HANDSOME UPDATE
WHY change a winning formula? That’s often a frequent dilemma for car designers and engineers worried if they ‘make a mistake’ by carrying out drastic alterations to a current, successful model and then what they come up will be rejected by motorists. It’s a delicate scenario because if the backroom teams do get it wrong the obvious results can be a financial disaster for the car company as that particular model loses its appeal and, as a result of that, sales too. There’s been no such crisis though for the design and engineering team at Audi in regards to their A3 which has in recent times stood out as a handsome looking and stylish family car, particular as a spacious, comfortable saloon. Still offered as a Fastback, Cabriolet, Sportback and Avant (estate) it’s still the saloon version which remains the pick of the lot in my book (probably because I’m a traditionalist at heart!) and in its latest iteration again hits the right notes when it comes to relaxed and refined motoring with safe and predictable handling. Even with its swoopy roofline and extended tail end the front-wheel drive A3 saloon has its distinct identity over other A3 versions and in today’s varied power choices there’s a pair of petrol engines, a diesel and naturally a plug-in hybrid. In the Black Edition version tested here the interesting engine is a turbocharged 1.5-litre 148bhp petrol engine that features a clever piece of engine technology that involves what Audi calls a ‘COD’ cylinder cut-off system which in effect means when out at motorway cruising speeds it runs on two rather four cylinders. This means ultra efficiency in terms of performance and obviously improves fuel economy and in all honesty drivers simply ‘won’t spot the difference’ as we say when out driving on the open road because it remains smooth, powerful when needed and simply a pleasant no-fuss driving experience. The same applies to the A3 saloon badged with the number 35 (as in the S Line and Black Edition) which have sports suspension which is naturally lower and firmer yet sill exceptionally forgiving and yes comfortable cushions any ride effects from our now many more uneven and potholed surfaces. Naturally with the sports suspension on board the Black Edition A3 Saloon and with 10-inch wheels fitted the driver will notice it’s much sharper to drive than say an A4 or A5, it’s extremely agile and really grips the road well even when driven in sport mode, all helped too by nicely weighted and reassuring steering. As for the interior this Black Edition is exactly what anyone would expect from an Audi model today with quality fittings and furnishings including sport seats with twin leather and neat contrasting trim levels while all the latest in-car technology is fitted too. For the driver the 10.1 inch infotainment system is simple and easy to use, all the other controls and stalks are well positioned while having the head-up display on the windscreen directly in front of the driver’s eyes is such a valuable aid plus the sat nav system is again so user-friendly compared to rival makes in this sector. The assistance systems include a camera providing traffic sign recognition and many in-built safety features like lane departure warning and park assist. As for this car’s performance it’s certainly no slouch nipping from 0 to 62mph in 8.4 seconds with an excellent quick and smooth sevenspeed automatic gearbox making mid-range overtaking sharp and efficient and keeping it in eco mode rather than sport mode it proved on test to comfortably achieve 46.1mpg on a day’s 300 mile plus driving admittedly mainly on motorways. So anyone looking for an executive-level, proper and traditional saloon with loads of standard features on board along with the option of a sport mode then the Black Edition would fit the bill although there are several more options in terms of engines, trim levels and the like. It’s good too in that the A3 is still available in traditional saloon format which will appeal to the families more because of the benefits of it being practical, spacious (it has a 425 litre boot) and genuinely comfortable with quality interior finish.