THE Audi A4 Avant I had proved a fine car. But it came to the end of its term and I thought I’d follow the general down-sizing trend.

I’ve opted for the new Audi A3. The Sportback model. Except, of course, it’s not available quite yet (it goes on sale later this month).

So in the interim I’m short-term in a three door A3.

Although this Audi A3 2.0 TDI Sport is proving rather good and I’m just hoping the more practical five-door Sportback will be as engaging as this little turbo-blaster.

The 2.0-litre diesel engine has a really handy 320Nm of torque. Which gives it a very relaxed gait on the motorway; and a decent head of steam when you put your foot down.

So you can opt for 55+mpg on business journeys up the motorway,

but when you want to liven things up a bit on an open road, the low-down surge powers you away, but controlled brilliantly by the adaptive drive dynamics that come standard with the Sport model, along with very comfortable sports seats.

So the Audi A3 has something of a dual character. But while it can do the athletic sportsman bit when you wish (as of course it should given it’s called a Sport model), it won’t wilt your wallet if you take one as a company car.

CO2 emissions for this 2.0 TDI Sport are just 106g/km. For the 2013/14 tax year, benefit in kind is £3,432, giving rise to company car tax of £57 a month for a 20% tax payer and £114 a month for those paying at the higher 40% rate.

The official fuel consumption figure is 68.9mpg. That does seem a touch ambitious. While I’ve seen over 55mpg average on single journeys, my current average overall is mid forties.

Perhaps I’ve been enjoying the Sport element a little too much….