The 2026 AUDI A3 HYBRID 272HP is impressive. Sure you want an S3?
The Audi A3 has been around for quite a
while now. It’s turning 30 years in 2026. Here comes the most advanced version so far.
This one is not that bad, Audi. Not bad at all. Audis in the past 2-3 years have received
lots of criticism of losing their attention to the details, their quality, design and
just the overall feel. I have been one of the leading figures in that criticism, yet very
constructive, even though I consider myself one of the biggest Audi fans on this planet. I think
I demonstrate this very clearly with my unique four ringed car collection over the past 25 years.
In my recent over 1 hour long movie ”Speak Up For Audi”, I address my concerns for the brand that
has shaped my entire life. It’s viral success on social media, with over 1.5 million views at the
moment, proves the seriousness of the situation. So, when I recently had the newest and most
powerful version of the latest Audi A3, called TFSIe plug-in-hybrid, for a shoot, I thought I
was going to make a bit deeper review this time. Simply because I felt like it was a step
in the right direction. I felt some kind of hope. It’s been tiring and disappointing
driving the latest models and complaining over and over again. You somehow lose
motivation. So this, was a fresh breeze. So, What is it?
This is the new 2026 AUDI A3 Sportback 45 TFSIe. It has an inline-4
cylinder 1.5 turbocharged engine connected to an 85kw electric motor and a 25.7 kwh battery. The
total output is 272 horses and 400 NM of torque, connected to a 6-speed s-tronic gearbox.
That is only 58 horses behind the bigger brother S3. And you wanna know the interesting thing?
Sometimes, it feels even faster than the S3. Especially that initial throttle response,
thanks to the new hybrid system. It’s quite strange that this A3 is still called
TFSIe, and not the new ”e-hybrid” badging that you see on the new A5 and Q3.
I’ve been driving and shooting quite many Audi hybrids in the past years, and none of them
has felt so refined and proper as this one. The design
Alright, let me get this straight out of the way. I think
this A3 right here is the least best looking of all the generations since the launch in 1996. The
pre-facelift of this 8Y platform looks better, for sure. This one right here has just too
much plastics everywhere. I think the grille looks cheap and this new Audi logo is something
i’ve been criticising strongly since the start. It looks like the original one fell of. The
position of the logo is just awkward. It looks like a rabbit or a mustasche.
The pre-facelift looked better, had better Audi feel, was more proper,
and had better overall quality. Audis were always known for
that attention to the details, so you can’t tell me that you find this front
a typical Audi front that screams quality and prestige. Just by putting it side by side next
to my 25 year old Audi TT, you can immediately see the drop of design and quality.
It just looks way too Asian in my book. The 8Y looked better, the 8P
did, and so did the 8V and 8L. The headlights also looked better in
the pre-facelift. These ones just look like any car out there today. Where is the
imagination of doing something different? Although I have to give kudos that
it doesn’t have the horrible split headlights, a trend in every single
car manufacturer in 2026 that kills the identity fully. It neither has a light-bar
in the rear, which also almost every new car has. The A3 still has proper head and
taillights and I’m so thankful for that. I do have to say I dig the district green colour
and the design of these black wheels as well. I just so wish it had a proper
grille with proper Audi badges when you saw the quality from far away.
And where is the exhaust Audi? This is not an EV. I think at least one proper exhaust
on each side, would fit the car so much better. Also you can’t really tell from
far away if it’s an A3, or an S3. The new S3 facelift caused a riot when it
came out without the front badge. Recently, Audi announced that the badge is coming back in
the front grille. But, what they brought back, is quite embarrassing and still a slap in the face
for so many Audi owners. It now just shows an S. Audi, what are you doing? Was it that
hard to put a full model definition in there? This is a circus. You are known for the
smallest attention to details. This is not it. The new ”e-hybrid” models do have their
own badges that were presented recently. I like those a lot. I wish this
one had it in the front grille, so people knew what was approaching.
It’s the most powerful A3 after all. The interior
Directly when you get into the car, your first immediate impression is being
thankful that it doesn’t have Audis new atrocious and so disliked steering wheel.
This is the one from the previous model, and thank God for that. Lovely airbag
cover with the proper Audi logo, and the normal clickable buttons. I can’t
tell you enough how much I dislike the new haptic steering wheel buttons of late. They’re
to fuzzy and you misclick on things all the time. I’m also so happy with the proper AC controls
with buttons. They are so easy to use and don’t distract you as much as the newest criticised
Audi interior does. Their design is perfect. Actually, this is one of the best Audi
interiors of the past years together with the previous Q3 and the current
E-Tron GT that also have the same design. I do prefer this over the one with
a third screen for the AC on the bigger models as the A6, A7 and A8.
