We tested the new Audi A3 Sportback: more premium than ever

Since its launch in the first months of the year, Audi has gradually completed the commercial range of the fourth generation of the Audi A3. The 5-door bodystyle is now available, the Audi A3 Sportback, as well as the three-box variant, the A3 Sedan.

Range and prices of the Audi A3

For now we have been able to drive the Sportback version, which offers five mechanical options. In petrol you can choose the 30 TFSI with the 1.0 three-cylinder engine and 110 CV, the 35 TFSI with the 1.5 four-cylinder engine and 150 CV, and the 35 TFSI MHEV version with mild hybridisation and S tronic gearbox, which also produces 150 CV. The diesel range includes the 2.0 TDI four-cylinder in two versions: the 30 TDI with 116 CV and manual gearbox, and the 35 TDI with 150 CV and S tronic.

At the moment the only version with an ECO label is the 35 TFSI MHEV; later a Mild Hybrid version with the “small” 1.0 TFSI engine of 110 CV will be added, which will also carry an ECO label. The range will be completed by the A3 TFSI e, the plug-in hybrid, which will have two power variants – 204 and 245 CV – and a ZERO label, as well as the sporty Audi S3 and RS3.

These are the starting prices of the Audi A3 range for the versions with the basic trim:

• 30 TFSI 110 CV: €27,770
• 35 TFSI 150 CV: €29,070
• 35 TFSI MHEV S Tronic 150 CV: €31,250
• 30 TDI 116 CV: €30,010
• 35 TDI S tronic 150 CV: €33,490

Audi offers the Advanced, S line and Black Line Edition trims, as well as an interesting limited edition (initially 600 units) called the A3 Genuine Edition. The mechanical offer and equipment are identical for the A3 Sedan, which carries a €900 surcharge. Here you can consult in more detail the equipment and price differences between the different versions. And here is information on the engines added to the range after launch.

The main rivals of the Audi A3 Sportback remain the BMW 1 Series and the Mercedes A-Class, with which the A3 has a similar or slightly more favourable price if equivalent versions in power and equipment are compared. Another possible alternative, in this case cheaper, would be the new Volkswagen Golf, with which the Audi A3 shares its platform and engines. Also the new Seat León, which we have already been able to drive. Here you can read the road test of the new Seat León.

The design of the new Audi A3 Sportback: the best is on the inside

Although the changes to the exterior design are noticeable, there is no doubt about which model we are looking at: the new A3 is perfectly identifiable from a distance. And yet the bodywork is now clearly sportier, whichever way you look at it.

There are no appreciable changes in size: it gains about 3 centimetres in length while keeping the wheelbase, keeps the height and increases the width by another three centimetres. An interesting novelty, beyond some general features that look more “muscular”, is that if you opt for Matrix LED headlights, the daytime running light has a different design depending on the trim chosen.

Proportionally, the changes are much greater from the doors inwards. The new Audi A3 feels much more premium. And this is not a matter of quality, fit, or the appearance and feel of the materials, which were already outstanding. And they still are, although its rivals have not fallen behind and have caught up with Audi, which until now dominated in this area. It is the sensation conveyed by the new design, with horizontal and angular lines and with the air vents in an unusually high position, flanking the instrumentation.

It is worth mentioning that, aesthetically, they attract a lot of attention; some even think they are a “fake”, placed there because a gap had to be left somehow for the central screen of the multimedia system. The truth is that, in practical terms, it forces you to “play” more with the air-conditioning settings and with the air outlet grilles themselves so that it does not become annoying when high fan speeds are used.

A very digital interior

The progress made in digitalisation is also noteworthy. All Audi A3s come as standard with the Audi virtual cockpit digital instrumentation, with a 10.25-inch screen, and with a central multimedia screen very well integrated into the design that reaches 10.1 inches. While the former still seems to me one of the best digital instrumentations (even more so in the optional “plus” variant, which reaches 12.3 inches) for graphics quality, reading clarity and customisation possibilities, the latter is also among the best when it comes to navigating the menus, with tactile and acoustic feedback and a precision that help add that marked premium air.

I think it is a success that, contrary to the trend started with the Audi A8, when the four-ring brand chose to digitise the cabin by eliminating the –missed, at least by me– rotary MMI controller on the console, some main functions have regained physical buttons. In the A3 there are two rows: one for the climate control (which has its own information screens) and another just below, with buttons for deactivating start-stop, the Audi drive select or the parking assistant, for example.

Further “digital” novelties are the volume and station-change control of the multimedia system located next to the gear lever, which is now a touch surface. Or sophisticated functions the previous A3 did not have, such as the possibility of Car-to-X communication so that the car can connect with other vehicles Audi or with infrastructure (in cities where the service is available) to help find parking spaces or even communicate with traffic lights to adapt speed to the sequence that lets you pass through them on green.

Despite so much technology, sitting at the controls of the Audi A3 Sportback and feeling completely integrated with all the controls almost takes no time at all. Especially if you have already driven some “modern” Audi, of those that have already undergone the digitalisation process.

As the exterior size barely changes and the wheelbase does not vary, the space for passengers or luggage remains the same. Very good at the front, good overall in the rear seats and as expected in the boot, which keeps 380 litres. Now the tailgate can also be opened with a gesture, by passing your foot under the bumper.

On the road with the new A3 Sportback

In this first contact we have only been able to get behind the wheel of what, at least until the arrival of the 1.0 TFSI MHEV, may be the most interesting version of the range: the 35 TFSI MHEV S tronic. A conclusion we can draw since the other engines are more than well known, and we have tried practically all of them either in the new Seat León or the Volkswagen Golf, the “cousins” of this A3.

We already suspected this would be the case considering the theory: prices, performance, the fact that it carries the ECO label… And we confirmed it in practice. Just one point to note: it costs almost 2,300 euros less than the 35 TDI S tronic of 150 CV, which goes more or less the same although not as smoothly, consumes less at any pace (and much less if you drive quickly) but does not have the advantages of the ECO label.

To begin with, the 1.5 petrol, with cylinder deactivation, can really use very little if you set out to. Around 6–6.5 l/100 km is not a difficult target. And it works wonderfully with the S tronic dual-clutch gearbox, which debuts a new “by wire” gear selector that leaves the centre console very clear and invites you to drive in automatic mode, or to use the paddles on the steering wheel.

In general, all versions of the Audi A3 homologate very low consumption figures, both diesel and petrol. In this 1.5 of 150 CV lies the balance: it goes a lot, uses little and feels smooth when you drive calmly. But beware: if you demand more, you can easily see consumption in double figures. It is not an engine with a pleasant sound or with a top-end that invites sporty driving.

What does happen is the feel at the wheel of this A3, especially if it has the sport suspension and the 18-inch wheels corresponding to the S Line trim, which is not uncomfortable at all. Furthermore, it is worth remembering that the 150 CV or more versions have a multi-link rear suspension more sophisticated than the “simple” torsion beam axle of the less powerful A3s, which also adds precision when linking bends or making the suspension absorb potholes. In my opinion, you can save on adaptive damping control suspension if your budget is tight.

Without doubt, the A3 Sportback deserves the chassis with the multi-link rear suspension of the 150 CV or more versions, and an engine like the 1.5 TFSI or the 2.0 TDI with that power and the S tronic gearbox. But if the budget does not stretch that far, the basic versions are not to be sniffed at. For less than 28,000 euros, the three-cylinder 1.0 gives plenty of joy and does not fall short; it is even preferable to the 2.0 TDI of 116 CV, which costs about 2,200 euros more. How things have changed.

Photo gallery of the Audi A3 Sportback

Technical specifications of this car

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