Skip advert
Advertisement

Audi A3 review - better than a BMW 1-series? - Design

Audi’s posh Golf is a massive sales hit and it’s not difficult to see why, though rivals drive better

Evo rating
Price
from £20,365
  • Beautifully designed, impeccably built and competitively priced premium hatch
  • All just a bit too grown up and sensible, needs a more playful side

The A3 may be a victim of its own success, its omnipresence meaning you’re unlikely notice it, especially if you’ve chosen one of the more sober greys, black or dark blue on offer on the colour charts. Audi offers a wide range of smart alloy wheel options if you want to be different - and spend money and time on the configurator.

Advertisement - Article continues below

What the A3 does do very well is look premium, it may be sutble, but elements like the brightwork and lighting signatures make this very obviously an Audi. It may lack the crisp surfacing quality of the new A4, but the advantage of keeping the car subtle, is that it still looks fresh, despite being past the halfway mark of its life cycle. 

There’s plenty of headlight choices, including full LED lights, Audi also offering exterior trim choices like privacy glass, a panoramic roof, aluminium trims, black packs for added personalisation. S line models come with the most appealing combination of options, for the best looking A3 you can have without stretching to the S3 flagship. 

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Cupra Leon 2025 review – the Golf GTI you want wears a Spanish frock
Cupra Leon review front
In-depth reviews

Cupra Leon 2025 review – the Golf GTI you want wears a Spanish frock

The Cupra Leon has a new face and gnarly bucket seats for 2024. There’s more appeal over its German counterpart than ever
19 Dec 2024
BMW 230i 2025 review – a BMW coupe of the old school?
BMW 2-series front
Reviews

BMW 230i 2025 review – a BMW coupe of the old school?

BMW’s 230i has been refreshed. Is it still BMW’s undercover driver’s car?
20 Dec 2024
BMW i8 – the car world's greatest misses
BMW i8
Features

BMW i8 – the car world's greatest misses

A bold concept with a visionary powertrain, but the i8 was too far ahead of the game for its own good
20 Dec 2024