MID-LIFE MAKEOVER
FOURTH-GENERATION COMPACT LUXURY CARS GET SOME SIGNIFICANT CHANGES, INSIDE AND OUT
When launched in 1996, the A3 became the first small premium hatch in Audi’s range. It can lay claim to having started the compact luxury segment. Three years later, it was joined by the S3 hothatch. The sedan joined the portfolio in 2013 and is the car that has gone on to anchor Audi’s lineup.
Now comes the fourth-generation. While it’s more of a mid-life facelift than a full-on remake, there are some significant changes inside and out, especially for the sportier S3.
WHAT’S NEW?
The 2025 Audi A3 earns a sportier exterior look with new daytime running lights. Each has 24-pixel LEDS and up to four light signatures, which allows the look to be customized by the owner. Inside, the cabin has been overhauled. It gets more standard equipment, including Audi’s virtual cockpit and optional features like the ondemand apps and functions through the Audi store.
The 2025 Audi S3 gets the same stylistic tweaks plus some significant upgrades beneath the bright work. The list includes more power and the slick torque-vectoring rear differential derived from the RS 3. It also adds a new driving mode — Dynamic Plus makes the speedy sedan really rock.
WHAT’S UNDER THE HOOD?
In Canada, expect the A3 powertrain to carry over. This means a 2.0-litre turbo-four that works with a 48-volt hybrid system and seven-speed S-tronic (dual-clutch) transmission that drives all four wheels. The 201 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque combine to produce a 6.7-second run to 100 km/h.
The A3 tested at the launch featured the European 1.5L turbo-four. It made 147 hp and 265 lb-ft of torque at 1,500 rpm. Frankly, it was more than enough for everyday driving.
The S3 gets a much appreciated bump in power, and it was quick before. The 2.0L turbo-four now makes 328 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque, which is up 22 and 15, respectively. It, too, works the seven-speed S-tronic transmission to drive all four wheels. The upshot represents a 0.2 second improvement in the acceleration time, cutting the run to 100 km/h to 4.6 seconds. The quad-pipe sport exhaust adds to the urgency as it sings a sweet siren.
HOW IS THE HANDLING?
The A3 is offered with an optional adaptive suspension. It lowers the ride height by 10 millimetres in base form and 15 mm in the sport version. The adaptive dampers control body motion based on driving conditions and information from a number of sensors. The damping also changes according to the drive mode selected. In Comfort it proved to be just that; dial it up to Dynamic and things firm to deliver a more controlled drive — the steering has the right heft and feedback, and there’s little to no body roll to upset the A3’s composure through a fast sweeper.
The S3 gets all of this plus some front-end tweaks including larger brakes with two-piston calipers, revised front-end geometry and retuned steering along with the more aggressive sports suspension and its 15-mm drop in the ride height. All of this equates to much better feel and feedback for the driver.
The icing comes in the form of the new torque splitter rear differential. The S3’s new torque-vectoring rear differential, which comes from the RS3, not only controls the power flowing rearward, it continuously varies the amount of torque being sent to the outside wheel through a corner. This action sharpens the turnin response and it controls oversteer and understeer in a more progressive manner.
The combined abilities of the powertrain, suspension and torque splitter made it impossible to resist pushing the S3 hard whenever a twisty road beckoned. The optional P235/35R19 performance tires nailed the S3 to the road.
Thankfully, the next-gen stability control system keeps its beak out of things when in the sportier driving modes and those two-piston front calipers clamp down on the larger drilled rotors without fading.
DRIVER ASSIST FEATURES
When fully optioned, the A3 and S3 offer an impressive array of driver assist features, including forward collision warning with auto braking, blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert and rear emergency braking, lane departure warning, auto high beams and an adaptive cruise control system that includes assisted lane changes.
At this point, the full specifications, packaging and pricing are yet to be announced.