2025 Audi A3 evaluation | CarExpert

The Audi A3 has lengthy been a preferred gateway to the premium European motoring expertise.

Observe: This text is predicated on our most up-to-date evaluation of the Audi A3, which assesses the up to date mannequin because of arrive in Australia in 2025.

Pricing and specification particulars are nonetheless unavailable for the Australian market, however we’ve up to date particulars within the evaluation the place applicable.

You possibly can learn extra about Audi Australia’s 2025 product rollout right here.

Although carefully associated to the Volkswagen Golf, totally different styling in and out, larger customary gear ranges, and naturally that iconic four-ringed badge have all conspired to ship a automotive that’s perceived to be a lower above its cousin from Wolfsburg.

Audi has given the A3 a gentle makeover for the 2025 mannequin 12 months. Adjustments to the outside embrace a brand new entrance fascia that incorporates a wider and flatter execution of the single-frame grille with body-coloured trim beneath, redesigned tail-light shows, and a brand new rear bumper.

New LED headlights have 24-pixel parts organized in three rows on their higher edge, permitting homeowners to decide on between 4 totally different digital daytime operating mild signatures utilizing the MMI.

WATCH: Paul’s video evaluation of the 2023 Audi RS 3 Sportback

The alloy wheels have been redesigned, and 4 new paint colors can be found: Arkona White, Arrow Grey pearl, and District Inexperienced and Ascari Blue metallics.

These tweaks, and revisions to the A3’s inside, are all designed to make Audi’s compact premium automotive really feel extra premium.

How does the Audi A3 examine?

View an in depth breakdown of the Audi A3 towards equally sized autos.

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A3

How a lot does the Audi A3 price?

Audi has not but launched any pricing because the up to date A3 vary isn’t because of arrive till the primary half of 2025.

Nonetheless, the present A3 is at the moment priced from $50,600 plus on-road prices in five-door hatch kind, and $53,100 plus on-roads in four-door sedan guise. And in a latest product announcement, Audi Australia representatives mentioned the upgraded mannequin will function “the very best stage of apparatus on A3 ever”, to go together with its up to date design each in and out.

To see how the present Audi A3 traces up towards the competitors, take a look at our comparability instrument.

What’s the Audi A3 like on the within?

“Our foremost goal was to deliver extra high quality into the automotive, to present it extra charisma,” mentioned Audi product advertising chief Tobias Döbel of the enhancements to the A3’s inside; which he acknowledges have been made in response to criticisms from clients that it didn’t look or really feel premium sufficient.

The general structure of the cabin is unchanged, however there’s extra cloth and fewer laborious plastic than earlier than.

Contour lighting runs across the redesigned centre console that sits below the ten.1-inch touchscreen on the centre of the sprint, and the cupholders are illuminated.

An non-obligatory lighting bundle delivers backlit cloth panels on the entrance doorways with 300 laser-cut openings that mild up when unlocking that automotive. Homeowners can select from 30 totally different mild colors utilizing the MMI.

Audi’s Digital Cockpit instrument cluster is now customary globally, and the toggle-like shifter on the brand new centre console has been changed with a {smooth} lozenge that’s pushed or pulled to pick reverse or drive.

Pulling it again twice places the automated transmission into Sport mode. The centre console now additionally homes a wi-fi charger for cellphones.

The revised inside does feel and appear extra premium than earlier than, however there are nonetheless some laborious plastics evident, most notably the seize handles on the entrance of the entrance door armrests.

To see how the present Audi A3 traces up towards the competitors, take a look at our comparability instrument.

What’s below the bonnet?

The powertrain of the revised A3 35 TFSI carries over unchanged from the present mannequin.

The mild-hybrid 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine develops 110kW of energy from 5000rpm to 6000rpm and 250Nm of torque from 1500rpm to 3500rpm, and drives the entrance wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

A belt-driven alternator starter (BAS) feeds the 48-volt electrical system and the compact lithium-ion battery situated below the passenger seat. Underneath lift-off deceleration or mild braking, the BAS can recuperate as much as 12 kW and ship it to the battery. When accelerating from low speeds the power saved within the battery can be utilized by the BAS to ship an additional 9 kW and 50 Nm of torque via the drivetrain.

Audi claims the MHEV system improves gasoline consumption by as much as 0.4 litres per 100km. On the European WLTP cycle, the Sportback makes use of 5.8 to five.2L/100km, whereas the Sedan’s consumption ranges between 5.7 and 5.2L/100km.

Audi additionally claims a 0 to 100km/h acceleration time of 8.1 seconds for the 2025 A3, a 0.3s enchancment over the present automotive. High velocity for the Sportback is 226km/h. The Sedan’s longer tail offers it a slight aerodynamic benefit at excessive speeds, permitting it to succeed in 231km/h.

