2019 Audi A3

Powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine that produces 184 horsepower, the Audi A3 is mated to a 7-speed automatic transmission. All the trims are available in both FWD and AWD. When equipped with AWD, the engine’s power output is cranked up to 228 hp. The Audi A3 competes with its German arch nemesis’, the Bavarian BMW 230i and Stuttgart’s Silver Arrow, the Mercedes Benz CLA 250. In this review, we judge how the A3 compares to such a dynamic duo.

2019 Audi A3 Trims and Features

The Audi A3 is available in three well-appointed trim levels. From the entry level Premium variant to the top-spec Prestige variant, Audi has something for every buyer. The base trim comes with a host of excellent luxury features standard leather upholstery, dual zone climate control and safety features like rearview camera, front collision warning and automatic emergency braking.

Trims	Premium	Premium Plus	Prestige
MSRP (FWD)	$32,500	$36,500	$41,700
MSRP (AWD)	$35,600	$39,600	$44,800
Features		Adds or replaces features from Premium:	Adds or repalces features from Prestige:
	Xenon plus headlights with LED daytime running lights	S line exterior appearance and fender badges	Audi virtual cockpit
	Audi smartphone interface with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto	Audi advanced key — keyless start, stop and entry	MMI Navigation plus with voice control system
	Leather seating surfaces	Audi side assist with Rear cross traffic assist	Audi adaptive cruise control with stop & go
	Heated front seats	Parking system plus (front and rear acoustic sensors)	Bang & Olufsen Sound System with 14 speakers and 705 watts
	6-way power front seats with 4-way lumbar support	Full LED headlights and LED taillights with dynamic turn signals	Heated, auto-dimming, power folding exterior side mirrors
	Audi pre sense front	Audi phone box (wireless charging and signal booster)
	Rear view camera

We Recommend

We would recommend for most the buyers the base Premium trim with Quattro AWD, by investing an extra $3,100 on the base trim you will have more power and added advantage of all-weather driving with the Quattro AWD system. The base trim offers good value for money and keeps the price from reaching towards another segment.

“The 2.0-litre engine arrived with the 2016 facelift and boasts an excellent spread of refined torque. It’s only noisy right at the top end in that realm around 5000rpm where normal drivers never stray, or if you stand outside the car. For almost all occupants almost all of the time, it is more than sufficiently refined.”-Autocar

Powered by a 2.0L inline-4, the Audi A3 drives with its front wheels and pumps out 186 horsepower and 221 pound feet of torque. Propelling away to highway speeds in this sedan would not be an issue at all. Mated to a 7-speed automatic transmission that does its duty well, trust the transmission to its logic and it will guarantee seamless gearshifts. However dial to the manual mode and you’d notice a slight hesitation while shifting through gears.

Amongst the competition, the Audi A3 is quite underpowered. The Alfa Romeo Giulia churns out the most output amongst the field while the likes of Volvo S60, BMW 2 series and the Jaguar XE hang around alongside each other.

Models	Audi A3	Mercedes Benz CLA 250	Volvo S60 Inscription	Alfa Romeo Guilia	Lexus IS 300	BMW 230i	Jaguar XE
MSRP	$32,500	$33,100	$40,195	$38,195	$40,660	$35,300	$46,235
Engine	Intercooled Turbo Regular Unleaded I-4, 2.0 L	2.0L I-4 Intercooled Turbo Premium Unleaded	2.0L Turbocharged Inline-4 cylinders	2.0L Turbocharged Inline-4 cylinders	2.0L I-4 Turbocharged	2.0L Turbocharged Inline-4	2.0L, Turbocharged, Inline-4 cylinder engine
Transmission	7-speed automatic	7-speed automatic	8-speed automatic	8-speed automatic	8-Speed Automatic	8-speed automatic	8-speed Automatic
Horsepower	184 hp @ 4300 rpm	208 hp @ 5500 rpm	250 hp @ 5600 rpm	280 hp @ 5200 rpm	241 hp @ 5,800 rpm	248 hp @ 5200 rpm	247 hp @ 5500 rpm
Torque	221 ft-bls @ 1600 rpm	258 ft-lbs. @ 1250 rpm	258 ft-lbs. @ 1500 rpm	306 lb.-ft. @ 2000-4800 rpm	258 lb-ft @ 1,650 rpm	258 lb.-ft. @ 1450 rpm	269 ft-lbs. @ 1300 rpm

Acceleration

The 4-cylinders spurting 221 pulling forces in the Audi A3 zips the 0-60 mph mark in 6.1s while completing the quarter mile in 14.8s. These timings bring it a tad closer to the otherwise distanced leaders of the likes of powerful Volvo S60, BMW and the Giulia. Its German rival sticks behind the by a negligible 0.2s. The slowest amongst the pack is the Lexus IS 300 while the Jaguar keeps company with the Silver Arrow.

