This is why I love autotopNL, max has driven all sorts of supercars, and even these 'older' and 'slower' cars get us car guys excited, great content as always
The amount of innovation in the VW Group during the 2000s was just staggering, and these late 2000s cars seem like the perfect sweet spot of modern quality, speed and luxury without the excessive tech, gawdy styling and safety interference. Even those red LCD displays look so timeless compared to a crappy 10 year old touchscreen!
i love these kind of reviews, cool cars that are obtainable, under the radar, yet so well made, everything you need, nothing you dont, they have quality and performance but they dont shout about it.
@@rjj00 I wanted to try an S3, it was very popular where I live and a much newer year and less km so in the end, I pulled the trigger. Regret? Yes, sometimes I definitely regret selling it. That engine note was superb and the character of the car was very nice, quite exotic. A sleeper that has surprised many a Cayenne and BMW of that period :)
The A3 3.2 vr6 is the definition of a sleeper ! This one with those alloys even more so. It does not look like a performance car , yet it is........Cool !
@@RiasGremoryS54 True but the difference is quite big. The biggest difference is in the suspension the R32 is much stiffer so you experience much less understeer.
@@uygar2580 No big difference in comfort; yes the R32 has stiffer suspension but it still isn't uncomfortable and sound insulation is about the same in both cars. The R32 feels faster because it IS faster.
The launch control on that generation of VW products 1. Press Brake and Hold 2. Park gear 3. ESP off 4. Sport gear 5. Acceletor on, launch activated 6. Release brake and off you go
That's an Audi I would really consider to buy. It's for people in the know. Such an understated design. I'd get rid of that 3.2 badge, so all the people around me would be non the wiser what kind of engine I'm running here.
I completely agree with you on modern (past 2012ish-) cars. Everything is plastic now, fake exhausts, fake tuned, fake exhaust noises even your grandmas 25,000 € Citroen. And the German big three Audi, Mercedes and BMW jumped on that wagon too, it's so embarassing. We need more early 2000s reviews!
I had this car as a 2 door version. It felt like getting into a normal hatchback until the engine was turned on. Then it felt like a supercar. No doubt about it, It's a wolf in sheep's clothing. Still miss it today.
One of my relatives have a 2004 Audi A6 DSG which as far as i know has the V6 and not the VR6 engine but it puts the same power as this A3. I’ve got to drive it quite a few times and i gotta tell you guys it’s a nice machine even tho it’s now 20 years old. It’s very comfortable, gearbox it’s still good and shifts smoothly (like Max said), it’s stable enough even at high speed because it has the quattro system, interior it’s nicely finished and build quality it’s not that bad also it has a beige / black interior which it’s really cool. Guy who has it drives it like hell and he also don’t mind sharing it with his cousins / uncles etc whenever they need it😂that’s why it has more than 400-450k km now i don’t remember the exact number. Now, the only downside of this car it’s that maintaining it it’s very expensive (atleast in my country) and it also likes to consume / burn alot of engine oil so you gotta have a few bottles of oil in your trunk just in case 😂 as for the speed that things still delivers even after all those years and kilometres done, it may have lost a few horsepower of course but it’s still enough for every day use.
The Launch control could not be working for 2 reasons. 1: There might be a predetermined amount of launches you can do on the gearbox, this is to make sure you can't destroy it. Most of the cars have a limit of 200, which can be increased with a tune. 2: The oil is not 80°C. The oil needs to be 80° in most models, I believe. If it never works it might be worth checking the oil temp sensor to see if it still works.
Send your friend to custom chips in Durlangen, Germany. They have a really nice tune for the engine and the DSG. Have it on my TT 3.2 and the car really goes after that tuning
We had one for sale back in the days, really nice handling and quick car, the only thing what we did not like was the fact we had to fill the gas tank three times a week 🤣💸
For my first car I got the facelifted 08/09 petrol 3 door Audi A3 8p1 auto 2.0tfsi quattro s line with 87k miles. It’s 30k miles below average. Cost 6k£
I love the the r32's, they sound great, and have a lot of tuning potential and the Audi a3 r32, I love a little bit more as they are very under the radar and here in Denmark, a lot cheaper.
