2022 Audi A3 Road Test and Review

2022 Audi A3 ・ Photo by Audi

How do you change a car that is one of the darlings of car testers the world over? You do it very carefully, and that’s exactly what Audi has done in the complete makeover of the Audi A3 for 2022. The five-passenger compact is a delightful mashup of appealing exterior style, superior interior ergonomics, and an ever-higher level of technological excellence. One example of that is the turbocharged 4-cylinder powerplant that now boasts mild-hybrid technology. On the tech side, buyers get a larger infotainment screen to go along with a more sophisticated MMI system. And the Audi Digital Cockpit gives the driver a beautiful window into the car’s mind — and tells you how fast you’re going. In many ways, the Audi A3 created the compact luxury segment, so it is not surprising that in this iteration, the A3 shows its continued leadership.

Exterior Style

As is befitting a vehicle that is both popular and highly praised, the designers didn’t take big chances with the all-new exterior. Our guess is if you liked the previous A3, you will like this one at least as well. In some ways, the new A3 looks like the previous-generation A3 after it had done some bodybuilding in the gym. The bulges around the wheels are more pronounced, as is the sculpting of the door panels. The grille is more artfully drawn than in the previous version, giving the A3 an attractive “face.” The rear end is tall and sports an integral spoiler over the tapering tail lights. In overall size, the 2022 Audi A3 is a couple of inches longer than its most direct competitor, the Mercedes-Benz A-Class.

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Interior Design

Audi continues to win kudos for its attractive and intelligently ergonomic interior designs. The 2022 Audi A3 builds on that pleasant tradition with a nicely designed and executed cabin fit for five adults. Front and rear passengers all enjoy excellent interior room, and cross-country trips are a pleasure in the car. Every 2022 model A3 has digital instrumentation and the optional (larger) 12.3-inch Audi virtual cockpit plus adds even more detail. The new A3 has an available head-up display and top-view camera system, too. And for yet more digital information, a 10.1-inch MMI infotainment display dominates the middle of the dashboard. Below it are — happily — discrete button-operated climate controls. The gear-selector stub is an acquired taste. But we applaud the fact that Audi designers continue to avoid getting self-indulgent with hey-look-at-me gimmicks, instead concentrating on delivering a well-sorted “driving office.”

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Infotainment & Technology

Just as the 2022 A3’s styling is evolutionary so is its approach to infotainment and connectivity. The A3’s MMI system doesn’t break much new ground in terms of general execution, but it just seems to do things a little better than before.  The MMI system in the A3 has a 10.1-inch touchscreen, and it includes Audi MMI navigation. Happily, its voice control system doesn’t require you to fake a German accent. The Audi MMI is compatible with typical smartphone apps including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Wireless smartphone charging is also available. The standard audio system is more than adequate, but we have to admit we were impressed by the optional 680-watt Bang & Olufsen sound system with 15 speakers and a 16-channel amplifier with door-rattling power.

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Powertrains

The 2022 Audi A3 has launched with just one powertrain, and it’s the first mild-hybrid ever used in an A3. The 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine boasts 201 horsepower and 221 lb-ft of torque. It delivers its power to the front wheels or four wheels via a 7-speed automatic transmission. A 48-volt mild-hybrid electric motor system adds torque to the powertrain when that is desirable, helping with launch from a stop and smoothing out gear changes. The A3 also has the interesting capability of coasting with the engine off in some driving situations to save fuel. The 48-volt system provides near-instant stop/starts. Four drive modes are offered in the A3 — Dynamic, Comfort, Auto, and Individual. They adjust the vehicle’s steering effort, transmission shift characteristics, and throttle response. The 2.0-liter powertrain gives the A3 a horsepower advantage over the competitive Mercedes-Benz A-Class.

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Driving Impressions

With its handy size and willing engine, the Audi A3 sedan offers a high level of driving enjoyment. While the closely related Audi S3 is the anointed “performance” version of the sedan, the A3 has very nice driving manners and can be driven enthusiastically without tripping over itself. Audi says it will accelerate from zero to 60 mph in 6.6 seconds in front-drive form, so it is reasonably peppy. The mild-hybrid system makes short work of turbo lag, making the A3 as responsive as a normally aspirated car with more horsepower. Handling is sport-sedan sharp teamed with good ride quality. The steering feel is excellent, and the brakes are easy to modulate. The large 12.3-inch Audi Virtual Cockpit is next-generation in terms of information delivery, especially navigation. This is a car you’d like to drive and drive... and then drive some more.

