The comment "is the same as above" is often made in relation to each new Audi A3 that hits the market, but that doesn't stop it from being a very successful model on a global scale (the same can be said for the Golf, which uses the same software and hardware). Digital dashboard and with very few buttons, and the reinforcement of the cast of hybrid engines are the main innovations, but let's see the car in detail.
The exterior design shows more sharp edges in the concave side sections, rear and bonnet. The new hexagonal honeycomb grille flanked by LED headlamps, as standard, with advanced customized lighting functions (digital matrix in the top versions), in addition to the rear increasingly filled with horizontal optics, draws attention.
The car gains 3 cm in length and 3.5 cm in width, maintaining the height and wheelbase, although in this case with different consequences.
In the case of legroom, nothing changes (not least because the trunk retains the previous 380 l), but in terms of height there is a small benefit in that the seats have been mounted a little closer to the floor of the car, with the rears continuing to be higher than the front ones to generate the amphitheater effect almost always appreciated by its occupants. Which I don't recommend having more than two, because the tunnel on the center floor is huge and the seat space itself is narrower and with a stiffer padding.
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In addition to the standard seats, Audi has sportier ones, with reinforced side support and integral head restraints, standard on the S Line equipment. The most demanding may want heating functions, electrical regulation and lumbar support with pneumatic massage function. To the left of a dashboard that is defined by very good quality of materials and finishes/assembly, as is often the case "in the house", there are several options for steering wheels - round or "flat", with standard multifunctional buttons, with or without cash changeover tabs.
a digital world
The interior has gained in modernity thanks to digital monitors in both the instrumentation (10.25” and optionally 12.3” with extended functions) and the infotainment screen (10.1” and slightly directed towards the driver) , while connectivity gains ground. Only a handful of physical controls are left, such as those for air conditioning, traction/stability control systems and those on the steering wheel, flanked by two large ventilation outlets.
The most powerful electronic platform (MIB3) allows the Audi A3 to have handwriting recognition, intelligent voice control, advanced connectivity and real-time navigation functions, as well as the ability to connect the car to the infrastructure with potential benefits in safety and efficiency of driving.
There's also a head-up display (new on the A3) and a shift-by-wire gear selector (with automatic transmission) and, on the right side, new on the Audi, a rotary control for the volume of the responsive audio to circular movements of the fingers.
Chassis without big news
More and more new models use the ground connections of previous generations (unless there is a platform change for economic reasons) and this is the case with the new Audi A3.
So we have the familiar MacPherson front axle and an independent multi-arm rear axle in this version I've driven (35 TFSI), but Audi A3s under 150 hp use a less sophisticated architecture (torsion axle), as does the Volkswagen Golf or Mercedes-Benz A-Class. This unit also uses the variable damping system which has a reduced ground height by 10mm lower and the most advanced progressive steering system — there we go…
The world launch of the new Audi A3 took place in Granada where I preferred to go by car to avoid airports (Madrid and Malaga or Granada) and planes, even though the distance from Lisbon was about 700 km, this when the borders with Spain had not yet been closed .
So, I was expecting this A3 35 TFSI MHEV (Mild Hybrid) — 1.5 TFSI, 150 hp — which is one of the engines available on (or shortly after) the commercial launch, the rest being the same version without a hybrid system, two Diesel 2.0 of 116 hp and 150 hp and 1.0 TFSI of 110 hp (three cylinders).
Electric “push”
The interesting thing about this MHEV that I guided is that it has a 48 V electrified system and a small lithium-ion battery so that, when decelerating or lightly braking, it can recover energy (up to 12 kW) and also generate a maximum of 9 kW (12 hp) and 50 Nm in starts and speed recovery in intermediate regimes, in addition to allowing the A3 to roll for up to 40 seconds with the engine off (announced savings of almost half a liter per 100 km).
In practice, you can even feel this electrical impulse in speed retakes, which are even more useful than if the increased performance was noticed in deep accelerations. Not only are these less frequent, but they are also favored by the incremental performances that are achieved with the kickdown function (instant reduction of geared gears to two or three "below") of this cooperative and relatively fast seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox .
This, together with full delivery of maximum torque as early as 1500 rpm, helps the A3 35 TFSI MHEV to always provide very fast upshifts.
Is it useful to have driving modes?
If in the versions without variable damping I don't think it makes sense to pay separately for the driving modes program (because there's really little you can do than make the driving heavier), in this case it turns out to be an option to take into account, because the behavior of the new Audi A3 clearly oscillates between more comfortable and sportier.
Not only because the suspension becomes stiffer or softer (more stable in the first case, more comfortable in the second) but also the gearbox adopts programs with similarly distinct responses, with a direct influence on engine performance.
On this test course, with many zigzag road segments, fun is assured when I select Dynamic mode (which also adjusts torque selective control on the front wheels to reduce the tendency of understeer behavior), but in everyday driving , it will probably make more sense to leave it in automatic mode.
It's better to let the software do the necessary calculations for the most relevant answers from the driving interfaces — steering, throttle, damping, engine sound, gearbox (lost the center mounted manual selector lever, meaning the shifts manuals/sequentials will forcibly be done only through the tabs mounted on the steering wheel).
Furthermore, in this case the lower ground clearance and larger tires/wheels (225/40 R18) enhance the overall stable driving feeling (albeit less than the BMW 1 Series with comparable engines and suspension configurations).
This A3 I have in my hands also benefits from the most advanced progressive steering system, which means that the more I turn the steering wheel, the more direct it becomes, with the advantage of having to make less effort in urban driving and having a more precise response — not least because it takes just 2.1 laps at the wheel from top to bottom — and agility at higher speeds on winding roads.
Its contribution to making driving more sporty is clear, while the independent rear suspension prevents destabilizing movements of the car when passing over a bump in the middle of a corner, more frequent and sensitive in versions with rigid rear axle ( as I saw in a smaller loop with the 2.0 TDi of 116 hp).
Note: The price published below for the new Audi A3 is estimated.