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23/05/2005
By EWAN KENNEDY
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There's a purposeful look about Audi's new A3 Sportback that will appeal to the no-nonsense person looking for a prestige car.
 The smallest Audi sold in Australia has the practicality of four passenger doors, something that’s missing from the hatchback variant launched midway through last year. Those back doors, complemented by decent rear-seat legroom and an enlarged luggage compartment, that’s almost station wagon in its capacity, make this a vehicle that can be used as a family car. And that’s how the A3 is generally used in Europe, because the inhabitants of that area simply can’t justify the huge six-cylinder sedans and wagons we are accustomed to in Australia.
It’s not all about practicality, though, far from it. The term Sportback has been coined to try and build on the reputation of these German car as being real driving machines. A full-on sports sedan the A3 Sportback isn’t, but the handling is pretty sharp for a car with a front-transverse engine and road grip remains strong and neutral at speeds well above those likely to be attempted by the average driver. Drive is normally only to the front wheels, but some models come with the option of Audi's famed quattro system for added road grip.
Coarse-chip roads, used in country Australia as a low-cost form of surfacing, do create quite a racket from the A3's tyres at times. Audi is far from being alone in this matter, but if you’re going to be doing a lot of driving on coarse-chip stuff make sure you include some as part of your pre-purchase test drive.
 On other road surfaces the Audi A3 carries a smooth, refined ride of the type you would expect in a much larger car. As usual, the Audi has that very solid feel that typifies the marque and makes owners swear by them.
Styling of the latest Audi A3 includes, of course, the latest ‘single-frame’ grille that now extends to most of the range. The theme works well even on the small car, where there was probably a danger that the big grille may have overpowered the rest of the front. That simply hasn’t happened and the effect is great. Elsewhere, the external shape of the Audi A3 doesn’t set any new benchmarks, though it’s clean lines will appeal to owners looking for a simple, yet elegant shape.
Inside the cabin, Audi has an excellent style that has been copied by many, not always with much success. The technical looks work very well in the A3 and it’s interesting to note more and more similarities to the much-loved Audi TT are finding their way into the rest of the Audi range.
Our test car used the 2.0-litre FSI direct-injection engine which is arguably the best of the big range on offer. It has significantly better performance than the 1.6-litre unit, and is far less expensive than the 3.2-litre V6. The engine was mated to Audi's superb six-speed automated manual transmission which is a sheer delight to sit behind. Few drivers will ever pick it as being a manual, it really does feel like a full automatic. Yet the DSG gearbox gives the car more performance than a conventional manual and can use less fuel while doing so. That’s as close to something for nothing as you will get in the automotive business!
 Fuel consumption during our testing was routinely below six litres per hundred kilometres on motorway running, that’s getting down into turbo-diesel territory. Even the trials and tribulations of commuting traffic seldom had it out of the eight to nine litres per hundred range.
All-in-all, this latest addition to the Audi range is well worth considering if you’re able to afford around $40,000 for a small-medium car. It is very pleasant to drive and to ride in, has decent interior space and carries the sort of styling that’s distinctive without being liable to date at an early stage.
AT A GLANCE
MODEL RANGE
A3 1.6 Attraction 1.6-litre three-door hatch - $33,650
A3 2.0 FSI Attraction 2.0-litre three-door hatch - $37,850
A3 2.0 FSI Ambition 2.0-litre three-door hatch - $39,250
A3 2.0 TDI Ambition 2.0-litre three-door hatch - $46,000
A3 3.2 quattro Ambition 3.2-litre three-door hatch - $72,000
A3 Sportback Attraction 1.6-litre five-door hatch - $36,800
A3 Sportback FSI Ambition 2.0-litre five-door hatch - $40,850
A3 Sportback TDI Ambition 2.0-litre five-door hatch - $47,650
A3 Sportback TFSI Ambition 2.0-litre five-door hatch - $49,950
A3 Sportback 3.2 quattro 3.2-litre five-door hatch - $73,990
FEATURES
ABS Brakes: Standard on all models
Air Conditioning: Standard on all models
Automatic Transmission: $2450 option on FSI Ambition, standard on all other models
CD Player: Standard on all models
Central Locking: Standard on all models
Cruise Control: Standard on all models
Driver Airbag: Standard on all models
Passenger Airbag: Standard on all models
Front Side Airbags: Standard on all models
SPECIFICATIONS (Audi A3 Sportback Attraction 1.6-litre five-door hatch)
ENGINE
Capacity: 1.595 litres
Configuration: Four cylinders in line
Head Design: SOHC, two valves per cylinder
Compression Ratio: 10.3:1
Bore/Stroke: 81.0 x 77.4mm
Maximum Power: 75kW @ 5600rpm
Maximum Torque: 148Nm @ 3800rpm
DRIVELINE
Driven Wheels: Front
Manual Transmission: Six-speed tiptronic
Automatic Transmission: Six-speed tiptronic
Final Drive Ratio: 4.316:1
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES
Length: 4286mm
Wheelbase: 2578mm
Width: 1765mm
Height: 1423mm
Turning Circle: 10.7 metres
Kerb Mass: 1295kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 55 litres
Towing Ability: 680kg (1500kg with braked trailer)
SUSPENSION AND BRAKES
Front Suspension: MacPherson struts, aluminium subframe, lower wishbones, anti-roll bar
Rear Suspension: Four-link, subframe, anti-roll bar
Front Brakes: Ventilated disc
Rear Brakes: Disc
PERFORMANCE
0-100 km/h Acceleration: 11.8 secs
Standing 400 Metres: 17.9 secs
FUEL CONSUMPTION:
City Cycle: 10.4 L/100km
Highway Cycle: 7.3 L/100km
STANDARD WARRANTY
Three years/unlimited km |
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