2022 Audi A3 hatchback review

As car prices continue to rise the latest luxury small car to land in Australia shows you get what you pay for.

Sometimes it feels like every car maker is pushing to be premium.

Prices for mainstream cars climb ever higher as manufacturers stuff them with fancy features in a push for profit. So it’s interesting to revisit established luxury benchmarks, such as the compact Audi A3.

Based on the same platform as Volkswagen’s mildly-revised eighth-generation Golf, the new Audi A3 costs $46,900 plus on-road costs (about $52,000 drive-away), about $4000 more than the previous model.

Audi’s new A3 is priced from about $52,000 drive-away.

This sounds dear until you consider the brave new world we’re living in, where the humble Golf starts at about $40,000 drive-away and Honda asks $47,000 on the road for a standard Civic.

Audi’s entry-level A3 has a good but not great level of standard equipment. You get 18-inch alloys, adaptive LED headlights, leather seats, dual-zone climate control and a digital dash as standard. But buyers looking for niceties such as adaptive cruise control or heated seats need to find an extra $2600 for a premium pack.

The A3 is built on the same platform as the Volkswagen Golf.

The dashboard is a high-resolution 12.3-inch digital display that looks much sharper than what you find in cheaper cars – particularly when you call up widescreen sat nav with crisp satellite photos from Google Maps.

Standard safety gear includes auto emergency braking, lane departure warning and lane change assistance, rear cross traffic alert and a clever “exit warning” designed to prevent passengers from exiting the car into the path of fast-moving traffic.

A leather steering wheel with shift paddles is nice to have, as is a variable-height centre armrest that works well on long trips.

The base A3 is well equipped, but misses a few luxury features.

The A3’s ergonomics are near-peerless in small cars, with a wide range of driver adjustment and decent rear room.

Audi kicked a goal by side-stepping VW’s controversial decision to use its touchscreen for essentials such as air conditioning, retaining dedicated buttons in a conventional layout. A compact rocker switch replaces the conventional gear selector of previous models, and a small round touchpad next to the park button lets you play, pause, skip tracks or adjust stereo volume with ease.

While the previous-gen hatch shared hardware with the Golf, the new A3 35 TFSI entry point gets a superior 1.5-litre turbo engine and seven-speed dual-clutch automatic missing from local VWs. The sweet unit revs freely when required, otherwise working in the background to use 5L/100km to make 110kW and 250Nm, driving the front wheels as standard.

The base version’s small turbo petrol engine only drinks 5L/100km.

Quattro all-wheel-drive is reserved for the 2.0-litre A3 40 TFSI priced $6600 upstream at $53,500 plus on-road costs (about $59,000 drive-away).

The more A3 trades 6.7L/100km fuel use for 140kW and 320Nm. It’s also much quicker, with a seven second sprint to 100km/h that shaves 1.4 seconds from the standard car.

But buyers are unlikely to feel short changed by the regular engine. It has no trouble shifting the A3 in urban, country or freeway environments, though harsh acceleration can generate wheelspin that you won’t find in the Quattro.

More expensive all-wheel drive versions get a more powerful engine.

It steers sweetly, with a light and crisp action that instils confidence on a twisty road, helped by a rigid chassis that delivers an engaging drive.

The standard car feels a touch taut on Australian roads – particularly those littered with bumps and potholes after East Coast storms. Firm without being uncomfortable, the suspension is also noisier than expected when dealing with bigger bumps.

It does a good job of delivering an Audi experience on a budget – much of which stems from premium materials and superb infotainment systems, rather than a particularly powerful motor or generous standard features.

VERDICT 4/5

High-tech, beautifully presented and fun to drive, the Audi A3 justifies its premium as a compact luxury car.

AUDI A3 35TFSI SPORTBACK VITALS

Price: About $52,000 drive-away

Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo, 110kW and 250Nm

Warranty/servicing: 5-year/unlimited km, $2250 for 5 years

Safety: 7 airbags, auto emergency braking, lane keep assist, rear cross traffic alert

Thirst: 5.0L/100km

Cargo: 380 litres

Spare: Repair kit

IT’S A DRAG

Want to reduce your fuel bills while travelling in style? Consider the four-door Audi A3 sedan. Improved aerodynamic performance compared to the five-door hatch helps reduce fuel consumption by 0.1L/100km. But it costs an extra $2500, which means you’ll need to drive a fair distance to recoup the price premium – just 1.25 million kilometres paying $2 per litre for fuel. The sedan’s slippery shape also translates to a slightly higher top speed for the four-door (232km/h in the 35 TFSI, an 8km/h bonus). Importantly, the sedan’s 425 litre boot has an extra 45 litres of space, but a smaller cargo aperture makes it difficult to shift bulky objects.

Originally published as 2022 Audi A3 hatchback review