Audi A3 2024 test, with debut of the new S3 and Audi A3 Allstreet (with video)

El Audi A3 It is one of the most important cars in the mark of the four rings since it arrived on the market, in the second half of the 90s. At that time it was a risky bet, since to date there was no premium compact. We quickly realized the tremendous success of Audi with this car.

Now, as he approaches three decades of life, The Audi A3 presents a restyling of its fourth generation, which was presented in the turbulent first half of 2020. We have traveled to Andalusia to know it and try it along the roads of the provinces of Seville and Huelva; and here we are going to tell you everything about him. In advance we tell you that it is available from 32.960 euros.

Simple design tweaks

Audi A3 grille 2024

The aesthetic changes are not major. After all, it is a mid-life cycle facelift and not a generational change. In any case, the design team has changed certain features and has achieved that it now has a more sporty aesthetic than It even reminds us of the RS range.

At the front, the new hexagonal grille without a rim and the slightly retouched logo draw attention. The Matrix LED headlights are new inside and have 24 pixels to create animations when opening and closing the car. Also You can choose between four lighting signatures that we can modify from the screen.

Audi A3 Sedan 2024 rear

Likewise, the rear part has updated the style of the lights and bumper, especially in the diffuser part. As a curiosity, the engine inscription is no longer on the tailgate, but is engraved on the central pillars. Finally, the color palette also includes some new shades for the bodywork.

The big news, new Audi A3 Allstreet bodywork

Probably the most important novelty in the 2024 range is the arrival of a new body. This is added to the Sportback and Sedan new Allstreet model.

Audi A3 Allstreet

It is derived directly from the A3 5-door, but offers a more country style. To do this, use the usual protectors on the heel and wheel arches, also showing modifications to the bumpers with additions in the selenite gray tone and gloss black roof bars. By the way, in this case the grille is not hexagonal, but octagonal.

No less important is to mention that it has a specific suspension, with a softer setting. In fact, the body is 30 mm higher than in a Sportback, obtaining half of that extra height from the suspension itself and the other half from having higher profile tires. The standard wheels on the Audi A3 Allstreet are 18 inches and, as we will see later, the mechanical range is smaller.

Few variations in the interior

Audi A3 inside

It is not that we find great changes inside. We still have a pleasant cabin, well assembled and with padded materials in the upper part of the dashboard; although unfortunately also with lots of shiny black in the central area, which gets dirty very easily.

The screens They do not change, with a digital instrument panel as standard and a multimedia system in the center of the dashboard that is slightly updated in that we can now download external applications, such as Spotify, for example. It goes without saying that you can count on Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

We do see more notable changes in the center console of the automatic versions, which has an even smaller gear selector, which clears up this whole part although, for my taste, I have always liked the "big" levers of a lifetime.

Audi A3 trunk

Another aspect that is improved in the interior is the ambient lighting, now having more shades and also more areas to illuminate, like the part of the door panels that is much more attractive in the dark. By the way, the interior door handles have also been revised.

The rear seats remain correct for two adults of average height, while the trunk It has 380 liters in the Sportback body and 425 liters in the Sedan, although with a trunk lid instead of a tailgate.

Engines available in the Audi A3 range

As far as mechanical range is concerned, the Audi A3 Say goodbye to three-cylinder engines, eliminating the previously available 1.0 TFSI from its offer. The most commercial main engines are two diesel and two gasoline, yielding powers of 116 and 150 HP with both fuels.

Audi A3 engines

Starting with the family diesel, the block is a 2.0 TDI, which is marketed under the names 30 TDI and 35 TDI, with 116 and 150 HP. The Audi A3 30 TDI is offered exclusively with a 6-speed manual transmission, while the most powerful one necessarily uses the 7-speed S tronic transmission, which in other brands of the group is known as DSG.

