Audi A3 Sportback launched in Ireland

The new Audi A3 Sportback has officially gone on sale nationwide with a starting price of €29,300. The five door variant of the new A3 that was launched last year is expected to account for 60% of all A3 sales. The Sportback has traditionally been the better seller for Audi and this new version will command a €1,000 premium over its three-door brother.

From launch four of the five available engines will be offered. A 1.4 litre TFSI producing 122 bhp and a 1.8 TFSI producing 180 bhp will be the two petrol engines available. Diesel engines will come in the form of a 1.6 TDI with 105 bhp and a 2.0 TDI capable of 150 bhp. Later in 2013 a 1.2 TFSI petrol engine producing 105 bhp will be made available.

Pricing will start at €29,300 (OTR) for the 1.4 TFSI 6-speed manual, €29,680 for the 1.6 TDI 6-speed manual while the range topping 1.8 TFSI 7-speed S-Tronic in Sport trim will cost €37,110. With the exception of the 1.8 TFSI, all of the A3 Sportback engines will fall into the A tax bands meaning road tax costing between €180 to €200.

Audi have loaded a lot of tech as standard in the new A3 Sportback. All cars will come with the Audi MMI (Multimedia Interface) as standard . This system includes a 5.8″ electrically retractable colour screen, 2 SD memory card slots, iPod/iPhone connectivity, aux in for the stereo and bluetooth. This system also comes ready for navigation making it slightly cheaper if you wish to upgrade to the factory fitted option.

Much of the sporty look of the new A3 has been successfully carried across to the A3 Sportback resulting in a car that still looks sharp while offering greater practicality. In basic spec and with the right colour choice the Audi can still look good but the €1,000 upgrade to the SE spec does offer significantly more and could represent good value. The higher SE spec benefits from the addition of front fog lights, driver’s armrest, cruise control, 16″ alloys as well as part leather upholstery & a colour driver information system. All Audi A3 Sportback models will also come with a space saver spare wheel as standard, should you ever need it.

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