Road Test: 2015 Audi A3 Sedan

The Audi A3 was reborn for the 2015 model year, and we could not be more excited about this car. Why? Well, because without question, it’s a REAL Audi, in every way.

The previous A3 was in no way a bad car, quite the contrary, but it didn’t sell like hotcakes here in the USA primarily because for whatever reason, the hatchback or small wagon segment just doesn’t seem to work well here. Why that is, we have no idea, and frankly we love the idea of a hatch (and Avant) very much, as they are WAY more practical than a booted sedan.

Interestingly, you may note that we have never officially tested an A3 quattro. Sure, we’ve driven a bunch of the awesome TDI models, and the 2.0T front track, but let’s not kid ourselves here, a big reason many people shop Audi is for quattro. Looking through the used car listings, there ARE A3 quattro models out there, and they’re great and desirable cars, but the scarcity of them in the used car market leads us to believe that they were a relatively low volume car. To us, that is a shame, as people are missing out on awesome all weather surefootedness, as well as reduced torque steer.

With the introduction of the all-new 2015 A3, the quattro models will be much more common and readily available. Initially it will be available with the incredibly eager 2.0T gas engines, and 6 speed dual clutch S-tronic transmissions. Audi will also sell the A3 here with a 1.8TFSI engine and front wheel drive, as well as a TDI and E-tron hybrid model.

We’ve heard rumblings of disappointment that no manual transmission will be offered, and while we join in lamenting the decline in manual transmission popularity, we understand why Audi and many other manufacturers are shying away from them, both from a technical and monetary point of view. It does add a touch of insult when we know that the 6 speed manual is offered in Europe and not here, but at the same time the 6 speed S-tronic is very very good, and we understand the rationalization behind Audi’s decision to not import the car with a manual, since they don’t tend to sell all that well.

When the A3 sedan specs were released, we couldn’t help but notice that in almost every way this new car is roughly the same size as the B5 A4 sedan of 1996 – 2001. What this means is, the new Audi A3 sedan is quite roomy for a “small” car. Remember, this car is as big – or bigger in all ways than the B5 A4. It is possible to put actual full sized adults in the back seats without first sawing off their legs. The panorama sunroof doesn’t cut into the headroom all that much, since it pops up and out of the car instead of down and in. 6 foot+ people have no problem with room in the front seats, and only slightly snug in the back. The trunk is very long, but we found the opening to be a little on the smaller side for large boxes. The floor is raised a bit in the quattro models, so some capacity is lost. But for normal loads, like suit cases and other normal things, it is fine.

The A3 sedan’s more generous proportions also means that it drives like a bigger car. It is a very fun car to drive, even considering its modest underpinnings. Instead of a complex system of control arms and links, the A3 uses a relatively simple lower A arm and MacPherson strut in the front, with dual A arms in the rear. This gives the A3 a decidedly different feel from the bigger Audis, but it is not bad. If anything, it feels more lively than the bigger cars.

Even though the A3 is tuned for comfort over sport, body movements are very well controlled. If you get frisky with the A3, the OEM tires will start to complain long before the chassis becomes upset. Body roll is minimal, even with the relatively high ride height. Dive and squat are well managed. On long highway drives, the A3 is very comfortable.

We found that A3 to be mostly neutral in cornering at moderate to brisk speeds. We didn’t have the chance to push the car to the bleeding edge of grip, but at the limits we maintain on our test loops, we never managed to get the A3 to do anything spooky. The worst we saw was a tiny bit of understeer, and mostly we felt that the A3 handled very well. Again, the relatively tall tires help here, but also dull the car’s turn in and maximum handling somewhat.

Where the A3 chassis is tuned more for comfort, that message was apparently lost on the folks who tuned the engine. With 220hp available from the 2.0 TFSI engine, this new A3 is genuinely quick. It has a nice wide powerband, is very flexible and smooth.  This engine reminds of us of turbocharged engines of 10 years ago, where there was maybe a little lag, but boost that held on past 5k rpm. Except, in the A3 there is no real lag to speak of. Give it a bootfull of throttle, and the transversely mounted 4 cylinder takes a big gulp of air and direct injected stratified gas and lunges the car ahead.

You can easily shortshift the A3 and ride the fat torque – 258 lb/ft from 1600 to 4400 – or you can let it wail, and enjoy the power up top. Both will make you smile. Audi list the 0-60 time as 5.8 seconds, and we don’t doubt that at all. As usual, that time is probably on the conservative side. Top speed is limited to 130. We didn’t have the opportunity to probe it, but we can’t believe that the A3 sedan would have any difficulty reaching that limiter.

We also found the A3 to be quite frugal. We averaged in the high 20s to mid 30s for MPG, with mixed driving. Economy wasn’t our goal, but it seemed to come easy to this car.

The most important thing to keep in mind with this car is, it is 100% without a doubt a real Audi. Every surface that you touch inside the car is of the same quality and unique design that the larger Audi models are known for. Build quality is exceptional, and for a relatively inexpensive entry level luxury car, the A3 has an incredibly solid feel. Every control has a perfectly weighted and smooth response. The A3 has nice big car touches too, like the liner LED running lights, LED indicators for fuel level and engine temp, bright trim on the switches. Every surface in the car is the same as the bigger more expensive models.

As is often the case, the A3 that will be offered here is essentially a mid/high range model spec compared to what would be the “base” model in Germany, with even the non-nav cars coming with the all new MMI controls on the center console, complete with a flip up LCD screen atop the dash. The “base” Audi audio system is not bad, but the optional Bang and Oulfsen system  is very good, and absolutely worth the money.

As with its larger siblings, the A3 has a bright and colorful MMI display screen, which at the touch of a button can disappear into the top of the dash. When the screen is deployed, it is never really in the way, but there are times when it is nice to be able to hide it. Audi updated the nav a bit for this car, giving it similar integration to the bigger cars with an easy to read map and direction indications.

If we have to gripe about this car, we are kind of surprised that in this day and age of everyone in the world having a phone, and other things to plug in, that the A3 has ONE, yes ONE 12v socket in the cabin. That is almost inexcusable in today’s automotive world. Unless you own an extensive collection of AMI plugs, you’re likely to need to plug into a 12v adapter of some sort.

Our test car featured here is the base model, which  stickers at 32,900. Add to that Ice Silver Metallic paint for 500, MMI Nav Plus at 1900 (a relative bargain, though not included is Audi Connect), Cold Weather Package at another 500, an Aluminum Style Package (shiny bits on the inside and out) for 450, Audi Music Interface for 350, and a minus 350 for the single zone climate control (plus destination charges) and you end up at 37,195. Not a bad price for a really good car.

Overall we love the new 2015 A3 sedan. We fell that it is exactly what is needed to get more people in the Audi brand, in a car that compromises nothing in pursuit of perfection. We would love to see the 2.0TFSI and quattro (ok, and the manual transmission) offered in the 5 door hatchback.

Most of all, we’d love to have one of these new A3s in our garage for a bit longer!