From the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show, Cars.com editor Kelsey Mays takes a look at the 2015 Audi A3 Sedan.
Transcript
(light rock music) (engine starting) (tires squealing) Hi, I'm Kelsey Mays for Cars.com. Audi was one of the first luxury automakers to offer buyers a really entry-level luxury car in the A3.
Now, here we are at the 2013 LA Auto Show, checking out the redesigned A3 which has proliferated into a sedan, a Cabriolet, a convertible, and a hatchback. There's also an S3 higher performance version of the sedan. Let's take a look at all of them. With its low set grill and wide headlights, The A3 is not going to be mistaken for anything other than an Audi. The automaker says it developed this car with the US and China in mind. And so it's not a very small car. Wheel base grows about two inches versus the prior generation A3 Overall length, about 175 inches for the sedan. That's about 10 inches shorter bumper to bumper versus the larger A4 sedan. Inside, a very simple dashboard greets the eye. It kind of follows what Audi's been doing lately in some of it's other cars. Removing this gauge hood that would go all the way across the center part of the dashboard. Very clean, simple design here. There's a screen that pops out of the center part of the dash. It uses Audi's multimedia interface here. Which now adopts a little thumb pad that you can kind of write across. It's a version of Audi's MMI touch used in other Audi vehicles of late. This one places the touch pad right on top of the center knob right here. Materials quality is kind of what you'd expect for a small entry-level car here. In terms of luxury features, padding sort of where it needs to be. Not really a stripped down model in terms of content. Audi says the A3 will come standard with things like leather seats, Bluetooth, rain sensing windshield wipers, and a moon roof. Backseat a little bit tight in the A3. The A4 not a particularly roomy car in back either. Headroom pretty tight here. I'm six feet tall. That's where I'd sit to drive. I have enough leg room leftover, but not tons here. And the seat does sit pretty low to the ground. So your knees as an adult, kind of up in the air, there is a standard split folding rear seat here in the A3 sedan. Pretty useful. It exposes a giant opening across. Takes the center seatbelt with it. In this car at the auto show, there's also pretty center pass through that opens up a lot of utility there. Powertrain specifications are still being finalized, but the A3 will offer a 1.8 or two liter turbo four cylinder. There will also be a turbo diesel four cylinder. The S3 will offer a higher output two liter turbo four cylinder Which should have somewhere around 280-290 horsepower. The cars will have front or all wheel drive. And finally Audi's A3 e-tron hatchback will have a plugin hybrid drivetrain. The A3 and S3 arrive in early 2014 for the sedans, the Cabriolet A3 arrives in fall of 2014. And finally the A3 e-tron hatchback arrives in 2015. So stick around for more news closer to those dates. (engine roaring)
