2018 Audi A3 vs 2019

What's the difference?

The Audi A3 is now five years into this current generation and it’s beginning to show its age in terms of tech and styling in the cabin, despite updates adding new equipment. It’s expensive compared to most small cars but is spot-on for a prestige vehicle. 

The Sedan is, in my view, the best looking small sedan on the planet and offers the biggest boot space in the A3 range. The Sportback, however, is arguably more practical, with better legroom, headroom and cargo carrying ability (with the rear seats down). The Cabriolet has the same perfect proportions as the sedan, but like all good convertibles doesn’t make practicality a priority. 

The sweet spot of the range would have to be the Sportback 2.0 TFSI quattro S Line with its $50,000 list price making it the most affordable but most 'specced up' A3 in the entire range.

Great looking and good to drive, if only the A3 35TFSI Sedan was better value for money, had more advanced safety tech and a little extra room.

Well, you might want to hold onto your money and wait. A new generation A3 is coming within the next 18 months and it should tick a couple more of those boxes – can you wait that long?

The A3 comes in three body styles: a five-door hatch, which Audi calls the Sportback; the four-door Sedan, and a two-door convertible which it refers to as the Cabriolet. It may not surprise you to learn they're all different sizes, too.

The Sportback doesn’t look like the shortest of the three but at 4313mm end-to-end it’s 145mm shy of the Sedan and 110mm shorter than the Cabriolet. But those exterior dimensions don’t tell the whole story on interior space. So, which one is more practical? We’ll get to that.

But first, the looks. The Sportback has a wagon-like appearance with its large (for a hatch) rear quarter windows. If you think it looks longer than a regular hatchback, you’re right: a Volkswagen Golf is 50mm shorter even though it shares the same platform as the A3.

However, unlike the Golf, there’s something about the Sportback’s proportions which doesn’t seem balanced.

Then there’s the A3 sedan. Now this is a perfectly proportioned car. Looking like a miniature version of the A8 limo, the A3 is one of the only tiny sedans on the planet that looks fantastic.

The Cabriolet is based on the Sedan, and it too looks beautifully proportioned. Soft tops, when they’re up, never do much for a car’s profile. Be it a Bentley or an A3, they always look better down. When the roof is down the A3 appears lower, sleeker, and tougher.

While all A3’s have the same grille and headlight design the rear treatment of the Sedan and Cabriolet is more refined with their blade-like tail-lights and boot lid lip, than the Sportback, even if it does have a roof-top spoiler.

Interiors are identical across each A3 grade, the cabin benefiting from excellent fit and finish and the use of high-quality materials. But if you like bling-tastic cockpits, maybe you should be looking at a Benz A-Class because even the fanciest A3 money can buy, the RS3, comes with a small display screen and a rather low-key interior design. 

As for rivals, the new A-Class (which I’ve just reviewed) is a glitzy competitor in hatch form, with a soon-to-arrive sedan going head-to-head with the little Audi as well.

Or there’s BMW’s 1 Series hatch and 2 Series Coupe. The 1 Series hatch is seriously ugly, the 2 Series is stunning and looks fast standing still.

In my view, the second-most-beautiful small, four-door saloon on Earth is the Mercedes-Benz A-Class Sedan. But the top award has to go to the Audi A3 Sedan. And that's saying something, because while the A-Class Sedan has only just arrived, the A3 Sedan has been around since 2013 - and it still looks stunning.

Yes, there has been some cosmetic surgery – the grille has grown and the headlights have been redesigned, but mostly everything has been left as it was when it first appeared six years ago.

That's a good thing, because it's beautiful; from that sharp character line which leads down the side to the little boot lip, to the perfect proportions which make it look like a mini Audi A8 limousine.

And it is small. The dimensions show it to be less than 4.5m long, two metres across (counting the side mirrors), and only 1.4m tall. How does that affect practicality? Hold your horses, we're getting there.

The A3 35 TFSI Sedan's cockpit has a modern design with clean styling, but that seven-inch media screen is beginning to look small compared to the latest, larger ones now that have now become common. The 12.3-inch virtual instrument cluster you can see in my images (sorry about the dirty windscreen) looks amazing, but it's an option.

