2017 Audi A3 Review

Now in its third year of production, the 2017 Audi A3 looks to continue its successful ways. It was already a top choice among entry-level luxury compact sedans and convertibles, and the updates the A3 receives for 2017 will only burnish its appeal. Don’t let the “entry-level” label mislead you — the A3 does a fine job of conveying the brand’s design acumen and performance in a size — and price — that’s slightly more approachable than its stablemates.

The A3’s crisp handling doesn’t come at the expense of a punishing ride, and its satisfying acceleration doesn't incur a big penalty at the pump. It wears its familial sheet metal like a full-fledged member of the Audi family, appearing sharp and well-proportioned despite its compact dimensions. Unsurprisingly, it’s the A3’s backseat and trunk that most feel the pinch of its more diminutive size. But if adult passengers are an infrequent occurrence and you don’t have bulky cargo-hauling needs, the A3 could be an easy fit into your life.

Certainly, those who need more space will naturally gravitate to the larger (and spendier) Audi A4, BMW 320i or Lexus IS 200t. Yet the A3 is a sound choice even if you have the means to move upmarket. Among the A3’s competitors, the most direct rival is the Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class. Though it had an uneven start, some of the CLA’s shortcomings have been addressed since we last pitted it against the Audi in a comparison test. The Acura ILX, meanwhile, is a competitor that the A3 dispatches handily. The situation changes for the A3 convertible, which is undone by the formidable BMW 2 Series drop-top. Otherwise, the 2017 Audi A3 is a top pick for those who want a legitimate taste of luxury flavor in a shrink-wrapped package.

The 2017 Audi A3 comes standard with antilock brakes, traction and stability control, front-seat side and knee airbags, side curtain airbags, a rearview camera, a forward collision mitigation system with automatic braking and front and rear parking sensors. The Prestige trim adds lane departure intervention and blind-spot monitoring. Premium Plus models can also be optionally equipped with blind-spot monitoring (via the Technology package), and rear-seat side airbags are optional for all sedan variants.

In Edmunds brake testing, an all-wheel-drive A3 2.0-liter sedan with 17-inch wheels and all-season tires came to a stop from 60 mph in 118 feet, which is a few feet better than average. An A3 2.0 TFSI Cabriolet recorded a 120-foot stop.

In government crash tests, the 2017 Audi A3 sedan was awarded the top five-star rating overall, including four stars for total front-impact protection and five stars for total side-impact protection. The independent Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gave the 2016 A3 sedan (we expect the essentially identical 2017 model to perform similarly) the highest possible rating of Good in its small-overlap front-impact, moderate-overlap front-impact, side-impact and roof-strength crash tests. The A3's seat and head-restraint design was also deemed Good for whiplash protection in rear impacts.

What's it like to live with?

Edmunds' editorial team acquired and lived with an Audi A3 2.0T Quattro sedan for a full year, logging 20,000 miles. It quickly became obvious that although the A3 is Audi's entry-level sedan, it's a proper luxury car. We love the strong engine, quiet cabin and front seat comfort, but we found the trunk space a bit limiting and out-of-warranty maintenance fairly expensive. Note that while we tested a 2015 A3, our observations still apply to the 2017 car as well. To read about our entire experience, check out our long-term A3 test.