Models	Audi A3	Mercedes Benz CLA 250	Volvo S60 Inscription	Alfa Romeo Guilia	Lexus IS 300	BMW 230i	Jaguar XE
0-60 MPH	6.1 sec	6.3 sec	5.0 sec	5.5 sec	6.9 sec	5.3	6.3 sec
Quarter mile	14.8 sec	14.9 sec	14 .3 sec	14.1 sec @ 100 mph	15 sec*	12.7	15.0 sec
Engine	Intercooled Turbo Regular Unleaded I-4, 2.0 L	2.0L I-4 Intercooled Turbo Premium Unleaded	2.0 liters	2.0 Liters	2.0L	2.0L i4	2.0L
Emission (Tons/yr of CO2 Emissions @ 15K mi/year)	N/A	N/A	TBD	NA	NA	N/A	6.3*

Ride and Handling

The 2019 Audi A3 shares its underpinnings with the VW group’s MQB platform. A laudable handling machine, the sedan comprises a comfortable ride quality and spirited driving dynamics. Its steering is direct, and a stiff suspension that works stably along corners, tight or otherwise. An easy car to drive, the A3 however lacks steering feedback and to really churn out the feeling of fun from the sedan.

Braking

The sedan offers a 12.3-inch brake rotors at the front and 10.7-inch brake rotors at the rear. The data for the 2019 model is not available yet. With a curb weight of over 3000 lbs. and an all 4-disc brake setup, the A3 is expected to offer good stopping power.

Model	Audi A3	Mercedes Benz CLA 250	Volvo S60 Inscription	Alfa Romeo Guilia	Lexus IS 300	BMW 230i	Jaguar XE
Brake Front (in.)	12.3	12.6	13.2	13	13.1	12.3	12.8
Brake Rear (in.)	10.7	11.6	12. 9	12.5	12.2	11.4	12.8
Curb Weight (lbs.)	3197	3274	7303	3521	3583	3411	3500 lbs
60-0 MPH (ft.)	N/A	121	127	124	TBD	113	184 ft*

With a frugal powertrain underneath the hood, the Audi A3 can cover serious distances. Add turbocharging and direct injection to this mix and the engine delivers even better fuel efficiency. It delivers a combined mpg of 28. VW group’s TFSI technology increases the power output of the engine and makes sure to maintain the efficiency of the same. The rest of the field perform similarly in the

Model	Audi A3	Mercedes Benz CLA 250	Volvo S60 Inscription	Alfa Romeo Guilia	Lexus IS 300	BMW 230i	Jaguar XE
MPG (city)	26	24	26	24	22	24	24
MPG (highway)	35	37	32	33	32	35	34
MPG (combined)	29	29	29	27	26	28	28

“Innovative technology is featured inside the high-quality cabin, including a trick digital gauge cluster and a motorized pop-up infotainment screen. Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and a 4G LTE–powered Wi-Fi hotspot are also available.”- CarandDriver

Inside the A3’s cabin, you are greeted by a host of high quality fittings that seem unreal for this segment. Solidly built and put together, it would be an arduous task to point out panel gaps or inconsistent material. Touch the dashboard, poke the glove box, its interior would put a smile on your face with its posh and soft touch materials.

Models	Audi A3	Mercedes Benz CLA 250	Volvo S60 Inscription	Alfa Romeo Guilia	Lexus IS 300	BMW 230i	Jaguar XE
Passenger capacity	5	5	5	5	5	4	5
Front (cu.ft)  Head room	36.5	38.2	38.6	37.1	40.2	40.1	-
Shoulder room	54.8	56	57.0	55.3	56.7	54.4	-
Leg room	41.2	40.2	41.9	NA	44.5	41.5	-
Rear (cu.ft)  Head room	36.1	35.4	37.4	37.1	37.5	36.5	-
Shoulder room	53	53.2	55.2	55	56.1	53.4	-
Leg room	35.1	27.1	36.9	36.1	35.1	33	-

In the front row, the A3 houses comfortable spacing and with good driving position alongside adjustments on offer, it will not be difficult to find your favorite driving position. However, unlike the front, the rear seating takes a hit in comfort space as it feels cramped and small. The switchgear has been laid out under the aegis of clinical German precision. Everything falls to your hand naturally and you would be amazed how less time you need to get accustomed to the interiors.

Infotainment System

The entry level Premium trim comes with a 7.0-inch display and 10 speaker audio system. To take the in-cabin experience the optional Audi MMI infotainment system and touchpad with handwriting recognition. This system also comes with support for Apple Carplay and Android Auto. The audio experience is taken up to echelon with the 705 watts 14-speaker Bang and Olufsen sound system.

