Audi A3 Sportback (2024 - ) review

Audi sells the A3, available as a five-door ‘Sportback’ hatch or as a stylish four-door Saloon, with a few engine choices, so there's something for everyone(ish). There are two petrol choices, both using a 1.5-litre turbo engine with either 116- or 150-horsepower, or a 35 TDI diesel, also with 150 horsepower. And then there's the 40 TFSe plug-in hybrid, with 204 horsepower and a frankly outrageous 942mpg efficiency claim. It's a claim even Audi seems a little embarrassed about because it doesn't come up in Audi's press material until five paragraphs down. If you get 10 per cent of that in real life, you'll still be driving a miraculously economical petrol car. Diesel is still best for real-world fuel economy, although the PHEV's 88-mile electric-only mileage means you could feasibly use it as an EV if you have a short daily commute.

Although Audi is known as a prestige brand, some of its cars are not without fault – and this generation A3 is one of them. The wider Volkswagen Group, to which this Audi belongs, has been having widely reported issues with its infotainment systems in terms of electrical glitches, and the A3 is no exception to that. Owners who bought it from 2021 until 2023 report having to take their cars back into the dealership to have gremlins fixed under warranty, although the good news is that in the vast majority of cases the manufacturer is covering all the costs so it’s more the inconvenience factor than the expense of putting any such issues right. The hope is that these earlier teething troubles with the infotainment software should have been ironed out by now, so this facelifted model should prove more dependable.

With a full five-star safety score by testing body Euro NCAP already in the bag for the 2024 update Audi has enhanced the standard equipment list with parking sensors front and rear on every model, while every A3 in the range is also equipped with an adjustable speed limiter, advanced driver attention and drowsiness monitoring, cruise control, hill-hold assist, Audi Pre-Sense Front, collision avoidance assistant, lane departure warning and camera-based traffic sign recognition. About the only way you can build on this impressive level of kit is to plump for either the Technology Pack or the Technology Pack Pro options. The former includes a reversing camera, adaptive cruise assist and a head-up display (as well as a Sonos premium sound system), while the latter bundles adaptive cruise with a lane-change assistant with exit warning system, rear cross-traffic alert, LED Matrix headlights and an enhanced version of the company’s proprietary Pre-Sense technology. The drawback is that the Technology Pack Pro is very expensive, but – in short – there are precious few cars in this class which can match the Audi A3 for its levels of safety equipment.

The Audi A3’s driving position is excellent and should cater for people of all shapes and sizes with its impressive range of adjustability. Visibility is also good, while the seats are supportive and comfortable. Space in the rear of the Sportback is decent as well, so taller people should be able to sit back there for longer periods of time while the boot is average for the class. The Saloon has even more room but the Sportback has the more practical and wider boot aperture for loading bulky items. Our 35 TFSI Sportback test car came on sporty suspension and big 19-inch alloy wheels with an optional damper control system to attempt to make it ride more softly – yet such a cosseting experience never materialised. Instead, it felt a bit harsh on poor surfaces, so we’d advise going for the basic A3 Sport with its softer suspension and 17-inch wheels if comfort is a priority. At least the A3 Sportback limits wind and tyre noise, making it a refined car to travel in on the most part.

An enhancement of the standard equipment levels for the 2024 Audi A3 runs beyond driver assist safety systems, adding desirable toys to the cabin to improve the car’s connectivity. Every car, from basic Sport specification upwards, now benefits from the crisp, clear Audi Virtual Cockpit Plus digital instrument cluster, while the main infotainment is presented on an attractive and fast-responding 10.1-inch touch-screen. To this, the company has added Audi App store and a smartphone interface, along with the Audi Phonebox Light software with wireless smartphone charging, so the car feels more cutting edge in the way it interfaces with your other tech. Heated front seats with an electric lumbar support feature are another creature comfort fitted to every A3, meaning even the Sport trim feels upmarket rather than what people would once have disparagingly termed ‘poverty-spec’. S line and Black Edition models bring bigger wheels in various sizes up to 19 inches and with fresh designs, along with a few other sundry upgrades. There are also five new body colours for the revised A3 family, the luscious District Green looking especially attractive.

A well-rounded group of engines attempts to cater to everyone and basically succeeds. The entry-level 30 TFSI petrol isn't that powerful (116 horsepower) but it's smooth enough, pretty quiet and doesn't feel wheezy. The 35 TFSI, also a 1.5-litre petrol, delivers 150 horsepower and is definitely the one to go for if you're ever planning on overtaking anything. The 35 TDI, a 2.0-litre diesel, produces 150 hp and 360 Nm, and paired with a seven-speed S tronic automatic is probably the best all-rounder. It'll give you a solid 60mpg, has plenty of pulling power, and is remarkably quiet for a mid-level diesel; the caravan-towers of the '80s wouldn't actually believe how smooth you can make a diesel these days. Again, the hybrid is the sensible company car driver's choice. It absolutely smashed the WLTP lab test, with an 88-mile electric-only range and up to 900-odd miles per gallon..."claimed", obviously. Still, even if you get 50 miles of electric-only driving in real life and 70-80mpg over the course of the average month, that's amazing. As is its 6g/km CO2 rating, which almost makes it an electric car, but one that happens to have a backup petrol engine.