2015 Audi A3: This Is How You Build A Small Luxury Car

One of the elementary laws of physics states that energy can never be destroyed, only transformed.  It is with this in mind that I lament the passing of the Audi A3 hatchback – slated to eventually return to North America in plug-in hybrid form at some future date – while simultaneously welcoming the arrival of the 2015 Audi A3 sedan.  The all-new four-door entry-level car from Audi is designed to appeal to a crowd that the brand hopes will be young and affluent, which is a vein that has been so far difficult to tap for luxury automakers.  To attract this specific niche of shoppers, Audi has chosen to walk a different path than that traveled by countrymen Mercedes-Benz and BMW.  After having driven the sedan, I can attest that the decision to stay true to what has made the brand such a popular premium choice in recent years was an inspired one.

Three Distinct Flavours

The 2015 Audi A3 (which goes on sale in just a few short weeks) will be offered to Canadian buyers in three distinct flavours.  Those seeking to take advantage of the car’s most affordable price point will find themselves behind the wheel of a 1.8-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder edition of the A3 that sends its 170 horsepower to the front wheels via a six-speed, dual-clutch automated manual transmission.  A more robust 2.0-liter turbocharged four-banger is also available – lifted from the larger Audi A4 – and it ups the ante to 220 horses and makes quattro all-wheel drive standard equipment (the six-speed transmission stays in the picture).  There will also be a turbodiesel edition of the A3 available later in the year.

• Also: 2015 Audi A3: Made for Chimerica
• Also: 2015 Audi S3 Sedan and A3 Cabriolet: New Kids On The Block

The hilly topography of the area immediately surrounding California’s Silicon Valley served as my proving grounds for both gasoline-powered versions of the car, and driving each model extensively revealed a clear character difference between the two.  While the 1.8-liter model’s acceleration was adequate, the 2.0-liter car felt much more confident not only when kicking down a gear or two to surge up a steep incline but also when turning in to one of the many switchbacks that defined these snake-like roads.  The additional grip of the larger-displacement sedan’s quattro system combined with what felt like firmer suspension tuning and more balanced weight distribution to create a more pleasant driving experience, and one justifying the few thousand dollars required to step up to the model.  The extra torque (258 lb-ft in total) probably didn't hurt either.

Having previously driven the high-performance S3 edition of this car over very similar terrain, it’s not a stretch to say that the 2.0-liter A3 is a reasonable substitute for anyone who sees the former’s lofty price tag as out of reach.  You miss out on the S3’s trick suspension, steering-wheel mounted paddle shifters, and swankier interior and exterior trim, but the 80-horsepower deficit between the two cars isn’t as noticeable on public roads as it would be on a race track – and few, if any A3 owners are going to be haunting local road courses.

Austerity, Audi-Style

From the outside, the Audi A3 offers a mature design statement despite its youth-oriented focus.  In fact, the car hews so closely to the manufacturer’s well-established styling playbook that it would be easy to mistake the small sedan for the more massive A4 from a distance.  This is excellent news for Audi, as the A3’s ability to fit perfectly into the showroom gives it stronger credibility amongst entry-level shoppers.

Inside the A3 is where fans of the brand will most likely be the most surprised.  Audi has developed a well-earned reputation for delivering perfectly-executed luxury interiors, and while the small four-door’s trappings are far from bargain-basement, there is a distinct simplicity and lack-of-detail that permeates its cabin.  The A3’s list of standard gear is good for its class, including the MMI vehicle interface (with a trick handwriting touchpad that is more useful than it sounds), a leather-wrapped steering wheel, a generous sunroof, and HID headlights.  LED headlights can be ordered as an option – unique to Audi amongst small premium sedans – while American buyers get access to a 4G LTE connected car feature that won’t be available in Canada due to the deplorable state of our usurious mobile data rates.

One more thing to keep in mind regarding the Audi A3: this is quite a small car, and as such, it boasts an equally-modest interior.  Front-seat passengers won’t have any issues with finding a comfortable position, but the back of the sedan is tight for anyone approaching six-feet.  This isn’t a family car, although the trunk is large enough to swallow a full-size auto writer like myself with room to spare.

Best Of The Bunch

At the beginning of this review I mentioned that the 2015 Audi A3 is remarkable for its approach to the entry-level luxury segment with regards to offerings from its Teutonic rivals.  Whereas BMW has yet to offer a four-door 2 Series (although one is rumoured to be on the way), forcing customers to tolerate the impracticality of a coupe when seeking an affordable Bimmer, Mercedes-Benz has foisted the CLA-Class – an awkwardly-proportioned, and genuinely unpleasant-to-drive vehicle – on unsuspecting upwardly-mobile customers.  The CLA-Class resembles a short-wheelbase CLS-Class, with its ‘four-door coupe’ styling that demands rear seat concessions due to its sloping roof, but that’s roughly where the comparisons to anything else in the Mercedes-Benz line-up end.

The A3, on the other hand, feels and looks like a small Audi, with everything that implies, and as such comes across as one of the most complete affordable upscale Euro experiences so far.  Rather than burning brand equity to put butts in seats like the CLA-Class, the A3 is actually doing its part to build Audi’s reputation, which is no small accomplishment for such a compact car.