Used 2020 Audi A3 Premium Plus S line for sale 

The German-automaker, for the year 2020, has made some major trim lineup alterations for the A3 sedan. All Audi vehicles usually begin the bid with the entry-level Titanium trim and seal the deal with the fully-loaded Prestige variant. However, things have gone split ways for the 2020 Audi A3. The sedan is now on offer only in two trims, which are- Premium, and Premium Plus. The standard equipment has been beefed up for both the variants.

However, the A3 is not just restricted to the regular trims. The S line, which was earlier known as A3 sedan Quattro, gets a powerhouse tuned to 45 TFSI, as compared to 40 TFSI on the standard engine configuration. The result of this amplification is that the S line variant engine can churn out more power and torque, as compared to the stock power figures generated by the 40 TFSI engine.

Trim to choose?

The 2.0T Premium Plus, with the stock 184 hp and 221 lb-ft of torque is the best deal out there. You get features such as Audi side assist, Parking system plus, and a whole lot of other active safety features, along with several convenience features. However, in case you do not find the 184 ponies, juicy enough to quench your thirst for the thrill, we recommend you to place your bets on the S Line Premium Plus as this model gets a power bump of around 40 ponies. 

The A3 sedan is an all-out performer, in whichever semblance you go for. With two powertrain options on offer, the A3 gets you covered in all the ways. The primary stock engine is a 2.0-liter, 40 TFSI (Turbo Fuel Stratified Injection), 4-pot powerhouse churning out a punchy 184 hp, along with 221 lb-ft of peak torque, which kicks in at 1600 pm. This variant of the A3 delivers all its firepower exclusively to the front wheels.

The secondary engine on offer in the S Line variant brings to you the same 2L, inline-4, tuned to 45 TFSI, fabricating 228 ponies and 221 lb.-ft. of the peak torque. The S Line variants of the A3 are Coupled with Audi’s Quattro AWD technology, making it all the way more potent and capable of moving ahead athletically. 

The A3 sedan employs a seven-speed S-Tronic Dual-Clutch Automatic transmission, in both its variants. The transmission panel absolutely nails its task of providing the driver with an intriguing ride, as the dual-clutch setup delivers fast, smooth, and precise upshifts and downshifts, matching the rev-range each and every time. 

The A3 sedan may seem underpowered, but when you consider its economical price tag, the figures feel justified. The 184 hp, though lags much behind the likes of the Alfa Romeo Giulia’s 280 hp, and the BMW 228i’s 248 hp. The Mercedes Benz CLA ranks third amongst the competition in terms of power figures with the A3 making a panting chase.

How fast is the Audi A3?

The Audi A3 presents the driver with decent power when shooting off-the-line. The turbo does a fine job, catapulting the ride from one traffic signal to another, faster than most of the other desperate throttlers. However, there is a hint of turbo lag as the ride starts getting pumped up for this sprinting stunt, but it soon dissolves as the A3 gushes forward. The ride takes around 6.6 seconds to attain the 60 MPH mark, in its basic 40 TFSI FWD models. Pin the throttle in the 45 TFSI Quattro AWD S Line models, and the 0-60 sprint time dips to 5.4 seconds.

The base 2L 40 TFSI engine of the 2020 A3 clocks-in the quarter of a mile distance in a span of 14.8 seconds. On the other hand, the 2.0T S Line Premium needs just 14.4 seconds to showcase a similar skill, owing to the power bump of the engine and the Quattro AWD setup. 

Coming to this comparison, the A3 may not seem such a major underdog after all. However, the S Line variants do hold the power of turning these tables, as they zoom the 0-60MPH corridor in 5.5 seconds. On the emission front, the A3 bags the win for being more eco-friendly than the rest of the competition. 

What about the braking performance of the Audi A3?

The A3 Sedan’s braking arrangement drips wet with confidence. The ride offers supreme control when the driver chooses to give the pinned throttle pedal some rest. The A3 stays stable and planted even in extreme braking conditions. The pedal may feel jerky at first, but once you get used to it, there’s no looking back. The A3 sedan passes the panic braking test with flying colors as well. There is hardly any noticeable nosedive under hard braking scenarios, especially when tackling corners.

The A3 sedan gets the smallest set of brake rotors with its set of 12.3-inch rotors at the front end, and 10.7-inchers planted at the rear wheels. Despite getting the smallest rotors, the A3 performs exceptionally well and requires a distance of just 121 ft. in order to decelerate from 60-0, much credit to its lightweight. The S-line variant, on the other hand, gets a bigger set of brake rotors at 13.4 (Front) & 12.2 (Rear) inches which is expected to perform much better.

What about the Audi A3's driving dynamics?

Sharing its underpinnings with the Volkswagen Golf, the A3 provides a balanced, and engaging behind-the-wheel experience. The A3 marks dependable handling, and a cozy ride, as two of its major unique selling propositions. The gas pedal responds at the slightest of tap and is pretty good at it. However, there is a hint of turbo lag at the beginning, but it soon dissolves as the A3 gushes forward.

