Audi recently added the A3 sedan to their already impressive portfolio. We drove it during the world media drive organised by the company in Hungary
THE RELENTLESS ONSLAUGHT from Audi continues as they add yet another car to their portfolio. The A3 sedan was first shown at the Shanghai Motor Show a couple of months ago. We drove the all-new A3 in Budapest at the world media drive.
The single-frame black grille of the A3 is tapered towards the upper corner and is flanked by the sharp trademark Audi LED headlamps. The horizontal slats and the Audi rings give a
three-dimensional look and the chrome frame encloses the grille. The lower section of the bumper tapers to a pushed out edge and the fog-lamps are housed in the air inlets. The broad front end gives the car a menacing look. Two lines on the side of the car along with the flared wheel-arches go well with the bold front end. This gives the car an aggressive stance from the side. The roof slopes towards the rear and merges seamlessly with the shoulder-line. This expresses the car’s all-round dynamic looks. The compact boot-lid with spoiler lip adds to the sportiness. The tapered LED taillamps are fitted with adaptive brake lights that flash rapidly under hard braking.
The interior styling is clear and crisp just like the exterior of this car. A long, continuous curve spans the windscreen from door to door. The design is similar to that of its larger stablemates.
The leather seats give good support as you can fine-tune the seats as per your body shape and size. The best part of the interior is that this is the smallest sedan from Audi, but it still offers you all the luxury of their premium line-up and it does not give you the feeling of being short-changed as the quality of switches and the Milano leather seats is top-class.
The A3 has four engine options: two petrol and two diesel. The petrol engines are a 1.4 TFSI, producing 140 PS of power and 250 Nm of torque, and a 1.8 TFSI, which delivers 180 PS of power and 250 Nm of torque. As for diesel, the 1.6 TDI produces 105 PS and 250 Nm, while the 2.0 TDI produces 150 PS and a hefty 320 Nm. The A3 sedan has the option of a six-speed
manual box or a seven-speed S-tronic auto box with dual clutches.
The suspension set-up on the front is MacPherson with wishbones underneath and the rear is a four-link independent unit.
The first part of the drive was from the Budapest airport to the Karolyi Castle in the countryside, that is, 120 kilometres partly on the motorway and the rest was on country roads. I had the 2.0 TDI for this drive and the first thing I noticed was that Audi have worked on the engine refinement as I could hardly hear or feel the engine running. On the motorway, the two-litre
TDI with a seven-speed auto box was cruising at 120 km/h with the engine just about turning over at 1,400 revolutions per minute. The in-cabin soundproofing is excellent, for there is practically no road or wind noise filtering into the cabin.
The car’s ride and handling capabilities came to the fore when we did a couple of loops on the country roads. The electromechanical steering is light and one does not have to wrestle with
it. At the same time, it is very communicative and gives excellent feedback. Some of the roads in the countryside were similar to Indian roads and this made it easy for us to judge the ride quality, which was very good as it soaked all the bumps and potholes. The handling is top-class. One can throw the car around corners with a lot of confidence as it holds its line round corners without a fuss.
The 1.6 TDI with the six-speed manual box was a true revelation. This manual box is delightful to use, thanks to its short throws with slick and precise gear shifts. Thanks to the tall sixth gear you can cruise at 120 km/h with the tachometer needle at 1,600 RPM and this is fantastic for a car with a 1,600-cc engine. The engineers at Audi have hit the sweet spot with the A3 sedan.
The A3 will be launched in India early next year and it will be the most affordable car in their stable
Story: Aspi Bhathena
Photography: Manufacturer
