In early March, during what should have been the eve of the Geneva Motor Show, Audi drew the curtain of the brand-new third-generation A3 Sportback. We no longer have to expect a three-door version, but the model range will again include a sedan. This is the new A3 Limousine!
The Volkswagen Group has replaced its entire family of C segmenters in a relatively short time. There is a new Volkswagen Golf, a new Skoda Octavia, a brand new Seat Leon and since March this year the Audi A3 has also been helped to a new generation. The new A3 is not only available as a five-door Sportback, the men and women in Ingolstadt are now pushing the new A3 Limousine forward, a car that has to compete with cars such as the Mercedes-Benz A-class Limousine.
Dimensions and design
Just like the new A3 Sportback and its nephews and nieces, the new A3 Limousine is also on a further development of the well-known MQB platform. As with the new A3 Sportback with 2.64 meters, the wheelbase remains unchanged from that of the previous generation A3. However, that does not mean that the car has the same dimensions. The A3 Limousine grows by 4 centimeters to 4.5 meters in length. It makes the newcomer a total of 15 centimeters longer than its hatchback brother. In width, the sedan expands by 2 centimeters to 1.82 meters and the A3 Limousine also increases in height, although only by 1 centimeter to 1.43 meters. The latter has a positive effect on the headroom. Together with lower-mounted front seats, the front provides 2 centimeters more headroom. The luggage compartment has a volume of 425 liters, so you can bring exactly as much stuff with you as in the previous A3 Limousine.
In terms of design, the new A3 Sportback did not exactly revolutionize, and that also applies to this new sedan version. Audi remains true to the lines of the previous A3 Limousine, and that seems a wise choice. In terms of appearance, the previous model managed to get hands together nicely. The body of the A3 Limousine is laced with current design elements from Audi, which are mainly reflected on the front and rear. The wheel arches that were fitted to the A3 Sportback also find their way to these new four-door. The A3-with-butt is also characterized by its wide, hexagonal grille in which the slats have given way to mesh. LED headlamps are always present, although versions will also be available with matrix LED viewers built up from 15 LED segments. The roofline for a sedan with a relatively sloping roofline runs through the rear window into a spoiler integrated in the tailgate, a specimen that is entirely made of carbon fiber for a fee. Although the aerodynamics gods have put the Mercedes-Benz A-class Limousine higher on the favorites list with its cW value of 0.22, the new A3 Limousine does get a better report than before. The cW value of the new sedan is set at 0.25 while its predecessor had to do with a result of 0.29.
Inside the A3 Limousine we naturally find the same cockpit as in the A3 Sportback. This means that the interior of the A3 ‘Limo’ is also completely different from that of its predecessor. Where the dashboard of the outgoing generation was still characterized by relative simplicity, the workplace of the new A3 Limousine with its angular shapes and ‘islands’ shines a lot busier, and also a lot more high-tech. The infotainment display, placed loosely above the dashboard, has been replaced by a 10.1-inch touchscreen, which is now integrated in the center console like other recent Audis. The display is linked to Audi’s new MMI system, so the new A3 Limousine will now also have to do without an MMI dial. Behind the also new steering wheel is standard a 10.25 inch large digital instruments. Optionally, Audi supplies a head-up display and a 12.3-inch large and more extensive version of its virtual cockpit. As is the case in the Golf, for example, the automatic gear selector’s conventional selector lever has been replaced by a smaller selector in the center tunnel.
engines
Immediately upon its international market launch, the A3 Limousine is available with two petrol and one diesel engines. At the petrol level, the well-known 110 hp 1.0 three-cylinder functions as basic engine, an engine version called 35 TFSI. This is available with a manual six-speed gearbox, but those who order it with a double-clutch automatic transmission will be provided with 48v mild hybrid technology. Higher on the list is the 150 hp 1.5 TFSI. This engine variant with active cylinder shutdown, designated as 35 TFSI, is also available with a manual gearbox and with an S-tronic automatic transmission. In combination with the automatic transmission, the 1.5 TFSI is also equipped with mild hybrid technology. On diesel level, the 150 hp 2.0 TDI is ready. Later the diesel list is expanded with a 116 hp variant of the same 2.0. Audi promises that the A3 Limousine has a slightly more dynamic character than its predecessor, although we will first have to experience it ourselves. However, the optional sports suspension undoubtedly provides extra sharpness. At a later stage, Audi will undoubtedly expand the line-up with a sporty S and with a sniffed RS variant.
While the previous generation A3 Limousine only had to tolerate competition from the Mercedes-Benz CLA in its first years from its own country, the Limousine now has to face more rivals. Mercedes-Benz has made the CLA more of a four-door coupe, but has created the A-class Limousine to fill the old CLA spot. With the 2-series Gran Coupé, BMW in turn has a new CLA competitor in its range, but also has a more conventional sedan version of the old 1-series driving around outside the Netherlands, although that car does not seem in our part of the world. go on sale. Mazda has a sedan version of the 3 on offer again and Toyota has put the Corolla Sedan back on the sales lists. The question is whether the latter two are seen as an alternative by the A3 Limousine buyer group.
Prices
Audi is quick and prints numbers directly on the price tags of the A3 Limousine. The A3 Limousine 30 TFSI costs a minimum of € 34,900 while the 35 TFSI with S tronic automatic starts from € 38,450. The 35 TDI with S tronic automatic has a starting price of € 44,910. You can order from April 23, around the summer the first A3’s Limousine are at the dealers.