Road test: Audi A3 Sportback e-tron 150PS S tronic

E-tron is a glimpse into Audi’s future, says Mike Stone
Economical: Audi claims the A3 Sportback e-tron can achieve up to 176.6mpg
Mike Stone29 January 2015

Considering Audi makes so many different models — 48 at the moment, and it’s aiming for 60 in the next couple of years — it’s surprising that the firm has only just made its first electric vehicle.

The Audi A3 Sportback e-tron is a plug-in hybrid, powered by a 1.4-litre petrol engine and a 75Kw electric motor, together producing 150 PS.

You can swap manually between four driving modes. In fully electric mode Audi claims it can travel at up to 80mph for up to 31 miles. The three other modes vary the amount of electrical assistance and the rate of battery charging.

The firm claims the car can achieve up to 176.6mpg, although its battery range would limit the length of time it could be so economical. Maximum range is said to be 580 miles, so all range anxiety could be banished, and with CO2 emissions of only 37g/km it will remain congestion-charge free for the foreseeable future. The car is based on the roomier Sportback model to accommodate more luggage — a good job, too, as the charging cable takes up as much room as a small suitcase in the 280-litre boot. Apart from discreet e-tron badges and different alloy wheels, it looks like an ordinary A3 but at £29,950 after the £5,000 government grant for EVs, it is £3,500 more than the equivalent petrol or diesel A3.

Performance of 0-62mph in 7.6 seconds is pretty lively and the car is as pleasant and smooth to drive as the model on which it is based. With quite a few electric vehicles priced at around £25,000, plenty of people will see the extra outlay as good value for the kudos of an Audi badge.

Audi A3 Sportback e-tron 150PS S tronic
Top speed: 138mph;
MPG: 176.6 (claimed);
Emissions: 37g/km;
Price: £29,950

More road tests

1/2

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in