Audi A3 1,4T FSI

CAR’S Top 12 Best Buys Compact Hatchback champ sports a new face and a brawnier engine

THE Audi A3 could easily rest on its laurels; it has proven itself as the benchmark compact hatch. Riding on the VW Group’s superb MQB platform, the A3’s ride and interior quality have yet to be superseded by any number of recent premium hatch competitors and it is for these reasons that the A3 has won its CAR Top 12 Best Buys category for the last three years.

Now, more than three years into its cycle, comes a facelift that introduces new engines, including this revised, turbocharged 1,4-litre four-cylinder that gains a hefty bump in power; 20 kw and 50 N.m of torque, to be exact. This engine and the derivatives it powers, antici- pates Audi, will make up 50% of A3 sales in South Africa.

Visually, the facelift offers subtle revisions aimed at giving the A3 a more aggressive look thanks to redesigned bumpers, bonnet and head- and taillamps. The R20 000 S Line package you see on our test unit provides additional side skirting, a rear diffuser and spoiler.

The interior doesn’t offer any notable changes – not that any were needed – apart from the optional Virtual Cockpit which has to be specced with the navigation system. This adds an additional cost of R31 300.

As ever, the A3’s t and nish remains the best in its class, with a thread of quality that runs through everything from the wellbolstered and comfortable seats to the intuitive infotainment system and climate controls.

The most important revision to this A3, however, is its 110 kw engine, which is mated here to a six-speed manual transmission. The test conducted in our July 2013 issue of an S tronic-equipped A3 1,4T FSI