The electrically assisted steering wheel of the A3 is decent at feedbacks and feels connected most of the time. However, this specification asks for a little more hustle from your end when maneuvering the ride around the town, or when finding a not-so-sweet parking spot for it. As things heat up a bit, and you attack those twisty highways, with a raging speedometer, the A3 actually gets its vibe. The ride feels planted at all times and is an absolute cornering Picasso. The 2020 Audi A3 gets relatively high-performance tires but the issue arises on snow-covered roads.  All in all, the 2020 Audi A3 can be regarded as a fun-to-drive vehicle, but the level of excitement is comparatively low as compared to other RWD rides.  

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The A3 sedan offers great fuel economy figures and acts as a true pal of your pocket. The ride returns the greatest city economy figures in the segment, and nails it at the highway too. The modest output 40 TFSI FWD engine delivers 26 MPGs in the city, and 35 on the highways. 

The higher output 45 TFSI engine, as expected chugs down more shots of that spirit, crediting to the heavy Quattro AWD setup. The MPG figures for the S Line come out as 22/30/25 mpg, the S variants get a deeper fuel tank though, with a capacity of 14.5 gallons. 

The A3 sedan posts the greatest city, and combined MPG figures, in this competition. However, the spot where things start going downhill for the ride is its range. The Audi gets the smallest fuel tank in the segment, thus it won’t be able to go miles before it sleeps but still outperforms the competition except for Giulia as it sports a much bigger fuel tank.

The A3 sedan is the most reasonable offering from the “Lord of the Rings”, but this fact does not strip off the ride from the plush and premium quotient you will expect from an Audi. Open the door of this baby-Audi, and you will find a cabin as lavish and logical as its other costly siblings. The A3’s interior is every bit premium, with rich, high-quality materials adorning it. The cabin may not be the most flamboyant one, but it still tints the reliability, German-built cars have always been known for. The design of the dash is not as tech-heavy as other flagship models from the house of Audi, but it does have that charm. The look of the cabin is virtuous and minimalistic with most of the controls in easy access of the drive. 

One major con with the A3, however, is when you try to make yourself comfortable on the rear seats and fail terribly at it. Not your fault! It’s just the A3. The rear seats of the A3 are extremely cramped. The headroom is so low that there is a chance you might bump your head while trying to get yourself in. The legroom on offer in the front and second row is decent and will not make you feel claustrophobic during long journeys.  

The Alfa Romeo Giulia takes the lead here with the most spacious cabin of the lot. It is then followed by the Bimmer by a very close margin. The Audi A3 barely manages to surpass the Mercedes Benz CLA 250 with respect to the overall passenger volume.

What are the tech features inside the Audi A3?

The Audi A3 is filled up to the brim with cutting-edge technology features. One of the major highlights of this ride is the Audi Virtual Cockpit Display, which is now a standard feature. This unit sums up all the features of a car and brings them all at your disposal. Regardless of the trim you choose, the A3 employs a 7.0-inch touchscreen, as its focal infotainment panel, that pops out its burrow as you turn on your vehicle. The primary way to interact with the infotainment panel is via a rotary knob on the center console. 

The infotainment panel of the A3 sedan is ultimately responsive and is great at feedbacks. The best part about this arrangement is that it does not ask for much of your attention in order to cater to you. The ride gets a ten-speaker audio system as standard and will likely satisfy most users. However, if great sound along with great cruising has always been one of your things, you can also go for the 705-watt Bang & Olufsen system that equips your A3 with 14 speakers.

Some of the prominent features of the A3’s infotainment system are: 

• Android Auto
• Apple CarPlay
• Sirius XM Satellite Radio with a 90-day subscription
• SD Card slot with a 32-GB operating capacity
• Bluetooth Audio streaming
• Parking system plus with a rearview camera
• 10-speaker audio system with single CD player

What about the Audi A3's cargo space?

The A3 sedan offers decent cargo space and pulls off the utilitarian prospect pretty well. The A3’s trunk is roomy enough for you to fit up to five small suitcases in there. The ride also offers a couple of sensible storage areas inside the cabin. However, if you escalate to the S Line variants of the A3, that further shrinks the trunk volume to 10 cu.ft. Yet, the fact that you can fold the rear seats down certainly applies some ointment to that burn. 

The Audi A3 sedan’s cargo volume may seem fine, but when placed head-to-head with Alfa Romeo, things start getting a bit tensed as the Giulia offers the best in the class trunk capacity. The BMW 228i offers almost similar space under the trunk lid as the A3, while the Mercedes Benz CLA 250 rakes in the last spot with just 11.6 cubic feet of space meant for stowing your luggage. 

Creature comforts on offer in the Audi A3

 When you buy an Audi, you expect every ride to be a leisure ride and the A3 offers several features, in order to keep up with your expectations. Some of these features are: 

• Dual-zone automatic climate control
• Ambient LED interior lighting
• Leather-wrapped gear selector and steering wheel
• Dual adjustable front visors with lighted vanity mirrors
• Leather seating surfaces
• Tilt and telescopic manually adjustable steering column
• Four cup-holders
• Audi advanced key
• Illuminated passenger vanity mirror
• Illuminated auxiliary driver and passenger-side visor mirrors
• Manual sunshade
• Illuminated locking glove box
• Cruise control

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The Audi A3 is a handsome car, yet it does not grab eyes, as you’d expect from an expensive Audi offering. The ride boasts a sleek, and purposeful stance, which adds to its ride quality, granting it nimble dynamics. The A3 draws great inspiration from the elder brother A6, which lends it a touch of sophistication. 

