Audi A3 Saloon (2013 – 2020) Review

Small four-door saloons took off in an unexpected way when both Audi and Mercedes launched their takes on the theme in 2013. The A3 saloon was more traditional in its looks than the Mercedes CLA, and both left BMW 2 Series trailing for some time in this sector. It does give up some of the A3 hatch's practicality, but the saloon shares the same excellent engine range to give premium and more mainstream competitors, like the Honda Civic four-door, a tough time. Read on for our full Audi A3 Saloon review.

The Audi A3 saloon of 2013 followed the A3 hatchback and Sportback of 2012. Thanks to big demand in places like China and the US, saloon cars were making a comeback. Specifically there was big demand for smaller saloons, hence vehicles like the Mercedes-Benz CLA and Audi’s booted A3 Saloon. It did not sell as well in the UK as overseas, but there’s plenty of appeal for those interested in a larger used Audi like the A4 but with smaller budgets or driveways.

At a glance, it might well look like the A3 hatchback but Audi changed all of the exterior body panels – the headlights and tail lights are slimmer and the roofline flows neatly into the boot lid. It looks in proportion when so many booted hatchback models don’t - indeed it simply looks like an Audi saloon rather than a butchered hatchback.

It feels like a bigger Audi car too. The cabin is impeccably finished with the very best quality plastics, whether the soft touch covering on the dashboard or the harder wearing, tougher materials lower down. It’s also neatly and sensibly laid out, with easy to understand controls for everything from sat nav to cruise control or temperature. Audi really does put together a good cabin.

Originally there were just three engines – two petrol and one diesel. All are plenty powerful enough for overtaking and give excellent refinement. Those not convinced by the 2.0 TDI diesel should certainly give the 1.4 TFSI petrol engine a try though. It’s efficient, refined and offers good performance for what is a small engine. 

For outright economy the 1.6 TDI is the best choice as it will return more than 70mpg - according to the official figures at least. In real world driving you're more likely to see around 50mpg but that's still not at all bad.

On the road the A3 Saloon is very easy to drive and incredibly comfortable. Think of it as a more compact A4 and you're not far wrong. It rides well and in the right colour and trim, is a handsome car. As a motorway car, go for a 2.0 TDI 150PS and you'll never feel shortchanged.

All A3 Saloon models get alloy wheels, a folding screen that rises from the dashboard, dual zone climate control, iPod connectivity, Bluetooth and a multi-function steering wheel. As you’d expect there were plenty of optional extras too, like all-LED headlights. Upgrading to S Line gets you sportier bodywork and cabin complete with different seats and a flat-bottomed steering wheel.

Fancy a second opinion? read heycar's Audi A3 review here.

The driver and front seat passenger will find it easy to get comfortable whether in the standard Sport model or in the S Line, with its more upmarket seats. The same can’t be said for taller rear seat passengers, who’ll probably be OK for legroom but not for headroom, which is a little tight. The sloping roofline also means visibility out of the rear window isn’t as good as in the hatchback.

Another disadvantage is the rear load area, which has a respectable volume of 425 litres with the seats in place and 880 with them folded. It might have a big capacity but there’s no hatchback door, so loading large objects or transporting dogs is impossible and there’s a fairly high load lip to haul heavy items over.

The cabin shares a lot with the A3 Sportback and three-door and that’s good news. Everything feels precisely constructed and material quality is very high indeed, rivalling executive cars. All of the controls are pleasing to operate from the steering and gear change to the switches and rotary dials for the air con and main screen, which rises up out of the dashboard – a party trick missing from rivals like the Mercedes-Benz CLA.

Every Audi A3 Saloon comes with the German firm's MMI infotainment set-up that uses a 7.0-inch screen that pops up from the dash when the car is started. Rather than a touchscreen, the Audi set-up uses a rotary controller in the central transmission tunnel, and it's very easy to operate and find what you need in the various menus.

There is Bluetooth, DAB, smartphone compatibility, and on higher trim levels you also get sat-nav included. The infotainment system can also double as a wifi hotspot if you pay to use Audi's connected services.

A seven-year old Audi A3 Saloon with the excellent 1.4 TFSI petrol engine in S line trim and with around 35,000 miles on the clock should be easy to find for around £15,000.

For something a bit newer, a four-year old example in 35 TFSI S line form will add another £3000 to your spend.

