The Audi A3 is a wonderful way for me to break into the world of mid-sized luxury performance sedans. Here are my thoughts after reviewing it.
Before I got into the seat of a 2025 Audi A3 TSFI Quattro Premium Plus S Line in the optional District Green color with the blacked-out package, Audi as a brand was always presented to me as an unapproachable brand for the snobby affluent. My Uncle had owned a few, and he loved them, but when he was an Audi owner, he was an anesthesiologist with an enormous home in California’s Wine Country. He fit the profile perfectly. But the difference was, my Uncle was a car guy. He liked the refined styling, driving dynamics, and image that came with being an Audi owner. Driving something German meant you had exquisite taste and class. It almost felt like an exclusive club.
Kristen Brown
Climbing into the chocolate brown leather interior with slick, piano black accenting on the center console and dashboard, before gripping the leather-wrapped interior, felt like walking into an upscale speakeasy. As a Subaru owner, I felt like an intruder–like I wasn’t supposed to enjoy the comfortable, bolstering seats. I wasn’t supposed to gaze at the sharp, angular driver-oriented media control center or marvel at the intricate ambient lighting on the door panel and center console. However, with a price tag of $46,040, I realized something: it wasn’t nearly as expensive as I anticipated. In fact, it was only $2,000 more than the Toyota Crown I’d reviewed not too long ago, and it felt a hell of a lot fancier. After a week with it, here are my thoughts.
The District Green exterior color was undoubtedly a great ice breaker
The first thing my husband and I had to say about the Audi was how gorgeous the color was. At first glance, it looks a bit metallic. When it’s in the sun, though, not only does it shimmer, but there’s a subtle pink undertone that’s impossible to ignore. It catches your eye every time, and pulls you into a trance–you have to stop yourself from staring. And we weren’t the only ones. Everywhere I parked, there was at least one person who marveled at it, saying something akin to, “Wow, look at that color, isn’t it beautiful?” When I took it through a car wash to photograph it, the man who washed the hood said, “This is the best shade of green I think I’ve ever seen.”
Kristen Brown
When it’s on a car like the Audi A3, one that’s already sleek, chic, and has a bit of mystique. It speaks Audi’s design language beautifully, carrying over elements from other models, like the sharp headlights, aggressive stance, and a matte black honeycomb grille that helps give it an edge. The mirrors are black due to the optional blacked-out package (called “Black Optic”) that came on the tester, and I liked that. The glossy wheels complemented the green color the best, though. Even if someone weren’t as nerdy about cars as I am, they’d be able to tell it was an Audi nearly immediately. I would absolutely pay the extra $595 for that color and $1,550 for the Black Optic package.
The interior felt premium and posh, with a touch of technology
The interior layout and design matched the outside wonderfully. Chocolate brown leather seats paired with a black leather-wrapped steering wheel, piano black center console pieces, and adjustable ambient lighting against the angular and sporty trim pieces on the door panels and dashboard surrounding the driver-centric infotainment system were unique to the brand. They helped make it feel like anything else I’d ever driven. At night, the game changed entirely due to the ambient lighting and red LED lights lining the center console and dash pieces. Paired with the Bang & Olufsen sound system, even the most mundane tasks seem 10x more fun.
Kristen Brown
However, the digital gauge system was a tad annoying because it never remembered my preferred display settings. Every time I turned on the car, I’d have to reconfigure it to show the information I wanted, the display view, and the brightness. The infotainment screen was just as frustrating with the reconfiguration mishaps. There was always a delay in switching settings around, too, which was a bummer in a car of that grade and price point. I hope that’s just a matter of a minor update, and not an omen of what it would be like to own one. In a world of screen-oriented cars, it’s sort of important that those screens, you know, work. The layout of the screens was beautiful; it’s just the screens themselves that docked points for me.
It could use a bit more power, though
The Audi A3 Quattro Premium Plus S Line comes with the company’s 2.0-liter turbo four that makes a semi-disappointing 201 horsepower. It does have a sharper, more responsive dual-clutch six-speed automatic transmission, and switching between Dynamic, Normal, and Comfort certainly adjusts its attitude; it felt almost criminal that it didn’t have a little bit more horsepower, especially when Audi makes another 2.0-liter turbo four for the S3 that produces 292 horsepower. With just 201 ponies, the A3 felt sluggish, even though it doesn’t look it at all. The smaller engine helped keep things efficient, though, as I rarely saw less than 25 mpg—even after blazing through the mountains.