Hi Max, Love to see you so excited about a 20 y/o car which I also happen to own (albeit the 3 door variant). Mine feels like it's at its end @ 350.000km, so I am looking for something else, but I fear I'll regret getting something else for many of the same reasons you mention in the video. I feel it's quite a unique little car. It has this quality of one day feeling disappointing and outdated, the next day it excites me with a grin from ear to ear for various reasons (but that's often after blasting down some little countryroad like a madman =)). I really hope manufacturers will return to making substantial cars quickly...
Really nice subtle sports hatchback! But honestly, I''m surprised by how much Max likes the DSG gearbox. I think a car like this especially sounding this good, and is not ridiculously quick through the gears, just needs a manual gearbox!
@@lisserkc6000 that's the point, it makes sense in a car way faster than this. But a car like this that's just fast enough to enjoy, shifting speed is not that important in my opinion. And you can enjoy the VR6 sound much more since you're in control of the accelerator pedal rather than just going full throttle and shifting fast.
I have the tt mk2 3.2 vr6 with the magnetic ride suspension from Audi, It’s amazing how people just look at me in traffic and want to race me but when I smash the throttle they get the surprising vr6 sound while looking at my back bumper😂 Especially cooper s and bmw series 1 And series 3
Duuude you smash out so many videos so therfore i ask if you have any like test for best cheap old cars like this to have as a every day drive. Is golf gti the goat?
Very nice Audi and as always great content... but i´m also always a bit concerned when i hear "imported from the US", i had the chance to buy one of those but i was to afraid they might have a so called "salvage title" which in the end leads to that i´m not buying the car...
It does have but it’s not the easiest thing to do, If you press the brake too much hard it will rev only up to 1500rpm But if you slightly press the brake it should go to 3000rpm 1-come to a stop 2-esp off 3-sport mod 4-mash the throttle and let go the brake. 5 let the car flight 0-100 5.8 in mine 🧏🏼♂️
I prefer the R32 by far over the A3 3,2 quattro just alone for the exhaust sound. The R32 sounds WAY better, even tho the A3 has 9 hp more due to its "superior" exhaust design. I'd always go the "9 hp less but better sound" route, even tho i am adulted ^-^,
I see these as a grown up version of the r32 ,not everyone wants to be heard or seen coming unless you're a boy racer if you over a certain age this is the one you want
This was an S3 that is hiding under a suit. Small car with big engine is always fun, especially when you have the Audi quality and quattro AWD backing it up.
Golf MK4 and MK5 were available with those engines as well. To put this EA390 engine with a turbo on it into MK1, MK2 and MK3 is quite common over here in Germany. Turbo'ed this engines are unbelievable ^-^,
It's a cool car but one of the slowest 200hp cars I've ever driven... My brother had a3 2005 (BUB) and with my 90hp +chip TDI I drove away from him every time haha Sleeper 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
how expensive is the 3.2 to repair? what to keep an eye on to let the engine run a long time without trouble? I don't want to buy a 10k car just to invest another 10k for an engine swap.
I have a golf 5 r32, I can only compare to a golf 6 gti which I had before and I only had to do thermostat which was around 70 euros in 15000 km. So I would say these engines are super reliable. Keep in mind the fuel consumption, I never got under 10 liters outside of city. BTW, 270000 KM in mine and even the DSG shifts are very very quick and smooth.
@@christophschmitt5444 really hard to find a well maintained 3.2 nowadays and the ones that received oil change at Audi/VW dealerships probably only got that 5w30 longlife junk. I would only use a 5w40 and change it every 10-15k
You should do a video driving the 2007-2009 MDX. More horsepower than this A3 and in my opinion, looks better. I drive an MDX and they are really fun to drive. I owned a 2016 BMW 328i and my MDX feels more fun to drive
@@Swiss4.2 No he didn't have any right to pull out; he wasn't past the car yet - if AutoTopNL was to stop for any reason (give it a squirrel jumping out); the silver car would hit run into him.
Please get a pole to put the camera on and it will stop you putting your hands over the lens and waving them about. It ruins the video and you have only recently started to do this. I know other youtube people started doing it to be "different", but it means your hands are over the lens blocking what you are filming. It is as bad as when people play loud music all over videos! It adds NO value to the video production. People prefer plain and simple and packed with facts, we couldn't care less which youtube filming course people were scammed in to buying and how they all want their videos to look the same, or how many video or audio effects you can pack in to a video. If there is ONE car you are filming, there is no need to point at it as you describe it, we know it is what you are talking about as YOU are filming it! Don't fall in to the trap of making your videos look rubbish as others have a laugh at them.
