If you have never experienced what it feels like to be part of the “in” crown when driving your car you are missing out. I first experienced this when riding on the back of my father’s Harley at a young age. You are morally and ethically obligated to “wave” or give the tough-guy nod at other Harley owners you see on the road. There is a mutual understanding that this exchange must take place. When I was old enough to have my own motorcycle, I saw that this tradition had made its way to the sport bike crowd, and I gladly accepted my obligation, and extended the wave at every opportunity. This is a tradition that is usually reserved for the most exclusive of owners; corvettes, muscle cars, exotics, hell, even your rat rod owners will give a nod every now and then. I never expected to get this kind of respect in an Audi. The few A3 owners I encountered made sure to step closer to see what the more decorated sibling looked like. Never once while driving did I see another S-line, not even at the local Audi/VW club meeting.
 

Audi has outdone itself with the A3 3.2 S-line. I will admit, the first time I saw this car I was under the impression that the only people driving this car will be the street racing punks that could afford the (almost) $40,000 sticker, and wanted to be different. 18 inch wheels, a dual-pane glass roof, one section of which opens to fully expose the interior to the sun’s rays. Six-disc in dash changer, XM radio, and a full Bose speaker set-up make for a fantastic aural experience. The leather seats felt like they should have come out of something much sportier, but I was glad to have them there. Once inside all of these options combined to make on of the classiest interiors I have seen in a long time. Controls had been placed in just the right spots, and the steering wheel controls had just enough options to be useful. Let’s not forget about one of the best reason to buy and Audi (or VW), the key. I am not sure about everyone, but I love the flip out key. What a great idea. I remember modifying an old Jetta key to work with my Honda, just to keep flipping it open and closed…
 

Once the key is turned the fun begins… or it should. The 2006 A3 S-line is equipped with a 3.2 liter V6 and mated to the famous DSG gearbox, which then is routed to Audi’s even more famous Quattro all wheel drive system. I will admit, at first I was not keen of the idea. I am not a big fan of the E-gear, F1 style transmissions on the exotics I have driven, and the thought of placing this in a smaller V6 was a little silly to me, but I was willing to try it. I was curious to see just how great this transmission was. Placing the car into “D”, I let my foot off the brake, and the car rolls forward, slightly. I then began to slowly depress the accelerator, and the engine rpm rose slightly, but nothing happened… Then at around 2,000 RPM’s the car lunges forward. Not what I had in mind. It took me almost ½ day to get used to the reaction of the clutches, but once we were all on the same page, I was sold.
 

Never have I been in a car that was under $50k MSRP that shifted so quick and smoothly. Take the time to learn the shift points, and the world is your oyster. In and out of traffic, I found myself shifting just because I could. The 3.2 liter, 250-hp engine did everything it could to keep up with the demand for more power and speed, and the transmission gladly placed it where it needed to be. Place the shifter into “S” and the whole game changes. Up shifts do not come on so quickly, and downshifts are right as they need to be. All I kept thinking is this is a great training tool for someone learning to use their manual transmission.
 

Suspension, along with the Quattro system, made for a great time on every on-ramp I encountered. The little bit of body roll I encountered was only noticeable if I was checking the angle against the horizon, and the under steer was very predictable.
 

Some reviews of this car make it out to be disappointing, some over eager. I think that this is one of those cars that you either love it the minute you drive it, or you hate it, and will for ever. I personally loved the car.