Written by Murray Scullion Updated: 27 April 2023

Parkers’ senior staff writer Ted Welford is living with an Audi A3 Saloon to see if the German firm’s most popular model makes as much sense as a four-door as it does the more popular hatchback

Update one: The introduction

Introducing the Audi A3 Saloon Black Edition 35 TFSI S tronic

I’ve never hidden my appreciation of Audis. Out of the six cars I’ve ever owned, four have been from the German firm. So I won’t pretend that I wasn’t anything but delighted when I found out I was getting the keys to a new Audi A3 Saloon for the next six months. 

Now the A3 might not be Audi’s smallest model, but it is the most popular – and by some margin. In fact, in the first six months of 2024, the A3 is the fifth best-selling car overall in the UK, even outperforming the Volkswagen Golf it shares many components with. 

The current-generation A3 will also always be memorable for me because it was the last new car launch I did before the Covid pandemic took hold in March 2020, and now four years later the A3 is getting its first facelift.

In typical Audi fashion, this is a fairly small update. A new front bumper and wider grille give the A3 a more aggressive stance, while there’s a revised bumper at the back and different badging. New colours and alloy wheels round off the visual differences, but you’d really have to see an old and new A3 side-by-side to tell the difference, and I still struggle to tell them apart, even a few weeks in.  

Elsewhere there are new materials in the interior, as well as a new centre console and improved standard kit, though underneath the surface little has changed. 

The majority of A3s sold are of the more conventional five-door Sportback, but I’ll be testing the rarer four-door saloon to see if it’s worth considering for around £600 more than the hatchback. Whether it’s the illusion that a saloon car is more premium, or that it’s around 15cm longer than the standard Sportback (hatch), but it somehow feels more of an upmarket car than the more common hatch.

Engine

‘My car’ is the highest-spec ‘regular’ A3 saloon you can buy, excluding the more powerful S3. Badged as the ‘35 TFSI’, it uses the Volkswagen Group’s tried-and-tested 1.5-litre petrol engine used in everything from superminis to seven-seat SUVs. Paired to a seven-speed S tronic automatic gearbox, it aims to deliver a decent balance of fuel economy and performance. 

Audi claims 0-62mph in 8.1 seconds and a claimed fuel economy figure of around 50mpg. It’s also in the top-spec Black Edition trim, which is a bit of a talking point because it essentially makes this A3 look exactly like an S3, minus the latter car’s four exhausts. It’s very much the ‘all show, no go’ spec, which is fine by me. 

The specs

The standard spec on an A3 Black Edition is generous, including sports suspension, large 19-inch alloy wheels, full LED lighting including Audi’s infamous ‘dynamic’ scrolling indicators. You also get heated front seats, leather upholstery, a 10.1-inch touchscreen and large digital instrument cluster. 

The only options fitted are the excellent Ascari Blue colour, derived from Audi’s RS performance models, as well as the must-have Technology Pack, which bundles together a head-up display, reversing camera, adaptive cruise control and an upgraded Sonos sound system. 

Over the next six months I’ve got lots planned with the A3, including a big European road trip. Keep returning to this page to see how I get on…

Update 2: Holiday time!

Time to throw the Audi A3 into the deep end… Not literally.

What do you normally do five days after getting a new car? Treat it to a first wash, buy some new mats, perhaps? Or in my case, decide to drive my ‘new’ Audi A3 to Croatia. 

Even as someone used to jumping in and out of different cars, it’s quite a daunting prospect getting into a vehicle you hardly know and set about driving it halfway across a continent. 

Each summer I endeavour to do a slightly bizarre road trip. Busman’s holiday and all that. Last year I set myself a challenge of many countries I could drive to in three weeks in my 2013 Audi A4 diesel, purchased especially for the job. As it turned out, 21 countries. It’s more tiring than it sounds, I promise you!

For 2024’s summer holiday, I decided it wouldn’t be challenge-based but would be a magical mystery tour. I knew I wanted to escape the UK for as long as possible, and when I was setting off and had to be back, but the rest would be made up as I went along. 

Onboard the Channel Tunnel, the A3 is just the right size for a normal carriage. If you’ve ever been on the train-under-the-sea, you’ll know if you have anything wide with low-profile tyres, it can be a recipe for some horrifically kerbed wheels. Thankfully, I’m not speaking from experience. But it’s no problem in the A3 as it’s narrow enough to not worry about scuffing those precious 19-inch wheels, which it must be said are VERY low-profile. 

The trip would take me into France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Austria… and breathe. My own personal A4 last year was utterly fabulous on the road trip, and thankfully the A3 was no different. Exceeding even my own high expectations. 

