What a breath of fresh air it is to drive a sedan body shape after coming out of - well, you guessed it-an SUV.
Can you believe that a couple of years ago consumers used to obsess over sedans like they do SUV- shaped vehicles? And just like that, it was an opportunity to re-explore why this was the case.
Joining us for two weeks was this beautiful facelifted A3 sedan, and our unit is the Black Edition, which means it gains a fleet of exterior enhancements over the normal S-Line variants.
You get more aggressive lower bumpers front and back, air vents, the signature four rings, mirror caps, side skirts, and window seals that are finished in gloss black trim.
And if you feel trigger-happy with your credit card, you can switch out the gloss to opt for carbon fibre.
I am especially a fan of these optional 19-inch wheels wrapped in low-profile tires, which give it much more of a gangster appearance, but they were super loud when driving at high speeds.
Altogether, the car looks more grown-up but still has that signature A3 look and feel. The Glacier White paint job does not do the car any justice ; it has presence nonetheless, which is a big bonus in my books.
Inside, it is still practical as ever with such goodies like four Type - C charging ports, the optional dual climate zone control feature, and enough headroom and knee room space for all four passengers ... emphasis is on four people because fitting five would be interesting, to say the least.
Being a facelift means the layout of the interior has been tweaked, yet still keeps that typical Audi design style, making usual customers feel right at home.
Infotainment is handled through the crisp and mighty responsive 10-inch display, which houses built-in navigation thanks to the navigation pack being ticked off the options list, Audi MMI, which can host over-the-air updates, Android Auto, and Apple CarPlay wirelessly, and you have very good wireless charging-granted it isn't a hot summer day.
The materials used inside help the car reach a new level of premium, which is well welcome in my opinion; no, I don't mean the piano black accents.
The cabin has a nice blend of cloth, soft-touch materials, leather, smooth plastic, and your choice of either brushed steel, carbon fiber, or cloth-covered dashboard-all making it a very nice place to be.
Driving the car was a very fun experience because of how surprisingly good the steering was.
When pushing it and channeling your inner Leclerc, the car certainly gives great assurance and feedback to you as the driver, and the petrolhead in me appreciates just how well the car responds when taking on a more enthusiastic drive.
By the way, since this is the S-Line, you get an upgraded suspension setup, which doesn't affect days when you want to have more of a "normal" commute.
For firepower, Audi gives you a 1.4L four-cylinder turbocharged unit that is paired to an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission, and this together produces 112kW and 250Nm of torque.
Once the car is at optimal operating temperature, it produces a very persuasive note that eggs you on, and the gearbox shifts beautifully while occasionally holding gears for god knows what, leaving you smacking your lips or sometimes taking matters into your own hands by shifting with the steering-mounted paddle shifters.
So how much is it? R800,000 is your guess? Wrong.
Our unit, as specced, costs R915,000, and for context, the newly introduced Golf 8.5 GTI costs R908,000.
If you've just made the "ouch face" you'd be very right to do so because in my time with the car, I figured that it has grown to become quite the car that you can confidently consider as a serious sedan, but there is no way it should cost you that much, as the car sits as an entry-level offering from Audi, just above the A1.
If you have that much, why not just fork out and get yourself into the S3 or even the RS3 ?