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Here it is then, the new Audi A3 Sedan - an Audi for the masses. Well, not exactly for everyone, but it's a proper Audi built to compete in the junior levels of the executive sedan ranks. That's a first for Ingolstadt. This car is massively important in Malaysia, especially, where we don't get the three- or five-door A3 hatchbacks, and the A1 is just too small to be of any relevance.

We'd be hardly spoiling the rest of this review by pointing out the blindingly obvious, that the A3 Sedan pair (1.4 TFSI and 1.8 TFSI quattro) is very impressive (we've made that clear in our last episode of Driven Web Series, anyway). But so is the BMW 3 Series range. Niggling quality and warranty issues aside, the F30 is a cracking car, no matter what variant you choose. But perversely, the Bimmer's ability is also its biggest weakness. After all, every half-successful bugger around seems to be driving one.

Surely, given a choice, there are plenty of people looking for something a bit different. With the larger and fast ageing A4 missing the mark, this A3 Sedan looks set to shine. Happily, the new model is not just relying on the cachet of that Audi badge alone. Volkswagen Golf-base or not, these two can each hold its own in the premium class. Time to find out if they hold all the best cards, then.

Click here for the full review and gallery.