Wind your mental clock back to 1995 and you may remember BMW's attempt to sell an entry-level 4-cylinder hatchback called the 318ti. Seen as an economical, practical, desirable ride in many nations, America showed it all the enthusiasm it normally reserves for World Cup soccer.Mercedes tried a similar stunt in 2002 with a humpback hatchback called the C230 Sports Coupe. Probably assuming we'd embrace a gas-sipping $26,000 Mercedes with open arms, the C230 only got the end of our foot as we booted its butt back across the Atlantic after four years of non-sales. America does not look to German snob brands for economy or affordability and considers no level of practicality worth being caught dead in a hatchback - surely this message is clear by now.Or not. Now Audi's taking a stab at the cheapo Euro hatch thing with this A3. Sheesh, how many mistakes are they doomed to repeat? 4 cylinders? Check. Front-wheel-drive? Check. Subcompact shadow? Check. At least Audi was mindful about the hatchback thing, remembering that we covet cars that radiate youth and sex appeal. So we get a station wagon.But Audi went further in other ways, too. Though it wasn't ready from the outset, Audi followed through with a V6 engine and packaged it with Quattro all-wheel-drive - that's more like it! Better yet, this looks pretty nice for a wagon (admit it), and the A3 gets something most of its siblings don't - a Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) - but more on that later. For now, let's just celebrate the opportunity to drive the type of German car that Germans actually buy.
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