Audi’s A3 might be as abundant as air, but
this new A3 Sportback e-tron is doing its bit to keep the stuff we breathe as
clean as possible. Under the prominent four-ringed badge sits a plug socket,
which is used to charge the battery pack under the floor. A few subtle badges
and different instruments aside, the e-tron is fairly subtle about announcing
its plug-in hybrid party trick.
The
A3 e-tron is a plug-in petrol-electric hybrid version of the A3 Sportback
Restrained to look at, and equally so on
the road, the e-tron pushes electric mode to the fore when starting up. In this
guise it’s super refined, Audi working hard on drowning out the background hum,
hiss and click that’s sometimes apparent with hybrids on the move; the e-tron’s
silence is in the pure electric car league. On batteries alone it’ll run for up
to 31 miles at speeds of up to 80mph, though try to break the UK limit for any
amount of time and that range diminishes rather quickly. Not so rapidly to
discount electric-only use on the motorway though, the e-tron’s battery power
is more than a mere assistant in the driving process; it’s a genuinely useable
mode. It’s one of five – pure EV, Hybrid, Hold, Charge and Sport are the
official names. The Hybrid setting mixes electric motor and 1.4-litre TFSI
petrol engine use for maximum economy; the Hold mode hangs onto charge; while
Charge uses the maximum regeneration and engine assistance to recharge the
battery where possible on the move. Sport transmits everything it’s got at the
front wheels to allow it a 0-62mph time of 7.6 seconds.
The
interior is much like that of a conventional Audi A3, albeit predictably more
refined in EV mode
It all works rather well, the hybrid system
is quite brilliantly integrated with the automatic gearbox, though ask it to
follow its regular Sportback relations on a tight and twisty road and the
e-tron’s greater weight and economy-focused tyres mean less outright agility,
and plummeting economy. Drive it as it’s meant to be driven though, and
concentrate on eking every mile out of the battery and it’s a different, but
enjoyable experience.
The
A3 e-tron is powered by a 148bhp 1.4-litre TFSI petrol engine and a 99bhp
electric motor
Inside it’s like any other Audi A3, which
means tight build quality, tactile materials throughout and decent, if not
overly generous, space. The only real signifiers that this is different to its
non-hybrid relations are the addition of the EV button on the console, some
e-tron badging and a changed instrument pack. Those instruments show what the
powertrain’s up to. The boot’s a bit smaller than its front-driven A3 Sportback
relations, but no less roomy than the quattro alternatives, so the Labrador and
Waitrose shopping bags will still fit without any trouble. Knock off the UK
Government’s $8,290 grant and the A3 Sportback e-tron weighs in at $49,655,
which makes a 1.6 TDI Sport at $37,100 look cheap.
A3
e-tron's charging point is secreted behind the familiar four-ringed logo
That diesel model will manage 74.3mpg on
the official combined cycle, sub-100g/km CO2 output too, though it pales in
comparison to the A3 Sportback e-tron’s official stats of 176.6mpg and 37g/km.
That’d take some doing, but around 70 to 80mpg in real-world driving is
possible.
