The Audi A3 gets a refresh to keep it ahead of the competition. But the real story lies with the versions of the car we may not see in India, writes Kushan Mitra
Munich Airport has justifiably been voted the best airport in Europe several years in a row and is a regular in the top 10 airports in the world. It is also an airport that Audi AG calls its second home; walk into the massive open courtyard of Munich Airport with its fabulous in-house brewery Aerobrau and you see Audi signs everywhere. And this past week, the huge forecourt of the airport was filled with several new Audi A3s and S3s ready for journalists from all over the world to get off their flights and take on the German landstrasse and Autobahns.
First things first: This is not quite a new car but a mid-life update to the existing Audi A3. So mechanically there are no changes other than a slightly uprated engine with 10 more horsepower boosting power output to 150 on the diesel variant that is going to come to India. But the real surprises were in some other engine options.
Take for example Audi’s e-tron hybrid. The German carmaker has honed its hybrid skills on the racetracks of le Mans, where the R18 Diesel-Hybrid has won the 24-hour endurance race in 2012, 2013 and 2014. The refreshed Audi A3 features e-tron technology and is a ‘plug-in’ hybrid, which means that in addition to the battery being charged from the engine and through regenerative braking (energy from braking usually lost as heat is converted into electrical energy and charges the battery), the car can also be charged from a power outlet.
This gives the car a range of 50 kilometres as an electric vehicle. While there is no doubt that the e-tron A3 is not a very dynamic car when it comes to enjoyment, the 1.4-litre TFSI, a turbocharged petrol engine kicks in if you select a hybrid mode and with the battery filling in the gaps delivers reasonable performance.
But what it truly delivers is mind-blowing fuel economy; even as a hybrid with the battery discharging, the car delivers closed to 40 kilometres per litre fuel economy as noticed on the car’s trip computer. For a car that would be a daily commuter, this is stunning even if one wilfully ignores the fact that these cars were driven on German roads where the traffic is constantly flowing. In India, if Audi is to bring e-tron technology — something that Audi India boss Joe King told The Pioneer recently; the company is seriously considering such mileage combined with the A3’s lovely interiors and comfort levels — it could be a game-changer.
Then there was the Volkswagen Group’s new 1-litre TFSI petrol engine. This three-cylinder unit that does duty on the A3 is a revelation because it makes the car great fun to drive. Sure, like the EcoBoost engine that does duty on the EcoSport, this small unit is a whiny little number but in the Sportback shape, it is possibly one of the better three-cylinder units out there.
With the seven-speed gearbox on the car, it never feels like the car runabout of power unless you go onto a very high-speed road, and even then this car does keep up with the Joneses. It is a truly surprising car to drive because you really don’t expect it to be so much fun.
It is very unlikely that this engine will come on an Audi in India unless the Supreme Court in its infinite wisdom bans diesel car sales altogether, but there are fairly good chances that this engine could do duty on upcoming cars from Skoda and Volkswagen. With a fuel economy of over 20 kilometres a litre as noticed on the trip computer, this is a luxury car with a conscience. But would you buy a ‘luxury car with a conscience’IJ Because that does sound like a bit of an oxymoron, particularly in a market like India.
Then there was the new S3; this sharp looking car, clearly distinguished from the A3, thanks to slightly more aggressive styling features, including double twin-exhausts in the rear has a boatload of power. 310 horsepower for a small sedan coupled with grippy tyres and a tight suspension makes the S3 a sheer delight to drive on German back country roads, and on the Autobahn, this car is a pocket rocket.
When you see the sign on the Virtual Cockpit, Audi’s brilliant digital display which also makes it on to the baby of their range in India (along with the TT and the Q7) that shows you the white circular road sign with three black diagonal lines across it, you know you can gun the car. This sign, unique to Germany, signals an ‘unrestricted’ highway, or Autobahn. Unrestricted means that there is no speed limit. Unleashing the power from this small two-litre engine makes the S3 go like a scalded monkey hitting 100 in just 4.6 seconds and onwards to a governed top speed of 255 kilometres per hour.
On a road where you can hit such speeds legally, this car is a beauty. The S3 would make a fine addition to Audi’s line-up along with the A3 e-tron and the 1.0 TFSI, but is unlikely to make it. For one, where in India can you deploy such incredible power (that said, Audi has sold tens of their second-generation R8 supercar and RS6 and RS 7 performance cars in India) and the firm suspension might need some working on. OK, so the S3 might make it, the other two, well, not anytime soon.
What will come to India though is the 2.0TDI model. While this car is sold in Europe with two power settings with 184 horsepower and 150 horsepower, Audi India will in all likelihood just bring the lower power version to India. And that is still a fine car thanks to the 6-speed S-tronic gearbox on the car.
If you try hard, you can perceive some turbo-lag on the car, but in most driving situations, if you floor the accelerator while on a higher gear, there is an instant kick-down; the car changing from sixth to third instantly and the problem with turbo-lag solved by the gearbox.
This engine also does duty on the latest iteration of the A3 cabriolet, which is currently sold in India with only a petrol engine. Offering a diesel variant of the A3 cabriolet (convertible) may not make sales grow in multiples but could definitely give a boost to convertible sales in India, even though we could debate the virtues of a convertible in our country.
Audi is also likely to bring in a petrol variant of the A3 and they have the 2.0 TFSI on the A3 as well. This car lacks the quattro four-wheel drive system on the S3, which led to inadvertent wheelspins thanks to damp conditions these cars were driven in, but the car is still a pleasure to drive through the Bavarian countryside when one is adhering to the perfectly reasonable speed limits — 100 kilometres per hour on country roads is actually quite brilliant.
What we are not sure about is whether Audi India will license Apple’s CarPlay technology on their vehicles in India. This system, which makes using an iPhone a breeze, even connecting with Siri through the voice control button is standard on Audi’s infotainment systems in Europe and the US. Audi has also licensed Android Auto to connect with most Android devices. But other than Maruti on their latest products and the Skoda Superb, no cars have enabled CarPlay as yet and that is indeed a pity.
The refreshed A3 does clearly look better than before and stands out from cars like the Mercedes ClA and even its stable-mate, the Skoda Octavia. The A3 is still a car that one feels should be driven rather than driven in, and for an entry into the compact luxury segment as defined by the German carmakers, it does make quite a statement. With the new headlights and tail lights looking mean and aggressive on the roads, this is still the car to beat.
The refreshed A3 is expected to be launched in India in the September-October timeframe and prices are expected to remain similar to the outgoing model.