A3s, no matter what the grade, have almost identical cabins as standard – so you're not missing out on much in the way of luxurious touches by choosing the entry car. They all have the same aluminium inlays and metallic treatment on the air vents. The seats are leather, but they aren't the same sports buckets you'll get on the higher grades.

The Sportback and Sedan have five seats, while the Cabriolet has four. Leg and headroom in the back row for all body styles is limited. The Sportback will give you the most rear legroom, while the sedan has a few millimetres more space for your knees than the Cabriolet. 

At 191cm tall I can sit behind my driving position in the Sportback with a pinkie finger’s space, while my knees brush the seatback in the Sedan, and the Cabriolet won’t accommodate my long legs back there at all.
  
Rear headroom in the Sportback isn’t bad with enough room for my big head to clear the ceiling thanks to that tall(-ish) flat roofline while the sedan is a tighter fit but I just make it under. The Cabriolet’s low fabric roof means only small adults or kids will be able to sit up straight back there – unless the top is down and then you have literally unlimited headroom.

Boot space varies obviously depending on the body style. The Sedan has biggest cargo capacity with 425 litres, the Sportback offers up 340 litres, but fold those rear seats down and you have 1180 litres at your disposal, plus a bigger aperture to fit stuff in. The Cabriolet’s folding roof eats into the boot space, but you’re still left with 320 litres even when it’s down.

The folding roof is automatic and can be raised or lowered at up to 50km/h, but it’s slow - I’ve timed it and it takes about 20 seconds to open or shut.

Storage throughout the cabin is limited, too. There are two cupholders up front in all cars, while the Cabriolet is the only A3 to have two cupholders in the back (they’re between the rear seats). If you want cupholders in the rear of the Sedan and Sportback you’ll have to option the $450 fold-down armrest which houses them.

All grades above the 1.0 TFSI come with storage nets in the seatback and front passenger footwell, 12-volt sockets in the rear centre console and boot, plus cargo nets back there, too. There’s a USB jack in the centre console of all A3s.

The A3 35 TFSI Sedan has five seats, but I'd only want to sit in two of them – yep, the front ones. Rear headroom is limited by that roofline to the point that I can't sit comfortably in the back (but I'm 191cm), but even if it was good, I've got almost zero leg room behind my driving position.

Boot space is good at 425 litres (85 litres more than the Sportback's cargo capacity), but cabin storage isn't terrific with two cupholders in the front but none in the back (you'll need to option them), a small centre console bin and tiny door pockets in the rear, but decent-sized ones in the front.

As for power outlets – there are two 12V points (one in the front and another in the rear) and one USB port which is for charging only.

The 35 TFSI is the entry grade of the A3 Sedan range, with a list price of $42,300. Just an FYI, that's $2300 more than the same grade in the Sportback range. Yes, you're being asked to pay more for the same car with identical features, only it has a sedan-style boot.

Those features include the seven-inch screen, sat nav, a CD player, an eight-speaker sound system, leather upholstery and dual-zone climate control. There's no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto and no wireless charging pad...

The standard running lights are LED but the headlights are Xenon. If you want LED headlights, you'll need to option those, and you can with the $2400 Style Package that was also fitted to our car. That pack also adds rear indicators which light up in the direction you're turning, 18-inch alloy wheels, sports suspension and the 3D design 'Optic' Titanium grey inlays.

Our test car also had the $3400 Technik Package fitted, which brings a more premium navigation system, a 12.3-inch virtual instrument cluster, sports steering wheel and paddle shifters, plus digital radio.

The Glacier White Metallic paint our car wore costs $1190 and the heated front seats that were fitted are another $600.

The value isn't terrific... actually, it's not even good. Yes, the quality, fit and feel of the A3 sedan 35 TFSI Sedan is outstanding, but compared to small cars generally, it's expensive and lacks features such as adaptive cruise control, which you'll find on cars half the price.

Even some of its rivals are better value. The Benz A180 hatch has the same list price as the A3 Sedan but comes with more features, such as the two giant 10.25-inch screens, LED headlights, auto parking, keyless start and digital radio.

The car that really shows the A3 35 TFSI up, however, is the Volkswagen Golf 110TSI Highline, which is a close relation to the Audi but is five grand less and better equipped with standard features.

