Words: Richard Edwards | Photos: Alex Schultz
Published 19 July 2026
The A3 is the car people buy when they want an Audi but don’t need to shout about it. For years it was the entry point to the four rings, at least until the smaller A1 arrived beneath it, and it stays small enough to park anywhere and posh enough to feel a step up from a Golf. In Sportback form it is the version most Kiwis chose, and it was a genuine sales star here, at one point Audi’s second most popular model behind the Q7.
A quick note: we are sticking to the standard A3s here. The hot S3 and RS 3 are a different animal with their own buying traps, so we will save those for another day.
The 8V generation ran from 2013 to 2020. A significant 2017 facelift was more than new lights and bumpers: the range was rationalised, re-engined and given the virtual cockpit as an option.
Which engines came here new?
The A3 had a long list of engines globally, but only some reached New Zealand new, and the local range changed at the facelift. The rest turn up as imports, so it pays to know the difference.
In the earlier cars from 2013, the core engine was the 1.4 TFSI, in 90kW form or, better, a 110kW version using cylinder on demand to shut two cylinders under light load. Either is the sweet spot; punchy and economical without feeling like the budget pick, and the 2016 car here sits right in it. Above it was the 1.8 TFSI, with 132kW from the larger EA888 four.
The facelift reshuffled this. The 1.4 carried on but made the full 110kW as standard, badged 1.4 TFSI Design. The 1.8 was dropped for a stronger 2.0 TFSI Sport with 140kW and 320Nm, quicker without tipping into hot-hatch money, both on a new seven-speed twin-clutch auto.
Also worth knowing is the A3 Sportback e-tron, the first e-tron Audi launched here, in 2015. It pairs the 1.4 petrol with an electric motor for 150kW combined and around 50km of electric range. It launched at $75,000, later $69,900, with an eight-year, 160,000km battery warranty.
You will not find the 1.0-litre three-cylinder or 1.2-litre petrols NZ-new; any you spot are imports. Diesels were never a meaningful part of the local A3 story either, so a 2.0 TDI here is almost certainly imported.
Which spec should I look for?
The A3 came well equipped even in plainer forms, so there is no poverty-spec version to dodge. The 2013 to 2016 cars were defined by engine more than by a named trim, so you choose on engine, options and condition.
From 2017 it got clearer. The entry 1.4 TFSI Design got autonomous city braking, parking sonar, a reversing camera and MMI navigation as standard; the 2.0 TFSI Sport added adaptive cruise, 18-inch alloys, comfort entry, the S line body kit and a D-shaped wheel.
A few options change a used car’s appeal: the technology package added the virtual cockpit, MMI Nav Plus and driver aids, while leather with heated, powered seats was separate. Watch for the S line Sports package, which added firmer, lower suspension and is why some cars ride harder, so drive any car you are serious about over rough seal first.
What’s it like to live with?
The cabin is the A3’s trump card. Even an early car feels a class above its price, with knurled metal dials, a slick MMI controller and switchgear that clicks with expensive damping. It is not the roomiest small hatch, with tight rear legroom and a merely adequate 380-litre boot, though the Sportback’s longer body beats the three-door for usability.
On the road it is a quietly satisfying thing. When we road tested the facelifted 2.0 Sport, it impressed as a fun, almost disarmingly quiet motor with little lag, good for 0-100km/h in just under seven seconds. It is front-drive, so push hard and it washes into mild understeer, but grip is strong and the suspension gives a silky ride while keeping the body level.
What should I look out for?
The 1.4 TFSI’s EA211 is one of the better Volkswagen Group engines, routinely clocking 200,000km when cared for, but it runs a timing belt, so check the history and budget for a change if it is overdue. The 1.8 and 2.0 TFSI use the larger EA888, which runs a chain whose early tensioner is a known weak point, so listen for a cold-start rattle and walk away from one that has it. These can use a little oil, so check the level.
Across all the petrols, the plastic water pump and thermostat housing can crack and leak with age, often between 60,000 and 120,000km. The gearbox matters most: the seven-speed dry-clutch S tronic on the 1.4 is fine when maintained, but Audi’s “lifetime fluid” line is optimistic, so look for evidence of a change every 60,000km or so, otherwise mechatronic faults develop. Beyond that, watch for tired suspension bushes, infotainment gremlins and carbon buildup on high-kilometre cars. Most A3s here are NZ-new; imports are mechanically identical but can carry foreign-language quirks and patchier histories.
Pricing
Early 2013 to 2015 cars with higher kilometres start around $10,000 to $13,000. A tidy 2016 1.4 TFSI on about 100,000km sits in the $12,000 to $15,000 range, the sweet spot. Facelifted 1.4 Design and 2.0 Sport cars run roughly $16,000 to $20,000 depending on year, kilometres and options, with low-kilometre 2.0 Sport examples at the top. The e-tron is rare on the used market, so expect to pay a little more if you find one.
Verdict
For most buyers the 110kW 1.4 TFSI is the pick, and the 2016 car here is a good one to target: the badge, the lovely cabin and, on later cars, the virtual cockpit, without the running costs of anything bigger. Want more urgency? The facelifted 2.0 TFSI Sport delivers it without the thirst of anything hotter, and brings the S line look as standard. Find a well-serviced NZ-new car with the cooling sorted and, on dual-clutch cars, the gearbox fluid changed, and you have one of the most satisfying small premium hatches money can buy.
Thanks to Fasst Auto for the loan of the Audi A3 Sportback. Find more of their cars at www.fasstauto.co.nz
