Ingolstadt, Germany (dpa) – Audi’s premium A3 hatch has been given a mild makeover with a fresh look for the three- and five-door versions and an impressive tech upgrade inside.
For the new model year, the third-generation Audi A3 gets new headlights inspired by its larger new A4 sibling, together with a sharper and wider single-frame Audi grille. The front bumper has also been revised.
Inside, the 2017 A3 range gets the option of the new Virtual Cockpit digital instrument cluster. It replaces the traditional mechanical gauges with a centrally positioned wide 12.3-inch screen.
Standard issue is a 7.0-inch retractable display atop the centre of the fascia. The upgrades apply to all A3 models, including the go-faster S3 and the fuel miserly A3 e-tron.
The engine spec sheet consists of three turbocharged petrols and three turbo-diesels, including a new TFSI three-cylinder petrol motor. Range-topper under the bonnet is an all-new 2.0 TFSI petrol unit with 190 horses on tap.
Diesel options include a 1.6 TDI and 2.0 TDI variants turning out 150 and 184 horsepower. A six-speed manual gearbox and a seven-speed S-tronic dual clutch transmission are available on all models.
The A3 range still includes an e-tron plug-in hybrid model and a g-tron model, powered by either natural gas or Audi e-gas.