Now on to the engines. Yes, I’m doing this in what may seem a strange order, but trust me, it’s to guide you safely through the A3 range without anybody getting lost. We don’t leave anybody behind here, not on my watch.

The grades indicate the engines in the A3 line-up – the higher the grade, the more powerful the engine. So, the range starts with the 1.0 TFSI which has a 85kW/200Nm 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine, and steps up to the 1.4 TFSI which has a 110kW/250Nm 1.4-litre four-cylinder with cylinder on demand (COD) letting it run on two cylinders when not under load). Both are front-wheel drive (FWD) cars.

Next rung up is the 2.0 TFSI Sport and that has a 2.0-litre four making 140kW/320Nm with drive going to the front wheels. The top of the range is the 2.0 TFSI quattro S line which has the same engine but is all-wheel drive (AWD).

Those are all turbo-petrol engines – yes, no diesels and no manual gearbox option either. All have a seven-speed dual-clutch automatics shifting the gears. 

If you’re after something more hardcore in the same package, there are two halo ‘models’ that sit above the A3 range: the S3 with a 213kW/380Nm 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four and the RS3 with its 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo-petrol making 294kW/480Nm. 

Given they are almost stand-alone models, the S3 and RS3 aren't included in this review, but you can read about them separately by clicking those links.

The 35 TFSI Sedan has a 1.4-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine making 110kW and 250Nm. You may have noticed that officially it is called the A3 35 TFSI CoD. The 'CoD' stands for 'Cylinder on Demand' and refers to this engine's cylinder deactivation ability to run on just two when cruising. The fuel saving advantages to this are obvious, but what if you don't do a lot of cruising? See the fuel section below.

It's pretty astounding that an engine this small can make 110kW, but still that's not a huge amount of grunt, and the 40 TFSI above it in the range, with its 140kW, would be my pick.

Now, what the heck does the 35 in 35 TFSI mean? And for that matter, the 40 in 40 TFSI? Well, in 2018 Audi began changing those numerals after the model name, swapping the 1.4 TFSI for 35 TFSI.

Previously the 1.4 indicated the size of the engine, but now the numerals hint at how much power it makes. So, 35 is the designation for an output of between 110 and 120kW; 40 is for 125-150kW; 45 is for those that make between 169 and 230kW and so on all the way up to 70, which is for an output greater than 400kW.

The lowest power an A3 Sedan comes in is the 35, but the Sportback has an even lower output entry grade – the 30, which is for Audis that makes between 81kW and 96kW. In the case of the A3 30 TFSI Sportback, if you're playing at home, it's 85kW.

Clear as dirt mixed with water? Thought so. Back to the story.

The 35 TFSI has a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, which isn't as smooth as a regular auto, but it shifts faster than one for a sporty driving feel.

Fuel usage depends on the engine and body style, with weights varying across the range. The most fuel-efficient engine is the 1.0-litre which is only offered on the Sportback, and Audi says over a combination of urban and open roads you should see it use 4.8L/100km.
 
The 1.4 TFSI Sportback uses 5.0L/100km, while the Sedan uses 4.9L/100km, but the heavier Cabriolet drinks more at 5.1L/100km.

My most recent A3 test car was a 1.4 TFSI Sportback and the trip computer reported 7.6L/100km over a mix of city and country kays - not bad.

The 2.0 TFSI Sport Sportback uses 5.9L/100km, the Sedan needs 5.8L/100km, the Cabriolet a bit more at 6.0L/100km.

The 2.0 TFSI quattro S Line Sportback uses 6.2L/100km, while the Sedan will go through 6.1L/100km and the Cabriolet again is highest with 6.4L/100km.

That raises the question of how much more does the Cabriolet weigh? About 170kg more than the Sedan and  Sportback thanks to the extra reinforcement needed to strengthen the body to compensate for the rigidity it loses by not having a fixed metal roof.

The 1.4-litre turbo petrol engine has cylinder deactivation and when not under load it can run on two cylinders alone. Audi says that after a combination of open and urban roads the A3 35 TFSI should use 4.9L/100km.

