UK Review Says 2017 Audi A3 With 1-Liter Engine Is Lighter and More Responsive

It's the entry-level unit I keep complaining about because there has to be a limit where you can't pretend to have a premium car anymore. Not only does the 1-liter have only three cylinders, but the independent rear suspension is automatically swapped for a rigid rear axle like you get in cheaper cars.

That's because Audi thinks you can't drive fast enough with the 1-liter engine to notice. The secondary reason is that a solid axle saves a bit of weight, thus making the engine seem more frugal and peppy than it actually is.

The downsizing trend has been going on for quite a while. Some independent bodies have argued that it doesn't work in the real world, with some small engines spraying excess fuel to cool themselves.

CarBuyer's review is surprisingly optimistic about the A3, saying that it wants to be driven with gusto and that the overall lighter body makes it pointy. "Beautifully" is the way he says you'd describe the way the A3 rides over the bumps and fits into your life.

We can't prove that the 1.0 TFSI is not frugal because the review never specifies the rear world MPG numbers. But we checked with Honest John's owner submissions, and they say the old 1.2 TFSI gets 43 mpg or 75% of the claimed 57 mpg. Meanwhile, the Mazda3 hatchback with a much bigger 2-liter engine gets 43.3 mpg or 90% of its official claim.

The cheapest A3 you can buy in Britain is £19,915. There's no denying that you're having a classy interior for the money, but we're not sure about the peppiness. But if you want to be crammed into a 3-door with a small turbo engine, why not pay £17,400 for the SEAT Leon SC?

VW Group is using this little engine for many of its projects. The 1.0 TSI/TFSI will eventually replace the 1.2 and can already be found on the SEAT Ateca, VW Golf, Skoda Octavia and even the big Touran MPV.