The Audi A3, the A3 Sportback, the A3 Cabriolet and the S3 are the sporty models in the compact segment. Audi now displays its premium character even more explicitly through new attentive details on both the exterior and the interior.

The interior of the Audi A3 models is likewise even more exclusive. The key features are dials with a gray background, a flat-bottomed leather sports steering wheel complete with trim ring, a new selector lever for the S tronic, black rings on the air vents and a high-gloss trim for the optional navigation system plus.


The engine range for the Audi A3 and A3 Sportback is very extensive – it comprises nine power units, five of them gasoline and four diesel. All are cutting-edge turbocharged four-cylinder direct-injection units badged as TFSI and TDI. They encapsulate all the strengths of Audi engine technology – performance, refinement, high torque and efficiency. Five of the nine engines also feature in the new A3 Cabriolet, with the most powerful version reserved for the dynamic S3 and S3 Sportback – the 2.0 TFSI developing 195 kW (265 hp).

The entry-level gasoline version is the 1.2 TFSI; it is a prime example of the merits of Audi’s downsizing strategy – prioritizing supercharging ahead of displacement. This four-cylinder power unit develops an ample 77 kW (105 hp) from a swept volume of 1,197 cm3 and generates a hefty 175 Nm of torque (129.07 lb-ft), yet averages just 5.5 liters of fuel per 100 km (42.77 US mpg). The most powerful spark ignition engine for the Audi A3 and A3 Sportback is the 2.0 TFSI with an output of 147 kW (200 hp). It is trumped only by the 2.0 TFSI on 195 kW (265 hp), which is reserved exclusively for the S3 versions.

The TDI range extends from the 1.6 TDI developing 66 kW (90 hp) to the 2.0 TDI, with an output of 125 kW (170 hp). The most efficient engine version in the car line – and one of the most efficient compact models on the market – is the Audi A3 1.6 TDI developing 77 kW (105 hp) and 250 Nm (184.39 lb-ft) of torque. It is available in three different versions, the most economical of which is an Audi A3 three-door version averaging 3.8 liters of fuel per 100 km (61.90 US mpg). In-detail modifications to the body and running gear contribute towards this excellent figure, which equates to CO2 emissions of just 99 grams per km (159.33 g/mile).

Audi fits a start-stop system including energy recovery on five engines in the three-door A3 and the Sportback – the 1.2 TFSI, the 1.4 TFSI, the 1.6 TDI developing 77 kW (105 hp), and the two 2.0 TDI versions with outputs of 103 kW and 125 kW (140 hp and 170 hp). In a new departure for compact cars, it is irrelevant whether a manual transmission or the S tronic dual-clutch transmission is fitted. It proves a big advantage in city traffic – it deactivates the engine while stationary and restarts it when the clutch is pressed or, on S tronic versions, the brake pedal released.