Not that at all. Golf has Lancia power-to-weight ratio. A3 is what corvette should've been, if they weren't stuck to creating it in a V8 country (makein it a dreadnot).
This is why I love autotopNL, max has driven all sorts of supercars, and even these 'older' and 'slower' cars get us car guys excited, great content as always
100% right
The amount of innovation in the VW Group during the 2000s was just staggering, and these late 2000s cars seem like the perfect sweet spot of modern quality, speed and luxury without the excessive tech, gawdy styling and safety interference. Even those red LCD displays look so timeless compared to a crappy 10 year old touchscreen!
i love these kind of reviews, cool cars that are obtainable, under the radar, yet so well made, everything you need, nothing you dont, they have quality and performance but they dont shout about it.
Had the 2 door version of this as the first car I bought. I have so many fond memories of it! Loved it to bits
@@RoHunter Why did you sell
@@rjj00 I got to a point where I wanted to try something different.
@@RoHunter Ah! What did you upgrade to out of interest? do you ever regret the sell?
@@rjj00 I wanted to try an S3, it was very popular where I live and a much newer year and less km so in the end, I pulled the trigger.
Regret? Yes, sometimes I definitely regret selling it. That engine note was superb and the character of the car was very nice, quite exotic. A sleeper that has surprised many a Cayenne and BMW of that period :)
This was my dreamcar when I was an 18 year old without a car
Any audi is a dream car. They're all made as right as aston. Except for the weight.
@@prosto_potomuwto Im 18 and I drive my Dad's old A4 B5 1.8T 20V avant and its fairly light around 1350kgs
This was my achievable dream car too, and finally I bought it almost 1 year ago. I'm in love with the VR6!
The A3 3.2 vr6 is the definition of a sleeper ! This one with those alloys even more so. It does not look like a performance car , yet it is........Cool !
Same goes for the E82 135i lol
No the Passat W8 is the definition of sleeper
I had both the R32 and the A3 3.2 but the R32 is way more fun, sounds and handles better and feels much faster (even though it isn't on paper).
The Golf is more sporty because it's the R32 most sporty model so it's no surprise tbh
@@RiasGremoryS54 True but the difference is quite big. The biggest difference is in the suspension the R32 is much stiffer so you experience much less understeer.
Ok 👍🏻
Probably feels faster because of less comfort. Older Honda's feels faster too.
@@uygar2580 No big difference in comfort; yes the R32 has stiffer suspension but it still isn't uncomfortable and sound insulation is about the same in both cars. The R32 feels faster because it IS faster.
The launch control on that generation of VW products
1. Press Brake and Hold
2. Park gear
3. ESP off
4. Sport gear
5. Acceletor on, launch activated
6. Release brake and off you go
That's an Audi I would really consider to buy. It's for people in the know. Such an understated design. I'd get rid of that 3.2 badge, so all the people around me would be non the wiser what kind of engine I'm running here.
Nice work on showing the 2 views of the speedometer inside each other. Great way to show both without taking too much space!
I have to say i like it, that you pay attention to the animals arround you and try not to harm them
This engine should be back in the VWs and it feels faster
I like the A3
Had a a4 3.2. Savage loved it.
Hey,
It’s not the same engine,
Yours 3.2 v6 it’s a real v6
(60/90 degree)
while the r32 / vr6 3.2 it’s like the name says,
A inline v6 (15 degree)
I completely agree with you on modern (past 2012ish-) cars. Everything is plastic now, fake exhausts, fake tuned, fake exhaust noises even your grandmas 25,000 € Citroen. And the German big three Audi, Mercedes and BMW jumped on that wagon too, it's so embarassing. We need more early 2000s reviews!
Absolute beast of a car ifykyk
I had this car as a 2 door version. It felt like getting into a normal hatchback until the engine was turned on. Then it felt like a supercar. No doubt about it, It's a wolf in sheep's clothing. Still miss it today.
need to get a Passat R36 on channel 😀
They have a vid with the R36 from 9 years ago
It's the Audi counterpart for the Golf MK 5 R32.
