Image or power: the age-old question.
Premium drive is hot. Anything with four rings, propeller or star on the grille sells like hot cakes. In particular, in the lease, are Audi’s, BMW’s and mercedes benz cars hugely popular. You have a nice badge on the nose so people can see that it is very well for you. The materials in the interior are soft: you can do everything petting and all the buttons feel solid and nice. The paint seems just a bit nicer to sit in and even the scent in a premium car is pleasant. In short: do you have premium then you’re doing yourself a gift.
But is that really so? That today we will find out. Premium drive has one big disadvantage and that is that you don’t really get for your money. Certainly in this case with the facelifted Audi A3 and also slightly revised Seat Leon is interesting, because both cars are on the same MQB chassis. Better yet: the in basis just the same cars. To see what the ratios are, we have the following table created:
Auto:Audi A3 Sportback 1.0 TFSI S-Line Edition (8V)Seat Leon FR 1.8 TSI (5F)
List price:€ 34.555,00€ 30.710
Tax price:€ 33.450,00€ 30.500
Leasetarief:€ 540€ 525
Power:115 hp at 5.000 tpm180 bhp at 5.100 rpm
Torque:200 Nm at 2.000 tpm250 Nm at 1,500 rpm
Top speed:206 km/u226 km/h
0-100 km/h:9,9 sec.7,5 sec.
Fuel consumption:4.7 l/100km 6.0 l/100km
CO2 emissions:107 g/km138 grams/km
In both cars, we assumed a duration of 48 months and an annual mileage of 20,000 km. The prices an average of large leasing companies. The price can differ on different kilometrages, maturities or options. The prices are exclusive of VAT.
What strikes us
This seems like an unfair comparison. The Seat is cheaper, faster, and a little more equipped. But the difference is not so large. In particular, the rent seems to fall. The reason is simple: second-hand premium very popular, so a A3 retains its value better than a Leon. We are in this compare gone for an A3 S-Line Edition, then you have like the Leon FR sportier bumpers, larger alloy wheels and a sportier interior. In terms of equipment to outrun the two together not much. Items such as radio, navigation, climate control, radio / cd player and parking sensors are standard.
The difference is ‘em in the options. Metallic paint costs on the Audi 970 euros, while the Seat is almost half the price (550 euro) cost. A panoramic roof can the Seat be fitted for 950 euros, while Audi 1,450 euros lost. Upgrade of the stereo cost on Seat 340 euros (nice Bose setup), while a B&O with roughly the same specs in the Audi 740 euros in costs. And so goes the list on.
Appearance
Well, we can complain what we want about Premium cars, but the A3 just looks great. In particular, the S-Line version smoelt above average, especially in the red (which nobody seems to order, but that aside). The Sportback is certainly preferable to the 3-door, which is a bit more compact appearance. On the front is the thick bumpeset, which in combination with the Led headlights ensure that you are completely, the male are on the left lane of the A9.
With melancholy we think back to the first Seat Leon. That was an above-average handsome cart which Alfasud puffs had (and that is always a compliment). The problem with the current Leon is that it is a bit interchangeable design. Not that the car is ugly, far from that. But it was a little more pronounced. It is also a very neat car to business for to come drive. You will there is really no one against the head punches. But the neighbor is not greedy. The neighbor also.
Interior
In principle, the additional cost of the Audi is here to pay out with a heavenly pleasure. That promise makes the Audi partly true. The interior looks neat, everything is nicely finished and the ambiance is OK. But you feel that there is a difference with ‘real’ Audi’s (A4 and above). That level gets the A3. But in its class it is more than decent. Oh, in the image below are the S-Line sports seats, S-tronic, virtual cockpit, and the leather upholstery is not standard.
Here is the Seat really. It’s just an interior. A interior of which the designers almost made it to an early lunch. As dramatic as it is with the previous generation Leon, it was this time. But if you can see everything that is there with the calculator in mind. Now is the Leon is also cheaper than the Audi, but competitors such as Kia, Mazda and Peugeot show that the (much) better in this price range.
Drive
Premium drive would also need to ensure that you have a finer to have a car, right? This is the point that you know that you although Premium rides, but for a dime on the first rank. The engine is not so very much wrong in principle, but it is not a pure pleasure. You have 115 hp at your disposal, making the A3 itself just. That to 9.9 seconds for the 0-100 sprint is really quite a coincidence. This is the muttering of a three-cylinder is difficult to verkroppen in a car of that money. The S-Line has a 25 mm lowered chassis compared to the regular A3. There is the A3 (driving test) mainly harder: really sporty it is not. The engine of the Seat Leon is not more available, through a 1.5 TFSI you come right out of a 2.0 TFSI. But the prices go all to the 40 mille.
This is the part where the Seat Leon excels. Because instead of the coffee grinder in the Audi you will have access to an 800 cc larger four-cylinder with 180 hp. On paper it seems the difference is not very big, but take it from us: this Leon runs circles around the A3. It seems as if the consumption is disappointing, but we have some suspicion that the praktijkverbruik in the A3 will differ than the 1.8 of the Seat. In terms of road holding seems to be the Seat (driving test) pretty much on the Audi, which makes sense: they are the same cars. The Seat, however, seems a slightly more balanced chassis, but the details. What for both cars, incidentally, is money: you will not be involved in the drive.
Conclusion
Two times the same car for the same money: there are differences. The Seat is an average hatchback with an above average fine motor while the A3 a nice premium, but the motor will get you there every day to remind you that you are indeed a budgetkeuze have to make. And then the word now to you, dear reader. What are you going to? And more importantly: Why? Let us know in the comments!