Audi A3 Sportback 1.8 TFSI S-line

The liveliest version of the A3 Sportback, at least until the S3 and rumoured RS3 arrive. There will be a slightly more powerful diesel version early next year, too, but that won’t offer the high-revving thrills of the TFSI powerplant.

It will be available with a four-wheel drive quattro powertrain as an option, but the car we’re testing is mated the standard-fit S-tronic dual-clutch automatic gearbox with a front-wheel drive configuration.

It’s worth pointing out that this isn’t a cut-price S3, which is something its 7.3sec 0-62mph benchmark will attest to. But the fact that the car isn’t available in entry-level SE trim – just Sport and the S-line we’re testing here – suggests it sits at the warmer end of the range.

Addressing criticisms of the way more sporting Audis ride, each A3 Sportback is available with the softer suspension setup from the model below as a no-cost option. The Sportback is significantly lighter than the secong-generation model it replaces, but still adds around 30kg over the three-door largely thanks to an increased wheelbase.

The 1.8 TFSI engine pulls well with a linear delivery aided by a wide torque band which peaks at 184lb ft and plateaus from 1250rpm to 5000, while power reaches a crescendo at 178bhp between 5100rpm and 6200rpm. Flexibility is perhaps this engine’s strongest suit.

Audi needs to do more on the acoustic tuning of the engine. Push hard and it sounds flat and lacks the more gutteral tone we’d expected. Although the warm performance is there, it sounds like any other cooking four-pot motor.

In quattro guise, this engine is only available with the seven-speed S-tronic auto ’box tested here, which is best left to its own devices. Flip the steering wheel-mounted paddles and it occasional trips over itself, and there’s an uncharacteristic delay between requesting a shift and some cogs moving.

The McPherson strut front and four-link rear suspension arrangement offers impressive fluidity through the bends, and the firm S-line suspension rode well on our southern French test route. The improvements bode well for UK ride quality, but we’ll reserve judgement until we test it in Britain.

Steering response is predicatable and consistent, although it feels slightly more artificial feeling than in the 1.6 and 2.0-litre TDIs we also tested. Even so, it is a massive improvement over the old Sportback.

If you want your new Sportback to have a bit of go, the 1.8 TFSI is worth a test drive. That said, the high-output 2.0-litre TDI will arrive several months after the new A3 goes on sale, offering comparable on-paper performance.

The oil-burner edges the TFSI in all-round usability, though, and an extra 15mpg helps the diesel’s case further.

Stuart Milne