The Audi A3 Saloon – revealed at the 2013 New York Auto Show – arrives in the UK with a choice of three engines as the first saloon A3.

The Audi A3 Saloon (pictured) arrives in the UK
[nggallery id=1456 template=customlinks]
Audi isn’t afraid of covering every possible niche in its ambition to be the world’s top ‘Premier’ marque, so we now get a third body shape for the new A3 – the Audi A3 saloon.
Designed to sell in markets that prefer a traditional 3-box car to a hatch – like the US and China – Audi still believes there’s a market for an A3 with a boot in the UK, so the new A3 Saloon arrives on sale with a choice, at least initially, of three engines – two petrols and a diesel.
The A3 Saloon also gets an extra 140mm in length (and 11mm in width) compared to the A3 Sportback and that new boot adds 10 per cent to the volume the Sportback offers.
Initially, there’s a choice of a 1.4 TSI offering 60.1mpg, a 1.8 TSI with 49.6mpg and a 2.0 litre TDI that boasts 67.3mpg, with the petrol engines getting the S Tronic dual-clutch ‘box and the diesel a six-speed manual.
The A3 Saloon comes with sports suspension as standard (although you can opt for a more comfortable setup) and in a choice of Sport or S Line trim with Sports seats, Adaptive Dynamics, Climate, MMI, DAB, iPod and Bluetooth.
The S Line trim also gets part leather, an S Line steering wheel, 18″ alloys, S Line body styling, xenon plus headlights with LED daytime lights and full LED lights available later in the year.
More A3 Saloon engine options will arrive in due course – including an S3 Saloon – but for now the UK gets the three engines and two trim levels with prices from £24,305 for the A3 Sport 1.4TFSI CoD to £28,105 for the A3 S Line 1.8TFSI.
Audi A3 Saloon UK Price List 2013
Model Engine Trim PS Trans OTR A3 Saloon 1.4TFSI CoD Sport 140 S tronic £24,305 A3 Saloon 1.4TFSI CoD S line 140 S tronic £26,455 A3 Saloon 1.8TFSI Sport 180 S tronic £25,955 A3 Saloon 1.8TFSI S line 180 S tronic £28,105 A3 Saloon 2.0TDI Sport 150 manual £24,275 A3 Saloon 2.0TDI S line 150 manual £26,425



John B says
Ive got my magnifying glass on this and still can’t see the difference between an A3 and an A4. Will there be room for an A3.5 to fill in the micro-niche between the 2? Unfortunately all Audi’s look the same, bland, so there really isn’t anything at all to choose between them.
Cars UK says
Couldn’t agree more.