Used 2018 Audi A3 Sportback e-tron Consumer Reviews
Used A3 Sportback e-tron for sale
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We have a limited number of reviews for the 2018 A3 Sportback e-tron, so we've included reviews for other years of the A3 Sportback e-tron since its last redesign.
Perfect Fit
Jim C., 09/29/2016
updated 10/13/2023
2016 Audi A3 Sportback e-tron 1.4 TFSI PHEV Premium Plus 4dr Hatchback (1.4L 4cyl Turbo gas/electric hybrid 6AM)
90 of 90 people found this review helpful
We bought this car for my wife. She's wanted a plug-in electric as she has driven hybrids since 2007. We looked at the e-tron and the Volt. She was impressed with the Volt but after driving the e-tron, she said there was no comparison. She has never stated that a car was fun to drive. She did after driving the Audi. To her a car is an appliance. There is compromises with the e-tron particularly wit the range. In our case my wife has a 5 mile commute to work. The 16 miles of electric is sufficient. So far, she has ranged from a low of 16 miles, (90+ degrees out, AC running non-stop) to 23 miles (70 out, minimal AC). On a trip from our home in Hershey Pa to Charlottesville, VA we ran it on hybrid mode and got 42 mpg. Other than that road trip, she's not needed gas. It's been 4 weeks since we last filled it, driven 400 miles and it's still on Full. If the etron fits your needs - buy it! If you need more range, then the Volt is an excellent car too. In our case, with a short daily commute, the Audi is a perfect fit. With discounts, credits etc. we are in for $37k on the Audi versus $35k for the Volt. But we got power seats & moon roof for that difference in price. Update - We took a road trip from Hershey PA to Hackettstown, NJ. Approx. 100 mi. each way. We averaged 45 mpg running in Hybrid mode. We've now learned all the nuances of the selectable driving modes. For road trips, we put it in Hybrid mode to optimize the gas/electric mileage. For the daily commute, she leaves it in the default EV (electric only) and runs without the gas engine. Update 8 months of ownership - First off the gas engine's turbo blew at 3500 mi. Not a good sign. We've had it back awhile but since my wife uses it mostly on electric it hasn't been truly tested. As for the electric - it's great. She goes 600-800 miles between gas fill ups due to her short work commutes. She's averaging 89.0 mpg! Great little car. Now let's see. Great car that fits our needs perfectly! Update 18 months of ownership - the car has been perfect since the turbo issue. It's extremely reliable gets great mileage. My wife is up to 110 mpg since she can commute to work and back on electric. The interior is still perfect. The handling rock solid. My wife loves this car like none before it. She loves to drive it. She has said she'll get a new one when she's ready. Great car that fits our needs. Update after 2+ years - the car has not had an issue since the turbo issue. We are at 15,000 miles. Average mpg is 110. with the short work commute and most days it's electric only. Great little car, versatile with the sportback and a blast to drive. Update @ 5 years, 35k - perfect car. Not a single problem since the initial one. Had a recall on the battery housing. Upon inspection, Audi decided to put a new battery in! It had a tiny hole in a seal. It’s like new! What I have to question is why Audi does not bring the new version to the US. It’s been out in .Europe for 2 years. We’d buy one in a heartbeat. Update 6 years - the car is still in perfect condition with 54k miles. Runs great. There was a recall due to seals on the battery casing developing holes. They found a microscopic hole on ours and gave us a new battery free! That’s an $8000 battery! It’s like getting a new car! Why oh why does Audi not bring the updated version in from Europe?
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roomy, great mileage, and a luxury ride
SoCal, 06/23/2018
2018 Audi A3 Sportback e-tron 1.4 TFSI PHEV Prestige 4dr Hatchback (1.4L 4cyl Turbo gas/electric hybrid 6AM)
34 of 34 people found this review helpful
I previously owned a 2008 all electric A3 3.2 and it was a great car. I hated to trade it but decided I wanted all the technology and driver assist offered in the newer models. Waited through the periods of no gas sport backs imported into the US, then the "clean" diesel debacle, then waited to see how the e-tron worked out. It's a 10. Admittedly I had to get used to the fact that the 1.4 is a very different drive than my old 3.2. That engine was amazing, but in truth it was a way more powerful car than I really needed or used, although the drive was great fun, but the nav was a CD that only knew the roads up to 2008. (a CD!) I've had the e-tron (Prestige trim) for 6 months, love it. Got the Bosch charger for the garage and total charge in 2 hours. My electric bill is unchanged. My mileage is far better than advertised. I consistently get close to 30 mpg on the charge, and even when I use both gas and electric I get 75 mpg in normal conditions, and over 50 even in stop and go nightmare traffic. Admittedly, I am a pretty chill driver, but I deal with LA traffic periodically and still get great mileage. The comfort is great - the backseat is a little tight for long distances but totally adequate for around town. And the back is as luxury as the front. Another improvement is that the closed moon roof filters more light than it did in my old 2008, which in southern California is a good thing. The versatility of the A3 is what sells me - the hatchback turns the small car into a truck - pop down the back seats and the cargo space is amazing - I can fit bikes, furniture, large cartons, just about anything in there. For groceries etc the cargo space without pushing down the seats is more than adequate.
