2015 Audi A3 Sportback e-tron review - Wheels Magazine
Audi’s first plug-in hybrid to go on sale in Australia, the A3 Sportback e-tron may be overdue but it’s brilliantly executed. WHAT IS IT. The first of many e-tron models expected from Audi, the A3 Sportback e-tron is a plug-in hybrid. It begins with the 1. 4-litre turbo-petrol car and adds a battery pack and an electric motor, to give a range of 920km and an official Euro fuel figure of 1. 6L/100km. WHY WE’RE DRIVING IT. This is the first plug-in hybrid from Audi that Australians can buy. And while it’s a hybrid and not a pure electric vehicle, it’s about the size of a Nissan Leaf and costs the same as the smaller BMW i3. It’s also the first of many e-tron models, with Audi confirming an R8 e-tron and an e-tron SUV (likely called... The A3 Sportback e-tron lacks a head-on opposite from any other brand. The BMW i3 not only sits in a more compact segment, but is offered as a pure EV, as is the Nissan Leaf. The Lexus CT200h competes in the same segment, but it’s not offered as a plug-in hybrid - even though the car it is based on, the Toyota Prius, is offered that way overseas. The A3 Sportback e-tron is a brilliantly executed plug-in hybrid. But given the pace at which electrification is progressing – even from Audi itself – it seems obsolete already. drives almost identically to a non-hybrid A3. includes charger install. AUDI is talking about electrified models with better. Source: www.wheelsmag.com.au
