2015 Audi A3 Diesel Road Test & Review

by Lyndon Bell

・

April 20, 2015

・

6 min. Reading Time

Roundly acclaimed as the benchmark of the nascent category of small entry-level luxury cars, the all-new 2015 Audi A3 Diesel (aka the Audi A3 TDI), absolutely brings it with handsome styling, a sumptuous interior treatment, polite road manners, an outstanding array of standard features, and exceptional fuel economy.

Those of you who recall the previous iteration of the A3, the funky little hatchback wagon-let, will be quite surprised to learn the new A3 comes as an eye-pleasing four-door sedan, a convertible, and Audi has promised to bring the wagon-let back too – with a hybrid powertrain.

But we digress.

The realities of the 21st century mean the old “bigger is better” school of thought has been redefined to be more about content than sheer size. Models like the Cadillac ATS, Buick Regal, Lincoln MKZ, Mercedes CLA, and BMW’s 3 Series have proven it is possible to infuse the essence of a luxury brand into a smaller more “personal sized” package. And, while all of those cars do an admirable job of capturing what their brands are all about, many critics (us included) feel the new Audi A3 is the best example of the genre.

Why?

To find out, you’ll have to read on…

Models & Pricing

For the 2015 model year, Audi is offering the A3 Diesel in three states of trim; Premium, Premium Plus, and Prestige.

With pricing starting at $32,600, the A3 TDI Premium features as standard equipment; 17-inch alloy wheels, automatic xenon headlights, LED daytime running light pipes, cruise control, automatic windshield wipers, a panoramic sunroof, a power-adjustable driver’s seat, a leather wrapped steering wheel adjustable for tilt and telescoping, leather seating surfaces, a 60/40 split folding rear seat, Bluetooth handsfree telephony and audio streaming, Audi’s Multimedia electronics interface with a retractable monitor, and a 10-speaker audio system.

Starting at $35,150, the A3 TDI Premium Plus trim package adds heat for the front seats, side mirrors and windshield wiper washers, eighteen-inch wheels, an iPod interface, aluminum trimmed window surrounds and interior accents, keyless entry and pushbutton start, dual-zone automatic climate control, Audi Connect WiFi, and power adjustments for the passenger seat.

The $41,050 Audi A3 TDI Prestige trim adds power folding side mirrors, auto dimming for all three mirrors, ambient interior lighting, blind spot monitoring, front and rear parking sensor arrays, automated parking, a rear view camera, navigation, a touch activated controller for the enhanced MMI system, voice controls, a color trip computer, LED headlights, a 14-speaker Bang and Olufsen audio system, and the Audi “S line” exterior trim package’s aero detailing.

An $800 sport package is offered for the Premium Plus and Prestige trims, featuring more aggressively bolstered sport front seats, a sport-oriented suspension setup, shift paddles on the steering wheel, and Audi’s Drive Select adjustable driving modes.

It should be noted, many of the items grouped as standard on the upper trim levels can be had bundled into option packages for the lower trim levels.

Photo by Lyndon Bell

Design

Everything about the look of the A3 says “Audi”. From the prominent grille proudly bearing the four interlocking rings to the sleekly rounded overall styling execution, to the fast “A” and “C” pillars, the appearance of the car flat screams, “I’m a premium model”. Even better, it also project “Audi-ness”. Further, the large air intakes up front are purposeful in appearance and telegraph the performance potential of the Audi.

If you look closely you’ll notice all Audi models have considerably more body than roof. The roof appears “light” compared to the rest of the car. The ratio is approximately 1/3 roof to 2/3 body. Also, the roofline, while at first appearing to flow in one continuous line, actually has a couple of bends to it, definitively marking it as a sedan, rather than the current four-door coupe styling trend as seen on say, the Audi A7. Another distinctly Audi touch is the inclusion of three side windows.

While the A3 employs the classic long nose/short rear deck design strategy, it’s also pronounced enough to mark the design as a classic three-box design. Emphasizing this is the strong character line running from the trailing edge of the wraparound headlamp cluster to the leading edge of the wraparound tail lamp cluster. This line also lends a sense of strength to the look of the car.

The rising character line running from the trailing edge of the front wheelwell to the leading edge of the rear wheelwell also adds a sense of motion to the appearance of the A3. This, in combination with the pronounced wheel arches, and the large tires and wheels give the car muscularity as well as a sense of being solidly planted.

At the rear, you’ll note the trunklid incorporates a subtle tail spoiler to improve aerodynamic efficiency, and the taillamps pick up the Audi family resemblance.

Features & Controls

Rightfully regaled for its substantive interior treatments, while Audi did indeed shave a few corners to help the A3 hit its price point, the company did so in a fashion highly unlikely to induce displeasure. If you look closely you’ll note the dash material does look a bit more plastic than the rest of the Audi models’. Also, the overall look of the dash is a starker. But feature wise, the A3 is easily one of the best-equipped models in its category.

The handsome three-spoke steering wheel offers controls for a number of the secondary comfort and convenience functions, including allowing the monitoring of the audio system in the instrument panel between the speedometer and the tachometer. The circular HVAC vents are reminiscent of those found in Audi’s TT touring car – and employing their surrounds to regulate airflow is a definite upscale move.

