Audi / A3 / Sportback 3.2 5-dr hatch
Overview
AUDI’s new Sportback at last adds a five-door to the new A3 range, and asks only a small price premium – which is a good thing in a car that already suffers the early stages of sticker shock.
For an extra $2000, you get two extra doors, a restyled body with Audi’s signature single-frame grille and an extra 20 litres of boot space.
The 3.2-litre V6 version adds all-wheel drive and sharper dynamics to a car that has already defined itself as a hatchback for the sportingly inclined.
With a (normally aspirated) power-weight ratio equal to Subaru’s WRX, the A3 3.2 Sportback quattro doesn’t yield readily to anybody.
Model release dates: February 2005 - January 2009
Previous model
Audi's original A3 arrived Down Under in May 1997, but it took more than two years for the five-door version to go on sale here, in October 1999 - the same time the three-door was discontinued. Available in 1.6, 1.8 and 1.8 turbo guises, the five-door range was facelifted in November 2000 with a revised grille and tail-lights, before being phased out when the all-new A3 arrived (in three-door form) in July 2004.
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