DETROIT -- Audi's new A3 wagon will carry a suggested base price of $25,460 when it goes on sale in mid May. The price includes a $720 destination charge.

The base A3 is equipped with a 200-horsepower, turbocharged 2.0-liter engine and six-speed manual transmission. For an extra $1,400, the A3 can be equipped with Audi's advanced dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Base equipment on the A3 includes side curtain airbags, side-impact airbags for the front seats, stability control, automatic climate control, remote locking, power windows, 17-inch alloy wheels and a 140-watt sound system with in-dash CD. Side impact airbags for the rear seats are optional.

Two equipment packages are offered. The Sport package lists for $1,800 and adds 17-inch bi-color wheels, sport suspension, leather-covered steering wheel, fog lights, sport seats and leather seat covering.

The Premium package lists for $2,025 and adds a trip computer, auto-dimming mirror with rain sensor, power driver's seat, fog lights and leather seats.

Additional options include a cold weather package with heated seats, mirrors and washer nozzles; high-intensity discharge headlights; and a glass roof panel with sunroof over the front seats.

Audi said that all its dealers in the United States and Canada have an A3 available for test drives. It is offering an incentive of 33 free song downloads for those who take a test drive and a free Bose speaker system for those who order an A3.

The Audi RS3 will take the hot hatch brigade by storm and it is expected that this super car will have a power output of about 260kW. Audi insiders say that there will also be a less powerful S3 model.

At the heart of the 2006 RS3 will be a modified version of the current A3 range topper's 3.2-litre V6 engine. This unit will be turbocharged and will also feature FSI direct-injection technology and torque will be about 450Nm.

The RS3 will get a six-speed DSG dual-clutch transmission with paddle shifts and will also have electrically assisted power steering. It will also feature upgraded brakes similar to that of the RS4.

Of course Audi's famous quattro four-wheel drive system will also be standard on the RS3.

The car's exterior will reflect its sporty nature. Like the new A6 and A8 W12 the RS3 will get the new Audi single frame grille which will dominate the nose design. A deep spoiler with large air intakes will finish of the muscular front-end.

Other sporty touches include wide side sills, heavily flared wheelarches and a tailgate spoiler.

Audi will also launch the RS3 in Sportback guise. The Audi A3 Sportback, which is a estate car, will be introduced later this year.

Early next year Audi will introduce an S3 model which will rival cars such as the Alfa 147 GTA. It will get a naturally aspirated version of the 3.2-litre V6 engine with a power output of about 210kW.

AT A GLANCE:
2006 AUDI A3 SPORTBACK S-LINE QUATTRO
ON SALE: Now
BASE PRICE: $34,700
POWERTRAIN: 3.2-liter, 250-hp, 236-lb-ft V6; awd, six-speed DSG
CURB WEIGHT: 3500 lbs (est.)
0 TO 60 MPH: 5.9 seconds (mfr.)
FUEL MILEAGE (EPA combined): 23.3 mpg


It is appropriate to be piloting this Audi A3 Sportback S-line quattro fitted with a 3.2-liter, 250-hp VR6, six-speed dual-clutch DSG transmission and optional Toucan yellow paint along these sunny, autumn roads. It’s Germany and wide-open is how this car likes it.

Not surprisingly, the A3 Sportback 3.2 quattro behaves much like a similarly equipped TT tested in March 2004.

This A3 lets you leave the drive in fully automatic mode for less fuel consumption, but the DSG paddle shifts’ high revs is the exciting and wasteful way to go. The car could benefit from a Sport mode to make the shifts pop more if desired; and while we’re wishing, a redline set higher than 6400 revs would be nice, too. Feel at the wheel via the electro-mechanic steering is on the soft side; after a while you know better how to work it to get from it what you seek.

The major A3 criticism comes in its power-to-weight ratio: At roughly 3500 pounds it needs poke closer to 300 hp and 300 lb-ft of torque. Trouble is when its narrow 15-degree V6 mounts transversely, anything more than 250 hp can cause too much mechanical stress and heat excess already generated by co-located cylinder banks. At the VW Group, all quattro models at or below 250 hp get transverse engines and a Haldex center differential; anything above 250 hp sits longitudinally and gets a Torsen differential.

American drivers receive a standard eight-way adjustable sport seat, spring and damper rates calibrated for slightly more rigidity than the Euro models, and an aero trim package front and rear. U.S. Sportback 3.2s come with launch control standard, so have fun in the snow.