The only downside it was quiet thirsty for it's performance and the issue with the timing chain.
One of my relatives have a 2004 Audi A6 DSG which as far as i know has the V6 and not the VR6 engine but it puts the same power as this A3. I’ve got to drive it quite a few times and i gotta tell you guys it’s a nice machine even tho it’s now 20 years old. It’s very comfortable, gearbox it’s still good and shifts smoothly (like Max said), it’s stable enough even at high speed because it has the quattro system, interior it’s nicely finished and build quality it’s not that bad also it has a beige / black interior which it’s really cool. Guy who has it drives it like hell and he also don’t mind sharing it with his cousins / uncles etc whenever they need it😂that’s why it has more than 400-450k km now i don’t remember the exact number. Now, the only downside of this car it’s that maintaining it it’s very expensive (atleast in my country) and it also likes to consume / burn alot of engine oil so you gotta have a few bottles of oil in your trunk just in case 😂 as for the speed that things still delivers even after all those years and kilometres done, it may have lost a few horsepower of course but it’s still enough for every day use.
Love the sound
8:59 Muscle memory
old and gold😍😎
I love this car❤❤
Should give feelings like nfs underground times when you put louder exhausts. VR6 has one of best sounding 6 cly setup.
I've always loved the 8P A3, on my second one now with the VR6. dreading doing the chains..
I have an Audi TT mk2 3.2 manual and I love it so much
Skoda superb 3,6 Review 😊
The Launch control could not be working for 2 reasons. 1: There might be a predetermined amount of launches you can do on the gearbox, this is to make sure you can't destroy it. Most of the cars have a limit of 200, which can be increased with a tune. 2: The oil is not 80°C. The oil needs to be 80° in most models, I believe. If it never works it might be worth checking the oil temp sensor to see if it still works.
Send your friend to custom chips in Durlangen, Germany. They have a really nice tune for the engine and the DSG. Have it on my TT 3.2 and the car really goes after that tuning
what changes did you notice
We had one for sale back in the days, really nice handling and quick car, the only thing what we did not like was the fact we had to fill the gas tank three times a week 🤣💸
Both the A4 and A6 got the VR6 too. I’d love to own an Avant with that engine someday.
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but the A4 and A6 got the 3.2 FSI, right? The VR6 was made for small cars, it's also not FSI.
@ Yeah, now that I think of it, I think the A6 got the normal V6, but I know the A4 B7 got a Quattro VR6 drivetrain
For my first car I got the facelifted 08/09 petrol 3 door Audi A3 8p1 auto 2.0tfsi quattro s line with 87k miles. It’s 30k miles below average. Cost 6k£
i had the same engine in a A4 2011 quattro 265hp, pretty good sounding car !
The engine in A4 is completely different. It is normal V6, not VR6
I love the the r32's, they sound great, and have a lot of tuning potential and the Audi a3 r32, I love a little bit more as they are very under the radar and here in Denmark, a lot cheaper.
Please try with audi rs7-r ABT 2021
It's my dream car
Hi Max, Love to see you so excited about a 20 y/o car which I also happen to own (albeit the 3 door variant). Mine feels like it's at its end @ 350.000km, so I am looking for something else, but I fear I'll regret getting something else for many of the same reasons you mention in the video. I feel it's quite a unique little car. It has this quality of one day feeling disappointing and outdated, the next day it excites me with a grin from ear to ear for various reasons (but that's often after blasting down some little countryroad like a madman =)). I really hope manufacturers will return to making substantial cars quickly...
Maybe get an r32. Same engine but different car. Different interior and exterior. But still that 3.2
Really nice subtle sports hatchback! But honestly, I''m surprised by how much Max likes the DSG gearbox. I think a car like this especially sounding this good, and is not ridiculously quick through the gears, just needs a manual gearbox!
Dsg is decently fast. Way faster than most people can shift manually
@@lisserkc6000 that's the point, it makes sense in a car way faster than this. But a car like this that's just fast enough to enjoy, shifting speed is not that important in my opinion. And you can enjoy the VR6 sound much more since you're in control of the accelerator pedal rather than just going full throttle and shifting fast.
