- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
1.6DT, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
77kW, 250Nm
- Fuel
Diesel 4.5L/100KM
- Manufacturer
FWD
- Transmission
Auto (DCT)
- Warranty
3 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
2013 Audi A3 Attraction 1.6 TDI Automatic Review
2013 AUDI A3 REVIEW
Vehicle Style: Small 5-door hatchback
Price: $36,500 (plus on-roads) | $40,540 (as tested)
Engine/trans: 77kW/250Nm 4cyl diesel | 7spd S-tronic auto
Fuel Economy claimed: 3.9 l/100km | tested: 5.6 l/100km
OVERVIEW
It’s hard to believe when looking at it, but the Audi A3 Sportback is new. It looks just like the old one except for a nip here and a tuck there.
Audi sticks to what works and this is certainly true of the A3.
However, under the skin, there is some movement. The previous model felt a little bit too much like a Golf in drag, but this one feels quite a bit different on road.
INTERIOR | RATING: 4.5/5
Quality: The A3’s interior is just about perfectly put together. The style may not be to absolutely everyone’s taste, but it’s clean, functional and looks like it was carved in situ rather than fitted.
Even the motorised screen, which pokes out of the dashboard like a toddler’s tongue, doesn’t whirr, it glides silently from within the dash.
The finish of the controls is superior to other bigger Audis, such as the A4 and Q3, which suffer a little from an attack of flimsy plastic buttons.
Comfort: The A3 seems smaller inside than you might expect, but four adults will fit just fine, especially considering the toe-room for rear passengers afforded by the high-mounted front seats.
The front seats could do with more bolstering but as a city car, they’re more than comfortable. The rear seats are a little flat, however.
Equipment: Dual-zone climate control, leather trim, 16-inch alloys, eight-speaker stereo with bluetooth and proprietary iPhone connector (no USB), cruise control, leather steering wheel with paddle-shift, electric mirrors and full trip computer.
The optional Technik Package ($2,990) added an upgraded sat-nav, larger 7-inch screen, self-parking and reversing camera. The self-parking system (Audi Park Assist) takes some getting used to as it backs into a park in a very enthusiastic manner.
Storage: Up front, the doors have reasonably-sized pockets, a pair of cupholders with an insert that allows vertical storage of a smartphone and a glovebox. The centre console is adequate and also houses the proprietary MMI connector.
Rear passengers get small door pockets and map pockets on the rear of the front seats, but miss out on cupholders, which would normally be in the absent centre armrest. Head and legroom is good.
The boot is a competitive 380 litres, which goes up to 1220 litres with the seats down.