Audi has recently revealed the saloon variant of its new Audi A3 which debuts in the United Kingdom and joins its five-door Sportback sibling in the line up. The new Audi builds on the attributes of the first generation A3 Saloon and receives the company’s latest styling cues inside and out, along with an MHEV drivetrain for certain variants.
“While the A3 Sportback has traditionally been the high achiever of the A3 family in the UK, the A3 Saloon has also been quietly carving out a very respectable niche for itself,” says Director of Audi UK Andrew Doyle.
“The well balanced design with its short overhangs and crisp lines has certainly won fans, as have the city-friendly proportions, and of course these are delivered with the same exceptional polish that has won so many plaudits in the Sportback. Fortunately, the second generation car takes its predecessor’s inherent strengths, builds on them convincingly and clothes them in absolutely contemporary Audi design. It is now an even more credible partner to the Sportback that deserves to attract an even broader fan base,” Doyle continued.
The new car builds on the familiar but updated version of the Volkswagen Group’s MQB modular platform. As result, the new car is some 40mm longer, 20mm wider and 10mm taller than its predecessor. However, the wheelbase remains unchanged at 2,636mm. This yields an additional 20mm of headroom up front. Meanwhile, at 425 litres, the boot space remains unchanged from the first-generation model.
Inside the A3 Saloon you’ll find the third generation MIB3 processor powering the car’s MMI Navigation plus system. According to the brand, MIB3 is some ten times more powerful than the previous system and now runs at LTE speeds. Also available is the Car-to-X system which essentially allows cars equipped with this system within an 800m radius to communicate with one another to share information such as hazards and traffic conditions ahead.
This is all displayed via the A3 Saloon’s 10.1-inch infotainment touchscreen. Speaking of screens, the digital instrument cluster that’s fitted as standard measures 10.25-inches, while a 12.3-inch cluster is optionally available.
On the outside, the coupe-esque Saloon gets Audi’s rather large Singleframe honeycomb grille that’s flanked on either side by trapezoidal LED headlights, under which are the LED daytime running lights with specific ‘signatures’ that differs by the model, said the brand.
Sport variants get 17-inch wheels while the S Line gets 18-inch wheels and the newly introduced Edition 1 option brings with it features such as 19-inch wheels and a Matrix LED lighting system.
Under the bonnet, from launch, are two options to choose from. The first is the entry-level 35 TFSI, which uses a 1.5-litre petrol engine developing 110kW and 250Nm of torque. Power is channeled to the front axle via a choice of six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch boxes. The S Tronic variant gets, as standard, a 48-volt mild hybrid system, which recovers energy during braking, aids in acceleration and allows the car to coast. This, Audi says, reduces fuel consumption by up to 0.4 litres per 100 km in everyday driving.
The other engine on offer is an oil burner. Audi has stuck a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel lump under the bonnet which outputs the same 110kW as the petrol engine. The 35 TDI delivers drive to the front wheels via a seven-speed S Tronic.
As for the Audi A3 Saloon in Australia, the marque has confirmed it will join the local line up in 2021, joining its Sportback sibling. Watch this space as we bring you the local pricing and specifications as we get closer to launch.
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