If we look at those of gasoline, appear the 30TFSI and 35TFSI, with powers as we said of  116 hp and 150 hp. In this case it is an engine block 1.500 cc and has cylinder deactivation. Both the 30 and the 35 can have a manual or S tronic transmission, but the peculiarity is that the double clutch ones include a 48-volt network that gives them the DGT Ecolabel, which is always a big plus.

Also with gasoline but a more passionate side the Audi S3 appears, a version that we have been able to test in this national presentation. I'll talk to you more in depth later, but I can already tell you that the 2.0 TSI increases its power and torque and that it includes a new rear differential that significantly changes the response of the car compared to the previous S3.

Test Audi S3 2024

After the summer the mechanical family will be completed with the arrival of a couple of PHEV versions, with greater electrical autonomy than ever, and with the expected Audi RS 3, the most radical option of the Ingolstadt compact.

Behind the wheel of the Audi A3 2024: I'll stick with the 35 TFSI

In this presentation we have been able to test several units with different model configurations. Starting with the conventional A3 range, that is, the Sportback and Sedan bodies, we can see few changes at a dynamic level, if not none. That in conventional engines, in the S3 is another story.

Audi A3 35 TFSI test

The Audi A3 is one of those cars that does everything quite well, although it penalizes the price. It has a good tread at high speed, the suspension has an ideal balance because it absorbs soft bumps well and also the sharpest ones both in the city and on the highway, it is a well-insulated vehicle and, if we push the pace, it doesn't get scared at all ; although it does not reach the sporting sensation of the BMW Serie 1, which is the reference in that section.

Due to its compact size, it is a good all in one, although it will not stand out particularly in anything. I mean that when it comes to wandering around it is not as agile as an Audi A1, but there are usually no problems finding parking nor does it feel clumsy. On the highway, an A4 will offer one more point of comfort for all occupants, but the A3 feels truly comfortable.

If you ask me about the enginesI think that the most recommended for the majority will be the 35 TFSI S tronic, which is the 1.5 turbo gasoline option with 150 HP and dual-clutch transmission with environmental label Eco of the DGT.

Audi A3 150 HP s tronic

As you can see in the price list that we leave at the end of this article, they are about 3.600 euros more than the access variant (30 TFSI manual), but willing to invest certain amounts of money In a premium car, what less than having “decent” power, the convenience of automatic transmission and the Eco label for whatever may happen in the future, don't you think?

If you don't care about the label and you don't like the automatic transmission, the same 150 HP option with manual transmission costs almost 2.300 euros less.

This 150 HP engine has good response for conventional car use, where it advances with solvency, allows you to carry happy rhythms on the highway and, in addition, is sweet in urban use. The management of the S tronic transmission and the small electrical support that reduces the time from when we step on the accelerator until we notice that the front wheels “pull” the car also contribute to this. Thanks to has cylinder deactivation, fuel consumption at stabilized speeds is very tight.

Audi A3 Sedan side

We have also been able to test the Audi A3 again with the 150 HP TDI engine. In this case we notice a greater mechanical strength in the middle zone of the rev counter thanks to higher engine torque. However, it is less pleasant to use because It's a lot louder. Furthermore, its environmental badge is C and, the way things are going lately, I don't know if it's of much interest.

I think that only if we travel frequently with a lot of load and we like to have a good torque reserve, it can be recommended. Of course also if we intend to tow a trailer on occasions, where the diesel torque is much more effective.

Driving Audi A3 Allstreet

Test Audi A3 Allstreet

From the A3 Sedan we go to the Audi A3 Allstreet. The first thing to mention is that the greater ground clearance is noticeable compared to the rest of the variants, although it does not reach the height of a Q3. In this sense, it reminds me quite a bit of the Kia XCeed, a car with a very similar approach.

At the driving level, you can see that it has a set-up. slightly more comfortable, with somewhat softer suspensions, but it is not that we notice it much more clumsy. Only when we force the lateral grip is there slightly less agility compared to its brothers due to its lower rigidity and having a higher center of gravity.

