Audi A3: the compact Audi since 1996

The Audi A3 is a small family car of the C-segment that Audi has built since September 1996. Its first two generations used the Volkswagen Group A platform, the third and fourth the MQB platform, and each generation was also developed into an S3.

Audi A3 at a glance

History of the Audi A3

8L (1996)

The first A3 was announced in June 1995 and went on sale in Europe in September 1996, marking Audi’s return to small cars after 19 years, since the Audi 50 had left production in 1978. It was the first Volkswagen Group model on the PQ34 platform and was closely related to the Volkswagen Golf Mk4, which arrived a year later; within three years seven vehicles used that platform. Only a three-door hatchback was offered at first, with transversely mounted four-cylinder engines, front-wheel drive or quattro and five valves per cylinder. A five-door hatch and two new engines followed in 1999, a 1.8 turbo with 180 PS and a 1.9 TDI with unit injectors and a variable-geometry turbocharger, and the range was updated again in late 2000 with new lights, a revised interior and a 130 PS 1.9 TDI. European production ended in 2003, but the 8L was built in Brazil until 2006.

8P (2003)

The second generation, the Typ 8P, was launched at the 2003 Geneva Motor Show on the PQ35 platform, with a more spacious interior, FSI petrol engines and six-speed manual gearboxes as standard except on the base 1.6 petrol and 1.9 diesel. In mid-2003 Audi added the 2.0 TFSI with 200 PS and, for the first time in the A3, a 3.2-litre VR6 with 250 PS, together with the S-Tronic twin-clutch gearbox and Haldex quattro. The five-door Sportback appeared at the end of 2004 with the new single-frame grille, and the S3 returned in 2006 with 265 PS from a 2.0 TFSI, in five-door form only. The cabriolet was presented in Bologna in December 2007 and reached dealers in May 2008; a facelift followed in 2008.

8V and 8Y

The third generation (8V) was built from 2012 to 2019 and the fourth (8Y) has been on sale since 2020. Both use the MQB platform shared with the Golf, the SEAT León and other group models. A four-door saloon joined the range in autumn 2013, 4.46 m long and about 25 cm shorter than an A4 saloon, and in July 2013 the three-millionth A3 left the line.

Design and features

• Five valves: the 8L was Audi’s eighth model with five valves per cylinder, and the 1.8 20v became the base of the first S3.
• S3 engine: compared with the 150 PS 1.8T, the S3 had a KKK 04 turbo, two side intercoolers, a different exhaust and revised suspension.
• Safety: the 8L scored four Euro NCAP stars in the 1998 test, but only two of four for pedestrian protection; the 8P also scored four.
• Single frame: the Sportback of 2004 introduced the single-frame grille to the A3 range.

Audi A3 versions

• 8L petrol: 1.6 with 101 PS, 1.8 20v with 125 PS and 1.8 turbo with 150 or 180 PS.
• 8L diesel: 1.9 TDI with 90 or 110 PS, later a 130 PS version.
• S3 8L: 210 PS from 1999 to 2001, 225 PS and 280 N·m from 2001 to 2003.
• 8P engines: 2.0 TFSI with 200 PS, 3.2 VR6 with 250 PS and a 1,968 cc 16-valve TDI with 140 PS and 320 N·m.
• S3 8P: 2.0 TFSI with 265 PS, five-door only.
• Bodies: three-door, five-door, Sportback, cabriolet and, from 2013, saloon.

The A3 sits below the Audi A4 and shares its platform with the Audi TT; more models are in our Audi collection.

Sources

• Audi A3, English Wikipedia: 8L and 8P development, S3
• Audi A3, German Wikipedia: generations, saloon, German registrations
• Audi A3, Italian Wikipedia: 8L engines, restyling, S3 details