The Audi A8 L plug-in hybrid beats all other Audis in terms of fuel economy, but comes at a very costly price of over $90,000. Therefore, the winner in this category is the three times cheaper Audi A3, which is slightly less fuel efficient at 30 mpg or 7 liters per 100 km.
If responsibly driven on the highway, it can get up to 36 miles per gallon or a 6.5 liters per 100 km.
The Audi A3 Sedan is fuel efficient
Despite there being more environmentally friendly options than the Audi A3 like the Audi A8 L plug-in hybrid, purely economically speaking the A3 sedan is a better option. The reason for that is that the A8 L Plug-in hybrid might offer the amazing 54 MPG or 5.2 liters per 100 kilometers, but it costs three times as much as the Audi A3 sedan.
So, if you are looking for a car that gets good gas mileage and you are not aiming to drive more than a million kilometers, the A3 sedan is the economically wiser choice. The Audi A3 sedan averages 30 mpg or 7 liters per 100 kilometers, which is quite good for a luxury sedan.
The Audi A4 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine gets only 1 mpg less than the A3, which means it is also a smart economically-wise option for a luxury sedan. But the A3 beats it with a lower purchasing price and a slightly better fuel economy.
The engine modification of the 2020 Audi A3, 1498 cm3, 150 horsepower 4-cylinder petrol, has an enviable fuel economy with the impressive 5.6 liters per 100 kilometers combined fuel consumption.
Audi A3 purchasing options
The Audi A3 comes in four purchasing options from Sport Premium, Sport Premium Plus, S Line Premium to S Line premium plus. With the lowest base price being $34,000 and the highest $40,000.
The Sport Premium Plus front-wheel-drive strikes the best balance between fuel economy, performance and features. And although the four-cylinder, 184-horsepower engine is not as powerful as the S line engine, it has a much better fuel efficiency. Moreover, the S line premium plus option is closer to the Audi A4’s price range than the A3. So why not get an A4 instead if you are going for the S line?
Engine and performance
Not only does it come in both manual and automatic transmission, but it also comes in gasoline, hybrid and diesel. Aside from that, this particular manual model does not accelerate any slower than its automatic counterpart. Whereas, in most other Audis, that is a very common issue that users report.
A good example for a good mixture of power, reliability and fuel efficiency is the 1.5-liter gasoline engine, with a top speed of 232 km/h, or 144 mph, and a 0-100km/h of roughly 8 seconds.
Audi A3 interior and features
The Audi A3 comes with standard leather seating but provides the option of black-blue or black-silver cloth seat trim covers. The standard model also comes with a front center armrest.
The standard model comes with a tool kit and a tire repair kit in the price and there is an option for an add-on of a space-saving spare wheel. It also comes with a pre sense front, rear parking sensors, a hill-hold assist, lane departure warning and cruise control. The rear cross-traffic alert, on the other hand, comes at the costly price of around 700 Euro/ $850.
Safety
The 2020 Audi A3 has passed a 9.3/10 safety rating according to the U.S. News scorecard. It passed all tests with good results and had superior results on the front crash prevention results test. The only downside it had during the tests was the headlights results, which were deemed acceptable at best.
In terms of safety, the standard Audi A3 has front side airbags, head airbags and interaction airbags. It also has a seat belt reminder which uses passenger presence detection also in the rear. On the other hand, the rear airbag-package needs to be paid for as an add-on.
The Audi A3 has top tethers for child seats for all 3 rear seats. Depending on your location, it’s equipped with LATCH or ISOFIX anchors for the 2 outside rear seats. There is also an option for a front seat ISOFIX child seat anchor and it comes free of charge.
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FAQs
Are there other fuel-efficient cars with a similar price range?
Other luxury sedans that are relatively economical and compete with the Audi A3 are the Mercedes-Benz C-class, which slightly more expensive and the Volvo S60 or Mazda 6, which are a bit cheaper, but nevertheless a great choice. Another option is the BMW 2 series. Aside from that, the Audi A4 is a bit of an upgrade, but is only a bit more expensive.
Is the Audi A3 a good car overall?
The Audi A3 is an entry-level luxury car. It has a relatively high price and lacks some luxurious features that rival brands might have for the same price, but compensates with a sleek design, great safety rating, and a balance of power and fuel economy. Not only that, it is extremely smooth and enjoyable to ride and brings a great suspension.
What is platform is the Audi A3 based on?
The third-generation Audi A3 is based on the Volkswagen Group MQB platform, whereas the first and second-generation Audi A3s were based on the Volkswagen Group A platform, which many other cars such as Audi TT, Volkswagen Caddy and Golf, Touran, and even SEAT use.
What is the main difference between the Audi A3 and Audi A4?
The main difference between these two Audi models is that the A3 is smaller, more compact, and has less room for passengers and cargo, whereas the A4 has more legroom and headroom for the passengers. Aside from that, the A3 model has a slightly better fuel economy, since it is lighter.
Which car brand costs less to maintain, Audi or BMW?
Audi purchases do not include complimentary maintenance in the purchasing price. In the first 10 years of road usage, BMW users on average spent $5,500 more on maintenance than Audi users. Audi users spend anywhere between $10,000 and $14,000 for 10 years of maintenance.