Driving the Audi A3 sedan – I drove the A3 35 TFSI sedan at $58,900 drive-away – Audi also currently discounting it to the value of the applicable GST payable. The A3 35 TFSI comes with 1.5-litre turbo four-cylinder engine with the added benefit of 48 mild hybrid assistance driving the front wheels via a seven-speed automatic – the mild hybrid assistance comes in the form of a starter motor/alternator linked to a 48-volt battery – when coasting the engine can shut down, the starter switches to alternator mode and harvests the lost energy to charge the 48-volt battery – but unlike a normal hybrid system there is no electric motor to help drive the car – Audi claiming a fuel saving of 0.4 L/100km – the turbo engine also has clever cylinder on demand technology shutting down two cylinders during cruise conditions to save fuel. I managed 5.6L/100km with mainly city driving but it does need 95 grade petrol. The Audi A3 TFSI sedan offers a very polished performance – this is one classy small premium sedan and one can see why its Audi’s second-best seller – offering nice feedback to the driver and feeling premium in all it does. Warranty five-years/unlimited kilometre with five-year service costs of $2,520.

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