Audi’s new A3 is just £425 more than a new Volkswagen Golf

The body is all new, as is the platform underneath, but the dimensions, proportions and shape are all clearly more of the same, albeit with fresh distinguishing marks – the singleframe grille, new lights signature, angular air vents and more dynamic feature lines – to distance it from the outgoing model. As Audi confirms, it is completely redesigned, yet immediately recognisable.

And first impressions say it looks smart and upmarket in that convincing Audi way, something complemented on the inside by Audi’s take on the all-digital operating concept. The Golf may be all-digital on the inside now too, but Audi’s “virtual cockpit” still takes some beating, especially with the new model’s “black panel” dashboard.

With a sportier, lower-set driving position and a little more elbow room, plus all the precision fit and finish you expect of the marque, it’s in the A3 cabin where the biggest changes have been wrought. They include a thorough revamping of the Sportback’s infotainment and connectivity.

Following today’s unveil, the new A3 Sportback can be ordered in the UK now with first deliveries promised for May. As ever, there are lots of boxes to tick for options – for features from matrix LED lights to adaptive damper control to a B&O sound system. But an early headline looks set to be what you get included as standard.

In the UK every A3 will come with 10.25-inch virtual cockpit, a 10.1-inch touch colour display, MMI Navigation Plus, smartphone interface, Audi Connect Services Plus, headlights with LED technology, 16-inch alloy wheels, lane departure warning and collision avoidance assist.

This 150bhp entry level A3 Sportback Technik petrol model costs £24,900 – which, you may be surprised to learn, is just £425 more than an equivalent powered base Golf in the UK. A Golf-vs-A3 story will take a detailed spec comparison, but first glance says the new A3 looks strong in any showroom showdown.

Other versions, up to and including a £43,000 Vorsprung S-matic diesel, are also available, but all so far only with either 150PS petrol or 150PS diesel engines, driving just the front wheels. A little later, a 1.5 TFSI with 48-volt electrical alternator starter arrives – the first A3 mild hybrid.

As is normal for this type of mild hybrid, the electric side’s extra 12bhp and 50Nm of torque provide a boost for step-off performance and allow the car to “glide” with the engine off for short distances, but it is not enough to power the car on battery power alone. Audi is promising more engine options, including an additional hybrid model, plus quattro all-wheel-drive versions, after the market launch.

A test drive will tell more about how the A3 shapes up on the road but being based on the group’s latest MQB architecture, excellence is expected. The new platform is lighter but more rigid than before and ride and handling should benefit. Audi is promising a supply ride with more agility than the outgoing model – along with all the hatchback practicality and luggage room of the old model.

Now we wait patiently for a new S3 and RS3…