Euromobil showed off the Audi A3 Sedan to moviegoers at Starlight Cinema in Bukit Kiara last night. The car makes its Malaysian debut in top-of-the-range 1.8 T quattro guise, though we spotted 1.4 T front-wheel drive models on a trailer on Friday as well.
Details are all but non-existent, but based on the car on display, we can draw a few conclusions. Our 1.8 T will come in Sport (non-S line) trim, with xenon headlights (the full-LED headlights will probably be offered as a cost option), front and rear parking sensors and 17-inch “Dynamic” split-spoke alloy wheels.
Inside, the 1.8 T will get full Milano leather upholstery, a three-spoke leather-wrapped steering wheel with paddle shifters, electrically-operated front seats, automatic lights and wipers, dual-zone automatic climate control, navigation, cruise control, a stop-start system and the Audi drive select system which adjusts throttle response and suspension set up.
Both variants will get turbocharged, direct-injected four-cylinder engines. The 1.4 litre engine produces 122 PS and 200 Nm of torque. There is a more powerful 140 PS version but we’re not getting that for now. The bigger 1.8 litre mill, on the other hand, churns out 180 PS from 5,100 to 6,200 rpm and the same 250 Nm from 1,250 to 5,000 rpm.
No matter which version you get, expect to change gears through a seven-speed S tronic dual clutch transmission. So equipped, the 1.4 T will get from 0-100 km/h in 9.3 seconds, while the all-wheel drive 1.8 T will do the same benchmark in 7.3 seconds. Top speed is 212 km/h for the 1.4 T and 241 km/h for the 1.8 T.
Pricing information at the time of writing has yet to be released, either, but the 1.4 T is expected to cost around RM180k, while the 1.8 T should be priced to compete with the RM235,888 Mercedes-Benz CLA 200. So, which one do you prefer – the slinky supermodel from Stuttgart, or the straighter-laced but more powerful entry from Ingolstadt?
Audi A3 1.4T spyshots at Glenmarie
Audi A3 Sedan at Shanghai 2013
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.
Spec list looks good for the 1.8 TFSI but will have to see what they will cut off from the spec list for the cheaper 1.4 TFSI…hopefully not much!
The A3 1.8 TFSI will be the better choice for me since it has Quattro comparing to the front wheeled CLA but its a win for the Mercedes in terms of peace of mind ownership. Audi at the moment does not have proper nationwide after sales support and I bet they will sell a lot of A3…hope their SC can keep up with the sales.
A3 will b Audi msia best selling model.. its more practical than CLA n 1-series..
But it will hurt its sister brand VW considering Golf n Passat pricing is pretty close
For 1.8T, if the price is too close to 230K +/-,I think 320i or A4 1.8 is a better option, for a buyer with family. Though B8 A4 is towards it’s end of production, but the ID & spec doesn’t loss out much. For youngster/single buyer, yes, A3, A class, CLA & Golf might be more attractive to them.
The Passat is much bigger than a A3 and even bigger than a A4. So no real competition.
The A3 and Golf on the other hand are based on the same platform.
Wheelbase Comparison:
Audi A3: 2637mm
Civic 4airbags: 2670mm
Sylphy 6airbags: 2700mm
Corolla Altis 7airbags: 2700mm
That Audi A3
Compact C-segment Front Wheel Drive car,
pricing @ sky high price.
A VW Jetta in disguised.
Why dont you compare Camry and Lexus
or the wheel base of Mini and Vios?
Dont you understand the difference between Mass and Luxury Segment?
If wheelbase is used to gauge how worth the car is, better get a Van la..
Lexus – Rear Wheel Drive.
Camry – Front Wheel drive.
Toyota Hilux rear wheel drive, Luxury car heh..
are you saying Lexus ES is also rear wheel drive?
Conti car exterior is big but interior is small
most of them because using rear wheel or all wheel. have to sacrifice rear space or big centre tunnel in order to fit more mechanical stuff.
Don’t just compare the wheelbase…..
Not the same as the Jetta . Jetta has a longer wheelbase. A3 has the same MQB chassis as the Golf Mk 7. For the 1.4 looks like the same engine. Hmmm is the G/box the same? Haha
Audi compare with Honda? Toyota? Nissan??? cannot lorr..
