This is the all-new Audi A3 Saloon

This is the four-door version of the new A3 Sportback five-door, almost equally new and, taking a lead from the much-updated Mk8 Golf, is bigger, better, stronger and a lot more digitally connected than before. And so it is with the new saloon. Think of it as the booted version of the posh version of the new Golf… it was ever thus and is none the worse for that.

The newcomer looks, if not quite seductive, then certainly pleasing. It’s contemporary Audi all over, with its short overhangs, good proportions, and up-to-the-minute design language signalled so strongly by the singleframe grille. It’s not much larger than before (40mm longer at 4.5m, and a tad wider and taller), so there’s no revolution in cabin space, and the boot is the same size as before. It’s compact (to its credit), while that saloon profile is classy in ways a more utilitarian hatch isn’t.

No surprise then that Audi has hopes for it in the UK where the entry 35 TFSI, powered by a 150PS (148bhp) 1.5-litre hitched to a manual six-speed gearbox, costs from £26,870. At launch, there are two other models, both with an identical 148bhp but with very different ways of going about making it.

The 35 TDI with the auto ‘box takes the diesel route and gets 62mpg, while the 35 TFSI Sport automatic uses the petrol 1.5-litre with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system to give it a torque and efficiency boost – this one will give you 50mpg. In top trim level the mild hybrid version costs £32,220. Other versions are due to follow including less powerful entry models.

With Audi, like its premium car rivals, you expect lots of big-car features at extra cost and the A3 Saloon doesn’t disappoint. S Line trim, Matrix LED lights, larger touch screen, 18- or 19-inch alloys, head-up display, electrically adjustable and heated front sport seats, panoramic glass sunroof, Nappa leather and Bang & Olufsen audio are all boxes to be ticked – or just opt for the top Vorsprung edition and get the lot.

More important though is what you get as standard, and this is where the new A3 really departs from its predecessor, especially in the cabin. That is now all digital and touch-screen for what Audi calls its “virtual cockpit”. All models come with smartphone interface and Apple CarPlay or Android Auto and a new infotainment platform that provides 10 times more computing power than before. It powers not just the navigation but provides passengers with internet access via a Wi-Fi hotspot and also makes a spread of web-based Audi connect services available. Amazon Alexa voice assistant arrives later this year. Leather and dual zone climate control are included, as is a range of driver-assist features.

The hatchback A3 gets all this as well of course and Audi is in no doubt the Sportback will continue to outsell the saloon by a huge margin. But as Audi UK chief Andrew Doyle tells us, “the A3 Saloon has been quietly carving out a very respectable niche for itself… and the second generation car deserves to attract an even broader fan base.”

There aren’t many quality small four-door saloons on the market – Mercedes has one, BMW doesn’t – and this new Audi just might be the pick of them.

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