The Audi A3 is dead, long live the new Audi A3

While people continue to get up in arms about the birth of a new VW Golf, it’s always more interesting to see what Audi does with the same platform. See, the Golf is the classless car that fits in every where, but Audi throws a layer of ‘premium’ at it in a bid to make a more grown up product for people who like their things a little more swish.

That tends to mean technology firsts for the segment, slick materials, and a design that looks more at home in The City than Thurrock (sorry, Thurrock people, but you know it’s true). The new, fourth generation, Audi A3 promises to do all of that, and maybe a smidge more, for a new breed of customers.

On the looks front, it’s an angry, pointy thing. In the days of yore those kind of angles and flared arches were left to the S and RS 3, the ones designed for white collar hoonery after work, but can still fit a weekly shop in the back and take mum to tea without incident. Its headlights are gloriously pointy, its honeycomb grill a delight, the rear’s angles keep your eyes busy, and its sides hide its size neatly. It’s a cool car to look at.

Inside is similarly angle-tastic. The door handles are the cherry on a pretty pointy cake, though the S-Tronic automatic gear selector on the centre console rather marrs proceedings by being a big slab ‘o plastic. Manual cars make more of the space. The new A3, being the lower end of the Audi scale, does get some unfortunate plastics here and there. It does take a touch of the ‘premium’ shine off, but not so much your mates will call you out for not being able to afford an A8. If they do, they’re probably not worth having as mates anyway.

Infotainment is taken care of by Audi’s slick-as-they-come MMI system. When you’re on the move you can quite happily tap your way around its screens to fiddle with radio, navigation, or system settings with ease. Audi says it’s the fastest iteration of its infotainment yet, which is a wonderful idea, but it doesn’t half take a while to wake up when you turn the car on. It can, if you’re in a hurry, be a pain to say the least. It comes with smartphone integration as well, which means you can ignore Audi’s efforts if you want to. It, too, takes a while to warm up though.

The test car was fitted with Bang and Olufsen audio which sounded as wonderful you’d imagine considering B&O creates some of the finest stereo systems in the world. Radio, podcasts, classical, modern, and... less modern sounds were all deliciously taken care of.

As well as being easy on the eyes, it’s easy on the arse as well. Audi’s popped some new sports seats in the A3 and they’re as comfy as they come. Whether you’re on a long schlep or a short putter around town, the dreaded numb bum is kept at bay.

 Thing is, the A3 will do big trips, short runs to the shops, or let you get your anger out with ease. The 35 TDI comes with a 148bhp 265lb ft 2.0-litre diesel motor, which is potent enough to get you from 0-62mph in 8.4 seconds and up to 139mph. For a dinky diesel, that’s remarkably perky, moving it in to warm hatch territory and then some. With the automatic S Tronic gearbox on board (anyone else think S Tronic would make a great band name?) it deals with its torque remarkably well, making the most of what’s available before seamlessly moving you on to the next ratio. There are a few driving modes to choose from – you can set the car up to your liking in individual, auto will figure out what you’re doing and work the car around you, eco is there to use as little fuel as possible but has the side effect of making the car’s controls feel softer than some may be comfortable with, comfort is the standard setting that’ll suit most people down the ground, and dynamic is there to have some fun with – the wick is turned up and then some.

Comfort is where most buyers will stay, and rightly so. It’s smooth and comfortable. The gearbox, on the move, goes about its business wonderfully – though it can be a bit hesitant when you’re leaving a junction, which can result in a few four letter words. On the motorway there’s some wind and tyre noise. It ain’t Rolls-Royce quiet, but it’s not bad enough to warrant an investment in ear plugs. Steering is light and airy, meaning you don’t have to put all that much effort in to getting around. As a day to day motor it’s bang on.

Turn on dynamic mode and the A3 becomes a capable machine – gearshift are quicker, throttle response is faster, and all the usual ‘fast mode’ stuff happens. It’s really quite fun to punt around corners at speed. There’s a little bit of something for everyone in there. The motor is so efficient, that even when you drive like an arse you’ll manage around 40mpg, which is impressive.

The new A3 does a lot of things very well, and a few things not quite as well. It nails the important stuff though – it’s efficient, fun to drive (so long as you get one with more than 148bhp – they get jazzy rear suspension, whereas lesser models don’t), and it looks ace. Most buyers aren’t likely to care much about the drive, let’s be honest, they’ll want something smart looking to get around in. This is that car. The fact they’ll have fun on the road will just be a happy side effect.

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