Carbuyer Magazine – August 2019

SPORTBACKisthe five-doorvariant of the Audi A3, althoughtodayit’s

the onlyvers ion of thehatc hbac konsale, as the three-doorhas been

dropped–you canstill buy saloon andcabrioletversions, though.

Thereare fo ur TFSI petrol engines, includingthe fast S3 and RS 3

models,butthe 1.5 TFSIis our favourite, thankstogood economythat

doesn’t come at theexpense of performance. Ifyou’regoingtoc over

morethan12,000 miles ayearadiesel might be better.WhicheverA

youchoose,you’llfind good handling,butifyou want quattrofour-

wheel drive, it’s only offered on thefasterS3and RS3models.

Anotherplus -pointis the interior,whichisbeautifully made and

helpsjustifythe A3’s price.Even SE Technik modelsget xenon lights,

air-conditioning, autoheadlights andwipers,cruise control,sat navand

rear parkin gsensors.Sline and BlackEdition modelsoffer asportier

look andastiffer ridewithout the runningcostsofa nS3, while Audi’s

optional ‘Virtual Cockpit’ –whichreplacesthe tr aditionaldashboard

dial swith a12.3-inchscreen –isanexpensive butexcellent addition.

In the front, the A3Sportbackisaperfectly roomycar.Behind,

there’sareasonab le amount ofspace,but in truth it’s onlysuitab le

fortwo adultpassengers –three will be abit of asqueeze.Wide-

openingreardoorsmeanachild seat canbeinstalled easily.

“The A3 Sportback isapractical and luxurious

family hatchback that–despitethe relatively

high pricetag –iseasy to reco mmend”

Audi A3 Sportback

Spacious interior,engine

range, high-qualityinterior

Firm ride on some versions,

expensive, boot space

Da

ta

Sheet

Eng:1.0,1.5,2.0&2.5petrol,1.6&2.0diesel

Trim levels:SETechnik,Sport,

Sline,BlackEdition, S3,RS

Economy: 30 -56mpg Road tax:£1 45 -£

0-62:4.1-10.4s Euro NCAP:★★★★★★★★★★

Carbuyerrating

★★★★★★★★★4.0/ 5

Price £21,840-£ 44 ,

Ourpick

35 TFSI

SETechnik

£23,

Bestfamily cars

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full specifications,prices and much more...

Owners’rating

★★★★★★★★ 4.1/