This is the new Audi A3

Attention, buyers of premium and therefore expensive hatchbacks! After four years on sale, Audi has given the little A3 a bit of an update.

Predictably, changes are limited. And fiendishly hard to spot. The big news is the new 1.0-litre, three-cylinder engine, which makes 113bhp and, we suspect, will prove itself the pick of the range. These little triples nearly always are.

There’s also a new 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol, which you probably won’t buy, and the usual array of diesels, which you probably will. No word yet an updated RS3, but Audi has added a token 10bhp to the lesser S3, taking it up to a Golf R-beating 306bhp. Expect the Golf R to get a similar update in due course.

On the surface, little has changed. There are some new bumpers, and the grille is wider and the lights marginally more squinty. At the back, there's a new (perhaps not fully functional) diffuser and more new lights. 

Inside is perhaps the best bit: the lovely ‘Virtual Cockpit’ digital dial set that works so well in the A4, Q7 and TT. Other technology new to the A3 includes trick ‘Matrix’ LED headlights, a traffic jam assist system and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto.

Want one?