I’ve always been adamant for a long trip you want a diesel for its fuel economy and long range, but the A3’s mild-hybrid 1.5-litre petrol proved otherwise. Courtesy of cylinder deactivation and a coasting function that turns the engine on when it’s not needed (slowing down or going down a hill, for example). It’s more than happy sitting at high motorway speeds, too, and for hours on end. 

When I wasn’t in such a rush to get to the next destination, it comfortably returned more than 50mpg, and overall across the 2,600-mile trip, the A3 averaged 48.6mpg. That includes some particularly speedy runs on Germany’s unrestricted autobahns and driving in heavily congested cities, so it’s really quite impressive. With around 500 miles achievable from a tank, it’s ideal for cross-country or cross-continent jaunts. 

While the road noise from those 19-inch alloy wheels is quite pronounced and the ride quite firm thanks to a mix of sports suspension and low-profile tyres, I can confidently say I never once got out of the A3 even after hours behind the wheel in any discomfort. The extended seat base is also great if you’ve got longer legs like me, offering greater support that really matters on a trip like this one.

I was also particularly grateful for the A3 having the £1,495 Technology Pack added to its options list, with the Sonos 3D sound system proving a godsend for helping the miles pass by while catching up on months of missed podcasts. The adaptive cruise control is also one of the best I’ve encountered, not being overly keen to get on the brakes or to keep you dead centre in a lane like many systems. In many ways, it drives the car like a human would, which is high praise in my book. 

I was also grateful that ‘my’ A3 was the saloon bodystyle, rather than the Sportback hatch. Though the latter accounts for significantly more sales, I’m not confident all the luggage would have fit in the hatchback’s boot at least under the parcel shelf. I’m always mindful of never leaving items on show, valuable or otherwise, and being able to cram everything into the hidden boot of the saloon (and with relative ease) helped ease my mind when leaving the A3 parked up overnight. 

Any downsides? Well, very few. I did have a few gremlins with Apple CarPlay, usually after I’d stop at the side of the road to take a photo but with the car running. When I’d get back in with my phone it would have disconnected itself, and then wouldn’t reconnect without turning the car on and off. It’s one of those things you’d only notice on holiday when stopping for photos, and now back in the UK, it hasn’t done it again. 

It’s one of the best adventures I’ve been on, and the weather was absolutely glorious… with the exception of a Saharan storm that left the car covered in fine orange dust (see photo above). The A3 played a key role in the adventure and proved more than up to the task. So good I’m keen to get out abroad again with it before it returns to Audi…

Update 3 – Oil adventures and unwelcome engine lights

A mystery engine light causes us to need to visit the Audi dealer

My Audi A3 is one of the most well-used long-termer cars on the Parkers fleet, with my commute from near York to Peterborough once or twice a week meaning it’s soon clocked up lots of miles.

In fact, the odometer recently ticked over 8,500 miles, which is quite impressive going for just four months of ‘ownership’. Albeit there was a substantial European road trip in that time. 

While I’ve loved the A3 so far, it hasn’t been without hiccups, with a few recurring warning lights causing slight concern and annoyance. The most prevalent (and alarming) being the engine light. 

Unusually, it doesn’t display any imposing warning messages on the digital instrument cluster, but rather a tiny orange engine symbol appears at the side – small enough you could quite easily miss it. It’s come on sporadically previously, and given the lack of alarm and fact it usually goes off shortly after, hasn’t been too much of a concern. 

However, more recently it became more of a permanent feature. As I was a bit unsure as to what it could be, I thought I’d have a quick look at the digital oil gauge (there is no dipstick to check manually – annoyingly) and was surprised to see the oil level quite low. By no means empty, but low enough that I was surprised an oil refill light hadn’t come on. 

I was surprised by the oil consumption – and so were many users of X, formerly Twitter, who replied to a post of mine saying that sort of oil consumption (at least between services) was excessive. That said, from research it seems that the Volkswagen Group’s 1.5-litre petrol engine does consume more oil than others, with it being quite highly-strung. That level of oil consumption is also well within Audi’s guidelines, though, it should be said.

Now, the sensible thing to do in this instance would be to have checked the handbook to find the right oil, but feeling quite tired and lazy after a hectic few days, I thought I’d give Halfords a go as I was calling anyway. Within the store are iPads to type in your reg number and it will then tell you which oil you should have. However, because my A3 is only a few months old, nothing was coming up on the system. 