The virtual cockpit has all the info that you need. It’s pure perfection. It didn’t
need re-inventing. Every single person loved this. And so does the middle screen user
interface. I’m so happy to hop into this one from the new A5 that I had prior to this
shoot. That gave me nothing but headache. The complete fussiness of the new vs the old
logos in the interior is just pure comedy. You have the new badges on the outside, while
the old S-line badges are visible on the steering wheel, the seats and the side lists inside. You
can punch me in the face and I will still not understand how this was allowed to happen from
a premium brand. It looks so unprofessional. The gearshift nibbler has always been one of
my biggest complains. It feels so unemotional, so wrong. The previous one in the 8V was so
much better and felt more like a drivers car. I also have to address the volume button, which
I really dislike with passion. What were you thinking Audi? Where is the proper volume button
we have been used to for decades? Don’t try to re-invent the wheel. Some things don’t need
new inventions. Funny thing is they thought that it was more important to have the 12volt
socket with a proper quality button instead. Im also so thankful for a proper openable panoramic roof. The feel that you
can have an option to open that, unlike the digital non-openable one
in the new A5 and A6, is pure freedom. Overall, I still like this interior. I’m
happy that it doesn’t look like the new A5/A6/Q5/Q6 interiors cause that’s just a
big mess. This one feels classic Audi to me. The driving
(Scenes) Here is where my biggest praise is coming.
Just let me start off by saying that I think it’s a big shame that this is not a
quattro drivetrain. Unfortunately it is only available as a front wheel
drive. You feel it in the corners clearly. I myself would never buy a front
wheel drive Audi. I just don’t like how a front wheel drive car feels and spins upon
loss of traction and handling in corners. Quattro is quattro. You glue
yourself to every curve. BUT, surprisingly, this new hybrid system works
so well that in so many occasions it hooks up pretty good even in very slippery conditions.
I was actually blown away by that. It doesn’t feel like a front wheel drive car most of
the time. And that’s the biggest praise I can give here.
(Scenes) As I said previously, it really feels faster
than an S3 when you want to overtake quickly. The kick down is quicker and there is
no turbo lag at all. If they would put this hybrid system in the S3 engine, it
would improve the performance massively. The maximum electric range is also
improved and now you can drive 143 km (88 miles) on full EV mode upon
full charge. That’s quite impressive. It also recuperates the energy and
charges the battery during your driving, better than I have experienced in any Audi before. The final thoughts
This A3 Sportback 45 TFSIe surprised me with its lovely driving
feel, acceleration, fuel consumption and the whole feel of the new hybrid system. It felt
responsive and sometimes also very fun to drive. The set back is that in this new facelift
it really missed out on the so known Audi quality and feel. Strange front design
with plastic fantastic on every corner. Also weak interior materials. Where did
the brushed aluminium quality feel go? In the latest Concept C, Audi shows that
they know their mistakes and they will fight their way back to the heart
of the customers. So I am hopeful. This A3 hybrid excites me so much
more than any EV from Audi. To me, this is the future. The perfect balance of
a combustion engine with an electric motor. It just has to be perfected. And this
is step in a very good direction. If you can surpass the loss of quality in
some important areas for the true Audi fans, this is a proper fun car that
really surprised me in a good way. Are you in a market for a new S3? I
would think twice, and take this one, which is a bit cheaper, out for a drive and
give it a chance. You would be surprised. For me personally, I’m still not fully convinced
enough to want a brand new Audi. They still have a long way to go, especially fixing the small
details and creating something that stood out just as their older icons did. I’m still going
to continue to drive those, and represent the four rings in the best way possible. And
that is, reminding them who they are. Thank you for watching
The most advanced A3 so far!
Finally, I’m starting a new concept of my YouTube videos. After the success of ”Speak Up For Audi” film, many more of you want me to express my experience and feeling with words.
I’ve been doing these 4-5 mins videos with cinematic shots and dramatic music for over 15 years now. I have to much to say nowadays to stay quiet. The new concept will be still with beautiful cinematic shots, but now with speech and feedback, thoughts and conclusions. Of course the videos will be much longer (and require much much more work from my side). But to continue with what I do, I need to motivate myself by evolving.
So, the first car out is the 2026 Audi A3 Sportback 45TFSIe with an impressive 272 horses. I got deep into this one, and explain to you why this very car, gives me some kind of hope. It impressed me a lot, and I think it’s worth considering instead of getting an S3.
Car: Audi A3 Sportback 45TFSIe
Numbers: 272hp / 400nm / 200kw /
Engine: Inline 4-cylinder 1.4L turbo
Electric motor: 85kw
Battery: 25.7 kwh
Gearbox: 6-speed s-tronic
0-100 kmh: 6.03 seconds
Top speed: 237kmh
Electric motor: Permanent magnet synchronous motor
Instagram: http://www.Instagram.com/auditography
YouTube: http://www.YouTube.com/auditography
Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/auditography
Wallpapers: http://auditography.imgbb.com
Camera: Canon R5 / RF 24-70 2.8
Music:
”The Epic Nature” https://elements.envato.com/the-epic-nature-JU9TMTY
”Last Mission” https://elements.envato.com/last-mission-K5ENJYF
”Emotional Cinematic Background Trailer” https://elements.envato.com/emotional-cinematic-background-trailer-NV2TEY9
”Emotional Cinematic Ambient” https://elements.envato.com/emotional-cinematic-ambient-WEFVHJD
”Violin Piano Background Music” https://elements.envato.com/violin-piano-background-music-3KEDXPL
”Epical Nature” https://elements.envato.com/epical-nature-JNAXM9P
#audi #audia3 #cars
Chapters:
0:00-0:25 Intro
0:25-1:40 Audis struggle
1:41-3:03 So, what is it?
3:04-6:35 The Design
6:36-9:25 The Interior
9:26-10:50 How it drives
10:51-12:55 The final thoughts
