These days an Audi estate is more readily associated with TDI repmobiles or ballistically fast RS models but things were very different 30 years ago when Audi was little more than an oddball marque that hung around in VW dealerships.
The turning points for the brand were the 80 (B3) and 100 (C3), offering Mercedes-style luxury and integrity with a Citroën-esque driving style. The 100 was a big step forward in 1982 when Ford was hogging the headlines for its wind-cheating Sierra, the 100 matching it with a 0.30 co-efficient of drag. At this time the 100’s executive class rivals had the aerodynamic elan of a rioter’s brick, but the 100 had flus-hfitting glass (a UK first) and was heavily marketed on its improved economy. However, its rounded styling was deemed controversial at the time. Not today, of course. By the end of the 1980s, almost every mainstream manufacturer had smoothed out their ranges in the pursuit of economy and quietness – which is very apparent on ‘our’ 2.0-litre inline five.
There’s a far-off hum as the automatic gearbox slips between its ratios but this isn’t the most enthusiastic of engines or, indeed, vehicles. It’s designed for peak efficiency rather than excitement.
But there’s much more to this car than penny-pinching, such as the elegantly designed dashboard layout and the airy and open cabin. It’s not showy and there are plenty of nice, deeply rational touches. The steering is light, lacking the feel of even the W124. If you were feeling a little adventurous, the Audi’s nose would dictate the pace. Best to ease back and enjoy the engineering integrity.
It comes as little surprise that the head of research and development for the C3 was Ferdinand Piëch, aman for whom the definition of perfection wasn’t quite perfect enough. His high technical demands for cars such as the VW Phaeton and Bugatti Veyron have become the stuff of legend but you can see similar touches here: ensuring that it had the biggest boot in its class at the time of its launch; the aforementioned 0.30 drag co-efficient, which increased to 0.323 if you specified a second side mirror; the use of weight-saving aluminium for the door frames, inner sections and even the jack, all
