.
Thanks
You should be able to find outstanding prices on VW eGolfs, since they are to be discontinued soon. All will move to the new chassis systems. The difference between the eGolf and the A3 Sportback e-tron are differences in what you want in your vehicle. If you are a single vehicle household, you might likely prefer the Audi. It does have more interior room than the eGolf and is more upscale, but you do only have ~20 miles electric range. We have not notice any battery degradation in our A3 e-tron, which we purchased in Feb. 2017, but we have also not driven it that much. We are only at 16K miles.
We drive our Audi for in town trips which will fit within the 20 miles all electric range. For longer trips, we use our 2018 Tesla Model 3. The only long trips we take in our Audi are when we want to tow our small trailer for camping. That has been only twice since the towbar was installed, because COVID-19 has blocked nearly all our trips. The Audi, while it only has a 1.4L engine, has more horsepower and more torque than our 2004 Volvo V40 which we previously used to tow this trailer. The added benefit is that we can then drive all electric from where we are camping, if power is available at our site or nearby. If not, then we are usually in the 35-40mpg range in hybrid mode. Note than many CA state and national parks are adding free Clipper Creek Level 2 chargers (and some Tesla destination chargers), but I don't know how many other states are doing the same. This would add to the Audi's benefits on longer trips.
The main benefit for the eGolf is that it is a BEV, full battery electric, without any gasoline use at all. It is not a Tesla in acceleration, but it is definitely quick off the line and can easily merge onto crowded freeways with short onramps. Driving full electric is simply something which can not be fully explained. You have to drive an EV to really understand. Getting a test drive is the best way. There are even "touchless" test drives available around the country, keeping customers safe. I would hearily recommend a test drive before you make any decisions.
If you are truly interested in the Audi A3 Sportback e-tron, you can hold on for a year or so and the new chassis version should be available, WITH a larger battery pack, potentially offering 30+ miles of electric range, rather than 18-20 miles. I assume that the price also increase, but that is usually a given.
You can also investigate the VW ID.4, which should be the size of the Tesla Model 3 and compare very well with specs. The negative is that a used Audi A3 Sportback e-tron would cost significantly less, but so would a used EV with 85 to 140 miles of range. Check here for info on how to search Kelly Blue Book for used EVs (
https://www.saceva.org/finding-used-pevs-at-kbb).
Good luck! By the way, we love both our Tesla Model 3 and Audi A3 Sportback e-tron and will NEVER return to all gasoline/diesel vehicles.