Audi unveils new A3 saloon

The all new Audi A3 saloon will be available to order in the summer, for autumn delivery

The all new Audi A3 saloon range along with the quattro all-wheel-drive Audi S3 saloon will be available to order in Ireland in the summer.

While the A3 compact saloon should be on Irish roads in the autumn, first deliveries of the S3 will not be until early next year.

The new Audi A3 saloon offers more boot space than the recently arrived Audi A3 Sportback but does not sacrifice cabin space to do so.

A choice of three engines will initially be available in the A3 saloon range – a 1.4 TFSI 125HP, 1.4 TFSI 140HP Cylinder on Demand (CoD) and 2.0 TDI 150HP. There are also plans to bring a 1.6-litre 105HP TDI engine to Ireland later.

The Audi A3 1.4 TFSI 140HP saloon has a top speed of 211kph and can accelerate from 0-100kph in 8.4seconds. With emissions of 109g/km, this car attracts road tax of €190/year.

Meanwhile, the 2.0 TFSI 300HP S3 saloon, with an S tronic automatic gearbox, has a limited top speed of 250kph, and can travel from 0-100kph in 4.9seconds.

The six-speed manual version takes slightly longer to achieve this, at 5.3seconds. With emissions of 159g/km, annual road tax will set you back €570.

Inside, the S3 Saloon features sport seats, instruments with gray dials and trim strips in black.

Infotainment-wise, Audi Connect not only allows passengers to surf the internet through an integrated WLAN hotspot but it also brings Audi customised internet services to the driver.

These include navigation using Google Earth and Google Street View images, the Audi music stream app and Audi traffic information.

More than a quarter of the cars sold in Ireland last year were in the compact saloon segment and Audi Ireland general manager of product and marketing, Orna Conway believe these new models will have a significant impact.

She said: ‘The arrival of these models will be hugely important to Audi, both on a global scale and to Audi Ireland, as they will mark the entrance of the brand into the largest segment for the first time.’

Prices and specifications for the Irish market will be released closer to the launch dates.

Visit the Audi Ireland website or its Facebook page for further details.