2016 Audi A3 Sportback e-tron review – Roadshow

The Good The 2016 Audi A3 e-tron’s electric motor offers a healthy 243 pound-feet of torque before the gasoline engine joins in, bringing the total output to 204 horsepower. The Audi Connect infotainment system offers 4G LTE data, useful for navigating and monitoring the PHEV’s charging remotely. The e-tron’s performance around town and while touring is quite good for an eco car.

The Bad With an EPA estimated 17 miles per charge (22 miles, as tested), the e-tron struggles to justify its plug-in hybrid price premium. Audi’s proprietary MMI connection smartphone connection is a separate paid option.

The Bottom Line The 2016 Audi A3 e-tron adds eco-friendliness and a bit of utility to the already premium A3, but it’s far from the best choice for plug-in hybrid efficiency or EV range.

The new 2016 A3 e-tron plug-in hybrid arrives in the United States this year, bringing the “sportback” body style with it. If your excitement for the latest Audi A3 was dampened when you learned that we’d only be getting a sedan for this generation, then prepare to turn the enthusiasm wick back up.

Electrified e-tron

The e-tron badge signifies that an Audi is electrified, but not necessarily fully electric. The A3 e-tron is a plug-in hybrid that uses both electric and gasoline engines.

The electric motor is a 102-horsepower unit that makes a very potent 243 pound-feet of torque. The e-motor is joined by a 1.4-liter turbocharged gasoline engine that adds 150 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque to the mix. However, hybrid math is never as simple as addition, so the total system output is stated at 204 peak horsepower. Combined torque is not stated, but probably not much more than the e-motor’s 243 pound-feet.

Antuan Goodwin/Roadshow

Power reaches the front wheels via a six-speed dual clutch automated transmission — which Audi calls S tronic. Sadly, the automaker’s quattro all-wheel drive system is not available, likely because AWD is typically less fuel efficient than FWD and efficiency is the whole point of this e-tron model.

The A3 e-tron can operate in four different hybrid and EV modes. The first mode, EV, uses only the electric motor for completely silent and emissions-free motoring. This is a full EV mode that is capable of achieving highway speeds. And with 243 pound-feet of torque on tap, the A3 e-tron feels very responsive around town.

The next mode, hybrid, is what the A3 defaults to once its battery reaches a critical level. When in this mode, the gasoline engine comes to life to deliver the sportback’s full cruising range. However, the gasoline engine almost never works alone; both motors are used in tandem, even past the EV mode’s range, to maximize efficiency.

The last two modes are variations on the hybrid mode. Battery hold is useful for maintaining the battery’s level during longer trips and preserving a bit of EV for a slower city or suburban segment near the trip’s end. Battery charge actively uses the gasoline motor to add EV range for use later in a trip, and because of its heavier use of the combustion engine, is the least efficient mode. (It’s far better and more efficient to tough it out until you can plug in, under most circumstances.)

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In addition to the four hybrid/EV modes, the A3 also features four Drive Select modes: Comfort is the default setting. Dynamic firms up the steering feel and tweaks the throttle and transmission programs to be more responsive and sporty. Auto, well, automatically adjusts these settings based on the driver’s inputs. The last setting seems like a vestigial one. The Individual mode is usually where the driver can mix and match modes for the various aspects of Drive Select, but in the A3 e-tron, the only option in this menu is steering, which makes this mode feel a bit redundant.

Toggling between Dynamic and Comfort didn’t really seem to affect the A3’s throttle responsiveness as much as I thought it would, but the difference in steering effort was noticeable. I found that I preferred the extra weight and feedback afforded by the dynamic mode and so spent most of my time in that mode. On a twisty bit of road, I was impressed by the handling. The e-tron feels heavier than the A3 sedan I tested last year, but not significantly so. Meanwhile, the reasonably wide 225mm aspect of the tires provided fairly good grip for low rolling-resistance rubber.