Some of Audi’s luxury European vehicles are quietly understated. They look conservative, unassuming and modest – until they open up.  Not so the 2023 Audi A3 sedan.  This looks sportier and more muscular.  Not that it’s flashy or ostentatious.  The A3 sedan is still classy and sophisticated.  If the A3 sedan were a person, it would be a professional who’s approachable and competent during working hours, and can be found at the gym during his/her downtime, rather like a good doctor who practices what he/she preaches about diet and exercise. 

A good doctor is efficient, up to date and has your safety and comfort in mind all the time.  The same is true of the 2023 Audi A3.  The 2023 Audi A3 might not be able to diagnose arthritis or suggest ways to lower your blood pressure, but it’s certainly a prescription for a fun drive. The 2023 Audi A3 sedan is not a big car, with dimensions of 4495 mm in length, 1425 mm high and 1984 mm wide (wing mirror tip to wing mirror tip).  However, it’s no dinky-wee car either, and the interior will fool you into thinking you’re in something a lot bigger – the designers have made sure that there is plenty of elbow room in the cabin. 

A visit to your doctor will inevitably involve a stethoscope to see how your lungs and heart are doing, so we’ll do the same when examining the 2023 Audi A3 sedan.  You have two choices under the nicely sculpted front end of the A3 (we’ll get onto the S3 later on).  The first is in the 2023 Audi A3 35 TFSI; the second is in the 2023 Audi A3 40 Quattro.  The first of these is a 4-cylinder turbocharged 1.5-litre petrol unit backed up by a 48-kW electrical engine (it’s a mild hybrid that relies primarily on the internal combustion engine, and uses regenerative braking and the like to charge the battery, which kicks in around the town for extra energy efficiency).  This petrol unit delivers 110 kW of power in the 5000–6000 rpm range and 250 Nm of torque at 1500–3500 rpm.  This comes coupled to the front wheels via the 7-speed automatic transmission.  The four-pawed Quattro has a larger engine (2 litres) and is a pure ICE vehicle, delivering 140 kW across 4200–6000 rpm alongside a very flat torque curve that peaks (if you can call it that) at 320 Nm from 1500 to 4100 rpm. 

A good doctor is concerned with saving lives. So is the 2023 Audi A3 sedan, although in the case of the car, the goal is to prevent problems before they start. The first-line treatment prescribed by the Audi A3 comes the form of the active safety features that help you to avoid a crash, such as the electronic stability package (which includes ABS brakes, anti-slip regulation (ASR) and electronic differential locking (EDL) and the front collision sensor with autonomous emergency braking that can also detect passengers and cyclists. You could probably classify the lane departure warning system and the rear view camera in this category, along with the parking assistance that’s available in the A3 40 TFSI Quattro and the S3.  The passive safety features are the second line of protection, coming in the form of lots of airbags and pretensioned seatbelts.

The interior of the 2023 Audi A3 sedan is nicely laid out and organized, especially the full colour configurable digital cockpit display – which means that you can select which information is displayed (I imagine that nobody would want to hide the display of the speedo, though!). Wireless charging is possible for compatible phones, and the A3 has full Bluetooth integration and compatibility with the main car apps (Android Auto and Apple CarPlay).  The navigation system comes with Audi’s MMI touch function, making finding where you need to go a lot easier if you don’t want to use the voice control system, which has been programmed for natural language recognition. The multifunction steering wheel is trimmed in leather, and paddle shifters are there if you like to use them.

At the time of writing, a few of the features found on overseas models aren’t available in Australia because of problems in the supply chain for component parts.  Hopefully, we will get them before long, as some of them are quite desirable, such as some of the driver aids (rear cross-traffic assistance) and the ambient interior lighting.

The 2023 Audi A3’s sportier colleague is the S3 sedan.  This S3 tweaks the performance of the 2-litre engine to wring out 228 kW of power at 5450–6500 rpm and 400 Nm of torque in the juicily low 2000–5450 rpm range, enabling it to do the 0–100 km/h sprint in 4.8 seconds – that’s 68% of the time of the 2023 A3 Quattro.  It also adds in a few little performance-enhancing features such as the lowered suspension and adaptive cruise assistance, and some styling details: the 19-inch alloy wheels, the red brake callipers and the exterior trim and badging. There are also some very yummy heated front seats, which are more like a physiotherapist than a doctor, as they will leave you feeling very comfortable and relaxed.

So is the 2023 Audi A3 just what the doctor ordered for you?  And if it is, will you go for classic black, white, silver or navy blue, or do you prefer the snazzier yellow paint option?

The current 2023 Audi A3 sedan models include:

• 2023 Audi A3 35 TFSI
• 2023 Audi A3 40 TFSI Quattro
• 2023 Audi S3 Quattro

For any more information on the new 2023 Audi A3 or, for that matter, any other new car, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181.  If you’d like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!), we can submit vehicle quote requests out to our national network of Audi dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours. Private Fleet – car buying made easy!