Audi A3 owner reviews
"The striking Audi A3 Sportback now has the technology it needs to compete with rivals"
Carbuyer Rating
4.2 out of 5
Owners Rating
2.0 out of 5
Price
£28,920 - £53,000
Advertisement
Reviews
Owner Reviews
- 5 out of 5
- 4 out of 5
- 3 out of 5
- 2 out of 5
- 1 out of 5
0%of people would recommend this car to a friendCommon Problems
Review 1 of 1
2 out of 5
Car Details
Model
A3 Sportback 35 TFSI MHEV S Line S-A
Owned
2 - 3 years
Bought Car
New
Typical MPG
47
Tell us what you think about your car?
I took delivery of my 2021 model year A3 35 TFSI S-Line, S Tronic in Oct 2020, for the first 18 months the car was bugged by (common) software problems meaning the MMI system kept rebooting - very distracting, especially on sat-nav guided journeys. Also, the SOS system kept becoming unavailable. The dealership were very attentive but a software update needed to be produced by Audi - this took far too long - until Summer 2022 (18 months after purchase). Once the car was fully updated it began to behave. In the interim Audi UK were extremely unhelpful, bordering on the offensive. The car is now okay but not perfect as the Audi "legend" would have you believe.
The finish and comfort of the car are good but more plasticky than the previous model. The 1.5 Turbo engine gives the car plenty of get up and go while the S-Line sports suspension offers a compliant drive - I like the taut feel of Audis. Steering is precise and the brakes are powerful. The standard LED lights are really good and adapt to road/weather conditions. The aircon and heated seats work well too.
The front seats are comfortable and offer plenty of space. The back seats can be cramped for tall people plus the waist of the car is high, so, shorter people like my elderly parents find it harder to see out. The boot space is average plus there's only one feeble light unless you upgrade to the Storage Pack.
The upgrade to the Comfort and Sound Pack is mixed - the B&O audio system is good but not outstanding and the Park Assist is easily caught out. I recently bought an Audi "over the air upgrade" of Traffic Sign Recognition - it's okay, but basic only covering speed limit signs and no audio call-out option either - it should have been standard, instead, unless you buy it, the sat nav does not show speed limits. The MMI is comprehensive but can be distracting on the move.
Servicing seems to have gone back to being quite expensive. My car needed a service after 2 years which was billed as an oil change and inspection priced at £579! In addition, although not included, but recommended by Audi (think warranty) you're supposed to have the brake fluid changed on top of that! The dealer helped me out by selling me a maintenance plan that brought the cost down by including the next oil change due in a year's time.
Finally, some of the useful options have now disappeared from lower down the range - for example, I ordered my car with Lane Change Assistance (which should have been standard)
but you can't specify it anymore. Also, you can't specify LED Matrix Headlights as an extra - the only way to get them is to buy the expensive Edition 1 Version.
In summary, whilst it's okay, I feel my car has an element of form over substance - it looks the part but hasn't delivered on the reliability/precision fronts and the feel from Audi has been one of lethargy rather than being spirited and driven, not a lot of Vorsprung Durch Technik is evident!
What's the one thing you like most about your car?
Visible quality, looks, feel and taut handling plus reasonable fuel economy at around 47mpg on mixed runs but over 52 mpg on motorway journeys.
If you could improve one thing, what would it be?
Customer care by Audi UK (as distinct from the dealer) is poor. Overall, a nice car to drive, but Audi don't seem to understand their market - I want precision, efficiency and reliability and thought I'd paid for it, plus don't want my time taken up with issues. Apart from the software problems, there are still "ragged edges" to the car - for example, when the car first starts, for a few seconds it says there's a fault with the Traffic Sign Recognition but it clears and the system works fine within its limits.
Would you recommend the car to a friend?
No