‘Audi A3: 2637mm
Civic 4airbags: 2670mm
Sylphy 6airbags: 2700mm
Corolla Altis 7airbags: 2700mm’
You ‘forgot’ to mention:
Audi A3: side seat mounted airbags, SIDEGUARD curtain 1st and 2nd row overhead airbags, airbag occupancy sensor
;)
I will hunt you down in my Mazda 6 2.5 and smoke you so bad that you’ll be picking dirt out of your teeth for weeks…
Lol.. joking bro.. but seriously.. M6 better worth your cash, wither fork out for a real Conti-mobile, or looks elsewhere..
You don’t know how slow that Mazda 2.5 is, don’t you?
hunt? You would be lucky if after a few corners you can still see the taillights of the A3. The Mazda 2.5 would even struggle to keep up with the 1.4T A3.
You sounds like you owned the A3 and Mazda 2.5
Check the power figures bro, it’s evenly matched, it boils down to handling and the drivers balls..
Owning a car is not all about ‘smoking’ others.
Speak for yourself.. :D Vroomm Vroom…
stop linking your Mazda 6 with M6, you are nowhere near the M6 and cars are not just about smoking others.
Did you just compare a BMW M6 to an Audi A3? It’s either you don’t know anything about cars and money or your parents are siblings.
FWD race-wannabe wants to play. LOL…
This A3 1.8TFSI is definitely gonna do better than CLA 200 in terms of performance and design for both would be rated about the same, for me.
It’s so sad that Audi didn’t set up a showroom or service centre in Kuantan! Otherwise would have choosen this A3 instead CLA 200!
The interior looks a bit dull to me
You havent seen how cool the hidden lcd screen popping up from the dashboard.. tats quality interior..
i thought it was dull too, but the screen just make me feel the other way round.
What quality? Hard panel plasticky? Android what version? Can be wifi hotspot? Map can update?
better installation, better quality plastic, soft touch, leather steering, superb NVH, good ergonomics (simple and practical to operate).. these are attributes of VW group vehicle..
NVM, Next!!!!!
wake up, this is not your Suprima S
hmmm,i think a mk7 gti b a better value, within this specific budget..
Top up abit more n u get a boot, a proper luxury car, better looking car, and a total different elevation in branding.. I think golf will suffer..
With this nutty price and saga alike interior i’d rather get Accordana next year
Jap and Bolehland cars can never be comparable to Contis. Chassis of Asian cars are crap..
Proton plant makes HPF metal sheets for luxury car automakers around ASEAN. You cannot look down on Asian car chassis anymore. Which proton car uses HPF?
5 star Australasia NCAP Safety Rating, that should be something very good, no?
Can’t agree more, m’sia dealer only care for maximum profit for end user…
Once you experienced a breakdown during when you balik kampung then you will eat your words back.
Of course the winner of the 2014 World Car of the Year.
Hmmm…the 1.8 could give the CLA 200 a run for its money. Additional horses, much better praticality, quattro performance and a much shorter delivery timeline. However, it still all up to each individuals preferance…I mean the CLA is still a much handsome car and performance wise not that much world apart to Audi. One thing for sure, this will be the end of A4 1.8 sold in Malaysia!
The interior without an Audi logo on the steering = Proton Saga interior.
It’s just terrible man.
Of course, more expensive car = lower value for money.
of course the audi for me….but ok ah…won’t be dsg problem like golf right? right?
Dey, ada belajar Sejarah kah?
Dari tahun 1990 sampai 2014, semua gearbox VW/Audi ada problem.
Tamau gearbox problem? Pergi beli Inspira 1.8M, Vios 1.5M, Almera 1.5M. Gua gerenti lu gearbox tada problem sampai. Tada maintenance pun boleh tahan 20 tahun. Gua punya Toyota Corolla DX tahun 1980 sampai sekarang tada tukar minyak gearbox, topup saja. No problem.
Taniah….your pocket will have big holes.
Wet or dry clutch ?
Nice car! CBU unit, I think with 3-4 years warranty..
Range to compare:
– BMW 320i / 320d
– Mercedes CLA 200 / C200
Other consideration:
– Lexus ES 250
– Renault Megane RS 265
– Peugeot RCZ
– Volkwagen Passat / CC
– Volvo S60
The interior is just so disappointing. No navigation screen ? Would opt for Mercedes cla or A250 here.