@@maartenvanvenrooij3646 ohh yeah i didn't understand you right but that is definitely true
Dream car
I wish they did a facelift black edition of this Audi that would've been so cool
I have the tt mk2 3.2 vr6 with the magnetic ride suspension from Audi,
It’s amazing how people just look at me in traffic and want to race me but when I smash the throttle they get the surprising vr6 sound while looking at my back bumper😂
Especially cooper s and bmw series 1
And series 3
Nice Video
Duuude you smash out so many videos so therfore i ask if you have any like test for best cheap old cars like this to have as a every day drive. Is golf gti the goat?
So awesome. I have the same 8p model S3
Dang, if I wasn't looking for an S4 I might've wanted to get an A3 like this.
If you hold the esp off it should work. I did the same in a gen 2 tt 3.2 and it would only work when I help esp off for a few seconds
w211 e320 cdi review please if it’s possible 🙏🏿❤️
Very nice Audi and as always great content... but i´m also always a bit concerned when i hear "imported from the US", i had the chance to buy one of those but i was to afraid they might have a so called "salvage title" which in the end leads to that i´m not buying the car...
Im a huge Audi fanboy but honestly before I get any A3 I would get an r32
You should try Superb VR6 thats awd. :D and more luxury
Nice vid, love it❤
Edit:where can I find that list?
Very unique and rare
Do you have a video testing Audi B7 A4 3.2 avant?
It does have but it’s not the easiest thing to do,
If you press the brake too much hard it will rev only up to 1500rpm
But if you slightly press the brake it should go to 3000rpm
1-come to a stop
2-esp off
3-sport mod
4-mash the throttle and let go the brake.
5 let the car flight 0-100 5.8 in mine 🧏🏼♂️
5.5 for me
I prefer the R32 by far over the A3 3,2 quattro just alone for the exhaust sound. The R32 sounds WAY better, even tho the A3 has 9 hp more due to its "superior" exhaust design. I'd always go the "9 hp less but better sound" route, even tho i am adulted ^-^,
How have they got 9hp +
@@willpark7483 not sure if that is the only major difference, but the A3 3,2 has a ECU-controlled flap in the exhaust system.
They both have 256bhp
10:29 still faster than mustang ecoboost😂
Ok?
😂
Looking forward to the next hyper or supercar you test!
Die schnelle Dame Audi sager vi🇩🇪🇩🇪🇩🇪🇩🇪🇩🇪🇩🇪🇩🇪🇩🇪🇩🇪🇩🇪🇩🇪🇩🇪🇩🇪🇩🇪🇩🇪🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Cool 👍👍
Stock it's not that fast but you can really make this a fast sleeper car
I drove a 3.2, it accelerated like a cow on a tether
I owned a 2008 Audi A3 3.2 for 8 years. I cannot remember a launch control. 0 to 60 was decent but increasing its power was prohibitively costly.
Was is crazy expensive to drive ?
Nice merguez
I see these as a grown up version of the r32 ,not everyone wants to be heard or seen coming unless you're a boy racer if you over a certain age this is the one you want
Just came here because of the NFSU2
Can you found passat B3 or B4
😂 vroeger wel eens een vr6 golf 3 gereden vond het niet zo heel bijzonder wel mooi geluid
This was an S3 that is hiding under a suit. Small car with big engine is always fun, especially when you have the Audi quality and quattro AWD backing it up.
It is a baby A8, read that you could spec an A3 almost like an A8
technically its a s-tronic gearbox - yes I'm fun at parties
Golden era of Audi when an :
- average looking A3 got the VR6 3.2
- S6 and S8 got a Lamborghini V10
The angle is 15 degress for those who don't know
This car's engine is swapped on a lot of Mk3 golfs & jettas I think South Africa 🇿🇦 😂
Golf MK4 and MK5 were available with those engines as well. To put this EA390 engine with a turbo on it into MK1, MK2 and MK3 is quite common over here in Germany. Turbo'ed this engines are unbelievable ^-^,
It is much faster than new Golf 8R if You unlock hidden turbocharger😮
It outpeforms every golf if turbocharged
@@Mirza-oh3duwhat’s the point when you tune the golf than is the golf faster 🤦🏻♂️😮
It's a cool car but one of the slowest 200hp cars I've ever driven... My brother had a3 2005 (BUB) and with my 90hp +chip TDI I drove away from him every time haha
Sleeper 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Same stearing wheel as the one om my skoda octavia vrs mk2
Top speed ?
limited to 250 km/h, removing the limiter will not make it a lot faster maybe 260 km/h could be possible.
