Petite 1.0-litre turbo kicks off new Audi A3
Audi has packed more technology into its new 2016 A3, topped off by a 1.0-litre turbo charged engine which we first sampled in the A1 last year.
The 1.0-litre turbo triple provides the easiest path into Audi’s popular nameplate (available as a sedan, hatch and cabrio) and is good for 84kW. A choice of manual or S tronic gearbox should be a foregone conclusion for this engine, and the rest of the range. For those concerned by Audi’s rampant downsizing you’ll be pleased to know that S3 receives an uprated version of the 2.0-litre turbo with outputs peaking at 228kW and 400Nm.
Less newsworthy are the styling changes. A reprofiled bumper and angular grille are there to create visual width while rear styling gets the faintest of touches to the lights and bumper. Additional equipment lines add variation to the wheel sizes and paint finishes.
di,
Not convinced? Audi has incorporated Virtual Cockpit into its latest A3. Like the TT and the A4, virtual cockpit packages a 12.3-inch screen into the traditional cluster and can be customised to your on-going needs. Fortunately A3 doesn’t do away with the centre screen which is the case in the TT.
For the first time Audi A3 is available with traffic jam assist as an additional feature made possible by Active Cruise Control. Operable at speeds below 50km/h, Traffic Jam Assist will resume its distance to the car ahead, even after coming to a complete stop. Lane assist and cross traffic alert are evidence of a healthy trickling down of technology from Audi’s larger models.