I bet you don’t even know the screen is tucked away neatly on the dashboard.
The designers follow saga interior
Shame on Audi, after many decades still dun have fresh ideas
I wonder the Design Engineers at Audi have ever heard of your SAGA !!! lol
theres a pop-up LED screen on top of the air-cond vent
I can still tell my friend my dad’s 7 years old saga dashboard look like new A3 audi. Only different is the lcd monitor that my father can get cheap at kedai abang and stick it on.
SHAME AUDI
I find very amusing that others around the world are getting so excited over the minimalist dashboard of the A3 while we diss it just based on pictures.
errr… wheee is d radio,gps, reverse camera screen…??? if it tuck inside the dashboard, i hope there a picture of it…
Hmm, I don’t know, this or the CLA200. I probably would end up with the Audi over the Mercedes, on the basis that it probably rides better (heard the CLA200 is rock hard) and has a more usable back seat.
Both come with DSGs and both are with turbo engines, the Quattro will be nice too though. Having said that, the Mercedes would probably hold its value and would be easier to maintain too. Where’s BMW and the 2 series sedan?
Cabin design is very uninspiring, come on Audi.
Ya. Aircon vents like from old express buses. Seat back pockets again like the ones in old buses. Steering wheel design also like old bus steering wheel – centre bulat. Light switch again like old bus, got a panel for all the switches.
Obviously the desihn of this car was inspired by an old 1980s express bus.
Idiot… Merc n bimmer also same… R they inspired by 80’s also?
They copied proton
The 1.8 Quattro version will come with wet clutch DSG as all gearbox fitted with Quattro are the wet ones.
The 1.4 FWD version will be fitted with the dry clutch DSG, unfortunately. What makes the diff here is that Audi offers 4 full years warranty instead of the 2 yr warranty by VW, then 3 yr insurance.
So, for peace of mind, one can go for the 4 full year warranty, once it expires just pay up to buy another 2 yrs of insurance. After 6 yrs sell the car away anyhow most ppl don’t own a car for that long these days.
Any proof? IMHO most people got > 5 years loan. Get prepared with tow truck number
Rich people tokok also really different.
“most people don’t own a car for that long these days”… Really?
People living on a shoestring are buying 10 year old 2nd, 3rd, 4th hand cars and driving them for another 20 years. Not everybody is rich.
Wow! How come the audi a3 interior looks so terrible?! Looks spartan and seriously reminded me of the interior of the Proton Saga .
And they are gonna price this at 235k for the 1.8 model? Ridiculous! The Merc is obviously the better buy.
This A3 looks like a higher class Jetta
to be frankly…for $240k, i more prefer cla or a250.. it’s to much for 1.8cc
Steering design gauge speed display 90% the same as VW passat. VAG is CTRL C + CTRL V in these cars…Boring
Not too sure if this is off topic but I would rather go for the hatchback version of both cars. They make a lot more sense.
The A-Class is around 30k less. Yes the CLA is sexy but extra 30k for a boot just doesn’t sound right to me. And the A3 just isn’t suitable to be made into a sedan.
Hatchback no boot, boring
front=lancer
rear=forte
The car is not special, practical, cheap enough to warrant a purchase..
For 240 u can easily purchase a pre reg 328i
2013 models of a4 with bang n olufsen speakers
And end up with a huge repair bill after Auto Bavaria/Euromobile rejects your car from being serviced at the official SC should any component gets broken…
Highly doubt 240k u cn get prereg 328i.
Besides 328i is not that great either. I drove it and I hated it. A golf gti mk7 or a250 is still bang for bucks!
Some people dont like ‘second hand’ car.
Not 2nd hand, but old stock or showroom models
Audi was doing massive sale on MY2013 A4s, they threw in d satnav n bang olufsen speakers which is a cost option 3K n 9k each… You cn checkout paultans archive
I’ve been looking for a pre-reg 328i, only seems to be going for 255k+
If you see it at 240k pls post it here
hmm….y every1 seems to complain abt the interior?? or u guys didnt know tat there is a hidden screen at the center of the dashboard??
Hidden screen? Wow that’s very futuristic and stylo
Nah, I also can do it in my car what, much bigger summore.
