Fourth youth. Test drive of the new Audi A3
The new Audi A3 received the richest equipment in the class – the list of options even includes seat massage and matrix optics
. The new Audi A3 has recently reached only a year after the world premiere. The pandemic, supply issues and the niche nature of the model itself played an important role here – this is one of the longest debuts. However, over the past year, the Troika has had fewer competitors, which is why the requirements for the model are now completely different.
Price: 2,610,000 – 2,986,000 conditional units
Max. speed: 225 km/h
Acceleration to 100 km/h: 8.2 seconds
Engine: TFSI 1.4, 150 HP
Average fuel consumption: 4.9 l/100 km
In fact, Audi has taught us for a long time that the smallest model in the line is not the A3, but the A1. Ten years have passed since my personal acquaintance with the tiny hatch, and during this time, A1 managed to leave from recently, then returned updated, and then disappeared again. And it looks like forever. So the place of the input model is now occupied by the Audi A3
The Germans did not become wise with appearance, and that’s great. In the A3, Audi’s signature style is read in the spirit of the updated A4 and A5. The novelty also received something from the younger Q3 and Q3 Sportback crossovers. A3 has become four centimeters longer than its predecessor – a standard increase by the standards of the class. There are many embossed lines on the sides, large air intakes on the bumpers, a branded slot at the edge of the hood, large LED headlights and 18-inch wheels in the top version – all this makes the three-ruble note dynamic and noticeable, but there is no overdesign here. In general, everything is solid and predictable.
The interior of the new A3 is focused on the driver. Two large air ducts on the sides of the steering wheel are connected by the "house" of the driver’s tidy and immediately make it clear who is in charge here.
In the center of the cabin is a 10-inch touch screen, turned towards the driver. Exactly the same – and the base A4, A5 and A6, but there is one important difference. The older models have not one screen, but two at once – the lower one is responsible for climate control. Given the more modest size of the "troika", the engineers managed with just one display, and the climate control system was controlled by buttons. So the layout here is exactly the same as on the second-generation Q3 crossover.
The only controversial element in the cabin was black glossy plastic on the sides of the screen. During the day, the inserts glare and also quickly get dirty. The rest of the visible part of the interior of the A3 is almost perfect: there is soft leather with patterned stitching, and silver inserts, and even a little wood. But everything below the line of sight is already made of hard and cheaper plastic.
What about prices?
Russian buyers can choose from four trim levels. The most expensive version is Sport with the S-line styling package. Such an Audi A3 with all the options available in the configurator will cost 4.1 million conventional units. This is despite the fact that the base "troika" was estimated at 2.6 million rubles.
However, the starting A3 already has everything you need: dual-zone climate control, an automatic parking system, a rear-view camera, start-stop and LED headlights. And do not forget that the German competitors BMW 2-Series and Mercedes A-Class in similar equipment will cost even more. However, no one promised that the most affordable premium should be cheap.