Audi has given its popular A3 premium hatchback a makeover. Expect to see it in South Africa in November 2016.

The Audi A3 is currently the brand’s most popular model in South Africa and following the new model introduction in 2013, the car has gone under the knife, ushering in a number of updates. Let's take a look at what you can expect from the refreshed A3…

Exterior changes

The appearance of the A3 has changed somewhat with newly designed headlights and taillights. Xenon plus headlights are fitted as standard while LED headlights and Matrix LED headlights will be offered as an option. The grille has been broadened and features sharpened contours, giving the facelifted A3 a and more refined appearance and the rear diffuser has also been revised. A total of 12 colours will be offered with five new colours joining the range, including Ara blue, Cosmic blue, Nano gray, tango red and Vegas yellow.

The facelifted Audi A3 will ride on 16-inch wheels as standard and the A3 in Design or Sport trim will be fitted with 17-inch examples. New wheel designs will also be available on the optional 17, 18 and 19-inch wheels.

Interior changes

The now familiar Audi Virtual Cockpit will be offered on the facelifted A3 as an option and will come in the form of a 12.3-inch diagonal TFT screen. The 7-inch MMI radio plus will be fitted as standard while MMI navigation and MMI navigation plus with MMI touch will be offered as options.

A number of driver assist systems will be available for the A3 and these include active lane assist, and Audi pre sense front with predictive pedestrian protection. The optional traffic jam assist will also makes its way into the A3 and works in conjunction with the adaptive cruise control and Stop&Go feature to manage the distance between the vehicle and traffic up ahead at speeds up to 65 kph. The A3 will also benefit from Emergency Assist, which will bring the A3 to a stop if no steering activity is detected. Furthermore, rear cross-traffic assist will warn the driver if cars are approaching while reversing out of a parking bay.

New engine lineup

The engine offering for the facelifted A3 has been revised to include three petrol and three diesel engines with power outputs ranging from 81 kW to 140 kW.

Audi will introduce the 1.0 TFSI engine on the A3 for the first time and this unit will offer 85 kW and 200 Nm of torque while the larger 1.4 TFSI engine will offer 110 kW and 250 Nm of torque. A new 2.0 TFSI will replace the current 1.8 TFSI offering with 140 kW and 320 Nm.

The diesel engine offering includes the 2.0 TDI in two states of tune with either 110 kW / 340 Nm or 135 kW and 380 Nm. A 1.6 TDI with 81 kW will also be on offer.

The 2.0-litre TFSI engines will be mated with the newly developed 7-speed S tronic transmission with a wet clutch, replacing the outgoing 6-speed dual clutch transmission. Audi’s quattro all-wheel drive will only be available on the 140 kW 2.0 TFSI while all other models will be front-wheel drive.

Read about the power upgrade to the facelifted Audi S3 here

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