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Fantastic technology
Jenci bergen, 04/25/2016
2016 Audi A3 Sportback e-tron 1.4 TFSI PHEV Prestige 4dr Hatchback (1.4L 4cyl Turbo gas/electric hybrid 6AM)
36 of 37 people found this review helpful
I sold my VW Jetta sportwagon TDI (which I loved) to take advantage of newer technology and safety features. It took me a couple tanks of gas to figure out how to use the computer system...but now that I understand, the results have been very impressive. I'm in sales and spend a lot of time on the highway...which is not the best place for a hybrid, but my fuel economy is still 40% better than my diesel. If I'm taking a short trip, I leave the computer in the default EV mode. Otherwise, I immediately put the system in the hybrid mode and the computer does a very effective job of balancing the battery and engine use. With about 5,000 miles on my car, I've been averaging 58 miles per gallon (with a lot of highway driving)....about 20 mpg better than my diesel. If you only drive highway miles, a hybrid might not be the best choice...but if you're like most people, a hybrid does an amazing job. This week I've done mostly local driving and I'm averaging around 74 mpg.
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One Year Anniversary - Continues to be Excellent
Zelman, 08/29/2019
updated 09/08/2022
2018 Audi A3 Sportback e-tron 1.4 TFSI PHEV Premium Plus 4dr Hatchback w/Prod. End 6/18 (1.4L 4cyl Turbo gas/electric hybrid 6AM)
21 of 21 people found this review helpful
The 2018 A3 Sportback e-tron continues to impress on every drive. Always Quiet, feeling solid without rattles, with incredible acceleration when needed. Though the infotainment system certainly wasn't very intuitive, it wasn't that hard to learn either. After a year, you're probably interested in the numbers. Here's how mine performed: Annual average MPG based on Gasoline used: 98.5 Annual average MPGe (combined Gas/Electric) using common BTU metrics: 60.6 CO2 per mile: 0.27 pounds Average trip before gas station visit: Just over 800 miles Note: The CO2 output is about a third of the gasoline vehicle achieving 24 MPG counterparts and is based on my local utilities electricity suppliers of coal, natural gas, hydroelectric, wind, solar, etc where only the coal and natural gas sources create BTU equivalents of CO2. Experience: Acceleration is impressive yet nearly silent. Bang & Olufsen Sound System sounds fantastic (especially with a fairly quiet cabin). Ability to load collections of CD's is neat, allowing one to play own playlist. Or, just plug in the phone or iPod and play music directly from them. SiriusXM radio works well too. Heated seats are great in the winter, though just like cabin heat, cuts down on Electric Only miles. I've found that if my trips are short, I'll go without much heat in order to make the entire local trip on electricity. Yes, that's not great, but it's me getting extra performance out of the batteries. Originally thought the backseat had significant legroom for passengers. But, after owning for some time, found it not to be good legroom for trips. Okay for hauling kids locally. Neat: The Audi app that allows me to see how much time until charging is done, activate the interior heating/cooling while still in the house so that the car is ready when I get in. And, not having to worry about the engine running and filling garage with CO2 when it's pre-heating! Also, love the ability to see where the car is parked, if the lights were left on, or if the doors are locked or not. I cannot comment on Audi Service. I have not needed it yet. It goes in for it's one year service in the next couple of weeks. What's bad? Depreciation! I knew this going into the purchase. But, it's still hard to swallow. Interesting though... the car has gone up in value the last 6 months. So, though it crashed for the first 6 months, that was the end of fall (so far). Update after 4 years of ownership: Sadly, the cell network G3 decommission has disabled the App interface, so one can no longer control car functions or view car stat through phone. Audi has not provided a fix for this model. The car is still enjoyable to drive and the batteries still take me the same distance as they did new. The big concern of depreciation did not materiaalize. In fact, it's holding value better than most ICE vehicles. Audi Service appears on par with other New Car Dealerships. I would not change my original rating.
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Fun and practical
ATP, 05/31/2018
2018 Audi A3 Sportback e-tron 1.4 TFSI PHEV Premium 4dr Hatchback w/Prod. End 6/18 (1.4L 4cyl Turbo gas/electric hybrid 6AM)
16 of 16 people found this review helpful
I was at the end of my lease with a BMW i3 REX and I needed something a bit bigger. I looked at 7 cars, from BMW 330e to Ford Fusion plug-in and Honda Clarity Plug-in. I read all the reviews and watched many you tube videos where people were raving about their plug-ins. Then I test drove all of them (couple of times!) Let me tell you this, you can’t get all the features on any car unless you have something custom built for you. But after balancing it all and look at all the pros and cons, e-tron was the logical choice. I have driven it few days now and I love it. Coming from an i3 I was worried that I would be sitting lower to the ground. No problem. The car has so many great qualities that I quickly forgot about sitting low. Electric range is lower than i3. If you need more electric range, you should look at Honda Clarity Plug in or i3 REX. Small compartments could get a revisit as there are not many. Was that the deciding factor? Not really. The other thing: if you want Navigation the price jumps by about 7000 as it only comes in expensive packages. I chose to go without Navi and enjoy the craftsmanship Audi has done on the car. I am interested to see what other people say in their reviews as I did not see any at the time of my posting. Love my A3 e-tron.
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