Audi unleashes mongrel for Super Bowl

Audi has created a miniature mongrel with a savage streak for their Super Bowl ad. The footage shows a couple trying to choose between a chihuahua and a doberman as a pet, and deciding to breed them together as a -- wait for it -- doberhuahua.

This pocket-sized parcel of aggression, with a massive head on a tiny body, might have represented the idea of power in a small package. But it subsequently terrorises everything in its vicinity, and the message Audi is touting is that compromise is bad.

The campaign showcases the new A3 launching in the US -- for which we've just test driven the sedan version that joined the line-up here last week.

Read our review of the Audi A3 sedan

But the doberhuahua would have been a reasonable analogy for the model line-up in any case, with its light and frugal engines still delivering plenty of punch for the little sedan.

The base model 103kW/250Nm 1.4TFSI -- which deactivates two cylinders when not required -- delivers a combined economy of 4.7l/100km while still offering a respectable 0-100kmh time of 8.4 seconds.

The 132kW/250Nm 1.8 TFSI engine mated to the seven-speed dual-clutch auto is good for a combined fuel figure of 5.6l/100km and 0-100km/h time of 7.3 seconds. The Quattro version produces the same power but adds an extra 30Nm of torque to take the total to 280Nm.

The 110kW/320Nm 2.0 TDI's 0-100km/h time is 8.4 seconds, meaning the six-speed dual-clutch auto equipped version is an accomplished overtaker while returning 4.5l/100km.

This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott

Watch the Audi doberhuahua video on our desktop site.