Hahahahahahahahahaha hahahaha hahahaha
is this new Inspira?kihkih
all feature looks nice for me except for dashboard. and really expensive for 1.4L engine.
“So, which one do you prefer – the slinky supermodel from Stuttgart, or the straighter-laced but more powerful entry from Ingolstadt?”
I’ll take the reliable 1.8M from Shah Alam.
In fact, I already did.
Bmw do have a 3 series 316i with da 1.6turbo…price exactly between da a3 1.4 and da 1.8….its a bigger car too…bt probably less options
Why does the headlights cpoy Lancer/Inspira?
Can sue Audi for copyright infringement? :)
pair it with a nice 18/19 inch rims. and make it lowered. nice!!!!!!!!!!
Looks like next gen Proton Saga premium spec.
Most important question u tarts forget to ask is,
since the engine is traversely mounted,
Is A3 sedan gearbox is the dreaded DQ200?
Since both passat 1.8 and golf 1.4 mk7 are still using DQ200
hello:
Audi Australia recalls A3 (8V)
https://www.recalls.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/1053853
‘Product description
AUDI A1 (8X), A3 (8P), A3 (8V) & TT (8J) replacing gear oil recall’
New A3s should have the proper (non-synthetic) gearbox oil already.
if the 1.8 is priced around 230k, it is totally overpriced. damn. our car prices r ridiculous.
what segment is A3 and CLA?
B? B+? or C?
Whats the difference with A4?
Its competing in the compact executive section but not sure on the segment its in.
The difference between the A3 and A4 is the size. I went to the Audi showroom today and took a look at the A3 and the rear is cramp…just like the CLA/A Class. This is no way a family car…a C class or 3 Series would be a better choice for space wise.
But I must say the size is small indeed which is easy for people to drive and park it.
Items which I’ve seen on the 1.4 model are:
– Driver side electric seat only
– Half leather interior
– Front seats lumbar support
– No navigation (so I was told)
– Spare tyre!!
The 1.8 model will have the full range of stuff that the writer mentioned above and it will be launched on the 28th of June so it seems and the price I got was RM170k without insurance for the 1.4 TFSI model.
This car is in its own segment la
Segment sucky, LOL
the interior design is a total let down.. but most reviews said the interior quality is better than bmw, merc..
Bye bye A1 Malaysia!
It is another UNCLE’s car design. So plain and ordinary. Surprising for a Germany car since its competitors has evolved so much. I definately vote for Merc CLA
Only issue with the CLA, for the price you pay @235k you should be getting the 2.0L found on the A250. Either that or offer a 2.0 version of the CLA at 20-30k more.
The back seats for the CLA is for kids too. I sat in the one at the mutiara damansara’s showroom and at 5 foot 7, my head touches the roof in the back seat.
Can’t wait to get one for myself, proton A3… Come on proton, u n Audi also under dab hicom, pls come out proton A3 with price tag rm100k
WTF, is looks like a VW Jetta with a 4-rings snapped on..
Everything looks good except the location of Engine start button. Audi should shift it close to driver position for RHD model. Really looks awkward and the button can be accidentally press by front passenger especially children.
Is this the cheapest audi car? :o
It is not. The cheapest audi car is ‘audi polo’.
if the waiting list for this is as long as the cla i would neither buy both.
Went for a sneak preview over the weekend. Car looks good and build quality is superb for that entry price. Would defo have a some jumping over from the jetta / japanese car buyers i reckon.
What i don’t get is the pricing for 1.8 – with all the additional options + S Line Package price goes up to 260k++. That is pushing it. :) Why would you get an “entry” level car for the brand and spend 260k when you can go for 3series /C class that’s proper sedan sized? Just an observation.
too bad it’s gonna be detuned due to low fuel quality..
A4 = Jetta
A3 = Polo Sedan =
Proton Saga
i have yet to hear about chronic gbox problem on an audi/vw, in borneo. probably most of audi/vw owners in semenanjung spent much time on the road with start & stop pace together with hot & humid environment.
kalau drive shaft and suspension problem, memang normal la in borneo….itu jalan raya lobang banyak sangat.
Thats one mutha fugly dashboard…And i thought Preve was bad. And this is a RM 180k car…
And nobody complains the headlights looks like Inspira/Lancer?