Hi,

I'm deciding between buying a used 2009 A3 3.2 Quattro or 2.OT Quattro. I understand performance wise, the 3.2 doesn't give you much and is a little worse gas-mileage.

I wasn't able to find any posts on the 3.2.

Anyone have an experience with the 3.2? Is the 3.2 worth the extra money?
Any reliability issues?

Thanks.

 

If you get the 3.2, then you have S-line!! In that case, you get skirts, slighly lowered suspension, wider tires, better soud syst, etc.....it is up to you to decide if those upgrade are worth the extra $$$. IN my case, no.

However, the performance of the 3.2 are there!! It is quick!

Here is my thought on the matter.
If you want an A3, then the 2.0T is ample enough ( even with quattro). It can always be upgraded to stage 1 performance with unitronic and voilà!

However, if you are looking into a4 avant, then I would consider the v6. Again, my 2 cents!

 

My 2009 A3 2.0t quattro had s-line.

2.0t is sufficient, wish it had the newer 211hp - 258 lb torque engine.

 

We've had both the 3.2 and the 2.0T Quattro. The 3.2 was clearly faster! Also, the V6 seemed a better match for the DSG, as shifts were smoother in the 3.2 than they are in the 2.0T. The gas mileage was not great, but did improve once the engine was broken in. Since you are clearly looking at a used one, the mileage might not be too awful, especially on the highway.

OTOH, as one poster noted here, you you can make the 2.0T faster with a few mods. We were definitely happy with both of them.

 

I see it like this...

Quattro = more fun in any weather, safer, heavier, worse on gas
FWD = great all around car, great on gas
3.2 = great engine, more power stock, can upgrade for big power but $$$
2.0t= better on gas, you can say you have a turbo, easily upgraded ($ will easily get 250whp and 300wtq, if you have $$$ 325whp-450whp)

So it all depends on what you like in a car, happy shopping!

 

Thanks for all your replies! Decided to go with the 2.0T Quattro.

 

Another couple of points:

- reliability is in favour of the 3.2; not that the 2.0T is unreliable, but there are many ancillary parts/systems involved in a turbocharged setup.
- the sound of the 3.2 is sublime – I would gladly pay a few grand if I could get my 1.8T to sound like the VR6...