First car? 3.2l engine?
Do you guys not get charged high insurance for first cars/drivers?
We do, the guy seems to have plenty money, the car itaelf wouldve cost about 8k and insurance and fuel with repairs is maybe about 5k a year
Do you guys have autobahn in Netherlands? Is this video filmed in NL?
No unfortunatly the Netherlands has very strict speeding laws and high fines. They film this just across the border in Germany.
There's no replacement for displacement
How much fuel does this 3.2V6 consumes? Is it around 18L in city?
14,8 l in city, 8,3 l out of city, combined 10,6 l
@@nopadelik9286 Wow thats crazy good
this car would be awesome if it was a manual
how expensive is the 3.2 to repair? what to keep an eye on to let the engine run a long time without trouble? I don't want to buy a 10k car just to invest another 10k for an engine swap.
Cheap if you simplify the car.
I have a golf 5 r32, I can only compare to a golf 6 gti which I had before and I only had to do thermostat which was around 70 euros in 15000 km. So I would say these engines are super reliable. Keep in mind the fuel consumption, I never got under 10 liters outside of city. BTW, 270000 KM in mine and even the DSG shifts are very very quick and smooth.
I really suggest to Not skip oil change or even better Just change it like every 15k km. By doing so, your timing chain might last longer..
@@christophschmitt5444 I change the oil every 6k km, but it depends on how hard you drive it
@@christophschmitt5444 really hard to find a well maintained 3.2 nowadays and the ones that received oil change at Audi/VW dealerships probably only got that 5w30 longlife junk. I would only use a 5w40 and change it every 10-15k
Does anyone recommend this engine in high mileage ? Looking for a fun weekend car that isn’t going to break the bank
Yes. If timing chain values are in check then this engine runs forever with regular oil changes
@@rjj00 thanks for the help mate
@@tommyfleming3429 no problem happy to help. bear in mind they love to drink fuel
@@rjj00 I barely drive my car mate I basically drive my van 80% of the year but my 2 litre TDI A3 isn’t as fun as it once was to drive!
Does a turbo fit in vr6 3.2
Can make anything fit if you have deep enough pockets.
"Euro '24 starting this weekend" wtf late upload....
Hi men
You should do a video driving the 2007-2009 MDX. More horsepower than this A3 and in my opinion, looks better. I drive an MDX and they are really fun to drive. I owned a 2016 BMW 328i and my MDX feels more fun to drive
My friend had this.
Unfortunately...
PIOVIUREVIU haha
A VR6 without Turbo is in 2024 no sleeper! 🤣🤣🤣 the most diesel are faster!
Dsg is for sissy😂
8:36 Why are you complaining?
Car pulling out while he's turning in
@@iJoxhh He was well past the turn. The silver car had every right to pull out
@@Swiss4.2 No he didn't have any right to pull out; he wasn't past the car yet - if AutoTopNL was to stop for any reason (give it a squirrel jumping out); the silver car would hit run into him.
Oh shit I am a dickhead oh no hahahhahahahha
Want round with you .....hello from egypt
U 6
Please get a pole to put the camera on and it will stop you putting your hands over the lens and waving them about. It ruins the video and you have only recently started to do this.
I know other youtube people started doing it to be "different", but it means your hands are over the lens blocking what you are filming. It is as bad as when people play loud music all over videos! It adds NO value to the video production. People prefer plain and simple and packed with facts, we couldn't care less which youtube filming course people were scammed in to buying and how they all want their videos to look the same, or how many video or audio effects you can pack in to a video.
If there is ONE car you are filming, there is no need to point at it as you describe it, we know it is what you are talking about as YOU are filming it!
Don't fall in to the trap of making your videos look rubbish as others have a laugh at them.
Not that at all. Golf has Lancia power-to-weight ratio. A3 is what corvette should've been, if they weren't stuck to creating it in a V8 country (makein it a dreadnot).
Vw dash is ugz