2009 Audi A3

Unlike the Vibe, testers say the five-passenger Audi A3 wagon's rear seat is a little tight for two adults. One testing organization found that the rigid seatbelt stalks can make it difficult to install car seats. The main recurring complaint about the A3 wagon, however, is its price, which quickly rises to "uncomfortable levels" as you add options, Edmunds.com says.

The price does somewhat reflect the Audi A3's higher standard of luxury, which puts it on the same plane as the stylish Volvo V50 wagon (*est. $29,800 to $35,500), which is the Swedish automaker's foray into the mid-priced market. The V50 wagon has a much bigger cargo bay -- nearly as big as a full-size wagon's -- but reviewers find it more boring to drive than the A3.

Testers say the base Audi A3 2.0T (*est. $26,920) -- named for its 200-horsepower, 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder engine -- provides plenty of power. You can choose either a six-speed manual or automatic transmission; both get an EPA-estimated 24 mpg in combined driving (21 mpg city and 30 mpg highway for the manual, 22 mpg city and 28 mpg highway for the automatic). If you want to add all-wheel drive, it's $3,580 extra.

All-wheel drive comes standard on the upper-level Audi A3 3.2 quattro (*est. $36,975), with its 250-horsepower, 3.2-liter V-6 and six-speed automatic transmission. However, Car and Driver says the bigger engine is "overkill," and it gets lower gas mileage than the base engine (18 city, 25 highway, 21 combined). Audi recommends premium gas for all A3 models, which drives up the cost of ownership even further, reviews note.

Audi brought the A3 to the U.S. market in 2006, and it was received enthusiastically by reviewers. But with a few years of ownership under their belts, buyers are now reporting reliability problems with the A3 wagons; in one leading consumer survey, only the all-wheel-drive Volvo XC70 (*est. $37,250 to $39,500) was judged less reliable among wagons. The Audi A3 is backed by a four-year, 50,000-mile warranty.

ConsumerReports.org uses test and survey data to judge the Audi A3's reliability, fuel economy, performance and more, making it the best overall review source. Edmunds.com also tests the Audi A3, but not quite as extensively as ConsumerReports.org. The nonprofit Insurance Institute for Highway Safety conducts definitive crash tests of the A3, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency posts official fuel-economy estimates. ConsumerGuide.com and Car and Driver both test the Audi A3 and rate it numerically, with brief explanations. Warren Brown at The Washington Post doesn't rate the Audi wagon, but he does test it and give his opinion about its value.