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Petrol Audi A3, BMW 318i or Honda Civic?

Hi,

I'm planning on buying a brand new 2018 Audi A3 1.0-litre TFSI S line Saloon or 2017 BMW 318i M Sport or 2018 Honda Civic 1.0-litre Turbo. Please help me with the questions below since I have no way getting a test drive:

1. Which one is more fun to drive?

2. Are these cars fast?

3. What is more reliable and costs less to maintain?

4. What is the overall best car?

Thanks, Arjun

Arjun De Silva (Kandy)

Jul 2018 Filed under: choosing new car


Expert answer

Hi Arjun,

OK, let’s take these questions in order.

1: The BMW. The Honda runs it surprisingly close, but you just can’t beat the steering and rear-wheel-drive balance of the BMW.

2: How do you mean fast? They’re not performance models, but thanks to turbocharged engines with decent torque curves, they feel brisk enough in everyday driving. As long as you’re not planning to take on any Ferraris at the traffic lights, they’ll do.

3 & 4 together: The Honda. Nothing is as reliable as a Honda, not even a Toyota, and of the three cars here, while it may lack the premium badge, it also has the roomiest interior, will have slightly lower servicing and maintenance costs and, in the long term, should be more reliable than either of the German cars.

Read our reviews for more:

Audi A3 reviews

BMW 3 Series reviews

Honda Civic reviews

Neil Briscoe - Complete Car Advisor
@neilmbriscoe


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