NEW AUDI A3 ON THE ROAD

2013_Audi_ A3_Sportback
Last week we detailed the extensive makeover of the Audi A3 for the 2017 model year after we attend its global reveal in Germany. At the time we were asked not to immediately disseminate our findings on how the cars drove, as journalists from many other countries were still waiting to drive the A3s.

The embargo has lifted and here are our findings on the range of Audi A3 models, the biggest selling model in the Audi range in Australia, so extremely important to them.

The most interesting powerplant is a three-cylinder turbo-petrol 1.0-litre. It produces 85 kilowatts of power and an impressive 200 Nm of torque between 2000 and 3500 rpm. It sits beside a seven-speed automatic transmission.

While the three-cylinder engine is a clear winner for the European market Audi is yet to make a decision as to Australian imports. Note that the smaller, lighter Audi A1 is already on sale here.

After sampling the 1.0-litre on a country drive with a touch of city motoring we feel it will work nicely downunder. Like other three-cylinder cars we have tested from a number of makers Audi’s has a lively personality and is enjoyable to sit behind. It obviously doesn’t have the grunt of larger Audi engines, but seems sure to provide more than enough performance for the sensible owner.

Audi_A3_side

The main drawback on our test route in Germany is that the engine required a fair bit of time to overtake slower vehicles on country roads. Given the number of idiotic Australian drivers who like to accelerate as you’re overtaking them this could be a real drawback.

If it does come to Australia the A3 1.0-litre will be the price leader, probably retailing in the low thirty thousands (this is our speculation – Audi Oz will neither confirm nor deny).

Our next engine test was of the 1.4-litre four-cylinder engine with Cylinder on Demand, it runs on just two cylinders when minimum output is required, so that pollution is minimised. Pleasingly, most Australian buyers of this engine in the soon to be superseded A3 have opted for the 1.4 with CoD rather than the standard 1.4-litre. Therefore Audi Australia has made the decision to only bring in the CoD.

Audi_A3_rear

The ultra-clean engine has 110 kilowatts of power and 250 Nm of torque. We found it to have plenty of grunt, that the changes from two to four cylinder and back again were never noticed, and that performance is plentiful in town and country. This would probably be our engine of choice should we be considering a new Audi A3.

A 2.0-litre with 140 kW and 320 Nm over a big spread from 1500 to 4200 revs, it replaces the 1.8-litre currently in use in the A3 here. It has plenty of performance and was barely working at 130 km/h (It was raining so we kept our speed down). Turbo lag is there but a little anticipation helps minimise any hassles.

Audi is continuing with its very economical petrol-electric hybrid, the A3 e-tron, and it too will soon be on ships coming to Australia. We were late in getting onto the queue to test drive it and it barely had any battery charge, meaning the petrol engine soon kicked in. Smooth, quiet and serene, it’s a lovely little car for the early adopters.

As mentioned, it rained for most of our road test day so we intentionally didn’t push any of the Audis to their limit. Suffice to say I did manage to get caught out when a long, long bend tightened on me. The A3 2.0 looked after us by momentarily dabbing on a single rear brake as the electronic stability control intervened.

Steering feel is good and the review cars responded in the usual efficient German manner.

Ride comfort was good on German roads, which can be almost as bad as many Australian roads at times when you get away from the main areas, and Audi A3 continues to have the solid feel we have admired in the past.

Audi A3 is offered in Sportback, sedan and cabriolet bodies. This facelift and upgraded model, with moderate styling changes, is due in Australia late in 2016. We can’t wait to get into some examples back here in Australia, stay tuned for reports when we do.

About Ewan Kennedy

Ewan Kennedy, a long-time car enthusiast, was Technical Research Librarian with the NRMA from 1970 until 1985. He worked part-time as a freelance motoring journalist from 1977 until 1985, when he took a full-time position as Technical Editor with Modern Motor magazine. Late in 1987 he left to set up a full-time business as a freelance motoring journalist. Ewan is an associate member of the Society of Automotive Engineers - International. An economy driving expert, he set the Guinness World Record for the greatest distance travelled in a standard road vehicle on a single fuel fill. He lists his hobbies as stage acting, travelling, boating and reading.
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