Now, again, I probably should have just looked in the handbook, but knowing that Vindis Audi Peterborough was only around the corner, I elected to try them knowing (or at least hoping) they’d know what oil it needs. 

A very helpful receptionist greeted me straight away, and though I just wanted to buy the oil itself, they insisted on leaving them the keys for 15 minutes while I had a seat in the fancy waiting area and they’d sort it out. Fine by me, though I’m not sure I’ve ever felt as useless in my life – not least given the job I do. 

I was particularly impressed by the service given I called in at 5pm, and from experience it’s dealers’ ‘all the lights are on but nobody’s home’ time. Shortly after the keys were back with me, and the best bit – no charge! While I’d love to say this was an act of generosity, it’s more to do with the fact the service desk had already clocked off, but not before they’d topped up my oil. Result. (Thanks guys).

Very impressed by Audi Peterborough. Called in at 5pm after Halfords couldn’t recommend the right oil for the A3 (because it’s too new) and noticed it was getting low. Only wanted the oil itself but the dealer said to give them 10 minutes and they’d top it up. No charge either! pic.twitter.com/A31Pn78EdW

— Ted Welford (@TedWelford) September 25, 2024

And it was good news as it seemed to do the trick, turning the engine light off. And permanently, or so I thought. But annoyingly a few weeks later the dimly lit engine is back on, and means my A3 is soon going back to Audi for some diagnosis… I’ll report back soon with the outcome.  

Update 4: Swap time for a diesel hatchback

Petrol or diesel? Hatch or saloon? We ponder the decision

I’ve previously reported a few little gremlins with ‘my’ Audi A3 saloon, the most notable being a persistent engine light. After making sure there was nothing wrong with it, I proceeded as usual for several weeks before deciding it was time to get it inspected. 

So it was time to call Audi to get it investigated, with my saloon being returned to Audi for an inspection, and in place, I was given another Audi A3 as a courtesy car. But rather than being a petrol saloon, like my long-term car, I was given a diesel hatchback (or Sportback in Audi speak) – an ideal opportunity to compare the two. 

The specs of the two cars were fairly similar, with the hatchback being the popular S line, rather than the top-spec Black Edition of ‘mine’. The difference between the two is that the Black Edition trim gets larger 19-inch alloy wheels, sports suspension and a full black styling pack. 

It’s not a lot of extra equipment for the £1,700 extra you pay for the Black Edition over the S line, but Audi knows buyers love the stealthier, more aggressive appearance of the more expensive car, and are happy to pay. I include myself in that. 

And what about petrol or diesel? Well, the latter is now quite niche, especially in more compact cars, but if you do a lot of miles, diesel still has a place. Though the fuel economy of my car’s 1.5-litre mild-hybrid engine (returning more than 50mpg on a run), it’s not a patch on the diesel. On a motorway run you can easily average 65mpg in the diesel A3 as it suits high-speed fuel economy well, while also managing 600 miles from a tank of fuel. 

But which is better to drive? Overall, I prefer the diesel, though this is because I spend most of my time on the motorway where it’s arguably quieter and also returns much better fuel economy. The diesel’s greater torque provides easier acceleration, whereas the petrol needs pushing hard if you want to make quick progress. That said, if you live in a town or don’t do many miles, it’s a much better idea to go with the petrol as modern diesel engines can be problematic if they don’t get warm enough. 

Diesel engines used to be quite noisy, but refinement has improved a great deal in recent years, and given the mild-hybrid petrol isn’t the most refined anyway, there’s not as much difference between the two as you might expect. 

Having the A3 Sportback also gave me time to ponder whether I’d choose the five-door hatchback or the saloon. For me, the four-door suits my needs better, with its larger (if less practical boot) suiting my lifestyle. I’m a keen golfer and you can fit two golf bags in the saloon’s boot easily, whereas it’s a tight fit with the hatchback, and might require a seat to be folded. But, if you have a dog or the narrower saloon boot opening doesn’t work for you, it’s easy to see why more choose the hatchback. That, and it’s around £700 cheaper to buy, too. 

After a week at the garage, I had the call from Audi to say that my A3 was ready again, with a software update clearing the engine light on the dashboard – it was a sensor fault, rather than anything more serious. Thankfully. My A3 is now running better than ever, with a colleague taking the keys from me for several weeks recently while he is without a car. I’ll report back his findings in the coming weeks. 

Current mileage	10,280
Fuel economy (tested)	45.1mpg
Fuel economy (claimed)	49.6-51.4mpg
Parkers ‘MPP’ (Miles Per Pound) calculation	N/A
Dates tested by Parkers	June 2024-present