Do you remember the Audi A3 allstreet? Probably not, for two reasons: first, it's a niche vehicle, and second, it's unavailable in our market. However, the four-ring brand has just made it a bit more appealing by launching a new plug-in hybrid version.
According to the Ingolstadt car manufacturer, the model is called the Audi A3 allstreet 40 TFSI e. It follows in the footsteps of its Sportback sibling and packs a new 1.5L gasoline burner with forced induction that develops 150 ps (148 hp/110 kW) and 250 Nm (184 lb-ft) of torque. An 85 kW (116 ps/114 hp) and 330 Nm (243 lb-ft) electric motor assists it, and the total system output is 204 ps (201 hp/150 kW) and 350 Nm (258 lb-ft) of torque.
Audi's new A3 allstreet 40 TFSI e can reach 225 kph (140 mph) and operates up to 140 kph (87 mph) in the all-quiet mode. A 25.7 kWh (19.7 kWh net) battery pack feeds electrons to the electric motor, enabling a range of almost 140 km (87 miles) on the WLTP cycle. The German company says that a 10-80% recharge at 50 kW is possible in under 30 minutes, and plugging it in at 11 kW AC charging points will rejoice the battery in two and a half hours.
Photo: Audi
The jacked-up plug-in hybrid version of the A3 Sportback is 15 mm (0.6 in) higher than its regular hatch sibling. Combined with the larger tire diameter, it offers 30 mm (1.2 in) more ground clearance. It comes with wider wheel arches to emphasize its more utilitarian nature, rides on 17-inch wheels (standard), and benefits from an optimized spring and damper setup. It also has electromechanical steering, and its lithium-ion battery was mounted beneath the rear seat bench.
Interested parties can place orders for the new Audi A3 allstreet 40 TFSI e starting mid-October on the right side of the Atlantic Ocean. The four-ring automaker says pricing begins at €46,000 in its homeland of Germany, which comes out to $49,115 at today's exchange rate. The regular A3 allstreet starts at €35,400 (equaling $37,795) locally.
As specified above, the A3 allstreet is unavailable in our market, and neither is the A3 Sportback (hatch). Audi only offers it as a four-door, with the 2025 A3 Sedan kicking off at $38,200. Pricing goes up to at least $47,700 for the sportier S3 Sedan, whereas the RS 3 Sedan tops the offering. The latter has an MSRP of $62,300 for the 2024 model year and features a 2.5L five-banger making 401 hp (407 ps/299 kW) and 369 lb-ft (500 Nm) of torque. Naught to sixty (97 kph) takes just 3.6 seconds, and top speed is capped at 155 miles an hour (250 kph).
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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