Audi A3 sedan review, road test

There’s also no questions about quality; it’s excellent through and through. It literally begins at the door with a solid thunk on shut (down to the A3’s  use of sound-absorbent steel and not aluminium on its doors). Poke around and you’ll find soft-touch plastics galore and detailing is fantastic too. The turbine-like air con vents, for one, look brilliant and shut with a robust click. Even the reasonably sized glove box comes with felt lining while the storage recesses thoughtfully come with rubberised anti-slip bases. One thing that irked us though, is that the A3’s MMI infotainment screen is not as high-res as BMW’s iDrive unit or, for that matter, even Audi’s more sophisticated systems. Also worth a mention is that petrol A3s can only be had in the second-from-top Premium Plus trim. Interestingly, Audi is offering a sunroof only as a cost option.    

As for space, anyone familiar with Audi’s larger sedans will immediately find the A3’s cabin a lot more, well, intimate. To be fair, it’s not an issue if you are seated up front, where the electrically adjustable seats are supportive and there is enough head, shoulder and knee room, even for six-footers. You even get a good view out, though irritatingly, the driver’s side door mirror doesn’t have wide enough coverage and often leaves even large vehicles out of sight.

Rear seat occupants will have their own issues, which centre on the seeming lack of space. Legroom is decent if the passenger in front cooperates, but the small windows and average width make the rear of the cabin feel no larger than a mid-size sedan. The mediocre headroom further restricts its utility to taller passengers. The bigger issue at the back is not the space but the seat design itself, which hurts comfort the most. It’s just too upright for long journeys and the hard cushioning doesn’t help. Simply put, this is not the ideal car for a family of full-sized adults. That said, the sizeable 425-litre boot does acquit it on the airport run.