Cabin quality, comfort and features
The center console of the A3 in the pictures gives the impression of it being too minimalistic. We had our strong apprehensions too. However, get inside the cabin, and you suddenly realize that there is an air of freshness, great quality and workmanship about it. The cabin of the A3 sedan is amazingly well put together, and it charms you with its simplicity, attention to detail and hi-quality bits.
To start with, the new rotary A/C vents on the dash are absolutely fantastic. The turbine inspired vents not just look great, but also offer great functionality with their spot diffused function. Operating the air flow control bezels through their soft touch grips and experiencing their tactility makes the underlying quality and attention to detail adequately evident.
Another interesting detail of the A3’s interior is the use of new materials and patterns as inserts. Breaking away from the ‘play-safe’ philosophy of using wood, brushed aluminium or chrome as panel inserts, Audi have used new materials on the A3. For the 35 TDI variant, a lacquered insert with a pattern resembling the scales of a snake infuses some more freshness to the A3’s cabin. The slide out central MMI screen and the slim panel for climate control adds further to the novelty factor.
The slide-out central MMI screen adds a sense of theater to the immaculately built interior. The four spoke steering wheel is a familiar unit, though the instrument console peeping through it is slightly different from the ones we have seen on the A6 and A7.It’s typically German with easy to read white markings on black dials with a hi-res central MID delivering a host of useful information.
The new A3 also features the new generation MMI infotainment system. We wish the central MMI screen had a more hi-res display though. The A6, A7, and A8 feature a touchpad next to the MMI controller on which drivers can scrawl characters with a fingertip as a means of entering information. In the A3, however, this touchpad is integrated on top of the MMI knob itself, saving space, and making the system more sophisticated. It works perfectly well by itself and identifies characters even with some really bad handwriting. For India, however, since the touchpad falls towards the left hand, it’s even more difficult for the driver to scribble numbers or characters clearly.
Our test car did not have a rear view camera, though it did have the park assist program. The car also didn’t feature satellite navigation, though we are told all these features will be available upon launch. The A3 will come with an in built storage of 20 GB to store and play all your media files. The car also comes equipped with 2 external SD card slots.
In terms of storage space, the A3 features plenty of bottle / cup holders and cubby holes to let you travel long distance in comfort. Front door pads have space for a large bottle with some more space left, which can be used to store a smaller bottle or other smaller articles.
There are two cupholders ahead of the driver selector with illuminated rings to add some style and functionality for night use. Ahead of the cupholders you have a rubberized surface which would hold your wallet or cellphone with ease.
The central armrest has a good amount of space within and it can swallow a bunch of wallets or cellphones. Glovebox is decently sized too. There are enough cubbyholes in the front part of the car to prevent you from fumbling around, looking for a place to put the toll-ticket, the loose change or the half-used water bottle.
At the back, the door panels have space for a big bottle each. Central armrest is equipped with slide out cupholders and the arm-rest itself flips open to reveal a flat tray like surface to put eatables. The arm-rest can also be completely flipped down to reveal an opening to the boot area.
Seat comfort in the front row is fantastic, with good back, thigh and lateral support. Both driver and passenger seats are powered. At the back, the seats have great contours to offer support. However, the A3’s compact size means that the backseat space is not generous. For a 5 foot 9 inch guy, the knee-room is just about sufficient with some space left between the knees and the back of the front seats. Head room, however isn’t too great, and tall guys will have their heads brushing with the roof.
We also feel the thigh support for the back seats could have been a bit better. Though not liberal in terms of space, the backseat doesn’t feel cramped either, and allow for long distance journeys provided you don’t seat 6 footers in the second row.
Audi is providing the A3 with Milano leather upholstery. Our test car’s interiors were all black with the lacquered inlays we mentioned earlier. The car is also available with beige interior treatment, which thanks to the lighter color looks even more spacious. The beige theme features sporty looking red and silver inserts which look fabulous.
In terms of equipment, the A3 is richly equipped, though some specific features are not available on specific variants, the list of which has not been revealed by Audi India yet. The long list of the A3’s equipment list includes rear view camera, bi-xenon headlamps, panoramic sunroof, 7 inch MMI screen, light and rain sensor, MMI touch, S line exterior package, Audi Sound System and a whole host of active and passive safety features including 6 airbags, and a comprehensive electronic safety net.
In terms of cabin quietness, you can hear the muffled purring of the diesel motor at low to medium revs. The engine gets a bit more vocal as it crosses 3,000 rpm. The cabin is quite well insulated from ambient sounds otherwise though and rolling the windows up shuts you in from the annoying noise of motor horns and other unpleasant road noises. Tyre and road noise is very well controlled too, though some wind noise manages to filter once the needle has climbed a few notches above the ton mark.
In all, the A3’s cabin impresses with its immaculate finish, great attention to detail, and an unusual air of novelty. It’s a comfortable, well equipped and well crafted place to be. The back seat isn’t the plushest we have seen, but it surely is one of the better options in the segment this car represents. The A3’s cabin should be able to draw a lot of customers with its allure, which works best when experienced firsthand.
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