I've had my A3 since the end of May and put approx. 6300 miles on it. I've only been in for service once, but I was very impressed with my experience.

You noted that the 4 door GTI doesn't seem to extend as far back as the A3, I agree. It certainly looks like the A3 would offer more space. That, and the 4 door GTI just doesn't look right to me. If I were in your shoes, the A3 would win just for aesthetics alone.

As far as providing a better ownership experience, the Audi is going to offer a more luxurious interior. I used to not care about the interior so much, but when you think about it that is where all of your interaction with the car happens and where your opinions about your experience are formed. Also, I've read that the GTI's suspension is stiffer. Better for performance, but not so comfortable to ride in.

Have you priced them both out? I've never looked too much into the 4 door GTI. How much of a difference in price are you looking at?

 

Well, Edmunds lists luggage capacity for both models, but I'm not sure if I believe them. They say 14.7 cu/ft for the 4dr GTI and 13.1 cu/ft for the A3. The thing that makes me question their numbers is Audi USA lists the luggage capacity of the A3 as 19.5 cu/ft. I couldn't find it listed on VW's site anywhere (that site looks like it was designed for someone with ADD).

I guess that probably isn't much help, but I tried.

 

When I got my '06 A3 I was also looking at the BMW 330i, VW Jetta GLS and the GTI 4dr along with others in about the same class. As far as cargo space measurement goes - don't just go with the bare numbers. It's easy to make measurements with a tape measure and say - "this is how big it is".
A3SL.MAN - Remember - it's not the measurement - but what you can do with it. I used to have a 540i that had a geometrically huge trunk - but the way it was laid out - I could not put a 42quart cooler into it nor a shopvac purchased on the way home from work. It's all generally up to what you want to put in there - if you have large bulky items that you will need to be hauling around the cargo cover could get in the way.
As far as dealership experiences go - go check them out. As someone had mentioned earlier - Audi and VW dealerships are both different and are expecting different clients. Overall - as BAMF had stated and I totally agree with- interior aesthetics are the biggest difference. And when I'm stuck in our well renowned Baltimore-Washington backups - I'm always pleased with the interior that I am staring at.
People can talk all the performance numbers they want or exterior styling. But, if traffic is crawling at about 1 ft per minute - what's in your view is your interior. And right there is what won me over to Audi from BMW.
Just my 1.5 cents (after taxes).

 

Thanks BAMF.
A3 as 19.5 cu/ft looks correct since the VW GTI brochure lists its cargo volume as 15.1 cu/ft.
However, it doesn't list the cargo volume with the seats folded.

VW website: Agreed!

 

My thoughts exactly.
This is why I keep coming back to Audi.

 

Yup. Consumer Reports has a thing they use to check out trunk/hatch space. It's like a box made out of adjustable PVC pices, so they cam make it taller, wider and deeper. You may want to take a look at the CR auto guide in a local bookstore, they may have some more info for you on that.

 

The reason I inquired about cargo space was that the internet specs don't agree. Here is just a small sampling of results from a Google search:

Per Edmunds.com, Full Test: 2006 Audi A3: "The A3's total interior volume is equal to the previous-generation A4 Avant, and despite the shortened cargo area behind the C-pillar you can still carry 13.1 cubic feet of luggage with the rear seat in place. Fold the 60/40 second row flat and cargo capacity jumps to 36 cubic feet."

However, Per Edmunds.com, 2007 Audi A3 Review: "And maximum cargo capacity, at 56 cubic feet, is just 3 cubes less than that of the current A4 wagon."

Per AOL Autos: "Luggage capacity: 13.1 cu.ft." "Maximum cargo capacity: 54.6 cu.ft."

Per CR: "Cargo capacity, cu ft: 19.5" However, it does not state if this is with the rear seats up or folded.

Per Automobile Magazine: "Cargo capacity: all seats in place (cu ft): 12.4"
[align=left] [/align]

 

If all you care about is the comparison between the A3 and GTI, you don't need the websites to agree with each other. The only agreement you need is intra-site agreement that one has more space than the other.

Besides which, if these professional sites disagree, do you really expect better measurements from us? Suppose, for example, that one of us took the time to go measure cubic feet of cargo space for our A3 and then for a GTI, came back here and reported our results. Would you take those numbers more seriously than the numbers off a professional website?

 

The dealership where I purchased my A3 carries Porsche, Audi, and VW. Maybe you can find a dealer within driving distance that also has both Audi and VW and compare them side by side.

 

I'd go with the A3 2.0T

I got one of these as my loaner car from the dealership.

It's smaller in cargo space than my A4 Avant.

The seats go down in the back. it's a 2/3rd or 1/3 split,

very sporty.

-c