If you walked into your local Audi dealer in 2006, this was the absolute cheapest new car you could drive away in. However, it was far from a stripper. Based on the Golf 5, the first A3 to come to the US packed a punch with a 2.0T base motor cranking out 200 horsepower and good for 6.5-second 0-60 runs. Your $25,000 base price also got you a pretty nice interior, and (unlike the bulk of Audis today) it came with a manual transmission. Tick the Sport Package option for $1,800, and you got 17″ wheels, a sport suspension, aluminum interior accents, fog lights, a multifunction three-spoke steering wheel, front sport seats with leather trim, and a roof spoiler. It gave you Audi’s version of a four-door GTI, and as the styling has aged well, these are a compelling alternative to the normal Volkswagen:
