The 2.0-litre development of Audi’s long-serving pumpe düse 1.9-litre turbodiesel has removed much of the on/off power characteristic that sometimes makes the old model tricky to drive smoothly. Nevertheless, the strong 236lb ft of torque still barges its way through to the front tyres with a satisfying surge. As usual with diesels, forget the uneventful-sounding 0-60mph time of 9.6sec (achieved on a wet track) and concentrate instead on the 30-50mph time in third gear of 3.8sec or the gutsy 50-70mph in fifth of only 7.5sec.
It’s an Audi, it’s called Sportback and it’s in Sport trim; the promise of performance runs right through this car. Unfortunately, however, the A3 Sportback is about as sporty as watching the Olympics on television.
There’s no real difference in how the Sportback drives compared with a regular A3. Specifying Sport trim brings 15mm lower, firmer suspension and larger 17-inch alloy wheels shod with 225/45 tyres. Outright grip is rarely in question and the A3 changes direction with poise the old car could never hope to achieve.
Yet driving the Sportback is a soulless experience because it offers so little communication through any of its controls. The steering is very light and with no real feel coming through to the driver. The body isn’t controlled well enough over a demanding road, the ride is often agitating and the inability to deal with small intrusions becomes a nuisance around town. In short, there’s neither the control for a sporty drive nor the suppleness for comfortable travel.
Drive the Sportback really hard and it is more enjoyable – although this is of little relevance to this Audi’s key customer base. However, it was during such testing that we discovered a sudden steering input – like an emergency lane change on the motorway with the stability control switched off – could confuse the electro-hydraulic power assistance. The assistance drops away dramatically, making any slide very hard to contain.