2015 Audi A3 Review – Sedan 2.0T Quattro S Tronic

One-week vehicle loan was provided for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

Type: Sedan Price: $29,900 Fuel Efficiency: 24 city/33 hwy Seats: 5

Best Suited For: Sensible adults, small families Notable Features: Retractible navigation screen Links: Official site

When it comes to Audi, the style is easily recognizable. With smooth, round lines, the 2015 Audi A3 oozes subtle luxury. The A3 is the small and least expensive of the sedans from this brand. It’s kind of an “entry level” Audi. Though many of the refined features find themselves present on this model, you can tell this is on the lower end. The ride is smooth but not so much in the back seat. The trim we reviewed did have a quality sound system (Bang & Olufsen) but the road noise made it hard to really get the full audio effect.

Handling is fantastic and very responsive. You turn, the car goes. There’s next to no adjustment time once you’re in the driver’s seat. The A3 takes corners fine but I couldn’t help but feel that tires were really grabbing the road. That meant a lot slowing down and a firm two-handed grip on turns. Not usually the type of experience I want when cruising in an Audi. It was somewhat underwhelming.

2015 Audi A3 Shines with Unique Innovation

One major difference in the A3 is the setup of the middle console. Instead of making the screen display part of the main dash design, it’s actually a separate feature. When you power on the car, the screen automatically goes up. But, there is a button you can push to have the screen retracts back down into the dash. This is really nice after dark if you don’t want a bright screen blaring at you while on the highway. The display is clear and colors are vivid.

The rest of the interior is just so aesthetically pleasing. With materials I should mention that the air vents are very modern give a nice touch to the overall look of the front interior. They remind my daughter of airplane turbines 😛

I was really impressed by the ingenuity shown in how the makers approached blind spot monitoring. The indicator is actually on the outside casing of the side mirror instead of directly on the mirror itself. Not only does it keep the visible area of your side mirror completely clear but you only really notice the LED indicator when you purposely glance over to change lanes. It’s fantastic and, in my opinion, has been the best execution of the features that I’ve seen thus far.

Delegation of Space

Space inside the A3 is a bit tight. It’s okay in the front but don’t expect to have a person with long legs in the front and then expect to fit a full-sized adult behind them. My 5′ 2″ daughter had a tough time sitting behind my 5’11” husband. Passengers in the back will feel squished in terms of hip room, leg room, and head space. If only some of the trunk space could have been used for the back row. The trunk is huge and you can fit a whole load of stuff in it.

The 2015 Audi A3 is a great vehicle for commute or everyday use. The price does fluctuate greatly with trim and optional features so keep in mind that the model that best fits you might be a good $10-15K more than the base amount. Since the A3 is the smallest of the sedans, this is best suited to singles, couples, and small families. For these, there should be plenty of space and power.