Vehicle Overview
The front-wheel-drive 2016 A3 Sportback e-tron is a four-door, five-seat hatchback powered by a 1.4-liter gas engine combined with an 8.8-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.
Recharge time is about two hours and 15 minutes on a 240-volt charger; charging takes eight hours on a 120-volt household outlet. Charging can be tracked and managed on the driver’s smartphone. The A3 Sportback e-tron features four selectable driving modes: EV mode for electric only; Hybrid mode, allowing the vehicle to intelligently select the most efficient power source; Hold Battery mode, enabling hybrid driving while preserving EV range for later use; and Charge Battery mode, which uses the gas engine to recharge the battery at highway speeds.
Standard equipment includes xenon high-intensity-discharge headlights, LED taillights with rear fog lights, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, dual-zone climate control, keyless start and entry, and a backup camera with rear parking sensors. Sixteen-inch wheels are standard with 17- and 18-inch wheels available. The interior has a 7-inch multimedia screen; e-tron-specific shift knob, dashboard badging, instrument cluster and door sills; and 13.6 cubic feet of cargo space. Available advanced safety features include lane change assist, adaptive cruise control and active lane keep assist.
