White Lightning

"Got a car this weekend?" was all that the message said. Now, anytime one of us at The STAR gets a message like that from PGA Cars, we can be guaranteed that they’re just bragging about some little pack of dynamite on four wheels. They just can’t help themselves; every time something special comes in, they want to send it out. The pride and faith they have in their products is contagious. And they plan on infecting us all, one model at a time.

With a smile wider than those four rings up front, I texted back, "What you got?" Whatever it was, I knew it was going to be special; the last two cars I picked up there was an Audi TT 2.0 TFSI and a Cayenne. So forgive me when I choked after seeing this puny little A3 in white parked up and ready to go. Oh, and a diesel at that.

I expected a 3.2 liter Quattro TT, or an RS4, instead I got its asthmatic cousin. "Do I need to wait for a glow light or something?" I asked, with carefully measured disappointment in my tone.

Don’t get me wrong, the A3 is a tidy little package. Huge double moon roof; short wheel base, nimble handling and more importantly, it was Lois Lane’s preferred choice in the last Superman movie, but it just came down to expectations. Even though not a lot was said in the message, power was definitely implied.

The spec sheet claims 140hp and 320nm of torque, which is decent, but hardly as vulgar as what I had been test driving in my mind on the way over to the dealership. What it didn’t tell me was that it was all tax free. See, the reason PGA were so pushy about lending me this unit, despite having just letters measly kilometers on the odometer, can be summed up in just three letters: DSG. That’s "Direct Shifting Gearbox" in Audi speak.

Unlike anything else available on the market today, Audi’s DSG system has this incredible way of squeezing out every last drop of power from an engine. Although it has been widely referred to as a double clutch system, it is essentially two 3-speed gearboxes with a pair of clutches. When you start out, transmission #1 is in first gear and transmission #2 is in second. The clutch engages and the car starts out in first. When it’s time to change gears, the DSG uses the clutches to swap transmissions. The #1 transmission immediately shifts to third gear. At the next change the DSG swaps transmissions again, and #2 shifts to fourth. The DSG’s computerized controller calculates the next likely gear change and shifts the "idle" transmission into that gear.

This gives you lightning quick shifting without sucking any power from the engine, and executes absolutely perfect heel and toe downshifts, complete with the exact measure of throttle blipping each time. It is so quick, it feels almost virtual, swapping cogs in around 8 milliseconds, compared to the Ferrari Enzo, which takes around 150 ms. Pause for effect. It’s also significantly faster than a human: According to Audi, the A3 runs 0-60 in 6.9 seconds with a 6-speed manual and 6.7 seconds with the 6-speed DSG.

So I pull out from the dealership, and bring the little oil burning, 2-liter up to the boil. The thrust is overwhelming. It’s more like an explosion of power rather than an injection. You end up actually using the steering wheel to hang on rather than as a turning device. The tachometer snaps to attention at the redline so quickly that it would shame most gasoline engines.

It is so impressive, that I went to see my good buddy, Fransisco Blanco, down at the tuning paradise they simply call Autoplus. He had just finished dyno testing the exact same model and was still grinning from ear to ear when he said in his Columbian drawl, "Man, this car is amazing! When manufacturers quote power, you can take about ten to fifteen percent off that when you measure it at the wheel. This car pumps out exactly 140 hp at the wheel! Amazing!"

The Audi 2-liter diesel has always been a stellar performer, and now, absolutely nothing gets lost in the translation. It is fat free, sugar free and jam-packed with energy. If its power and economy you are after, you will not find a better package out there.

Obviously there are trade-offs. No car is perfect, and this is the perfect example. Although it may just come down to being so new, I found the diesel engine noisier than anything else in its class. There’s also a bit of a power lag in the first stages of the throttle until the turbo spools up, so if you plan on driving around for comfort, it is a little difficult to modulate. Again, this, I’m told, is a side effect of being new and should smoothen out with a bit more use, but I tend to believe Blanco’s theory, which is that it has been mapped that way to protect the engine and the gearbox; with such overwhelming torque for such a small package, it could end up causing damage and unwanted torque steer.

If you’re looking for a hot hatch that is about as intimidating to look at as an evaporative air-conditioner, then this is the sleeper of the century. Especially in white. You just have to decide whether its performance or comfort you are looking for, because the A3, in this guise and on our roads, will not give you both. Its firm, tight and very composed, but it can get a little vocal about any imperfections.

Never before has the Philippine market been so spoiled. And cars like the very focused little A3, 2.0-liter turbo diesel, DSG are living, fire-breathing proof of that. It may not be everything to everyone, but it definitely fills a void that could one day eventually turn into a cult.

I can’t wait for my next call.