Audi A3 Sedan 35TDI

Of late there has been quite a lot of noise about a new Audi that’s on its way to India. There have been many hash tags on social media sites claiming #thenextbigAudi will soon make it to the Indian market in a couple of months’ time.  So the Next Big Audi is actually the second of the smallest cars that Audi makes. The idea is to fill the gap in the small premium compact segment that has been exploited by BMW and Mercedes for quite a while.

It’s in this segment that some rivals have made a slight mistake. Audi’s German counterparts have brought out hatchbacks, which are not as favourable as sedans in India.  Audi has made a smart move to bring in the A3 Sedan. On the inside it’s the same chassis that you get in an Octavia and the same engine and transmission you get in every VW group models just tuned differently. So at first glance it looks like a Volkswagen with some Audi bits on it. I went down to Udaipur to find out what the fuss was all about.

Once you lay your eyes on it, the A3 looks like just another Audi, the signature diamond designed grill at the front and sharply cut and shaped headlamps, an integrated spoiler on the boot lid and split narrow rear wrap around tail lights with 17” allow wheels. What also seems to play into the A3 Sedans hands is that it looks longer than it actually is like most Audis. This begs the question; does it just look like an Audi, or does it feel like one as well? And the answer will blow your mind.

You may think it’s a halfhearted job by Audi for the A3, just to fill in a price bracket to tap a market. But when you get inside you get the same feel as you would get in an A4, A6, A7 or even an A8. Maybe not as many features as the A8 and A7 but you do get the feel you’re in an Audi. The plush leather seats, the familiar Audi dash and instrument cluster, the 7” infotainment monitor that pops out of the top of the dash just like in the A4 all feels like an Audi should.

One of the really nice features is the Bluetooth connectivity which is really easy to pair with an iPhone, and the easy access buttons and the single knob to control the entertainment system which is really easy to use with Audi’s MMI Touch. The four-spoke steering wheel comes with multifunction buttons and scroll on either side for the entertainment system, the Navigation, voice command and controls for the infotainment system as well. The panoramic sunroof also gives a bright feel in daylight to the cabin, the air conditioning is chilling as the air blows from the neatly turbine designed air vents which also have a diffuse system and dual zone climate control, the grey shiny plastic accent that runs across the dash adds quite a nice feel to the entire cabin and all of that finished with millimeter perfect German precision. All in all, it’s a nice comfortable place to be in. But what the base model lacks are some features like daytime running LED lights, the Bi Xenon headlamps, Navigation and a rear camera for parking assistance.