By the way, although we have 30 mm more ground clearance, let no one think that it is an all-terrain vehicle or even an SUV. What that extra height will come in handy for will be to avoid scraping the curbs when parking in parallel and little else...

Audi A3 Allstreet detail

Oh, and having said that, I remember again that the Allstreet in Spain is only sold with the 150 HP mechanics, both TFSI and TDI, and with an S tronic gearbox. It is considerably more expensive than an Audi A3 Sportback in base trim, but it is also fair to mention that the level of standard equipment It is far superior on the Allstreet.

Without a doubt, and after knowing that the Audi Q2 is not going to have a direct substitute, it is clear that this A3 Allstreet is positioned as the alternative to what today remains the smallest SUV of the brand with the four rings.

Test Audi S3

Audi S3 Akrapovic exhausts

The last car we tested in this two-day presentation on Andalusian roads was the Audi S3. Since I drove an S3 for the first time, a few years ago, I thought it was a cool car in the sense that it is a very fast Audi A3 with four-wheel drive, but not a fun model or one with spicy sensations.

So that we understand each other, for me it was a very versatile compact car with which you could travel at a high pace on the highway, but with which you would not feel like going out deliberately to look for a stretch of curves. This 2024 version of the Audi S3 changes a lot that concept.

Audi engineers have given a good twist to this intermediate version between an Audi A3 and an Audi RS 3. Firstly, the engine 2.0 TSI goes from 310 to 333 HP, while the engine torque increases from 400 to 420 Nm. Its maximum speed is limited to 250 km/h and now it does 0 to 100 in one tenth less, in 4,7 seconds specifically.

Test Audi S3 333 HP

La gearbox has also been revised and offers a more immediate response when accelerating at low speed and reduces the gear change time by half when we press the right pedal fully. On the other hand, the front axle geometries have been revised increasing negative drawdown of the wheels to make it even more reactive, while the brakes continue to maintain two-piston calipers but increase the diameter and thickness of the front discs.

To this we must add the fundamental element of the change of sensations behind the wheel, which is neither more nor less than the Rear Differential Torque Splitter, a direct inheritance from the Audi RS 3 and also the Golf R. This electronically controlled differential is capable of distributing the torque that reaches each of the rear wheels, which significantly improves cornering.

In sports driving sends more power to the outside rear wheel, mitigating the understeering tendency and giving a much sportier character to the car, which is easily noticeable by the driver. Of course, and although it still does not reach the level of an RS 3 at the exit of turns, it is much more fun than before.

Audi S3 2024 interior test

We have several selectable driving modes, among which a new one called DynamicPlus, which shows the most aggressive configuration of the Audi S3. The engine has a much more instantaneous and abrupt response, the gearbox becomes more reactive and, if we go in sequential mode, it does not jump from one gear to another automatically, but rather stays in that relationship. cutting injection.

Having said all this, a question is on my mind: How will they be configuring the new Audi RS 3? I mean how they will squeeze it to position it even higher, since the S3 inherits that rear differential and is close in sensations, although not so much in performance. Honestly, and I need to try them with more time, I think now It will be more difficult to justify the jump from the S3 to the RS 3 unless we are going to enter the circuit.

Audi A3 2024 prices

Audi A3 2024 Range Prices

*The sedan body versions have an additional cost of approximately 930 euros compared to the Sportback.

Motor Change Label Price
Motor Change Label Price
30 TFSI 116 HP manual 6v C 32.960 €
30 TFSI 116 HP Stronic 7v Eco 35.140 €
35 TFSI 150 HP manual 6v C 34.320 €
35 TFSI 150 HP Stronic 7v Eco 36.580 €
30 TDI 116 HP manual 6v C 35.110 €
35 TDI 150 HP Stronic 7v C 38.660 €
Allstreet 35 TFSI 150 HP S tronic Eco 43.080 €
Allstreet 35 TDI 150 HP S tronic C 45.160 €
S3 TFSI 333 HP S tronic (quattro) C 65.270 €

Images – Audi


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