Audi A3 Saloon review

Grown up. Sensible. Fluid. These are all words that can be applied to the A3 Saloon. Which makes perfect sense, because entry-level saloons are meant for grown-up, sensible people. There’s no drama to be found here: the A3 just gets on with it.

Which isn’t to say that it’s boring to drive. Attitude in corners is predictable yet surprisingly keen, and the steering calibration leans into that; quick without being overly sensitive. Reach a corner, turn in, hold your line, wind off the lock on exit. Job’s a good’un, onto the next one.

Meanwhile the brakes are set up for a proper work-out. The heavier your braking the better they respond, giving you a superb amount of feel. Perhaps we’ve just driven too many regen-ing hybrids lately. The downside is that they’re less usable at slower speeds, proving pinchy and therefore irritating. Which undermines the whole ‘just get on with it’ vibe.

Is it comfortable though?

Oh yes. The ride’s got a firm edge, let’s say, but modern Audis tend to pitch themselves between outright sportiness (BMW) and opulent softness (Mercedes), and it’s the case again here. The A3 Saloon strikes a fine balance between the two extremes, and it’s only on persistent rough surfaces that you’ll begin to wish there was a bit more give in the suspension.

On the motorway it all feels very stable and serene, with minimal wind noise. A fine long-distance cruiser.

Which engine should I go for?

Our favourite is the 1.5 35 TFSI with 148bhp. It’s very quiet and acceptably powerful, with 0-62mph chalked off in 8.1 seconds. Peak torque (184lb ft, since you ask) is delivered between 1,500 and 3,500rpm and there’s nothing to be gained from going beyond.

We’d avoid the diesel: we’ve tried it in the A3 Sportback and it’s an oddly rough unit that comes across as being more sluggish than the numbers suggest on paper. And given there’s not much of a fuel economy win, what’s the point? For motorway hermits, fair enough… but for everyone else, stick to petrol.

The seven-speed auto is slick and smooth in its operation, and doesn’t fumble standing starts at busy junctions as much as others. But it isn’t quite as intuitive as, say, BMW’s brilliant eight-speed auto. You can swap gears manually using paddles on the steering wheel, but changes aren’t especially quick.

We’ve never been fond of the six-speed manual; the auto makes far more sense here.

You mentioned fuel economy… what are the stats?

Assuming you go for the auto, the 30 TFSI will eke out 51.4mpg and the 35 TFSI manages 50.4mpg. The diesel? 55.4mpg, so not exactly in a different league. And when diesel consistently costs more at the forecourt anyway, there’s barely an argument to be made about easing the burden on your purse.

These are the official WLTP numbers, and they’re more or less on par with what we’ve seen in practice. With very light use of the right foot, we might add.