• 10.25-inch touchscreen as standard
• All versions get digital instrument display
• Swish, grown-up, solid feeling

How is the quality and the layout?

If you stepped out of a more expensive A4, and into an A3 Saloon, you wouldn’t feel shortchanged. While if you moved directly from a Ford Focus to an A3 Saloon you’d definitely feel like you are going up in the world.

Settle into the driver’s seat and you’ll find it’s adjustable enough for most people. Cars in S Line spec and above get firm but comfortable sport seats that keep the driver in place. Looking at the quality of fixtures and fittings, there is very little to complain about. The material feels plush, plus, and there’s little in the way of alignment errors.

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Ergonomically, it’s a masterclass. You’ll soon find everything you need. The lights and cruise control settings are dealt with by buttons and stalks in sensible places. Once you figure out where everything is, you probably won’t forget. While the heating/cooling controls are on physical switches and buttons, and not on a touchscreen – unlike the closely related Volkswagen Golf.

Infotainment and technology

Speaking of the touchscreen, Audi’s is a 10.25-inch unit and comes as standard. Audi reckons it’s 10x faster than the old model’s, and we have to admit it is super responsive and slick.

Audi’s mapping software can divert you around traffic as well as show specific information about landmarks and shops too – like opening times. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are both available wirelessly. These work fine in every variation of A3 – and we had no complaints about the screen during our extensive long-term test.

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But if you’re looking for something even flasher too – head to Mercedes. All of the infotainment and screens just seem that bit more polished, though aren’t as easy to use.

Comfort

• Broadly, very
• Improved sound insulation and acoustic glass reduce noise
• Type of suspension is dependent on engine

All of the A3s we’ve tested have been broadly comfortable on all but the largest alloy wheels. Very capable of both threading through town and battering autobahns. However, if you’re a real comfort snob you’ll want to pay attention to this.

The suspension set-up is dependent on the engine. For ’30’ engined cars there is a simpler arrangement Anything more powerful than ’30’ gets a more sophisticated, and comfier, suspension set up.

S Line and Black Edition models get Sport suspension (ironically Sport spec does not). These have lower, firmer suspension set ups. This is mostly a cosmetic choice.

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We wouldn’t choose a car in a spec higher than the S line, though, as the ride on the largest 19-inch alloy wheels is quite poor, especially on broken surfaces and around town.

Road noise is fairly high, it’s noisier than you’ll find in a BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe. While the BMW is also slightly more comfortable. There’s not much in it, though. The A Class is very similar. 

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