2013 Audi A3 Sportback officially revealed [S3 update]

[+Mirumir Subscriber¹]

[s3 update]

2013 Audi A3 Sportback officially revealed

Debuts in Paris next week

The Ingolstadt-based automaker Audi has released full details and photos of the upcoming 2013 A3 Sportback ahead of the car?s public unveiling next week at the Paris Motor Show. Compared to its three-door sibling,

the five-door model is 73mm longer and has a wheelbase of 2636mm which is 35mm longer than the one of the three-door and also 58mm longer than the outgoing A3 Sportback.

As a result of this extended length, Audi says that the rear passengers get ?several more millimeters? of legroom, with enough room to accommodate three adults in the back. It can provide a boot space of 380 liters, which represents a 15 liters increase over the three-door model and 10 liters more than the model it replaces. Once the rear seats are folded down the capacity is increased to 1220 liters, compared to the three-door and the outgoing A3 Sportback that provide 1100 liters.

In comparison to the model it is about to replace, the 2013 Audi A3 Sportback is up to 90 kg lighter thanks to the adoption of the MQB platform. The five-door version fitted with the 1.4-liter TFSI engine weighs 30 kg more than the equivalent three-door model, tipping the scales at 1205 kg. As you would expect, it will borrow the engine lineup of the three-door A3 so at first it will get 1.4- and 1.8-liter TFSI gasoline engines and a 2.0-liter TDI diesels.

Later on, Audi plans on introducing a smaller 1.2-liter TFSI that produces 105 hp (77 kW) and 129 lb-ft (175 Nm) of torque. Regardless of the engine choice, all A3 Sportback models come as standard with a manual 6-speed gearbox, while for more money clients can opt for the S tronic transmission.

The 2013 Audi A3 Sportback is scheduled to hit the German dealerships in February next year, with the 1.2-liter TFSI version arriving later on at a starting price of 22,500 Euros.

Awesome seats!

I adore it!

[tsupersonic]

Damn, that looks nice. Too bad, the engine blows. Bring out the S3 or RS3!

[HSoft]

Nice but as tsupersonic said, engine totally sucks on it. I was really close to buying their Q5 earlier this year.

[+Mirumir Subscriber¹]

Damn, that looks nice. Too bad, the engine blows. Bring out the S3 or RS3!

Nice but as tsupersonic said, engine totally sucks on it. I was really close to buying their Q5 earlier this year.

Which one? It comes with four engines and with 1.8 TFSI it's gonna get like 7.1 seconds to 100 km/h which is easily chip-tunable to achieve 6.2-6.5s.

[HSoft]

Which one? It comes with four engines and with 1.8 TFSI it's gonna get like 7.1 seconds to 100 km/h which is easily chip-tunable to achieve 6.2-6.5s.

Ah, just realized these are the lighter Euro spec models. It'll probably come with a 2.0 TFSI when it reaches the USA, same as the current A3.

[ILikeTobacco]

I adore it!

Not sold on the exterior completely but the interior is gorgeous. Wonder how it handles.

[0nyX]

Interior is indeed amazing.The exterior is a step backwards

[+Mirumir Subscriber¹]

2013 Audi S3 breaks cover

Following yesterday?s reveal of the A3 Sportback, the Ingolstadt-based automaker Audi has unveiled the 2013 S3 which will be shown next week at the Paris Motor Show, before going on sale at the beginning of next year in Europe at a base price in Germany of 38,900 Euros ($50,500).

Under the hood of the 2013 Audi S3 is a new 2.0-liter, direct-injection turbocharged TFSI engine that weighs 11 pounds (5 kg) less than the engine in the outgoing S3 and at the same time it outputs 35 hp (26 kW) and 30 Nm (22 lb-ft) more, with a total power of 296 hp (220 kW) at 5,500 rpm and 280 lb-ft (380 Nm).

The horsepower is delivered to all four wheels of the vehicle through either the standard 6-speed manual gearbox or via the optional S tronic dual clutch transmission. Fitted with the company?s quattro all-wheel drive system, the new S3 performs the 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) sprint in 5.1 seconds when fitted with the aforementioned S tronic or in 5.4 seconds with the manual gearbox. As a reminder, the outgoing S3 equipped with the manual can do the sprint in 5.8 seconds.

The 2013 Audi S3 has a top speed of 155 mph (250 km/h) and promises a fuel consumption of 6.9 liters / 100 km (34.1 mpg US) with the S Tronic or 7.0 liters / 100 km (33.6 mpg US) with the manual transmission. CO2 emissions stand at 159 g/km for the S Tronic and 162 g/km for the manual.

With a curb weight of 3,075 lbs (1,395 kg), the new Audi S3 is 132 lbs (60 kg) lighter than the outgoing version, while the handling has been improved in comparison to the standard A3 by installing a sport suspension that brings the vehicle closer to the ground by 25mm (0.98 inches). Also new are the brakes and the electronic damper control system which is an optional feature.

Design-wise, there aren?t a lot of differences between the S3 and the A3 equipped with the S Line package as it features an S single-frame grille, a revised front bumper, LED DRLs, updated side skirts and aluminum-look mirror caps, along with quad tailpipes, roof spoiler and a different rear bumper that incorporates a diffuser. It has been fitted with 18-inch alloy wheels wrapped in 225/40-series tires.

Inside the cabin there are gray instrument dials with white needles, a boost pressure indicator, power-retractable on-board monitor, brushed aluminum pedals and footrest, a flat-bottomed steering wheel, sport seats and a bunch of S logos.

:woot:

[tsupersonic]

3075 lb's (and AWD) with 296 HP and 280 lb-ft torque? Nice! I wonder what kind of tuning potential this has. Those are impressive mileage numbers too.

[qdave]

That gear change lever doesnt look too comfy!