40 Premium 4dr All-Wheel Drive quattro Sedan
2022 Audi A3

DENVER — If there’s a car that best embodies a scrappy, tenacious, little puppy, it’d be the new 2022 Audi A3 and S3. And yes, the A3 is mostly just bark on account of its snarly (in a good way) looks, but the S3 brings a proper bite with its performance-minded handling and acceleration. It’s high time Audi treated us to a new A3/S3 pair, too, as the outgoing cars have been fully swallowed up by a new field of tiny luxury sedans that are also both great to look at and great to drive. We’re sure you’re aching to hear about the soon-to-come RS 3, too, but be patient. That five-cylinder firecracker is coming next summer. In the meantime, let’s start with the basic A3 that is already at dealers and waiting for you at a $34,945 base price. Audi largely kept the same, basic formula as we’ve seen for the past seven years. The 2022 car is available as a sedan only in the U.S. — Europe carries on with the Sportback (hatchback) — and you can get either front-wheel drive or Quattro all-wheel drive. The seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission carries over for both versions. One notable difference this time around is that the FWD and AWD models are created equal with the same power output from Audi’s 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. Before, the all-wheel-drive model had a significant, 44-horsepower difference. Instead of just upping the power to the 228 horses of the old A3 all-wheel-drive, Audi split the difference between the AWD and FWD models with an engine putting out 201 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque for 2022. There is a method to the madness beyond an obvious slump in power, as Audi says it focused on fuel economy for the new A3’s powertrain. That’s why it’s also featuring a new 48-volt mild-hybrid system. Combine the more efficient powertrain with greatly improved aerodynamics (it went from a 0.33 Cd to a 0.26), and you’re left with a car that offers about 23% better fuel economy across the board than before. The new Quattro car achieves 31 mpg combined, while the outgoing car could only muster 25 mpg combined. Audi says the mild-hybrid system can even provide a short power boost of 12 horsepower and 37 pound-feet of torque on the initial shove off the line. We’re super impressed with the start/stop system that comes along for the ride, too, as it might just be the smoothest on any new car today. Design is big in this segment of plucky luxury cars, and Audi decided to make its new A3 stand out by giving it the honeycomb grille we’re accustomed to seeing on Audi RS models. Aggressive sculpting of the hood, and strong fenders increase the effect of it looking like a dog ready to pounce on unsuspecting prey. Nobody will be mistaking it for the flowy, smooth Mercedes-Benz CLA. Audi keeps the energy level at that height when you climb into the A3’s interior, too. It’s featuring …
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