In Europe it’s not unusual to find female drivers buying luxuriously equipped sporty five-door hatchbacks. Audi’s A3 fits in this category and has finally made it to Canada.

Was it worth the wait? Well if like some women drivers you like the look of the Audi sedans, but find the size a little too big, the compact A3 might just be what the doctor ordered.

The high quality A3 comes in one four-door hatchback body style- just right if you are a traveling sales rep with samples to lug around or a mom with one of two kids or toddler with stuff to cart around. Audi also pampers you.

Standard equipment levels include leather seating surfaces at no charge, dual-zone automatic climate control, one-touch power windows, keyless entry and a 10-speaker, 140-watt audio system. Audi buyers are a fussy bunch who like their options- so different packages are available.

Shayne Sharma, Audi brand specialist at Audi of Richmond located at the Richmond Auto Mall, says: "A lot of people who travel to Europe have seen the A3 over there and now its available in Canada.

"We have a lot of buyers who know the car.

"The Audi brand name is a huge factor, the base price is good at $35,000 ,but customers typically option it up to the $40,00- $41,000 mark," he adds.

"I chose the A3 because it’s very European, meaning very good handling, acceleration and style, yet it can carry all my samples for work and also get me to Whistler and Cypress for snowboarding in the weekends. Its also very fast and impresses clients in my line of work."

Inside the cabin, A3 features luxurious leather seats front and rear and very nicely done wood trim. There are influences from other Audi models in the shape and execution of the interior trim.

On the technical front the A3 has a four cylinder 2.0T engine. It’s a powerful unit offering 200 horsepower. In other words, lots of acceleration and a high cruising speed. Standard transmission is a competent six speed manual; but you can specify an automatic. The A3 proves sports luxury and performance is viable in a small versatile hatchback pill.