The A3 gets much welcome access to Audi’s most recent toys after trickling their way down from more expensive models to make this refreshed version that much more appealing.
The current-generation Audi A3 (Type 8V) has been with us since 2012 and Audi has chosen to release a mid-life update to it to bring it up to snuff with all goodies that the German automaker has fitted into some newer models.
This refreshed A3 will start selling in Europe first in May 2016 and should reach Australia some time later this year. They’re billing it as a ‘Technology update’, but the technical aspects aside (and there’s plenty of it), the A3 has also gone through some visual changes.
Starting at the front, the A3 has kept its dimensions but now has a pair of newly designed headlamps that frame a wider A4-like grille, while at the rear it is matched to a new set of taillights as well. In between, the car’s lines have been given a slightly more angular treatment.
Audi are including some new engines with the updated A3 to bring the total to six, divided equally between petrol and diesel:
- An entry-level 1.0-litre three-cylinder TFSI petrol unit is the first time Audi has offered this engine in the A3, generating 85kW and 200Nm of torque.
- A 1.4-litre TFSI COD is the step up, coming with cylinder deactivation tech to improve fuel economy. It generates 110kW and 250Nm.
- The top of the A3’s petrol engine options is the 2.0-litre TFSI, a completely new unit that incorporates an innovative combustion process, generating 140kW and 320Nm.
- Audi has a new entry-level diesel for the A3: a 1.6-litre TDI unit that generates 81kW.
- The rest of the diesels comprise of the 2.0 TDI, but offered in two performance levels. Buyers can choose either 110kw/340Nm or 135kW/380Nm. However, the latter tune is not yet available to buyers in the car’s early market of Europe but should be selectable by the time the A3 reaches Australia.
Units fitted with the 2.0-litre TFSI petrol engine benefits by being the only variant eligible for Audi’s quattro all-wheel drive and by being paired with a newly developed seven-speed S Tronic dual-clutch transmission which replaces the six-speed S Tronic.
Owners will also be able to specify their A3 with sports suspension, reducing the ride height by 15mm or even further to 25mm with the S-Line sports suspension.
At the top end of the A3 spectrum, the S3 gets an additional 7kW (now 228kW) and, when paired to the S-Tronic transmission, an extra 20Nm of torque (now 400Nm). Audi says the new S3 will deliver greater driving dynamics and safety through the integration of S3-specific control for the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and new multi-plate clutch.
The new A3 e-tron has kept its essential formula through the mid-life refresh with the 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine returning and augmented by an electric motor with 75kW and 330Nm powered by a 8.8kWh lithium-ion battery which offers a claimed electric-only range of 50km.
For the first time, the A3 gains Audi’s Matrix LED headlights as an option over the standard Xenon units.
Inside the new Audi A3, the highlight of the cabin experience (for the driver) would be, if specified, the inclusion of Audi’s Virtual Cockpit, a feature we’ve seen elsewhere such as the Audi Q7 and TT.
Comprising of a high resolution 12.3-inch screen in place of an analogue instrument cluster, the virtual cockpit shows the driver the most important information and, since it is digital, can be adjusted to communicate denser and more complex information to the driver much more easily.
In lieu of the virtual cockpit, Audi’s 7.0-inch retractable MMI infotainment screen now sports a redesigned menu structure and the option of displaying standard navigation or, optionally, navigation plus which pulls data from Google Earth, Google Streetview, and traffic information via LTE as a part of Audi connect (Europe only).
Audi has also improved the A3’s suite of safety equipment to make it a safer car for both occupants and pedestrians with an updated Audi pre sense.
Audi’s adaptive cruise control works together with the new traffic jam assist system and the Stop & Go feature, keeping the car at a safe distance from the vehicle ahead and will accelerate again to keep that relative distance should the vehicle in front comes to a stop.
Emergency Assist, however, is optional. This system will brake the car down to a safe stop should, despite warnings, the driver is unresponsive to an oncoming collision, while the new rear cross traffic assist aids in reversing scenarios like, say, from a perpendicular parking space.