Kristen Brown
With all-wheel drive, there was the thrill of a launch from a stop, but not much after that. If it weren’t marketed as a performance or “sport” sedan, I wouldn’t care as much, as there’s plenty of power for the day-to-day driving, or even commuting. But if I bought it thinking it could keep up with a Honda Civic Type R or even a Volkswagen Golf R, I’d be pretty miffed. All I’m saying is: I’d like to see it hit the gym to be a bit faster. Is it necessary? No, but it would be nice.
The A3 is cozy and quiet on long drives, too
During my time with the A3, I had a very annoying interaction with a nosy neighbor who regularly pesters me about parking my car on the public street we live on. My husband and I decided that the best way to recenter ourselves was to take a drive in the mountains. Living just 30 minutes from the scenic Cascade Lakes Highway, we did just that. I had a great time in the driver’s seat, hugging the curvy roads and admiring the lakes in unsurprising comfort. Once I calmed down a bit, I had my husband drive for a bit so I could take pictures from the passenger’s seat, and after 20 minutes, he started to feel some discomfort in his right knee due to the large, wide center console piece protruding in the driver’s footwell.
Kristen Brown
My husband’s about 6’2”, and prefers to have the leg that isn’t used for pedals resting on the center console. The material was hard and sharp, cutting into his knee, which began to hurt after a while. When he rode as the passenger, he didn’t have an issue–so if you’re on the taller side, be sure to rent one and go for a longer drive to make sure this wouldn’t be an issue for you before buying. I stand at about 5’8” and didn’t have a problem, though.
Pesky knee pain aside, the ride was quiet, with minimal road noise, even on roads with uneven surfaces. The S line has a stiffer, lower suspension setup than other A3 models (by 15mm), but you wouldn’t know it when driving on unfavorable roads–and there are a lot in the mountains. The model I drove had the optional adaptive suspension setup, which was a much-appreciated add-on once my toddler daughters fell asleep on the drive. Even in Comfort, it was still incredibly fun to drive.
It’s fairly spacious, but families may find it cramped
Putting my daughters’ car seats in the back was surprisingly easy, thanks to marked, lower anchors with removable covers that made finding and securing them a breeze. The top tether was behind the headrest, and removing it involved folding the seats forward. Thankfully, it wasn’t too big a task–just pull a lever, give a little tug, and it comes forward easily. When I removed them, I just chucked them into the trunk. Easy peasy. Tightening the top tether was a synch once the headrests were removed, too.
Kristen Brown
My toddlers don’t use a stroller anymore, but the trunk on the A3 isn’t nearly big enough to handle one. It has the depth and the width, but the height is lacking, which makes stacking anything a bit challenging. My husband asked me to buy some bins from Costco for our upcoming move, and I’m sure plenty of other shoppers enjoyed watching me do the mental gymnastics to get them to fit. For daily driving sans children, though, there’s plenty of space for a childless couple, or a family with older children that don’t need car seats.
The cost seems more than fair for what you get
Sedans are a slowly dying breed. I see less and less every day. But I genuinely hope the A3 gets to hang in there, because the size is just right, the technology isn’t overwhelming, the space is just right, the styling is subtle, sporty, and understated in the best of ways. Aside from the District Green with the Black Optic package, my favorite part was the price. You get 201 horsepower, all-wheel drive, a beautiful brown interior, a bangin’ sound system, and a symphonic driving experience for $46,040, and you get the pleasure of saying you drive an Audi? It feels almost too good to be true.
Kristen Brown
But it’s not. The Audi A3 is extremely approachable, especially for the price. And, despite the number of people who claim that the Volkswagen Jetta is a discount Audi A3, they’re wrong. They may share a platform and a power plant, but they’re completely different. But more on that later.
Final thoughts
The Audi A3 was a great way to be introduced to the brand. It’s modest but not too modest, it’s reasonably priced, and it’s a great size. It can work as a family car with older kids, it’s excellent as a grocery hauler, and when you need a boost of serotonin, the Dynamic mode is a great way to do that. In the case of the A3, you certainly get what you pay for. In District Green with the Black Optic package, you get a lot of attention, too. Now I see why my Uncle was an Audi man for many years.
About the author
Kristen Brown
Contributing Writer, Autoblog