The 2022 Audi A3 Sportback and Sedan are due Down Under before the end of of 2021 with two engine options.
Documents published on the Australian Road Vehicle Certification System (RCVS) confirm a two-tier A3 line-up at launch. The hot S3 Sportback and Sedan are due around the same time as the regular A3 range.
Audi will offer two versions of the regular A3 – the 35 TFSI and the 40 TFSI quattro.
The 35 TFSI will get a newer 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine from the Volkswagen Group stable and a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission – as opposed to the 1.4 TSI and eight-speed auto now available in the related Skoda Octavia and Volkswagen Golf.
The 1.5 TFSI is almost certainly the same engine that recently debuted in the 2021 Q2, with quoted outputs of 110kW and 250Nm. Drive is sent to the front wheels.
In the Q2 the 1.5-litre unit also features Cylinder on Demand (CoD) technology, which can shut off two cylinders under low load for enhanced efficiency.
Meanwhile, the A3 40 TFSI quattro will get a 140kW/320Nm 2.0-litre turbo, an on-demand all-wheel drive system, and a seven-speed dual-clutch. The same engine features in the Q2, along with the Skoda Karoq.
According to the RVCS, the A3 Sportback and Sedan could feature alloy wheels ranging from 16 to 19 inches in diameter, although it appears 18-inch wheels will be standard on both models.
Further, a front-centre airbag will be standard in line with the latest ANCAP and Euro NCAP criteria, while a sunroof will be optional on both 35 TFSI and 40 TFSI variants.
The launch range will be rounded out by the hotter S3, again available in both Sportback hatch and Sedan bodies.
Power in the S models will come from an uprated 2.0-litre turbo four developing 228kW and 400Nm – aligned with Europe for the first time. Drive will be sent to a quattro all-wheel drive system via a seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission.
Like the A3 range, a sunroof will be optional for both S3 variants, while 18-inch wheels will be standard and 19s optional.
Further details about Australian pricing and spec will be announced in the lead-up to the line-up’s local launch in the coming months.
Audi Australia will no doubt be itching to get the fourth-generation A3 and S3 on the market, having initially promised a much earlier arrival for non-S variants.
The A3 Sportback was meant to hit Aussie showrooms before the end of 2020, followed by the A3 Sedan in early 2021.
In December last year, Audi announced delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic would push the launch of both into the latter half of 2021, in line with the launch of the S3.
It means the Audi A3 will launch Down Under 18 months after it hit Europe and the UK, and also behind the Golf and Octavia – both of which share the A3’s revised MQB underpinnings.
The small hatch and sedan range has long been one of the brand’s best-sellers, with 2778 registrations in 2020 despite spending most of the year in runout. That made it Audi’s third best-seller behind the Q3 and Q5 SUVs.
While local specifications are still to be confirmed, Audi’s recent form indicates we can expect a reasonably high level of standard equipment.
All models should get a version of the Virtual Cockpit digital instruments as standard – base models in Europe get a basic 10.25-inch display with a more sophisticated 12.3-inch unit optional – as well as the latest MMI touch infotainment system with a 10.1-inch central touchscreen.
Expect satellite navigation and wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto as standard, as well as dual-zone climate control with rear air vents, leather upholstery, LED headlights, keyless entry/start, and ambient lighting.
All models should come with all-speed autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane departure warning, a reversing camera, as well as front and rear parking sensors. Audi will likely offer an option package on lower grades with adaptive cruise assist (cruise and lane assist).
Sometime during the first half of 2022, Audi will launch the RS3 Sportback and Sedan.
Packing 294kW and 500Nm from a 2.5-litre turbocharged five-cylinder engine, the new RS3 will scream from 0-100km/h in just 3.8 seconds with a top speed of 290km/h with the optional RS Dynamic package.
Audi’s wildest compact performance cars will bring a new RS Torque Splitter with fully-variable torque vectoring between the front/rear axles and left/right wheels, as well as a Drift Mode capable of sending 100 per cent of available torque to the outside rear wheel.
Read more about the all-new RS3 here.
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