Photo: Audi
In production since May 2020, the fourth-gen Audi A3 is now available in the United States exclusively as a four-door sedan. It’s joined by the performance-oriented S3, and they’re gunning for the A-Class Sedan.
Exactly like the Stuttgart-based competition, the four-ringed automaker from Ingolstadt offers three variants of the compact car: 40 TFSI with front-wheel drive, 40 TFSI quattro, and the go-faster S3 with quattro and a more potent engine. Base versions come standard with 48-volt electrification that provides a boost during take-off and torque-fill during low RPMs.
The 40 TFSI channels 201 horsepower and 236 pound-feet (320 Nm) to either axle with the help of a seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission. For the sake of comparison, Mercedes's 220 and 220 4Matic develop 188 horsepower and 221 pound-feet (300 Nm) and they feature a DCT as well.
Moving on to the S3 Sedan, this variant sweetens the deal to 306 horsepower and 295 pound-feet (400 Nm) of torque, figures that enable a zero-to-60 acceleration of 4.5 seconds. Some 15 millimeters (0.6 inches) closer to the ground than its A3-branded siblings, the all-new S3 can be further spruced up with S sport suspension that boasts active damping technology.
Excluding $1,045 for the destination charge, the German automaker wants $33,900 for the entry-level Premium trim level of the A3 Sedan 40 TFSI. The quattro AWD adds $2,000 to the tally, the Premium Plus grade is $4,000 more, and the range-topping Prestige is $7,300 more than the base variant. In the case of the S3, you’re looking at $44,900 before the freight tax and options.
These MSRPs are very similar to the A-Class Sedan, which isn’t exactly a big seller for the three-pointed star. Daimler AG chairman of the board Ola Kallenius told analysts a very interesting thing last year, and it sums up the innate problem of premium brands going into the compact sedan class.
“Maybe we went at a bit too far to cover each and every space into each and every segment,” he said, adding that “compact particularly comes to mind.”
The 40 TFSI channels 201 horsepower and 236 pound-feet (320 Nm) to either axle with the help of a seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission. For the sake of comparison, Mercedes's 220 and 220 4Matic develop 188 horsepower and 221 pound-feet (300 Nm) and they feature a DCT as well.
Moving on to the S3 Sedan, this variant sweetens the deal to 306 horsepower and 295 pound-feet (400 Nm) of torque, figures that enable a zero-to-60 acceleration of 4.5 seconds. Some 15 millimeters (0.6 inches) closer to the ground than its A3-branded siblings, the all-new S3 can be further spruced up with S sport suspension that boasts active damping technology.
Excluding $1,045 for the destination charge, the German automaker wants $33,900 for the entry-level Premium trim level of the A3 Sedan 40 TFSI. The quattro AWD adds $2,000 to the tally, the Premium Plus grade is $4,000 more, and the range-topping Prestige is $7,300 more than the base variant. In the case of the S3, you’re looking at $44,900 before the freight tax and options.
These MSRPs are very similar to the A-Class Sedan, which isn’t exactly a big seller for the three-pointed star. Daimler AG chairman of the board Ola Kallenius told analysts a very interesting thing last year, and it sums up the innate problem of premium brands going into the compact sedan class.
“Maybe we went at a bit too far to cover each and every space into each and every segment,” he said, adding that “compact particularly comes to mind.”
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