Germany’s third largest premium car manufacturer unveiled the compact Audi A3 Sedan at the Johannesburg International Motor Show last week and show-goers have until the end of the show to catch an exclusive preview before they’ll see it again at its official launch in January 2014.
The Audi A3 Sedan is the third model in the successful Audi A3 range and we’re particularly looking forward to the Audi A3 Cabriolet which we’ve already seen official images of. That cabriolet looks like it comes from the Audi A3 Sedan, which is to say it is compact and handsomely proportioned. Audi say the A3 Sedan uses its lightweight design to create impressive handling qualities that more than backup its eye-catching looks.
Of course, the Audi A3 Sedan won’t have the premium, compact sedan market all to itself since the Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class arrived on the scene and will beat it to market by a few months. But Audi believe their A3 Sedan will stave off advances from the silver arrow thanks to its sporting stance and crossover styling that combines a classic three box sedan shape and coupe like lines, much like the Mercedes-Benz CLA.
The four-door Audi is 4.4 m long and has a 2.6 m long wheelbase but the character comes courtesy of its ‘tornado line’ that draws the eye along the flank and the slightly flared wheel arches that are ever so slightly reminiscent of the previous Audi RS4 saloon, as is the integrated rear boot lid spoiler.
The Audi A3 Sedan is 7 mm wider than the Sportback and 9 mm lower as well and Audi say the entire car weighs just 1 200 kg thanks to its weight-saving tricks like an aluminium bonnet and the application of ‘hot steel’ on certain parts of the car. The Audi A3 Sedan will share broadly similar engines as the A3 Sportback, which is to say it will feature a 1.4T FSI, 1.8T FSI and 2.0 TDI engine.
The 1.4-litre makes 90 kW and 200 Nm of torque, the 1.8-litre makes 132 kW and 250 Nm of torque, while the 2.0-litre TDI makes 110 kW and a healthy whack of 350 Nm of torque.
Pricing and specification will be made available closer to the time of local launch but we think Audi might be onto a winner with the A3 Sedan.