Interior Features

Some interior features in the A3 include –

• Dual zone automatic climate control
• Xenon plus headlights with LED daytime running lights
• Ambient LED interior lighting
• Leather-wrapped gear selector
• Dual adjustable front visors with lighted vanity mirrors
• Leather seating surfaces

Cargo Capacity

With a paltry 12.3 cubic feet, one can say the Audi A3 is a mixed bag with it resting right in the middle of the competition. The most commodious Jaguar XE brings home 16 cubic feet followed by the rest of the field with the likes of BMW, Lexus and Mercedes. While these are coupes, we can only wish the body of the A3’s sedan should have been more spacious.

Model	Audi A3	Mercedes Benz CLA 250	Volvo S60 Inscription	Alfa Romeo Guilia	Lexus IS 300	BMW 230i	Jaguar XE
Cargo Volume (ft.3)	12.3	13.1	11.6	13.0	13.2	13.8	16.1

 

“The 2019 Audi A3 is hard to tell apart from the rest of the Audi lineup, but that’s a good thing for first-time luxury buyers.”-thecarconnection

One glance at the A3 and it wouldn’t be much difficult to dismiss the styling aesthetic of this sedan. The design heavily draws from the Audi A6 and that is a good thing. It looks great, unlike The A3 was never a utility-driven design, but even with the sloping roofline, the storage doesn’t really get affected as much. Dimensionally, the A3 sedan finds the middle ground between the larger sedans and coupes like the Jaguar XE and with the likes of Mercedes CLA 250.

Model	Audi A3	Mercedes Benz CLA 250	Volvo S60 Inscription	Alfa Romeo Base	Lexus IS 300	BMW 230i	Jaguar XE
Curb weight (lbs.)	3197	3274	3703	3521	3,583	3411	3500
Length(in)	175.5	182.3	185.6	182.6	184.3	174.7	183.9
Width(in)	70.7	70	77.0	73.7	71.3	69.8	77.4
Height(in)	55.7	56.6	58.3	56.5	56.3*	55.8	55.8
Ground clearance (in)	N/A	N/A	5.9	N/A	5.3	5.5	N/A
Wheelbase (in)	103.8	106.3	112.4	111	110.2	109.9	111.6
Track width (in) F/R	61.2/60.1	60.9/60.8	61.2/62.1	61.3/63.9	60.8/61.6	59.9/61.3	N/A

When we talk about the competition, the Chevy Camaro has an enormous wheelbase of 110.7-inches. Camaro is one of those convertibles which are high on utility and offer generous interior space for the passengers. Then there are convertibles like Fiat 124 and Mazda Miata which have sacrificed rear seating in favor of offering an unrivaled top down driving dynamics.

Audi A3 packs impressive safety technology. Some of these include the following:

• Active rollover protection system
• Electromechanical parking brake
• Safety belt reminder for driver and passenger
• Tire-pressure monitoring system
• Electronic Stability Control with secondary collision brake assist and traction control
• Anti-theft alarm
• Rearview Camera

Audi A3 vs BMW 230i

The Bavarian actually a better driver’s car. Even with an identical displacement (2.0-liter), the BMW is tuned for more power. When we talk of the 0-60 time, the 2 series is faster than the Audi A3 by a margin of more than one second. The Beemer benefits from excellent driving dynamics. It also offers a more practical boot and more usable space in the cabin. But all these niceties carry a further $3000.

The 230i presents itself as a strong choice for an entry level sport car. It brings together lot of elements from its brethren. It effortlessly combines dynamic handling without the expense of comfort and so completes its job as a daily driver and occasional performer.

Audi A3 vs Mercedes Benz CLA 250

Compared to the Mercedes, the Audi A3 is a complete package with an overall better driving dynamics alongside luxury and opulence. Facing common problem of cramped back seats and storage capacity, the 4-ring still bears a little more comfortable rear seats. With comfort and a host of niceties, the Audi A3 is a bang for the buck.

Priced at $32,500, the Audi A3 is your ticket to luxury. With this car, Audi hasn’t made any compromises. The interior is savvy and in league of its own. The engine produces 184 horsepower and although it might feel low but behind the wheel, the sedan doesn’t feel a slowpoke. The throttle response is crisp and low end torque helps to make the A3 a driver friendly car.

The Audi A3 is not a proper four seater, it is more like a 2+2 seater and rear seats are suitable for children. If you are in the market for an entry-level sedan which can occasionally seat four and spoil you with best in segment fit and finish, then the Audi A3 should be high on your list.