Audi A3 Sportback Outstanding design, agile driving experience and extensive technology – the Audi A3, A3 Sportback, the A3 Cabriolet and the sporty S3 model in the compact class. Audi is its premium status even clearer indication of thoughtful new details on both the exterior and interior.
The new five-door Sportback version features heavily in the plan. We've already driven the 2.0-litre turbo FSI, in Issue 817 - and now Auto Express has got behind the wheel of the 2.0 TDI diesel for the first time in the UK.
While it has its own specific name this time around, the Sportback doesn't offer much more than the three-door. The boot is 20 litres larger and the rear seats go nearly flat (boosting the capacity to a maximum of 1,120 litres), but other than that there is little innovation. Getting in and out of the rear is, as you would expect, far easier. And build quality and interior design remain faultless.
Engines pretty much mirror those of the three-door A3, with a good mix of diesel and petrol. The entry level 1.6 petrol comes in 102bhp or 115bhp guise; the latter being fuel-efficient direct injection (FSI). Neither provides much performance but you still get that Audi feelgood factor. For about £1,000 more, though, buyers can enjoy a used 2 litre FSI with 150bhp. It’s smoother and nearly 2sec quicker to 60mph, the marginal 4mpg dip in fuel economy being easy enough to justify.
The A3 concept has a five-cylinder engine, coupled with a 7-speed S tronic transmission, developing 408 hp from a displacement of 2.5 liters. Its peak torque of 500 Nm (369 lb-ft) is available over a broad rev range between 1,600 and 5,300 rpm. This allows the car to sprint from 0 to 100 km/h (62.14 mph) in 4.1 seconds, up to an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h (155.34 mph).
