Yesterday we introduced you to the new range Audi A3, a family that has grown in the number of bodies, now showing, and for the first time, a sedan variant with coupe airs. Today it's time to discover how the new Audi A3 behave, yes, with different engines.
During the test day we had the opportunity to get into several A3s, with different bodies, different propellers and different traction systems, although for reasons of time, we were not able to test all the vehicles that Audi brought us to Malaga.
But before starting the new generation of the German compact, it would be necessary to know a fundamental aspect of the vehicle developed in Inglostadt. As I mentioned in the previous article, in this third generation a lot of effort has been put into reverse the spiral of weight gain.
Audi ultra, the right material in the right place
I am not saying something new when I say that generation after generation the cars have been growing, not only in dimensions, but also in weight. But for rather recently, the brands are putting the batteries and the mark of the four rings is a good reference.
If we take a look at the technical sheet of the third generation of the new Audi A3, we see that, depending on the bodywork and the engines chosen, weight has been reduced by up to 90 kg, and all this without giving up anything. The new Audi A3 is safer and better equipped than ever, showing greater agility thanks to less weight.
To do this, the new Audi A3 has a multi-material body in which materials such as aluminum or mold-hardened high-strength steels. Thanks to the use of these materials, a reduction of 37 kilograms has been achieved in the bodywork of the Audi A3 Sportback.
But everything does not end here, the passenger compartment has also been thoroughly revised and lighter seats and materials such as magnesium are now used to try to win the fight against the scale. Also, engines and suspension schemes have been revised to reduce the overall mass of the vehicle.
Engines and suspension schemes
The new and third generation of the German compact It has eight different engines, five TFSI petrol and three TDI diesel engines. The power varies from the 105 hp of the 1.2 TFSI engine, to the 300 hp that the bestial S3 variant develops. The transmission can be a 6-speed manual or a six- and seven-speed S-Tronic.
For its part, the displacements range from 1.2 to 2.0 liters of displacement and of course, each engine has supercharging to achieve very moderate consumption. All these options are available in the Audi A3 and A3 Sportback, later they will arrive at the new Sedan model.
Downsizing is very present in the brand and as a consequence, each engine has supercharging to achieve high power with low displacement. In addition, an innovative thermal management has been introduced that reduces phases of high friction losses.
We must comment that the versions of access, 1.2 TFSI and 1.6 TDI both of 105 CV, are associated with a torsional rear axle with interconnected arms. The rest of Audi A3 equip a more elaborate rear axle with four-link independent suspension. In addition, they can be equipped with suspensions lowered by 15 or 25 mm.
Great soundproofing job and a very good poise
Throughout the day of dynamic tests I had the opportunity to ride on very different routes and on different types of asphalt. Powerfully draws attention great soundproofing job that has been carried out in the new German compact, giving the feeling of being almost in a higher segment.
Running at legal speeds and with the engine low in revolutions, only we will perceive very slightly the rolling noise and the aerodynamic noise coming from the rear view mirrors. All this is possible thanks to the use of soundproof windshields, two sealing lines around the doors and windows, the new wheel arches, etc.
Aerodynamics is also very important when it comes to acoustics. The third generation of the Audi A3 has exterior mirrors located on the sill of the doors and with low fairings almost entirely. As a result we obtain an aerodynamic coefficient of 0,30.
Moreover, the Audi A3 displays extraordinary poise, no matter what its bodywork (three doors, Sportback or Sedan) and its wheelbase, we will always have an almost unmatched feeling of confidence that will make us face curves at quite high rates without even realizing it.
We must comment that the vehicles that we were able to test mounted lowered suspensions that favor dynamic behavior of the vehicle and which contribute significantly to this feeling of poise and confidence.
This shows a good balance between comfort and sportiness, not being very hard or dry but absorbing the imperfections of the asphalt very well and controlling in a very correct way the movements of the bodywork.
Also the variable assistance steering helps a lot to feel safe. The Audi A3 has the Audi drive select that modifies the parameters of the direction, the accelerator and even the damping, the latter depending on the model and the selected options.
In Dynamic mode, the automatic transmission drops a gear to always have a suitable speed and stretches the gears to cut, stiffens the suspension and makes the steering feel more direct and heavier.
On the contrary, in comfort mode the tendency is to take advantage of high gears in order to reduce consumption and the direction becomes smoother, offering a softer tare that feels very artificial.
Audi A3 Sportback 2.0 TDI 184 quattro
We press the start button and the 2.0-litre TDI springs to life. Obviously, from the outside and when cold, its sound gives it away, it is clearly a diesel. Once the motor warms up it becomes quite quiet. and we will only hear it if we fully press the right foot. Anyway, the sound of it is not annoying but it can't be compared to its gasoline-powered counterpart.
This engine is available in two flavors, 150 and 184 hp. Our test unit equipped the version with 184 hp and 380 Nm of torque, a version that appears to be very refined and that settles for very little, 4,4 liters to travel 100 km. Obviously, in our touchdown we did not reach that figure, but rolling at lively rhythms we did not go above 7 liters.
The vehicle we tested associated the 2.0-liter TDi engine with 184 hp to the fabulous six-speed S-Tronic transmission. This one works really well, making really quick gear changes when called for, without showing any uncomfortable jerk. It is pure softness and It is only noticeable a little slow when in manual mode we change to medium speed.
In addition, our Audi A3 Sportback equipped the well-known quattro all-wheel drive system. Thanks to the use of the total traction it is almost impossible to have losses of traction and a more neutral character is achieved at the exits of the curves than front-wheel drive versions, gas can be applied much sooner.
The benefits of this engine are quite good, showing a maximum speed of 232 km/h and a 0 to 100 in 7,4 seconds for the front-wheel drive and manual transmission versions. One of the points to criticize is the use of a toothed belt instead of a chain, and that is that, If someone wants to be considered premium, shouldn't they offer the best?
Audi A3 Sedan 1.8 TFSI 180 hp
It's time to ride in an Audi A3 Sedan equipped with a 1.8 TFSI engine. This propellant yields a power of 180 CV and a maximum torque of 250 Nm, already available at a speed of 1.250 rpm and which remain constant up to 5.000 laps. Therefore, we have a very flexible and full engine throughout the rev range.
Thanks to the flexibility of the engine, we can ride in high gears and pick up speed without too much trouble, thus achieving really low consumption for an engine of this power. According to the technical sheet, it is satisfied with 5,6 liters to travel 100 km. Again, our consumption of 9,2 liters does not match due to the circumstances surrounding the test.
The engine is very quiet and refined, when exploring the upper part of the rev counter it emits a very nice and pleasant sound, and does not falter as in the case of the 2.0 TDI, where exceeding 4.000 laps does not make much sense. The performance is really good, going from 0 to 100 km/h in less than 7 seconds and reaching a maximum speed of 228 km/h.
tomorrow more horses
Due to the lack of time we were left with the desire to test more engines, to check how the cylinder deactivation system works and we were left not knowing how the model equipped with a torsion bar on the rear axle behaves. What can we do.
But not everything is bad, because luckily we had the opportunity to roll many kilometers with the new Audi S3, a little bad beast that destroys the 0 to 100 in 4,8 seconds (3-door version associated with the six-speed S-Tronic gearbox). relations). Tomorrow we will return with him and we will tell you how he behaves.
More information - Presentation and test range Audi A3, design, equipment and price