There are eight powerplants in the broad engine lineup for the Audi A3 and the A3 Sportback – four gasoline and four diesel units. All are cutting-edge four-cylinder units featuring turbocharging and direct injection and badged as TFSI and TDI. They offer all the qualities of Audi engine technology – efficiency, refinement, power and high torque.
Audi uses a recuperation system and a start-stop system with five of the eight engines. The start-stop system, which works with both the manual and the S tronic dual-clutch transmissions, deactivates the engine when the car is at rest and restarts it when the clutch is engaged or the brakes are released. The recuperation systems is standard with all engines.
The entry-level gasoline engine is the 1.2 TFSI; it exemplifies the merits of Audi’s downsizing strategy – the substitution of turbocharging for displacement. The four-cylinder unit develops 77 kW (105 hp) and a hefty 175 Nm of torque (129.07 lb-ft) from its small displacement of 1,197 cc, yet averages just 5.5 liters of fuel per 100 km (42.77 US mpg). The most powerful spark ignition engine for the Audi A3 and A3 Sportback is the 2.0 TFSI with an output of 147 kW (200 hp).
The TDI range extends from the 1.6 TDI developing 66 kW (90 hp) to the 2.0 TDI, with an output of 125 kW (170 hp). The most efficient engine in the lineup is the 1.6-liter TDI with 77 kW (105 hp). It is available in a variety of different versions, the most economical of which averages 3.8 liters of fuel per 100 km (61.90 US mpg) in a three-door Audi A3. In-detail modifications to the body and chassis contribute towards this excellent figure, which equates to CO2 emissions of just 99 grams per km (159.33 g/mile).
The sporty elegance of the three-door Audi A3 and the five-door A3 Sportback is already evident in the design. The optional xenon plus headlights are combined with LED daytime running lights. The single-frame grille element and the trims on the B-posts are painted in high-gloss black, the lower air inlets have chrome struts and there are chrome strips in the door handles. All versions of the Audi A3 have a diffuser insert with a distinctive spoiler lip in the rear. Light guide rods in the in the tail lights of the A3 Sportback form a distinctive contour; the three-door model features tinted tail lights.
Audi A3 review
