Photo: mobile.de
There's a little phenomenon in the automotive industry we like to call the "V6 hatchback fetish." The most obvious results are the cult status of the Golf R32 and the Renault Clio V6.
Of course, most people know about these cars from either Top Gear or popular video games. Somebody needs to fire that guy who decided hatchbacks can drift, and the Tesla Model S can use NOS in Asphalt 8.
Nevertheless, being famous and rare means the Golf R32 and especially the Clio V6 are overpriced in the second-hand market. Some people get around this problem by buying the Passat V6, the one with a chrome broach for a grille. However, there's another option, one that we think will appeal to you "fetishists."
Probably because the company makes a lot of money, Audi sometimes makes two of the same thing. One good example is the A8, as many people have noticed the S8 and A8L W12 have roughly the same output. Of course, they are aimed at slightly different customers, but you guys get what we're saying.
What does that have to do with hatchbacks? Well, Audi announced the second generation of the S3 in 2006 and rocked the boat by switching to a turbocharged "FSI engine with 265 PS." However, several years before that, the same 8P model (that's the Mk2 to you and me) was available with a 3.2-liter V6 making 250 horsepower.
That sounds like the ultimate sleeper, as nobody knows what the A3 is packing because the body looks standard. Sure, V6 engines are heavy, but so are turbochargers. With standard quattro and a 6-speed automatic, the whole shebang weighs 1,510 kg (3329 lbs), which isn't bad at all. It's like an appendix of the first generation model, Audi's experiment to see if it can sell compact cars.
We've looked online and found about 70 models for sale on a German website. A couple jumped from the pages. The first is a 3-door with minimal mods and some pretty snazzy wheels that costs €13,000. The other costs €10,890 and is a minter that has relatively low miles for a car that's ten years old.
Nevertheless, being famous and rare means the Golf R32 and especially the Clio V6 are overpriced in the second-hand market. Some people get around this problem by buying the Passat V6, the one with a chrome broach for a grille. However, there's another option, one that we think will appeal to you "fetishists."
Probably because the company makes a lot of money, Audi sometimes makes two of the same thing. One good example is the A8, as many people have noticed the S8 and A8L W12 have roughly the same output. Of course, they are aimed at slightly different customers, but you guys get what we're saying.
What does that have to do with hatchbacks? Well, Audi announced the second generation of the S3 in 2006 and rocked the boat by switching to a turbocharged "FSI engine with 265 PS." However, several years before that, the same 8P model (that's the Mk2 to you and me) was available with a 3.2-liter V6 making 250 horsepower.
That sounds like the ultimate sleeper, as nobody knows what the A3 is packing because the body looks standard. Sure, V6 engines are heavy, but so are turbochargers. With standard quattro and a 6-speed automatic, the whole shebang weighs 1,510 kg (3329 lbs), which isn't bad at all. It's like an appendix of the first generation model, Audi's experiment to see if it can sell compact cars.
We've looked online and found about 70 models for sale on a German website. A couple jumped from the pages. The first is a 3-door with minimal mods and some pretty snazzy wheels that costs €13,000. The other costs €10,890 and is a minter that has relatively low miles for a car that's ten years old.
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