The look is very similar to that of Audi's Q3 compact crossover, although it's leaner and closer to the ground, with a pleasing squatness to it. In Sportback guise, the A3 looks its most European, with a nicely canted hatch and attractive wraparound lighting in the rear. A nicely finished tonneau covers the soft top when it is stowed and is encircled by attractive aluminum-look trim, just like on the larger A5 convertible. The convertible models feature similar taut styling, forming a neat package that looks a little more sporty and perhaps less pedestrian than the sedan. The A3 does look a bit bulbous at the rear, though. A distinctive angle in its rear roof pillars does a good job of hiding the very short rear end. Dramatic? No, but the A3 has subtle and attractive surfaces and a sharp crease stamped into the lower part of th edoors. It's somewhat sporty, without any major miscues or excitement. It's sized and even styled very closely to the original A4, and the 80/90 sedans before it.
The four-door's shape looks familiar to Audi drivers. The most popular will be the sedan body style that houses both the gas A3 powertrains and the sporty S3 model. With its various powertrains, the Audi A3 is available in sedan and convertible form, and as a five-door hatchback. Quattro models get better, at 24/33/27 mpg. The base A3 is EPA-rated at 23 mpg city, 33 highway, 27 combined. Audi Connect is an option that pipes 4G LTE data into the car for Google Earth maps and the like. This year, standard equipment also includes a rearview camera and metallic interior trim and Audi's non-touchscreen infotainment system. Options include a 14-speaker, 705-watt Bang & Olufsen sound system.
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Standard features include power accessories, leather, dual-zone automatic climate control, a power driver seat, and a panoramic sunroof, as well as Bluetooth audio streaming. All are sold as A3 Premium, Premium Plus, and Prestige models. The Cabriolet models start at $37,525 for the front-drive 1.8T and $40,525 for the quattro 2.0T model. The A3 also has options like blind-spot monitors and adaptive cruise control that maintains a traffic crawl with a tap of the resume button. Road noise is more intense, though, and trunk space is small.Īudi aimed to maximize interior space and boost crash performance by moving the front wheels forward by about 1.5 inches compared to the last-generation model. The Audi is also wider, and that difference combined with how the A3's doors and roofline make it petite back seat more accessible than the one in the CLA is noticeable. That's more than a half-foot longer overall than the Benz CLA, though the A3 has a longer wheelbase. Steering is electric, well-weighted and preciseĪ3 sedans are just 175.5 inches long and ride on a 103.4-inch wheelbase. With standard all-wheel drive, the S3 is good for 296 hp, providing a 0-60 mph time of about 4.8 seconds-just 0.2 seconds shy in that benchmark then the CLA 45 AMG, which sports almost 60 more horsepower.Īll A3 cars have an independent suspension with struts in front and four links in back, for good ride compliance and responsiveness. Zero-to-60 mph times range from 6 to 7 seconds.Īn uprated turbo-4 appears in the spicy S3. They're mated to a 6-speed dual-clutch gearbox. All-wheel drive cars get a 220-hp, 2.0-liter turbo-4. The horizontal design is punctured by round vents, three climate-control knobs, a new media interface controller, and a touchscreen that rises from the dash.īase A3s have a 170-hp 1.8-liter turbo-4 and front-wheel drive. More of its Volkswagen roots show up in the dash.
The cockpit ventures carefully into new territory. It looks conservative in comparison to competitors, a lot like the A4 despite its size and the distinctive angle of its rear roof pillars. The 2016 Audi A3 has a quintessentially Audi appearance.