At the end of my week with the A3 35 TFSI I used 10.2L/100km, but I have to say that higher figure is down to driving it almost the entire time in the city (and also with a bit of enthusiasm). Having driven the entire A3 range I know that balancing this with motorway miles will bring that figure down dramatically.

I’ve driven all A3 variants from the 1.0 TFSI to the 2.0 TFSI quattro S Line, plus the S3 and RS3, but most recently I tested the 1.4 TFSI Sportback, which I’ll focus on here.

Our car was fitted with two optional packages – the 'Style Package' which adds LED headlights, 18-inch alloys and sports suspension, and the 'Technik Package' which brings a virtual instrument cluster, an 8.3-inch display and sports steering wheel.

Those larger 18-inch alloys wearing low profile 225/40 Hankook Ventus S1 Evo2 tyres look great, but like thin-soled shoes you’ll feel every imperfection on the road giving a harsher texture to the ride, plus they can be noisy on course-chip bitumen. 

I’d stick to the standard 16-inch wheels. Sure, they don’t look as racy, but the ride from those, on 55 profile tyres, is a lot more cushioned.

Despite that grittier feel from the tyres the sports suspension is excellent and manages to soften bigger bumps well. Handling is good too, thanks to that suspension keeping the body well controlled.

Good visibility, steering that’s light but offers decent feel, and a comfortable seating position make the A4 pleasant to pilot,  but not hugely engaging. If you're after more of a driver’s car, the S3 and RS3 will deliver – trust me.

Acceleration isn’t bad from the 1.4-litre, with 0-100km/h claimed to be 8.2 seconds. That dual-clutch transmission is a quick shifter and smooth even in bumper-to-bumper traffic, but only if you turn off the stop-start engine system (jerky and hard to tolerate). 

I’m also not a fan of the way the stop-start system switches the engine off as you coast to a stop at traffic lights and intersections. For me, that borders on a safety issue, particularly when needing to turn on an amber only to find you momentarily lack steering or power.

As mentioned in the engine/transmission section, the 1.4 TFSI Sportback is a FWD car. Put it on a steep hill, as I did on our test incline, and even in dry conditions it’ll lose traction under hard acceleration. Traction control reins the slippage in, but AWD 'quattro' cars won’t struggle for traction in the same circumstances. 

If your only two criteria for a new car are that it be good looking and great to drive, then stop reading and buy the A3 Sedan now. Seriously, even though the engine in the 35 TFSI isn't that powerful, the balance and feel of the car when it was in my hands was excellent.

I've driven the entire A3 line-up from the 1.0-litre 30 TFSI to the RS3 monster at the top of the range, and it only gets better as you step up through the grades and models, with each adding more power and agility. But even at the very entry level that DNA is there for a great driving experience.

Our car was fitted with sports suspension that oddly comes with the Style Package, and even with the low profile 225/40 R18 Bridgestone Turanzas the ride was still comfortable and compliant.

The low centre of mass helps keep life composed, too. After having tested so many SUVs lately which often have a bouncy, rolly ride, it was refreshing to steer something low and composed; one that handled flat around corners and didn't become unsettled with a sudden change of direction.

The A3 35 TFSI sedan was given the maximum five-star ANCAP rating when it was tested in 2013. Safety technology has come a long way since then, and while the A3s made in late 2018 have AEB which is designed to detect other cars and pedestrians, we'd like to see other equipment made standard, too.

We're talking about blind spot warning, lane keeping assistance and rear cross-traffic alert. If you want these on any A3 you'll need to option them with the Assistance Package.

For child seats, you'll find two ISOFIX mounts and three top-tether points across the rear row.

A space-saver spare is under the boot floor.

The A3 is covered by Audi’s three-year/unlimited kilometre warranty. Servicing is recommended at 15,000km/12-month intervals. A three-year/45,000km service plan is available and costs $1680.

The A3 35 TFSI is covered by Audi's three-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty. Servicing is recommended every 15,000km or 12 months. That type of coverage used to be the norm five years ago, but now as more car makers move to five-year warranties, we would expect Audi to do likewise.

A service plan is available – it's a three-year/45,000km program which cost $1680.

This low score is down to the short warranty and a lack of service-by-service capped-price plan that spans a longer time period.