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Inside, the Audi A3 feels upscale. It offers a fine combination of utility and comfort, and exudes a high level of workmanship. Most materials are pleasing, though the dash material is not the best. The cockpit is a model of applied ergonomic science, with logical placement of controls and highly legible read-outs.To evoke the feel of driving a sports car, the seating position is placed low in relation to the high and wide console. We found the seats to be very nice, and legroom adequate, both front and rear. The back seats are quite comfortable, more supportive than the front seats on many compacts, but the slope of the roof means tall passengers may find rear headroom compromised. The point of a five-door hatchback, of course, is the versatility of the interior. For starters, the luggage area can be increased by folding flat the split rear seatbacks. Indeed, the rear seats flip down easily. This does not result in a perfectly flat cargo floor, but this isn't usually an issue. An accessory roof rack is available in a choice of several different configurations depending on the intended use. The wide doors make it easy to climb in and out. But Audi's flush-fitting door handles aren't as easy to grab as the handles on BMWs and some other cars, and can snap away from your fingers when in a hurry. The seatbelt alarm goes off whenever the car is running, annoying when sitting in a parking lot. And we found it a bit too easy to hit the panic button on the remote key fob. The Open Sky dual sunroof option is very cool, although only the front of the two glass panels opens. Both have retractable sunshades, but the mesh covers let too much light in for our taste. We believe in letting the sun shine in, but not on glaring days when it distracts from driving.
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