The retractable monitor is slick in the way it appears when one of its functions is called upon, but it also leaves the dash looking rather empty when it retracts, particularly since Audi’s engineering team placed the audio system controls on the center console nicely arrayed around the shift lever. We do like the elegance of the control’s placement though; so don’t take that as a complaint. The MMI controller is very prominent, and permits the input of commands by tracing letters or numbers with your finger on its surface.

Taken as a whole, it’s a very solid execution; fit and finish are outstanding, the overall look is one of purposeful luxury, and the ergonomics are first rate.

Comfort & Cargo

OK, let’s get this said right off the top and be done with it.

The A3 is Audi’s entry-level sedan, and its smallest four-door model. This means if you’re relegated to the back seat of the A3 Diesel you’d best be very young and/or short. Rear seat legroom and headroom are somewhat compromised by the lovely design of the little Audi. However, if the people up front are feeling rather Mother Teresa-like, you’ll ride in relative comfort. On the other hand, if generosity ain’t on their list of attributes, you’ll be tightly wedged in back there – big time.

With that said, the front seats are quite comfortable, and if you go with one of the upper two trim levels both are heated and electrically adjustable too. The sport seats are the absolute best bet for comfort for “normally-sized” people. Those who are shall we say broader of beam will want to stick with the standard seat design.

The diminutive dimensions of the A3 TDI exact a price in one other area as well; trunk space measures but 10 cubic feet. Still though, the compartment is a bit more useful than the number suggests. Also, the rear seat does fold in a 60:40 ratio, so if you need to deal with longer items, the interior of the car can be used to supplement the trunk.

Safety Features & Ratings

NHTSA says the Audi A3 is a five star car when it comes to overall crash protection. The A3 garnered four stars in frontal crash protection and five stars in side crashes. One nice consequence of the size of the car is drivers of average height actually sit next to the Audi’s “B” pillar, which is one of the strongest aspects of the body.

The IIHS (Insurance Institute of Highway Safety endowed the A3 with its highest rating (“Good”) in all testing, including the very difficult to pass small overlap frontal offset testing.

The standard safety feature set comprises a full complement of airbags; including side bags in the seats, side curtain, and knee bags for the driver and front passenger. The Audi A3 Diesel also gets ABS, stability and traction control, and Audi’s Pre-Sense system, which automatically closes the windows and sunroof and tightens the safety belts when a crash is deemed imminent.

Optional features include smart cruise control, lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring, automated parking, front and rear parking sensor arrays, and frontal collision warning and mitigation.

Engine & Fuel Economy

The 2015 Audi A3 TDI is powered by a 2.0-liter, inline four-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine. The powerplant produces 150 horsepower between 3,500 and 4,000 rpm; and 236 ft-lbs of torque between 1,750 and 3,000 rpm. Audi’s 2.0 TDI engine uses direct fuel injection, an aluminum alloy cylinder head, a cast iron block, and double overhead cams with 16 valves.

The transmission is Audi’s six-speed automated manual gearbox, which routes the power from the engine to the A3 Diesel’s front wheels. All-wheel drive is not offered with the diesel engine.

Fuel economy is rated at 31 miles per gallon in the city, 43 on the highway, and 36 combined. This however is quite conservative, as we averaged 42 miles per gallon in a mix of city, highway, and driving two-lane country roads.

Driving Impressions

One would be hard pressed to discern the diesel nature of this engine at steady state speeds on the highway, it’s so preternaturally quiet and smooth running. At startup, and around town, yes a muted version of diesel clatter does enter the passenger compartment. But the noise level is commendably low.

Standing outside the Audi A3 TDI when the engine is running, the sound is more readily discernable, but even then it isn’t disconcerting. As for diesel smell, or black clouds of smoke, those maladies were so very last century y’all. This is one of the new breed of clean-burning diesel engines, you only get the merest whiff of the smell of diesel fuel when you’re outside the car while the engine is operating cold.

That said, throttle response could be better say for example when you’re changing lanes and want to blend seamlessly with faster running traffic on the highway. There’s a bit of a lag when you nail the throttle, unless you manually downshift the transmission to fourth gear before attempting the maneuver.

Ride quality is smooth, comfortable, and more than amenable to supporting 500-mile trips in a single day. With the standard suspension system fitted to our Premium Plus test car, the Audi cossets rather than beat you up. Of course, this does entail a bit of a tradeoff in terms of sheer cornering ability, but when pushed, the A3 will hold its own on a winding road thanks to its highly accurate steering and solid braking ability.

All in all, it’s a very pleasant car to drive.

Final Thoughts

Yep, in the entry-level compact luxury category, there’s a new sheriff in town folks. Its name is Audi A3. With the addition of the clean-burning diesel engine, everything we appreciated about the A3 before just got even better with an easily obtainable 40 miles per gallon. The handsome styling, sumptuous interior treatment, polite road manners, outstanding array of standard features, and exceptional fuel economy all add up to make the 2015 Audi A3 Diesel one of the most highly desirable cars available.

If, it fits into your lifestyle.