If you need to eke out the most from each gallon of fuel, the 1.6 TDI turbodiesel engine is what you need. It claimed a combined economy of 72.4mpg which, even if that's a little optimistic in most driving conditions, means you should see 60mpg with ease.

Take the 1.4 TFSI petrol engine and it's able to deliver around 50mpg in normal driving, while the larger 2.0-litre motor mixes performance and frugality very well with similar economy to the 1.4 unit.

Most Audi A3 Saloons will pay road tax at the flat rate of £180 per year (at the time of writing). Some earlier models will pay less, such as the 1.6 TDI that attracts an annual Vehicle Excise Duty rate of just £20 if it was registered prior to 1 April 2017.

Looking after an Audi when it comes to regular maintenance is no more costly than any of its rivals, while insurance is also on a par with the opposition from BMW and Mercedes. Depending on the exact model of A3 Saloon you want, insurance groups range from 17 to 32.

Steering in the Audi A3 Saloon is well-weighted and accurate and the suspension is well-judged, offering a good blend of flat, controlled handling and body control with reasonable ride comfort. You could specify a softer suspension set up at no cost or a lower, firmer set up if you buy an S Line model, but the standard set up offers a good balance that should suit most drivers.

Combine the well thought through suspension with the A3 Saloon’s light, rigid body shell and you get a neat-handling car that can be driven at speed with confidence. It’s even quite fun to thread through a set of twisting countryside bends, but the focus is really on predictability – the A3 Saloon feels safe.

All cars have a system to let the driver choose the steering set up and throttle response, with pre-set modes for comfort, efficiency and a dynamic drive. Essentially the settings alter the weight of the steering and the sharpness of the throttle response. Comfort is the most balanced and will likely be the default choice for most.

From launch, the Audi A3 Saloon was available with three engines – 1.4-litre and 1.8-litre TFSI petrols, and a 2.0-litre diesel. All are good performers and it’s well worth trying the 1.4-litre petrol before you dismiss it as lacking power. It produces 140PS, which makes it capable of a 0-62mph sprint time of 8.4 seconds.

Coupled with excellent refinement, this makes it the best all round engine in the launch line up. For those who want a little more punch the 1.8-litre petrol is fine, but it’s not as frugal or clean.

Those who cover a lot of miles will want the diesel and the 2.0-litre a good engine. It feels gutsy and capable on the road, picking up speed easily from low revs. It’s an ideal motorway companion and gives the A3 Saloon a very grown up character more akin to the larger A4 or even A6.  

It’s not likely to save drivers much money over the capable 1.4-litre petrol unless they cover huge annual mileages though so be thoughtful if you’re considering buying.

The 1.6 turbodiesel arrived a while later and is even more efficient, albeit not quite as refined as the larger motor.

At the beginning of 2019, Audi switched to its slightly confusing renamed engine line-up, with 30 TFSI now the entry point with the 1.0 petrol motor producing 116PS and the 1.4 badged as a 35 TFSI.

From its launch, the Audi A3 Saloon came with seven airbags, including a knee airbag for the driver. It also has an Active Bonnet to better protect pedestrians in the event of a collision, while ABS brakes and ESP traction control are also standard.

However, due to the age of this A3 Saloon, it does not come with feature such as lane keep assist or automatic emergency braking that you find on the subsequent generation model.

How much you can tow with an Audi A3 Saloon depends on exactly which model you choose. If you do want to pull heavier trailers with brakes, you need a diesel version with Quattro four-wheel drive that can haul up to 1800kg. With an unbraked trailer, you will be limited to 680kg.

The Audi A3 Saloon range gets going with the Sport models that comes with sports suspension that could be deselected at no cost to the new buyer. You also get alloy wheels, front fog lights, and heated windscreen washers. For the interior, the Sport has climate control, electric windows all-round, MMI infotainment with iPod compatibility, eight speakers and Blutooth. You also get sports seats and Rallye cloth upholstery.

The S line trim ups the game with a mix of cloth and leather upholstery, aluminium trim inlays, flat-bottomed steering wheel, and S line badges. It comes with Xenon headlights, too, and S line body kit with LED daytime running lights and rear lights.

The Black Edition specification is a step up from the S line trim. It brings 18-inch 10-spoke alloy wheels with a matt titanium finish and darkened rear privacy glass, plus a distinctive black finish for the front grille surround, air inlets, window cappings and door mirrors. Inside, there's a 10-speaker Audi Sound System with 180 watts of music power.