The distinction is a moot level in Europe, not to mention on Australia’s closely velocity restricted roads. For the report, although, our A3 Sportback hit 200km/h with little fanfare on a brief stretch of autobahn outdoors Munich.

To see how the present Audi A3 traces up towards the competitors, take a look at our comparability instrument.

How does the Audi A3 drive?

In fact, autobahn-storming isn’t what the A3 35 TFSI is all about.

If you need uncooked velocity in an A3-sized bundle, you’ll want the 294kW and 500Nm outputs of the two.5-litre, five-cylinder RS 3 below your proper foot, and even 245kW and 420Nm from the brand new S3.

No, the usual A3 is all about relaxed freeway cruising, with comparatively low noise ranges and an honest experience, the engine shutting down and the automotive coasting to preserve gasoline. 

It’s pleasantly fast on a winding nation street, particularly once you set the slick-shifting dual-clutch transmission to handbook mode and use the paddles to get the gear you need, once you need.

And, it feels alert and responsive round city when the transmission is left to type issues out for itself.

Our tester was fitted with 18-inch wheels and Nexen Nfera Sport 225/40 tyres. Grip ranges have been good, at the least on billiard-smooth German backroads.

The steering weighting is lighter than that of the S and RS variations, however the front-end responds concisely to inputs from the helm, the rear-end monitoring faithfully throughout modifications of course.

That mentioned, the suspension felt barely underdamped every so often, and there was at instances a noticeable inconsistency in brake pedal.

After dialogue with Audi engineers, that drawback was tracked all the way down to the MHEV system’s handoff between regenerative and mechanical braking because it labored to recuperate kinetic power and ship it to the battery.

What do you get?

Thus far we solely have particulars for the entry-level A3 35 TFSI – Audi Australia at the moment sells a 40 TFSI quattro S line as effectively.

A3 35 TFSI highlights:

• 18-inch alloy wheels
• LED headlights
• LED daytime operating lights
• LED tail lights
• Keyless entry
• Audi Digital Cockpit
• Energy boot lid (Sedan)
• Leather-based multifunction steering wheel
• Twin-zone local weather management
• Consolation front-centre armrest
• 40:20:40 rear-seat backrest
• 10.1-inch MMI touchscreen
• Audi Join Plus
• Apple CarPlay, Android Auto

Choices embrace:

• Electrical, heated entrance seats
• 4-way electrical lumbar assist
• Auto-dimming inside mirror
• 360-degree digicam
• Energy hatch (Sportback)
• Panoramic glass roof

To see how the present Audi A3 traces up towards the competitors, take a look at our comparability instrument.

Is the Audi A3 protected?

The A3 35 TFSI was examined by ANCAP when the present fourth-generation mannequin was launched in 2020 and earned a five-star score.

It scored 89 per cent for grownup occupant safety, 81 per cent for baby occupant safety, 68 per cent for weak street customers and 73 per cent for security help.

Commonplace security options embrace:

• Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)
  • Pedestrian detection
  • Bicycle owner detection
• Audi pre-sense fundamental
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Protected exit warning
• Lane departure warning
• Lane maintain help
• Energetic lane help
• Adaptive cruise management with cease and go
• Semi-autonomous parking help
• Reversing digicam
• Entrance, rear parking sensors

How a lot does the Audi A3 price to run?

The A3 comes with a five-year, unlimited-kilometre guarantee in Australia. Physique and paint can be lined for 5 years, whereas corrosion is roofed for 12 years.

Scheduled upkeep may be lined by an Audi Real Care Service Plan, which covers the automotive for 5 years or 75,000km, whichever comes first. Presently for the 35 TFSI the plan prices $2520.

To see how the present Audi A3 traces up towards the competitors, take a look at our comparability instrument.

CarExpert’s Tackle the Audi A3

This gentle refresh of the A3 isn’t going to shock anybody, and that’s most likely a very good factor.

We’d like barely higher rebound damping, the mixing between recuperative and mechanical braking to be smoother, and the laborious plastic bits on the entrance of the armrests to be trimmed with one thing softer. In any other case there’s not lots to complain about right here.

The outside styling tweaks make the automotive look a bit cleaner and crisper than the outgoing mannequin. And the upgrades to the inside – aside from these armrest bits – have certainly made the compact Audi really feel only a contact extra upmarket.

If you need an reasonably priced style of premium European motoring, the 2025 Audi A3 is an efficient place to start out.

Keep tuned for all the newest within the lead as much as the up to date A3’s Australian launch throughout the first half of subsequent 12 months.

Involved in shopping for an Audi A3? Get in contact with considered one of CarExpert’s trusted sellers right here

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