The front end of the A3 gets the signature Audi grille, which makes its presence felt, as it extends to the end of the front bumper, thus dominating the car’s front fascia. The grille is further complemented by the Audi impression LED lights, which ensures that you recognize that it’s an Audi dashing towards you, just by the slightest glance of it in your rear-view mirror. The side of the car follows a typical "Sedan" silhouette accentuated by chrome inserts around the windows. The lines do a fantastic job and furnish the A3 with a classy yet modern appeal. One update that the A3 gets for 2020 is its standard alloy wheel size which grows from 17 to 18-inches. 

Though the numbers here might tell a different story, in our tests we came to the conclusion that the A3's stance and presence on road are not as captivating as that of the CLA 250 or the Alfa Romeo Giulia. The CLA 250 is a great step-up if glamour is your game, but that coupe-like styling takes its toll on the headroom on offer in the ride. On the other hand, the A3 boasts a soft and subtle styling but the utility prospect on offer in the car speak volumes for it. 

What are those eye-catching exterior features?

The Audi A3 comes out as the lightest, and the shortest vehicle of this class. While this fact acts as a major boost for enhancing the A3's performance, it hinders the cabin’s roomy feel. However, with such dimensions, the company has made an attempt to plant a comparatively compact sedan, somewhere in the middle ground between the larger sedans like the Giulia and the CLA 250.

Some of the most attention-attracting exterior features of the Audi A3 sedan are: 

• Full LED headlights with all-weather lights
• High-gloss titanium black exterior finish
• LED Taillights
• Panoramic sunroof
• 18" 5-double-spoke design bi-color finish wheels
• Front license plate bracket
• Black grille with chrome surround
• Turn signal indicator mirrors
• Body-colored front and rear bumpers
• Chrome tip exhaust
• Rear bumper with black rub strip

The Audi A3 offers a wide array of safety and driver-assist features as standard. However, convenience features such as self-parking feature, and automatic high-beam headlamps, are mostly offered on the top trims. Some of the most prominent safety features of the A3 sedan are: 

• Active rollover protection system
• Electromechanical parking brake
• Safety belt reminder for driver and passenger
• Tire-pressure monitoring system
• Electronic Stability Control with secondary collision brake assist and traction control
• Anti-theft alarm
• Rearview Camera
• Anti-whiplash front head restraints
• Remote activated perimeter/approach lights
• Side-impact bars
• Audi pre sense forward-collision warning
• Four-wheel ABS brakes
• Front ventilated disc brakes
• Daytime running lights
• 8 airbags
• Panic alarm
• Immobilizer

Audi A3 vs Mercedes Benz CLA 250

Compared to the Mercedes CLA 250, the Audi A3 is a better bundle with better driving dynamics, accompanied by extravagance and plushness. Confronting a common issue of cramped rear-seats, and low cargo capacity, the "Lord of the Rings" still bears somewhat more agreeable arrangement of back seats. The slanting roofline of the CLA 250, as appealing as it looks, takes the comfort factor of the lodge away. Audi offers more space and is also more economical in the long run. 

Audi A3 vs Alfa Romeo Giulia

The Alfa Romeo Giulia beats the A3 on almost all comparison tests, especially smoking it in performance tests. The Giulia is a handsome looking sedan that prioritizes performance over every other thing. However, this does not imply that the Giulia sacrifices practicality for the sake of performance. The Giulia offers the best in class trunk capacity, along with a comparatively spacious interior. The Audi A3 on the other hand positions itself as a family sedan that is economical and comfortable. The level of performance on offer in A3 is a bit meek in comparison to the Giulia, while the practicality factor on offer in Giulia is a tad low than the A3. Now the choice is yours, performance or practicality. What would you go for?

Audi A3 vs BMW 228i xDrive

The Bavarians get their flag up in this segment, with the 228i xDrive. The 2 Series Gran Coupe is a solid contender and gives most of its rivals a run for their money. The ride compiles great driving dynamics, along with a more practical boot and more usable space in the cabin. If you are tight on the budget, A3 is your metal horse else you might want to give the BMW some consideration. The BMW 228i's 2L TwinPower Turbo Inline-4 engine comes out as more dynamic than the A3's powerhouse. However, on one hand, where the 228i is an absolute driver's machine, the A3 has more of a family car approach.

The A3 is the cheapest car, which can get you those 4 rings on the bonnet of your ride at a pretty humble price. Being an entry-level luxury car, the A3 stands strong on the expectations that one keeps when procuring a set of German luxury wheels. The A3 is a strong performer, and can any day give other cars a flash of its taillamps, all thanks to the 184 ponies under its hood. Though there are a number of compromises on the space front that need to be made with the A3, the pleasing driving experience makes up for it.