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Safety & Driver Assists

The 2022 Audi A3 is brimming with available driver-assistance tech. The standard Audi pre sense basic initiates actions automatically to protect the driver and passengers if a potential collision is detected. Another worthwhile safety feature standard across all A3s is lane departure warning. The Premium Plus and Prestige trims also feature Audi active lane assist. In certain circumstances, it helps the driver keep the sedan centered in its lane. Those same trims have adaptive cruise assist that maintains a preset distance to the vehicle ahead even as vehicle speeds vary. Optionally available Audi pre sense front scans the road constantly, giving the driver a series of escalating warnings when an accident threatens. If the driver fails to respond to the alerts, the vehicle can brake automatically to avoid a collision or reduce its severity. Available parking assistance gives steering guidance to the driver when maneuvering into a parking space while the driver controls the brakes and throttle.

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Interior & Cargo Space

You can’t call the new Audi A3 a large car, but it is certainly growing up. It is bigger than the outgoing model with more headroom and shoulder room both the front and rear. Both front- and rear-seat passengers have ample interior room, and long cross-country trips are not a problem but instead a pleasure, something that can’t be said for every small car. One area where the Audi A3’s size comes into play is in luggage space. In comparison to larger vehicles, the A3 has a small trunk, plus the trunk lid offers a rather small opening. At the same time, its 10.9 cubic feet of trunk space is more cargo area than the Mercedes-Benz A-Class offers.

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Fuel Economy

Better fuel efficiency is the key reason why Audi engineers opted for the more complicated mild-hybrid system for this generation, and it does the job on that score. The A3 quattro is 24% more fuel-efficient than the outgoing A3 quattro. The base front-drive 2022 A3 delivers an EPA-estimated 29 mpg city and 38 mpg highway. An A3 quattro delivers an EPA-estimated 28 mpg city/36 mpg highway. The competitive Mercedes-Benz A-Class is rated at 24 mpg city and 35 mpg highway. With its base engine, a 2.0-liter turbo, the Cadillac CT4 is rated by the EPA at 23 mpg city and 34 mpg highway. The new Audi A3 is a hands-down winner in fuel economy.

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Trim Levels & Options

The 2022 Audi A3 sedan is available in three trims: Premium, Premium Plus, and Prestige. At about $35,000, the Audi A3 Premium is well-equipped for an entry-level luxury car. It offers 17-inch alloy wheels, 8-way power front seats, 4-way power lumbar support, lane departure warning, and a panoramic sunroof. The A3 Premium Plus adds adaptive cruise control, active lane assist, wireless device charging, and a memory driver’s seat. The Audi A3 Prestige includes appearance upgrades most like the matrix-design LED headlights. And it has the 12.3-inch Audi Digital Cockpit Plus, head-up display, and MMI navigation plus. The quattro all-wheel-drive option is a $2,000 upgrade on all trims. A wide variety of other options and option packages are available, including Black optic.

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Pricing & Value

As its newest redesign, the Audi A3 is an important vehicle for the brand worldwide, and it is all the more important because of the A3 model’s history. Introduced in the 2006 model year, the Audi A3 has been winning adherents ever since. We wish the model still had a hatchback variant available in the U.S., but we are more than willing to embrace this all-new version of the sedan. There is simply nothing to complain about. The exterior styling is sharp and on-point for a vehicle in its class. And the interior, if anything, is better than the stellar exterior design. The turbocharged 4-cylinder engine more than gets the job done, and its mild-hybrid tech improves performance in ways both obvious and subtle. The Audi Digital Cockpit and the MMI infotainment display put driver and passenger in close touch with the information they need and the entertainment they want. Yes, for a sedan of its size, the 2022 Audi A3 is pricey. But that’s why they call this the premium compact sedan segment. For 2022, the Audi A3 continues its streak as a favorite among those of us who test cars for a living.

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